With the coming of sparrows, it feels like late fall and the sparrows have certainly started to arrive now. On my Hidden Valley walk this morning we had a nice bow wave moving ahead of us as numerous
White-throated, Swamp and
Song Sparrows flitted out of our way. Overhead, the skies provided great views of a raft of
Northern Flickers, kettles of
Broad-winged Hawks and - best of all - a total of 10
Eastern Meadowlarks that bustled their way over our heads.
Eastern Phoebes are in town in good numbers this past few days too, while anyone interested in Monarchs will have delighted in the departure of these amazing insects from roosts this morning - Michael O'Brien reported counts of 550 per minute passing him at Coral Avenue (though I don't know for how many minutes!!). The odd
Connecticut Warbler and
Lincoln's Sparrow has been reported amongst the larger numbers of other species and a small run of
Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers has proceeded daily since October 1st. Tuesday saw a
Swainson's Hawk putting in a fairly brief appearance as it drifted past the Hawkwatch then was reported heading over the bay towards Delaware.
On Wednesday morning, three
Eurasian Collared Doves flying west along the duneline at the state park were intriguing. Are the birds from Cape May Point starting to wander a little now, or is this another three birds moving in? There's been no reports of any at the point for some time so it's hard to say what's happening with them. A possible
Gray Kingbird flashed past the Hawkwatch on Wednesday morning and a
Clay-colored Sparrow was reported from Del Haven in the afternoon. Perhaps the biggest surprise of this morning was the rediscovery of the
Upland Sandpiper at Higbee's Beach today, now stationing itself in the third field. Since this is a particularly late date and since Higbee's is not generally considered a traditional spot for this species, it does seem likely that this is the same bird that was present there some days ago and which somehow has escaped detection.
It sounds as though all the usual sites are producing birds at the moment so Cape May has plenty to offer for the coming weekend. I hear that people are seeing plenty of warblers and sparrows at Higbee's Beach, around Cape May Point and at Cox Hall Creek WMA, while Stone Harbor Point sounds as though it has still got plenty of birds on offer. Personally, I can vouch for a nice run of
Magnolia Warblers, Red-eyed Vireos and
Scarlet Tanagers outside the office window this week...
This Black-billed Cuckoo posed nicely at Hidden Valley, Cape May on 3 October. On days when Higbee Beach is packed with people, Hidden Valley provides a great place to walk. It is pretty typical to be the only birder there, which means you have a better chance at running into a skulker like this cuckoo. Not that Higbee isn't great...
On 6 October, Nick Bonomo found a ridiculously tame Upland Sandpiper in the third field at Higbee Beach. This is likely the same bird that had been in the first field a week before. This time, however, the bird dashed around out on the path and even walked right up to me while hunting crickets on the ground. In the background of the photo above, you can see the legs of several birders who were being entertained by the sandpiper's antics.
Liza Gray spotted this American White Pelican flying past Cape May Point State Park on the evening of 6 October; it stuck around overnight, and soared around over Higbee Beach for about an hour on the morning of 7 October before it disappeared. While it was circling over the forest, the bird was simultaneously in view at both the hawkwatch and the Higbee Dike (~2.2 miles apart).
In addition to loads of Northern Flickers, Red-bellied Woodpeckers have been moving in numbers as of late. While these birds are typically thought of as sedentary, it is pretty typical to note small movements of 5-20 birds in a single morning at Higbee Beach in October. Clearly they show at least some migratory tendencies.
Blackpoll Warblers are still making a big push through Cape May, even though Yellow-rumped Warblers are dominating the warbler show numerically. This bird is likely an adult with vestiges of alternate plumage remaining on its head. The cedars next to the hawkwatch platform at Cape May Point State Park have been reliable for hosting Blackpolls for several days now.
Cape May in October... oh yes, there are raptors here. LOTS of raptors. Sharp-shinned Hawks, like this adult, have been pushing through in fine style. Diversity of raptors is high, and the first Golden Eagle of the fall was tallied yesterday (10 October) at the Point.
