Habitat Improvement & More Spring Birds

If you go down to the woods today, you're sure to get a big surprise! Drive down Seagrove Avenue or Bayshore Road and you will suddenly find great vistas have opened up to you; views that you never knew were possible. Why is this? Well, it's all part of a drive to rid Cape Island of some of its most persistent alien invasive plants. Admittedly it looks pretty drastic at the moment, but the end result should be more natural habitat for wildlife in an area that really needs it. For more information on this work (and pictures!) go to our Conservation page by clicking here.

Perhaps inevitably, I have been bombarded this past 24 hours by emails from people reporting earlier dates for just about everything I mentioned in my last post! This is perhaps inevitable in the new age of birding, where observers' sightings get scattered to seemingly ever more listserves, websites, blogs, texting services and databases, rather than coming through a single, local collection point. I hear that Pete Bacinski and Sandra Escala chanced across Deidre Asbjorn watching a Laughing Gull at Cook's Beach on March 3rd, so it looks like Deirdre gets the coveted LAGU Award!

Tree Swallows seem to be trickling in gradually throughout the area with small numbers reported from several locations over the past few days. Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons and even the odd Snowy Egret have all put in a showing too; Jim Blumenstein mentioned a gathering of 25 egrets at Heislerville, while at least six Great Egrets and four Great Blue Herons were on Magnolia Lake in Seaville when I drove past there on Monday. Surely the first real sign of spring came with the first eye-witness report from the field of warblers arriving at the point. Tom Reed reported 21 Pine Warblers heading north at St Pete's in an hour on the morning of 14th. Yesterday also produced the first Holly Azure of the year for Will Kerling, an increase in the number of Orange Sulphurs, Small Whites and Mourning Cloaks and my personal first Green Darner of the year - though Jim Dowdell and Will Kerling have both had this dragonfly species this week too.

Temperatures are now hitting the Seventies - it will soon be time to take a layer of clothing off!

This Tree Swallow may only be just in, but photographer Joe Siekierski tells me that it was already laying claim to a box at the South Cape May Meadows and dusting up with the House Sparrows!

Birding Update

Every year spring takes us through a rough ride of peaks and troughs; a hint of sun, the first Pine Warbler in song, then a day of cold wind and rain. Another warm sliver of hope, three Laughing Gulls, then a chilly wind off the Atlantic Ocean! And so it has been this year. Winter remnants currently include an Orange-crowned Warbler which is being reported on and off at the state park still, while one at the Northwood Center on 8th was more of a surprise and perhaps an indication of birds starting to move around a little more. Ducks still crop up regularly in text messages and these birds are certainly heading north right now (just in time for our workshop on this very subject with Pete Dunne - click here!). While the commoner species are still present in good numbers at favored sites, oddities (for us at least!) such as Common Goldeneye and Common Merganser have cropped up recently and up to six Harlequin Ducks have been not far away at Atlantic City.

The first real sign of a slow but steady advancement of the seasons is usually taken as the first report of Laughing Gulls at Cape May. A light-hearted LAGU Award is put out to the finder each year, and this year it goes to Jim and Linda Waldie who reported three Laughing Gulls from Cape May Ferry Terminal on March 10th. Perhaps the same three birds were noted off Miami Beach by Tony Leukering on 12th. The latter site still continues to host a Black-headed Gull which was last reported on 11th but is probably still in the area. Three Pine Warblers were singing along Jake's Landing Road on 8th and would appear to be newly-arriving birds. On 12th, at least six Tree Swallows and an Eastern Phoebe were in Ocean City.

Our wonderful Broad-tailed Hummingbird remains at Batts Lane this morning, though I gather some people are having to wait quite some time for a showing. Perseverance should pay off however. In contrast the whereabouts of the Western Grebe has become somewhat obscure. While I haven't personally heard of a definite sighting since last Friday, the waters have been a little choppy and there is a lot of loons around right now so would-be finders need to be very careful with attention to detail. No reliable pattern of movements has been shown by this bird, making it very hard to pin down, but we will let you know if it gets confirmed as still present.

The female Dickcissel continues - rather elusively - at the Northwood Center feeders, while the female Rufous Hummingbird was still at our Goshen Center to the weekend at least (she seems to have been overshadowed of late by news from Batts Lane!!). Finally, for now, an Osprey was reported belatedly as having been seen last Friday (9th) which is about the right time for the first of spring, but this year there have been one or two winter records so it is hard to be sure.

Snouting Around!

Cape May's butterfly watchers - with much assistance from the amazingly mild weather -  continue to re-write the record books this year. Though some experts have suggested that American Snout could winter as far north as New Jersey, I don't think that anyone has actually proved it - until now. The unstoppable Jim Dowdell started the ball rolling with a remarkable find of one at the Cape Island Preserve on February 1st. Will Kerling followed this with singles on February 17th and 22nd near Beaver Swamp WMA. Just a few days ago, on March 7th, Pat and Clay Sutton then found the fourth snout for the year, at Woodcock Lane off Route 47, but Will Kerling blew the doors off it all on March 8th with a remarkable count of 14 at Beaver Swamp! With no other evidence of species arriving from the south in any quantity yet, it seems pretty certain that these individuals have overwintered as adults locally, the best evidence yet that this species can do so.

American Snout at Woodcock Lane, March 7th [photo by Pat Sutton].

Mating American Snouts at Beaver Dam Road, South Dennis, March 8th [photo by Will Kerling].

Keep an eye out for Bald Eagles if you visit the South Cape May Meadows this weekend. This adult has been hanging out there a lot lately and often gives great views - here photographed by Joe Siekierski on March 8th.

Things that go beeep in the night - and cross the road!

With temperartures edging upwards there's a sense of spring in the air and that classic combination of sunny spells interspersed with rainy spells has got the flower buds popping open and all sorts of animal activity going on. This time of year is particularly a time to be careful if driving after dark - for things are a-foot out there! This was brought home to me when I heard about last weekend's Woodcock Dance which sounded like they had an amazing time. Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers parading right before the group, a singing Seaside Sparrow, then some wonderfully obliging woodcocks that displayed from right in the middle of the track. All fantastic stuff and hopefully all to be repeated this coming weekend. We still have just a few places left on this coming Saturday's Woodcock Dance program so don't miss out if you want a close encounter with the 'Timberdoodle' - call Chris Tonkinson on 609-861-0700 to find out how to take part.

I mentioned driving after dark above and the main reason I did this is because we are rapidly heading into amphibian time. Over the next few weeks, our amphibian species will be emerging from winter hiding places and making their way to traditional breeding pools, some of which have been used for many generations. Amphibians most often move in greatest number on wet nights and their routes often take them across roads. So do please be alert to little guys weaving across the lanes and try to avoid them as best you can. Many of our amphibians are in steep decline due to habitat loss and the devastating effect on their populations of feral and domestic cats, so anything we can do to help will surely be appreciated by them.

Why did the Timberdoodle cross the road? To get to this weekend's Woodcock Dance of course! This guy actually crossed the road in front of me at 3pm and gave me a nice opportunity for a broad daylight photo session from the comfort of the driving seat! [Photo by Mike Crewe]

New Jersey Chorus Frogs are kicking up a right racket at a pond near you right now! This species seems to be particularly common from Rio Grande north to Goshen and Swainton. [Photo by Mike Crewe]

A prize find at any time! Tiger Salamanders are rare in Cape May but still present at suitable locations. This is a State Endangered species and should not be molested without authorization. Salamanders are early birds and large species are already well into their breeding season. The location where I found this adult also had a large number of salamander tadpoles present. [Photo by Mike Crewe]

And talking of crossing the road - watch out for big guys as well as little guys while you are out and about in Cape May! Wild Turkeys are getting into courtship mode now and traffic sense will no doubt go out of the window for a few weeks! [Photo by Mike Crewe]

Grebe, Hummer, Piper...

As of Monday, the Western Grebe was still keeping a little beyond decent viewing point - no news yet today but I'm guessing it's still around. It's very difficult to pin it down for anyone trying to see the bird; generally, on a falling tide it tends to drift out of the bay so is more likely to be seen around the end of the point from the St Mary's or St Peter's dune crossings. On an incoming tide, it can be as far north as the ferry terminal - as yet we have no reports from north of there. If you're not sure of the tide, or it's somewhere in between high and low, the best bet is probably to try Sunset Beach or Alexander Avenue.

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird continues to delight visitors to Batts Lane and, despite drawing much attention, doesn't seem to have changed its routine much. It still remains faithful to the same perches in the hydrangea or firethorn bushes either side of the gate to the right hand side of the house.

Other news this past couple of days headlines with an early return of Piping Plovers to New Jersey's beaches. Two were at the South Cape May beach on March 3rd, found by Warren Cairo and Claudia Burns, while Tom Wilson emailed me to report that one had returned to Absecon Inlet up in Atlantic County on 4th. American Oystercatchers are on the move too; although we get reasonable numbers wintering with us, many do head further south and there is a clear indication of movement right now with small parties being seen passing offshore or stopping off on the stone jetties around the point. Up to two Black-headed Gulls continue to visit Miami Beach at the north end of Villas and Dunlin, Bonaparte's Gulls and Forster's Terns can all be seen there in good numbers - probably best about an hour either side of high tide. The two male Blue-winged Teal (now looking very smart in breeding dress) continue in the state park, as does the Nashville Warbler this morning. One or two Eastern Phoebes have also been reported, though none seems to be hanging around for long; the latest was noted at Higbee Beach on March 4th by Don Freiday.

Piping Plover - one of two on South Cape May Beach, March 3rd [photo by Warren Cairo].

Western Grebe - getting closer!! [Photo by Karl Lukens.]

American Oystercatchers stop off at Higbee Beach jetty [photo by Sam Galick].

It's confirmed now! Eurasian Collared Dove on the nest at Cape May Point [photo by Sam Galick].

Broad-tailed Hummingbird - more pictures

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird continues to show itself to visiting birdwatchers today and last night I was sent some more great pictures of the bird, so I'm sharing them here. All pictures are copyright of Michael O'Brien.

The two pictures above were taken on January 7th and making an interesting contrast with what the bird looks like now. Note the juvenile tail with extensive white tips. It's easy to be right with hindsight and we can ponder on those broad outer tail feathers that rule out Allen's Hummingbird, but the green feathers coming though on the chest sides are flashing before me in my nightmares now!!

The above four pictures show the bird on March 1st. Even more green on the flanks, a rose-red tint to the throat feathers - and just look at that tail! As Michael O'Brien put "..a no-brainer" now!! [All photos by Michael O'Brien]

Other bird news.
If you are visitng this weekend, wrap up for some wet weather Saturday, but Sunday should be better. While you are here: the Western Grebe remains elusive but still present today off Sunset Beach/Alexander Avenue. According to tide (further north on in-coming, further south on out-going) it may be anywhere from St Mary's to the ferry terminal and usually anything up to a mile offshore (there's a lot of loons out there at the moment too!!). The Glossy Ibis is still at the South Cape May Meadows (Cove Pond end today), Lake Lily had Common Goldeneye and Redhead on Thursday, the Nashville Warbler was seen again at the state park near the small blind overlooking Lighthouse Pond. The Cackling Goose is still moving areound with Canada Geese, most recently on Shunpike Road near Stimpson Lane and two Horned Larks have been seen on the fields at the junction of Stevens and Broadway.

With apologies for the late update - I started this post exactly eight hours ago but life has been a bit hectic today!!

Broad-tailed Hummingbird!!

Mega news from Cape May! A male Broad-tailed Hummingbird is currently viewable at a private yard in Cape May. This will represent the first state record for New Jersey of this western species if accepted by the relevant committees.

PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW THESE ON-SITE INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY:

Thie bird is at a private feeder at 1026 Batts Lane, Cape May. The owner has given permission for birders to visit. The bird can be seen from the front lawn as it often sits in a hydrangea bush on the right hand corner of the house as you view from the road. The feeder is in the side yard to the right of the house. Please do not approach the feeder or the front of the house too closely and you should get views of the bird. IMPORTANT: Batts Lane is a narrow, residential street and the bird is right on a bend in the road. We strongly recommend that you park in nearby Shunpike Road and walk through (it is only about 150 yards). There is ample roadside parking on Shunpike Road. Please respect other local residents who may not understand the ways of us birders!

This hummingbird has been visiting a feeder in Batts Lane, Cape May since late last fall, but has been in juvenile plumage and was presumed to be a Rufous Hummingbird. Indeed, close inspection appeared to confirm that. However, the bird has now molted its tail which is conclusively that of an adult male Broad-tailed Hummingbird.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Cape May. Note the full, all dark tail with narrowly pointed tips to the inner feathers. [Photo by Mike Crewe]

Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Cape May. The tail shape is just visible here again; also note the extensive green adult feathers on the flanks, replacing the buffy juvenile ones. [Photo by Mike Crewe]