Things to do on a snowy day - sorting out the sparrows

Sometimes it can be tough making the decision to go birding when there is snow lying on the ground, the temperatures hover around the freezing mark and there are so many diversionary tactics close to hand, like hot coffee, an unread magazine and isn't it time to dust behind the radiators or sort the M&Ms into alphabetical order - or something....

Well, right about now you really should be thinking of dressing up warm and seeing what's happening in the natural world, for winter can be a very interesting time - and certainly a great time to observe and contribute to our knowledge of wildlife. In the past few days, two locations have featured strongly in the observational reports we are receiving from around Cape May - Sunset Beach and Stone Harbor Point. Sunset Beach, overlooking the concrete ship is currently a great place to sit and study Red-throated Loons, Bonaparte's Gulls and Surf Scoters, all of which are feeding on an apparent wealth of food there right now. Scan carefully and you might also find the Black-headed Gull that has been showing well there early mornings (I hear there may have even been two yesterday), as well as several Forster's Terns. Other birds ferry up and down the bay and parties of Black and Surf Scoters, Brant, Red-breasted Mergansers and others should be expected.

A phone call at the Northwood Center at 08:30 this morning revealed that a Snowy Owl had been found near the southern tip of Stone Harbor Point - now there's a gung-ho observer! Stone Harbor Point was in the news this time last year for a number of good birds - Snowy Owl, Smith's Longspur and Le Conte's Sparrow were all there for the finding. At present, at least one Lapland Longspur is hanging out there, but one of the best reasons to head out to the backbay marshes right now is that it is a good time to get to grips with those elusive marsh sparrows! Seaside, Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sparrows all winter in good numbers in New Jersey's spartina marshes but getting a good look at them can be tricky. So here's what you need to do. Pick an area of marsh that has easy access - somewhere that a road passes right through the saltmarsh, or where a boat ramp gives you easy access (Stone Harbor Point and Nummy's Island are good places, but there are many more). Take a look at the tide tables for the area of marsh that you choose and plan to visit an hour or two either side of the highest spring tide of the month. On such tides, the birds can be pushed right off the marsh and onto the roadsides. Wrap up warm and walk quietly along any line cover that there might be along the side of the road and you should soon be spotting dark and elusive shapes flitting ahead of you. Careful watching and patience are required but, almost inevitably, you will eventually get birds settling where you can see them. And now the fun begins - identifying them!

Armed with your favorite field guide, take careful note of face and chest color and pattern, consider the relative size of the bill - and get photos if you can. Here's a quick photo guide to help you in your quest, oh, and don't forget to eBird your sightings afterward. If you find a good spot and visit it on a regular basis, you can really contribute to citizen science and give researchers some useful data on these elusive birds.

Given a high tide and a good strand line of dead plant material, there is plenty of opportunity to study the elusive 'little brown jobs' of the backbay marshes. Typical views like this can leave one bemused and confused; these birds are perhaps not identifiable from this single shot and such brief views are commonplace. Take it from me though, the left hand bird turned out to be a Saltmarsh Sparrow and the right hand is a Nelson's! [Photo by Mike Crewe]

Views like this are to be dreamed about, but they can happen! Seaside Sparrow is the largest, plainest and grayest of your target species. They have long, stout bills and a yellowish patch on the front of the supercilium. Note how dingy-looking the bird is on its underparts. [photo by Tom Reed].

Nelson's Sparrow can be a complicated species as we have birds from more than one population wintering with us. Birds like this come from a coastal population that breeds in New England. They are overall dull and gray-looking but they differ from Seaside Sparrows in being shorter-billed and whiter underneath, with an orangey wash to the breast [photo by Sam Galick].

We also have Nelson's Sparrows from an interior breeding population, centered around Alberta, Saskatchewan and North Dakota. These birds are more brightly colored and can be hard to tell from Saltmarsh Sparrow. Indeed, until recently, Nelson's and Saltmarsh Sparrow were all considered a single species and you will find them called Sharp-tailed Sparrow in older books. On this bird note the clean, orangey supercilium, contrasting gray nape patch and well-defined dark flank streaks, as well as the relatively small bill [photo by Mike Crewe].

Seen from the front, interior Nelson's Sparrows usually show a strong and well-defined contrast between the orangey wash on the breast and the white belly [photo by Mike Crewe].

The final species of the marshland trio is Saltmarsh Sparrow and this is probably the hardest to find of the three species. This species has many differences in plumage from interior Nelson's Sparrows, but they are all rather subtle. Note the lack of color contrast between the chest and belly, the dark flecks in the orange supercilium, subtly longer bill and stronger flank streaking compared with the Nelson's Sparrows above [photo by Mike Crewe].

Now that you have those all sorted out, here's something to be aware of - Savannah Sparrow! Savannah Sparrows are common birds of the saltmarsh edge, which means you are more likely to find them along the roadside or edge of the dunes than right out in the saltmarsh. So they will be around if you go searching for the other sparrows at high tide. Savannahs are much paler and finely streaked all over. Many of our coastal wintering birds are from the Sable Island population known as Ipswich Sparrows - like the bird above - and these are especially pale and frosty-looking [photo by Tom Reed].

Go check out the sparrows and put all this into practice. It won't be easy, but that's all part of the fun - any bird that you have to work a little harder for will be so much sweeter once you crack it!

Owls in the News

Owls have been a recurring theme at the bird observatory the past few days and winter often does seem to be the time of year when these birds become more obvious to us. The larger species of owl have pretty long breeding seasons so need to start early and, at this time of year, Great Horned Owls are always very vocal as they reconfirm territories with their duet calls. Yesterday evening, a number of us were out at sites along the coast and bayshore throughout South Jersey, taking part in a long-running survey to monitor wintering raptors on our coastal wetlands. At the site I was counting, we finished off with a stunning bayshore sunset, flaming the sky behind the silhouette of a Great Horned Owl, perched on an Osprey platform. Surely one of the most iconic images of the Delaware Bay in winter.

The earlier anticipation of another Snowy Owl winter has faded, but one or two of these wonderful Arctic birds has been reported along the New Jersey coast so it's certainly worth keeping an eye out - there's a few out there somewhere. In the meantime, Project Snowstorm continues to provide us with amazing data on these birds and it is well worth visiting the project website on a regular basis to see what else has been learned.

Down here at Cape May Point, the buzz about owls has mostly been about Barred Owls - and one Barred Owl in particular (though maybe there is more than one...). Back in late fall, a Barred Owl showed up at the state park and bucked the usual trend by sitting out in full view for all to see. Ideas of keeping the bird's presence quiet to allow it not to be unduly disturbed seemed rather moot - this bird was free to go off and hide in the darkest depths of the wet woods, but was choosing to watch the world go by from prominent perches right beside the trails! With the start of a new year comes the start of new year lists and interest in this bird was renewed. Was it still around? Well, yes, and it's still disporting itself for all to see! Tales of close encounters with this bird have been many and we have received a lot of photos of it. There's no telling exactly when and where it will reveal itself as it does move around but, if you are at Cape May Point State Park, keep your eyes peeled. A couple of evenings ago, I received a phone call from one of our volunteers and was soon watching the bird right near the lighthouse, before it wafted across the road and sat watching traffic right in a roadside pine tree.

Two wonderful portraits of the Barred Owl that is currently calling Cape May Point home. There's little in the way of suitable breeding habitat for this species down here, so we will probably lose this bird in due course, as it wanders off to set up a territory elsewhere. But for now, it's a welcome addition to the neighborhood [top photo by Tom Reed, bottom photo by Sean McDermott]

One other encounter that I had with owls this weekend was not quite so wonderful - but was interesting as it involved a bit of detective work. At the bird observatory we received a phone call from a resident in North Cape May who had found what she thought to be a dead owl beside the road near her house. Expecting the usual blunt trauma encounter with a vehicle during the night, I went over and soon found the bird - a majestic Great Horned Owl. These birds often hunt along roadsides as many animals have to break from cover to cross open roads, making them easy targets for silent owls during the hours of darkness. Indeed, since owls, like most birds, have a very poor sense of smell, Great Horned Owls are probably the most significant predators of skunks and the well-eaten remains of a skunk in your yard is almost certainly a sign that Great Horned Owls are in your area.

Picking up this unfortunate owl, I was immediately struck by a strong smell. Not the smell of decay, for this was a freshly dead bird. This was a smell of burning. So what had happened to this bird? A closer look revealed that many of the bird's feathers had blackened melted tips with blackened blobs at the ends. I had seen this before and knew that this was a sign that the bird had been electrocuted. Sadly, a number of owls and diurnal birds of prey meet an untimely end when they collide with power lines. Landing on a power line is fine - it's if they touch two lines and complete a circuit that the problem arises. Talking by phone with the original caller later in the day, she revealed that they had experienced a power outage that night. It seems that our owl was the reason.

Some of the upper wing coverts of the unfortunate Great Horned Owl. Note how the feather edges are curled up and melted. Learning to be a nature detective can be useful in understanding the lives of the animals that live around us, such that we can learn to share space with each other in the best way for all of us [photo by Mike Crewe].

Though the loss of this owl is sad, some benefit for science can be gleaned from it. The bird will go to become part of the ever increasing collection of study skins at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. In addition, the bird carried a US Fish & Wildlife band on its leg and the details of the finding have been submitted to the banding lab, adding to our knowledge of bird movements and longevity in the region.

Humans have always had a great fascination with owls. If you want to know more about these fabulous creatures and have a chance to go and look for some, our Wintering Eagles, Hawks and Owls program is filling fast but still has one or two places left. Check out the details and give us a call on 609-761-0700 - we'd love to have you along!

A bayshore sunset at Thompson's Beach - Great Horned Owl in there somewhere! [Photo by Mike Crewe]

Week in review: 10 – 16 January, 2015

CMBO is pleased to provide weekly summaries of the Cape's birding highlights. Coverage is limited to bird sightings in Cape May County. Readers should keep in mind that some reports may not be confirmed. The vast majority of information utilized in these reports comes from eBird data and "Keekeekerr" text alerts. Observers are also encouraged to send reports and photos to compiler Tom Reed (coturnicops at gmail dot com).

Location Abbreviations/Explanations: CMP (town of Cape May Point); CMPSP (Cape May Pt. State Park); WMA (Wildlife Management Area).

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WATERFOWL THROUGH BITTERN

       Cold weather continued to adversely affect freshwater duck numbers, with significant ice cover remaining on most fresh and brackish water. The award for week’s most bizarre report goes to the Ruddy Shelduck that appeared at Erma and Villas 15 Jan (SW, JD, TL). The bird, an unbanded female, has not been seen since. Though most North American records presumably refer to individuals that have escaped from captivity, the species is a candidate for natural vagrancy and free-flying birds should be thoroughly documented. A Cackling Goose remained on the pond at Champlain Drive, Villas through at least 14 Jan (m. ob.). Both a Cackling Goose and a Ross's Goose were seen flying with Snow Geese over West Cape May 16 Jan (MO). Notable ducks included 12 Canvasbacks and 21 Redheads that flew south past Avalon 11 Jan (TR), and multiple reports of the locally uncommon Common Merganser-- including a max of 9 at Tuckahoe WMA 14 Jan (SG). Grebes were in the news this week, headlined by 70+ Horned Grebes at Avalon 11 Jan (TR et al.) and at least 1 Red-necked Grebe at Avalon 11–12 Jan (m. ob.). Reports of American Bittern were limited to CMPSP, where 2 were noted 11 Jan (TB), followed by 1 on 13 Jan (WC). 

[Ruddy Shelduck at Champlain Drive, Villas on 15 Jan. Photo by Tony Leukering.]

RAPTORS THROUGH GULLS

       After nearly a week without sightings, a/the Osprey appeared at CMP 13 Jan (MP). The same or another was photographed at Stone Harbor Point 11 Jan (HT, LW). Tuckahoe WMA continued to host a dark-type Rough-legged Hawk through much of the week (m. ob.). An unprecedented southbound alcid movement, involving 2 Dovekies, 131 Razorbills, and 488 unidentified large alcids, was witnessed from Avalon’s 8^th Street jetty 11 Jan (TR, m. ob.). Additional Razorbill reports from Avalon included 2 on 12 Jan (MP) and 1 on 15 Jan (TR), while at Cape Island several were scoped from CMP 11 Jan (GD) and 7 moved west past Cape May City 12 Jan (MO). Perhaps a product of increased observer effort, multiple Black-legged Kittiwakes were tallied--7 were offshore CMP 11 Jan (GD et al.) along with 2 offshore Avalon 13 Jan (TR). An adult Black-headed Gull once again appeared in the vicinity of the Cox Hall Creek outflow, near the south end of Villas, 15 Jan (JN, DW, m. ob.).

[Black-headed Gull at Villas, 15 Jan. Photo by Dustin Welch.]

COLLARED-DOVE THROUGH FINCHES

       A long-staying Eurasian Collared-Dove was most recently encountered at CMP 12 Jan (SG); there were no White-winged Dove sightings this week. The year’s first Snowy Owl was discovered roosting on a rooftop at 61^st Street, Avalon 13 Jan (TR et al.). At least 1 Short-eared Owl again entertained observers at Jake’s Landing through the period, and another was seen from Nummy Island 13 Jan (CM). CMPSP’s Eastern Phoebe continued through 16 Jan (JK), and at least 60 Tree Swallows survived the Cape Island winter through 16 Jan (m. ob.). Additional lingerers included at least 1 Orange-crowned Warbler at CMP through 13 Jan (m. ob.), a Palm Warbler at Rea Farm/Beanery 15 Jan (BB), a Yellow-breasted Chat at CMPSP 10 Jan (v. ob.), and a Baltimore Oriole at CMPSP 16 Jan (SG). Always notable at Cape Island, a single American Tree Sparrow was reported at CMPSP 11 Jan (SS). After a notable absence during early winter, Pine Siskins became more conspicuous in recent days-- at least 7 reports came in from Cape Island, including a flock of 11 over CMP 11 Jan (MO). A few more Common Redpolls followed behind last week’s single sighting, such as 1 over CMP 10 Jan (DF), 6 over CMP 13 Jan (MP), 1 at Reed’s Beach 14 Jan (TR), 1 at CMBO’s Northwood Center 14–16 Jan (BM, m. ob.), and 1 near Villas 15 Jan (JN, DW). 

[Snowy Owl at Avalon, 13 Jan. Photo by Tom Reed.]

[Common Redpoll at CMBO's Northwood Center, 14 Jan. Photo by Michael O'Brien.]

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Contributors:

Barb Bassett (BB), Tom Baxter (TB), Warren Cairo (WC), Glen Davis (GD), Jim Dowdell (JD), Don Freiday (DF), Sam Galick (SG), John King (JK), Tony Leukering (TL), Christina Marks (CM), Brian Moscatello (BM), Josh Nemeth (JN), Michael O'Brien (MO), Mike Pasquarello (MP), Tom Reed (TR), Susanna Stippick (SS), Harvey Tomlinson (HT), Dustin Welch (DW), Scott Whittle (SW), Linda Widdop (LW).

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References:

eBird. 2012. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application].  eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed: 16 January 2015).

Fogg, B. 2013. Keekeekerr: Recent Text Alerts. Available: http://keekeekerr.com/textalerts/keekeekerr. (Accessed: 16 January 2015).

Redpolls headed our way, and other winter birds

While an icy blast might be all it takes to keep you indoors for a few days, there's certainly plenty of reasons to be looking for birds around Cape May right now. If you want to brave the chilly conditions along the beachfront, there seems to be a Snowy Owl lurking somewhere out on the barrier islands, and last reported from 61st Street in Avalon. The stone jetties are alive with Purple Sandpipers (at least 30 were off Coral Avenue at Cape May Point a couple of days ago) and, if you take a scope and have plenty of patience, it's worth scanning the Bonaparte's Gull flocks out in the Delaware Bay for the odd Black-legged Kittiwake that is lurking among them - though these birds seem to be feeding well offshore right now.

If you want a modicum of sanity about your birding during this cold snap, you might make a hot mug of coffee, grab a chocolate brownie and snuggle down in your favorite chair to view the backyard feeders, for something of interest may be lurking there. Brian Moscatello took a casual glance out of the Northwood Center windows today and noticed a Common Redpoll at one of the feeders. This is a bird of very unpredictable appearance in Cape May and getting one at the feeder is certainly a real bonus! These nomads from the north don't head south in any number most years, but maybe we can hope for more to show up. To date, the only New Jersey records this month have come from Cape May so there's no clear sign of a movement yet - but you never know.

Of course, your best chance for a Common Redpoll right now is to head to the Northwood Center and enjoy a cup of coffee with us - and don't forget to check for American Woodcocks along Sunset Boulevard on your way!

When the bayshore looks like this, it's tempting to stay indoors, but such watery sunsets on an icy day can be truly spectacular and it's worth making the effort now and again [photo by Sam Galick].

 

Keep an eye out for Red-shouldered Hawks checking out your feeder. This juvenile bird at the Hawkwatch Platform this week is perhaps not the most obvious of individuals and it can sometimes be difficult to tell them from Red-tails. In this slightly odd pose, the bird looks broad-shouldered and small-headed like a Red-tail, but notice the thick, dark tail bands, the even distribution of markings on the underparts and the suggestion of a rusty shoulder patch (difficult to see in this cropped photo, but worth looking for in the field) [photo by Linda Widdop].

In contrast to the juvenile, adults - like this one on Sunset Boulevard - can be easy to tell from Red-tails. This bird shows a classic rusty wash to the underparts and bold, black-and-white checkering on the wings [photo by Stephanie Vacek].

Some birds can be easier to see during cold snaps than at other times, especially if they get drawn to road surfaces which get thawed by salting. American Pipits have been reported from a number of places around Cape May these past few days and most sightings have involved birds on thawing roadsides. Stay in the car and you can get amazingly good views of these birds if you are careful [photo by Sam Galick].

 

Take a careful look at the birds at your feeders right now and let us know if a Common Redpoll comes winging in! Look for a rather plain, streaky bird, with a red cap on the forehead and a small black bib. Adult males can be pink-washed on the chest but most are likely to be first-winter birds like this one, with no pink on the chest. Ageing redpolls can be difficult as there is a lot of individual variation, but this bird has a contrast in its tail feathers - showing two inner pairs with quite fresh, rounded tips, and the rest of the feathers being more pointed and a little more worn at the tips. The presence of such a contrast in the feathers indicates a partial molt and makes this a young bird [photo by Mike Crewe].

Week in review: 3 – 9 January, 2015

CMBO is pleased to provide weekly summaries of the Cape's birding highlights. Coverage is limited to sightings in Cape May County. Readers should keep in mind that some reports may not be confirmed. The vast majority of information utilized in these reports comes from eBird data and "Keekeekerr" text alerts. Observers are encouraged to send reports and photos to compiler Tom Reed (coturnicops at gmail dot com).

Location Abbreviations/Explanations: CMP (town of Cape May Point); CMPSP (Cape May Pt. State Park); SHPt (Stone Harbor Point); WMA (Wildlife Management Area).

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WATERFOWL THROUGH HERONS

       Cold weather during the second half of the period adversely affected waterfowl numbers, with significant ice cover on most fresh and brackish water, along with nearshore waters of the Delaware Bay by 9 Jan. A Ross’s Goose was gleaned from a flock of 2500 Snow Goose at Reed’s Beach 7 Jan (TR), though numbers of geese have decreased there since. A Cackling Goose continued at Champlain Drive, Villas through 5 Jan (m. ob.). There were several reports of Tundra Swan, including a flock of 12 fleeing southward over CMP 8 Jan (MS, DW). Also at CMP, at least 1 Eurasian Wigeon hung on through 9 Jan (m. ob.). Other notable ducks included a Canvasback and 3 Redheads at Cape May Court House 4 Jan (TB, TG), and a flock of 22 Common Eiders at the north end of Ocean City 3 Jan (JC). A Red-necked Grebe was also viewed in the same area 3 Jan (JC). Lingering waders included 2 American Bitterns at SHPt 3 Jan (HT) and a Little Blue Heron along Ocean Drive through at least 6 Jan (m. ob.).

RAPTORS THROUGH OWLS

       An Osprey survived at CMP until 6 Jan, but has not been encountered since (m. ob.). A dark-type Rough-legged Hawk was relatively cooperative at Tuckahoe WMA through much of the week (m. ob.). At least 52 American Oystercatchers continued to tough it out at Hereford Inlet 5 Jan (WC), while 52 Red Knots made for a nice January tally at Two Mile Beach 6 Jan (KH). Two Dovekies whizzed past the north end of Ocean City 3 Jan (JC), representing the latest in a series of land-based reports during the past two weeks. Particularly surprising was a Razorbill reported in Delaware Bay from High’s Beach 5 Jan (WK). A White-winged Dove, first noted at CMP 2 Jan, was last reported there 4 Jan (FL); a long-staying Eurasian Collared-Dove was most recently glimpsed at CMP 3 Jan (VE). At least 4 Short-eared Owls entertained observers at Jake’s Landing throughout the period; 2 were once again seen from SHPt 3 Jan (HT). A Northern Saw-whet Owl flashed in front of a vehicle traveling past mile 2 of the Garden State Parkway 7 Jan (GD).

PHOEBE THROUGH FINCHES

       Most local winters feature a hardy Eastern Phoebe or two, such as the one that persisted at CMP through at least 4 Jan (m. ob.). Impressive was the 80 or so Tree Swallows that survived at CMP through the week (m. ob.). Additional noteworthy lingerers included 5 Palm Warblers and a Baltimore Oriole at the Rea Farm/Beanery 5 Jan (SG), single Orange-crowned Warblers at Cape May City 6 Jan (WC) and CMPSP 8 Jan (TB), and a Yellow-breasted Chat at High’s Beach 6 Jan (WK). A couple American Tree Sparrows were reported from Tuckahoe WMA, the county’s most reliable site for the species, 7 Jan (SG). Following strong movements during Fall 2014, both Purple Finch and Pine Siskin have once again become scarce. The period’s only Pine Siskin report entailed a single bird at West Cape May 4 Jan (MO). There have been widely scattered reports of Common Redpolls in the Mid-Atlantic recently, including a flock of 5 that flew over CMP 7 Jan (GD). 

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Contributors:

Tom Baxter (TB), Warren Cairo (WC), Jacob Cuomo (JC), Glen Davis (GD), Vince Elia (VE), Sam Galick (SG), Tom Gleason (TG), Kathy Horn (KH), Will Kerling (WK), Frank Lenik (FL), Michael O'Brien (MO), Tom Reed (TR), Maria Smith (MS), Harvey Tomlinson (HT), David Weber (DW). 

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References:

eBird. 2012. eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application].    eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Available: http://www.ebird.org. (Accessed: 9 January 2015).

Fogg, B. 2013. Keekeekerr: Recent Text Alerts. Available: http://keekeekerr.com/textalerts/keekeekerr. (Accessed: 9 January 2015).

It Might Be Winter Outside...

Winter's icy hand is sweeping across Cape May right now but, though it's cold, the forecast looks sunny for the weekend and our annual 'Winter Warmers' workshop will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday. This is a great time of year for viewing the many species of ducks that make their winter home in Cape May and the indoor section of our workshop will include a photo identification session, giving us a chance to get to grips with these sometimes tricky birds. Winter in Cape May always throws up a suite of unusual birds too and every year is different, the selection being a product of weather patterns over the previous month or two.

To get you all fired up to wrap up warm and come join us, here's a selection of Cape May photos that I just received from Sam Galick - all waiting for you around Cape May right now!!

Ducks will be on the menu this weekend and a good range of diving ducks can still be found on the unfrozen ponds at Cape May Point. We'll talk through the key identification features that will help you sort out this female Ring-necked Duck from all the other confusing diving ducks [photo by Sam Galick.]

 

Cedar Waxwings are always guaranteed to brighten up a day when they descend to feed on berries that are now just being softened up by the freeze and thaw of winter [photo by Sam Galick].

Like them or not, there will always be little brown jobs to stare at and get us confused! Wintering sparrows can seem bewildering at first, but when you get views like this of a Song Sparrow - they're not so bad, and there's much subtle beauty there to be enjoyed [photo by Sam Galick].

Many of the raptors that pass this way in fall are well to the south of us and if you see a raptor checking out your backyard feeders in the winter here, chances are it will almost certainly be either a Cooper's Hawk or - like this one - a Red-shouldered Hawk. Red-shoulders can be quite approachable at this time of year and we will hope to get views like this over the coming weekend [photo by Sam Galick].

Each winter, a few birds don't read the books and decide to stay well north of where their siblings are hanging out. This Little Blue Heron is showing nicely the classic white plumage, greenish legs and two-toned bill of a first-winter bird [photo by Sam Galick].

As freshwater ponds freeze up temporarily, Belted Kingfishers and other fish-eating birds move down to the saltier waters of the coast. We can't promise views like this, but there should be a kingfisher or two lurking around the back bays this coming weekend [photo by Sam Galick].

Returning to the 'hanging out a long way north' theme, this Baltimore Oriole may well be regretting that it's not in Costa Rica with its mates right now! [Photo by Sam Galick].

Though Orange-crowned Warblers are regular winterers around Cape May in small numbers, finding them is no easy task. Tangles of greenbrier, bramble and rose bushes can harbor these birds - but you have to be diligent to spot one staring out of the thicket - like this one at the state park [photo by Sam Galick].

For more information or to book on our Winter Warmers workshop, call our Program Registrar on 609-861-0700. And if you feel like just coming for one day instead of two, we can sort that out for you also!

Time out - and into the New Year...

The run of great birding at Cape May that began way back in the fall and continued right through into winter by way of a spectacular Avalon Seawatch, finally paused for breath and Cape May Bird Observatory's staff had the chance to take a well-earned break. The holiday period at the back end of the year gives all of us a time to take a breather, catch up on things, visit friends and family and reflect on the year. Hmmm, seems there's a lot going on so maybe it's not so much a break as a change of direction for a while, but a change is as good as a rest as they say. My 'change' this year came in the form of an opportunity to spend Christmas in Costa Rica, something that was certainly a change from the norm. Though images of reindeers, Santa and even penguins were there to be seen, the warmer climate and ever-present coffee plantations and banana trees certainly made for a different bird list on Christmas Day - but there was nevertheless a distinct connection with Cape May.

If you have ever wondered where all those migrants that pass through Cape May in the fall are headed, then Costa Rica is a great place to start looking, for a good cross section of North America's Neotropic migrants can be found wintering there, especially wood-warblers. Seeing such birds on their breeding grounds in the northern USA or Canada, or even witnessing them flitting through the trees at the Northwood Center is, of course, only a part of their life histories. Though we may think of these birds as 'ours' because they originate from eggs laid in nests on our continent, we really should think of these as tropical birds; tropical birds that have worked out a successful breeding strategy, whereby they head north to breed in under-utilized habitats, then head back south again once the colder weather starts to close in and their insect food gets too hard to find.

Seeing such birds working through the tropical forest canopy in mixed flocks is to understand the other part of their lives. Chestnut-sided Warblers and American Redstarts pirouette through the trees in the same way that they do back home, but seeing Blackburnian and Golden-winged Warblers scooping up flies around Cecropia fruits is quite unexpected. Even more unexpected for me was watching a Mourning Warbler, bold as brass, bathing in a bird bath at our lodge and - even more startling - watching Tennessee Warblers feed on bananas at the bird table!!

Migratory birds live nothing if not interesting lives - it certainly came as a surprise to me to see Tennessee Warblers eating bananas in Costa Rica! [Photo by Mike Crewe]

As Golden-winged Warbler populations continue to decline, strong initiatives are needed to determine what is going on and to make robust conservation decisions based on that information. Good numbers of Golden-winged Warblers (like this one, preening after a bath) winter in Costa Rica and much work is still needed to determine how best to help them. Buying wildlife-friendly, shade-grown coffee is a good first step in the right direction [photo by Mike Crewe].

Back to Cape May and the start of another year... CMBO's traditional 'Kick Off Your Year List' walk was a very different affair to last year's when we had a crazy number of unexpected birds waiting to be enjoyed on New Year's Day. That, of course, is the beauty of living in a temperate climate; we might complain about the cold, but having four seasons per year certainly offers up much opportunity for the weather to produce some interesting bird movements and every year is very different from the last. While lounging in the Tropics might seem like fun for a while, after a time one can get bored with laying bets on how long the rain will last today - give me the amazing variety of a northern temperate weather system any day!!

New Year 2015 was chilly but sunny at Cape May and a morning walk around the state park and along the streets of Cape May Point turned up a good selection of birds. An adult and two first-winter Tundra Swans continue on Bunker Pond, where busy parties of a wide range of ducks are now displaying their full-on courtship plumages. The sunny weather seemed to bring the raptors out in good number and we notched up seven species, including an adult Bald Eagle, and an adult Cooper's Hawk that seemed determined to catch a duck on Bunker Pond - though seemed to be failing miserably! Milder weather this winter meant that Golden-crowned Kinglets were easy to find around the point, as well as a Brown Creeper and Yellow-rumped Warbler, while we were also able to confirm the continued existence of at least one Eurasian Collared Dove on Yale Avenue.

A Black-headed Gull reported from the bayshore off the west end of Avalon Road eluded us, but checking the beaches there did reveal parties of Black and Surf Scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers and an array of gulls. The ferry terminal and canal inlet is always a good place to check in the winter too, and Purple Sandpipers and Ruddy Turnstones were busy on the stone jetties. If you are visiting Cape May Point, keep an eye out for the group of four Common Eiders that have been loafing around the jetties there of late; on January 1st, we found them between St Mary's and Coral Avenue.

The birding year begins again - Happy New Year and let's hope its a fun and bird-filled one!

It may have been sunny on January 1st, but hats and gloves were needed to keep out a keen wind - our group scans the shoreline for Common Eiders [photo by Megan Crewe].

January 1st is perhaps the only time that most birders show an interest in the much-maligned House Sparrow. But this bird, like so many species, makes an ideal subject for study and getting more from your birding. I discovered on our walk, for example, that few people know about the interesting social structure of this species, demonstrated to us on our walk when we discovered that one of the Cape May Point House Sparrow meeting points had been removed ready for (yet more!) development and the birds had moved to another location just across the street - what will this do to the social structure of this community of House Sparrows? [Photo by Mike Crewe]

Well, it is Cape May and, although my own year has started a little on the light side, others are enjoying some fabulous birding experiences here. This Barred Owl, perched out as bold as brass on one of the state park trail signs, is just reward of you put in the time in the field - good birding to you all! [Photo by Don Fraser]