Baby Boom

Firstly, apologies to regular readers for the lack of posts lately; for some reason our blog hasn't been allowing us to upload pictures - so here goes, let's see how we get on!

I was recently sent a nice set of pictures of the latest Cape May babies, and certainly mid-summer is a good time to be out and assessing how the breeding season is going for your local birds. Personally, I'm certainly noticing a lot of fledgling Carolina Wrens, Gray Catbirds, European Starlings and Common Grackles around Cape May at the moment so they all seem to be doing OK. Last week's Wednesday morninig walk also turned up fledgling Downy and Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Here's some recent photos of Cape May Babes:

Outrageously cute! Nancy Watson got a great shot of this stumpy-tailed, young Carolina Wren in her backyard.

Beth Polvino (who has far too much good luck for one person!) sent me a great series of shots of a Clapper Rail with two youngsters which certainly deserve to be seen by a wider audience. This youngster emerged with a small fiddler crab...

...and took it down to the water...

...to get all that horrible mud off before swallowing!

Mum then emerged with her young charges...

...and a good bathing session followed...

...which was wrapped up with a good preen.

Sightings update: Bird news has been predictably quiet now that mid-summer is upon us. Indeed, so quiet has it been, that I was actually startled when my phone went off yesterday. Checking my text messages, I discovered it was a test message from NJ Birds!! No news for several days on the Purple Gallinule, though it could easily be lurking unseen. Two pairs of Black Skimmers continue to show interest in the south beach and a trickle of fall shorebirds has started, with Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and Short-billed Dowitchers at the state park on Wednesday.

Ugly Ducklings

It's molting season again! Yes, it's that time of year when most of our local birds go through their annual complete molt - as anyone who has been on one of my recent walks will know!  One way that this annual molt is obvious to us locally is the shear volume of dropped flight feathers from ducks, geese and swans in Bunker Pond - a veritable tideline! The reason why we see this is because these waterfowl have a short, sharp shock strategy when it comes to molting. These birds drop all their flight feathers in one go, which means they are effectively flightless for a short period. This is a risky strategy, but it means that they can go through the molt relatively quickly and soon be back on the wing and ready to head south for the winter (since most of our waterfowl breed at northern latitudes and migrate south in fall). To help protect against being caught by a predator, these birds will flock up as there is safety in numbers (if a predator gets a meal, chances are it won't be you!) and they will also tend to move to traditional molting areas that have been used for many generations.

First signs of molt - eight Mute Swan primaries, all shed in a single wing flapping session on Lake Lily!

Mallards (and other ducks) have a main molt now too and it is at this time that the males go into what we call their 'eclipse' plumage. This sees the normally rather colorful males adopting the drab colors of females which perhaps makes them less obvious to predators during a time when they are more vulnerable to attack. It may also mean that the birds can flock up to molt together without getting too stressed at being that close to another male! So if you're at the South Cape May Meadows any time soon, don't be surprised if you don't see any apparent male Mallards. The thing to do is to check the bills; females have brown and orange bills, males have a bill which is greenish yellow (brighter when breeding) and looks like an unripe banana.

Another group of birds showing rather severe molt processes at the moment are the larger gulls, and boy do they look a mess. Indeed, I reckon they're so ugly at the moment that no-one is interested in photographing them. I spent some time last night trawling the internet for photographs of young gulls taken in late June or early July and I really couldn't find any! With a late run of horseshoe crabs along the beaches at the moment, I went out to look at some local gulls and found - well, a mess! Here's a few of them:

Here's what I would consider to be a pretty 'average' American Herring Gull, for its age and time of year. This is what you can either refer to as a first-summer, or second-calendar-year bird. In other words, it was hatched last year. I've desperately tried to use other molt or plumage terminology such as cycles or words such as basic or alternate but find them totally non-intuitive and of no use when trying to get people off the starting blocks with understanding the subject. The problem in trying to define a first-summer plumage for these gulls, however, is that they don't really have one! During their first 12 months or so after losing juvenile plumage,  some species of larger gulls are pretty much continually molting from first-winter to second winter, gradually replacing the full suite of feathers.

Here's a bird that is a little more blotchy and darker than the bird above, but still fairly typical of what you see here; again, it's an American Herring Gull and shows a classic half pink, half black bill and a lot of dark body blotching. They also tend to be rather dark at the back end with dark bands wider than pale bands on the upper and under tail feathers. It might be easy to mistake this for a Lesser Black-backed Gull, based on the darkness of the upperpart feathers, but that species is much paler on the under and upper tail feathers as well as on the body feathers in general, while the bill is usually all dark at this age.

Now here is an ugly gull - I'm sorry, no offence intended, but it is pretty bad! Birds like this are pretty common here too and can be rather confusing as they're not in the field guides! This too is an American Herring Gull, though most of it looks pretty pale. This is most likely due to the bird having wintered well south of here - perhaps in Florida - where the sun really bleaches out the feathers and breaks then down. Thus, all the pale feathers are old ones, whilst the dark blotches are new feathers coming through. This bird struck me as surprisingly heavy-billed, giving it a Great Black-backed Gull look, but I think this may be due to a thinning of the head feathers which actually makes the head look smaller relative to the beak.

Here's the same, heavy-billed American Herring Gull as above in a more convincing pose, showing the dark tail and relatively dark rump. Look at how the outer primaries have been reduced almost to just the central shafts which must make flying much harder! New, grayer, inner primaries are coming through, while some of the wing coverts are completely missing, leaving a strange white patch in the middle of the wing.

For reference, here's a typical second-summer (third-calendar year) American Herring Gull. By this age, the adult back color is apparent and can safely be used to help identify the species. Look just how worn those old wing coverts are now though! Notice too that the bill is now largely yellow, though still with much black towards the tip.

Also for reference, here's a typical first-summer Great Black-backed Gull. Note how the upperparts are much more strongly checkered in appearance, while the feathers under the tail show more pale than dark.

Sightings update: Both the Eurasian Collared Dove and the Purple Gallinule remain at Cape May Point and up to six Lesser Black-backed Gulls are being reported variously along South Cape May Beach. Small numbers of Glossy Ibises are feeding in pools which are drying out and getting ready for returning shorebirds...

Cape May Birding Hotline 6-23-2011

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call (609) 884-2736, or email sightingsATbirdcapemay.org
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties , NJ
Compiler: David Lord, Cape May Bird Observatory
URL: http://www.njaudubon.org ; http://www.birdcapemay.org

This is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Thursday, June 23, 2011. Highlights this week include sightings of EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE, PURPLE GALLINULE, BLACK-NECKED STILT, MISSISSIPPI KITE, ROSEATE TERN, COMMON NIGHTHAWK

The EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE was last reported on Whildin Ave. in Cape May Point, between Yale and Lincoln Avenues, on Tuesday, June 21st, 2011.

The PURPLE GALLINULE was last reported at the Cape May Point State Park in the Second Plover Pond on Sunday, June 19th, 2011.

Two BLACK-NECKED STILTS were sighted briefly at Cape May Point State Park in Bunker Pond on Sunday, June 19th, 2011. A MISSISSIPPI KITE was observed from the Hawkwatch in the CMPSP on the same date. All three birds have not been seen since.

A ROSEATE TERN was observed flying south past Sunset Beach in Cape May Point on Monday, June 20th, 2011.

A COMMON NIGHTHAWK was observed at the intersection of Jackson Street and Beach Ave. in Cape May on Sunday, June 19th, 2011.

-For up-to-the-minute Cape May sightings information, photos and downloadable birding maps and checklist of Cape May, visit www.birdcapemay.org . Follow rarity sightings, many spring arrivals, and spectacles on www.twitter.com/CMBObirds -



ANNOUNCEMENTS:

******CMBO SUMMER HOURS are as follows: Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point is open every day except Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30am to 4:30pm; closed Sundays and Mondays. ******

The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties. Updates are made weekly. Please report sightings of rare or unusual birds to CMBO at 609-884-2736. Sponsorship for this hotline comes from the support of CMBO members and business members, and should you not be a member, we cordially invite you to join. Individual membership is $39 per year; $49 for families. You can call either center to become a member or visit. Become a member in person and you'll receive a FREE gift (in addition to member discounts in the stores).

Good Luck and Good Birding!

Skimmers A-Courting

A couple of days ago I was sent a nice series of pictures of Black Skimmers from South Cape May beach. The great thing about these pictures is that it shows classic courtship behavior, the male presenting the female with a fish, just to prove he can provide for a family - you know the kind of thing! And what's so great about it is that we don't yet have Black Skimmers nesting at Cape May Point, but for the last couple of years, a few skimmers have been hanging out here during the summer, so maybe next year - it's probably already too late for this year.

So here's a set of pictures, all taken by Jane Ellison on the beach behind the South Cape May Meadows (copyright remains with the photographer).

Weekend Catch-up

It might be late June, but the birds at Cape May just keep coming and, as I commented a short while back, it's a time for strange things to turn up! The Eurasian Collared Dove seems to have settled into a routine of hanging out on the east side of the residential are at Cape May Point, currently still favoring the blocks between Whilldin and Lehigh Avenues. No word of the Purple Gallinule yet this morning but it has been favoring the furthest pool in the State Park, just north of the plover ponds. The two Black-necked Stilts seemed to move on and were only here for the one day, while Sunday also provided a Mississippi Kite for those viewing the stilts.

A few oddities continue to pop up and sing here and there, including a first-year male Summer Tanager in the State Park on Saturday and a Northern Parula singing near the Northwood Center on Saturday and still present as I type...

Some 50 or so Wilson's Storm-petrels were logged off the point on Sunday while I heard a rumor of a count of 12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls around the beaches on Saturday. Scott Whittle has reported 10 Brown Pelicans heading past the point this morning, continuing a run of sightings of this species over the past few days. Whilst at one of our favorite crab shacks on Saturday evening, we were a little surprised to see at least 14 Willets flying around over the saltmarsh - a shame if they were all failed breeders. Breeders that have faired better include the local American Oystercatchers (as seen below) but the Least Tern colony is being systematically eaten by a local gang of 10 or so Fish Crows that have worked out there's an easy meal to be had...

Even little wings need stretching! This still downy oystercatcher chick is certainly putting on the pounds now!

Monday walks at the Meadows always turn up interesting birds; this Eastern Kingbird was a nice talking point recently, having chosen to nest rather prominently in a mulberry there. No need to get out of bed for a snack!

Black-necked Stilts on Bunker Pond

Frank Sencher discovered two Black-necked Stilts on Bunker Pond this morning. The birds were still present through at least 11:30am, and were spending most of their time in the northwest corner of the pond.

Black-necked Stilts on Bunker Pond [photo by Mike Crewe]

 

Cape May Birding Hotline 6-18-2011

Hotline: Cape May Birding Hotline
To Report: call (609) 884-2736, or email sightingsATbirdcapemay.org
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties , NJ
Compiler: David Lord, Cape May Bird Observatory
URL: http://www.njaudubon.org ; http://www.birdcapemay.org

This is the Cape May Birding Hotline, a service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This week's message was prepared on Saturday, June 18th, 2011. Highlights this week include sightings of EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE, WOOD STORK, CORY’S SHEARWATER, PURPLE GALLINULE, SOOTY SHEARWATER, ROSEATE TERN, CATTLE EGRET.

A EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE was found near the corner of Lighthouse and Whildin Ave. in Cape May Point on Monday, June 13th, 2011, and was last reported on Saturday, June 18th, 2011 on Lehigh Ave., also in Cape May Point.

A WOOD STORK was noted from Soc’s Lane in West Cape May on Thursday, June 9th, 2011, and was last seen heading toward Delaware on Monday, June 13th, 2011.

Two SOOTY SHEARWATERS and one CORY’S SHEARWATER were noted heading Northeast off Cape May Point on Tuesday, June 14th, 2011.

A PURPLE GALLINULE was discovered in Cape May Point State Park at the second plover pond on Sunday, June 12th, 2011, and was last seen there on Saturday, June 18th, 2011.

A ROSEATE TERN was seen flying south past St. Peter’s Jetty in Cape May Point on Saturday, June 18th, 2011.

A CATTLE EGRET was observed sitting on the railing around Bunker Pond on Sunday, June 12th, 2011.


-For up-to-the-minute Cape May sightings information, photos and downloadable birding maps and checklist of Cape May, visit www.birdcapemay.org . Follow rarity sightings, many spring arrivals, and spectacles on www.twitter.com/CMBObirds -



ANNOUNCEMENTS:

******CMBO SUMMER HOURS are as follows: Northwood Center on East Lake Drive in Cape May Point is every day except Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Center for Research and Education on Rt. 47 in Goshen is open Tuesday through Saturday, 9:30am to 4:30pm; closed Sundays and Mondays. ******

The Cape May Birding Hotline is a service of the New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory and details sightings from Cape May, Cumberland and Atlantic Counties. Updates are made weekly. Please report sightings of rare or unusual birds to CMBO at 609-884-2736. Sponsorship for this hotline comes from the support of CMBO members and business members, and should you not be a member, we cordially invite you to join. Individual membership is $39 per year; $49 for families. You can call either center to become a member or visit. Become a member in person and you'll receive a FREE gift (in addition to member discounts in the stores).

Good Luck and Good Birding!