Where to start…?

There were impressive numbers of Shorebirds and such around Stone Harbor Pt.

I think I wound up with 26 piping Plovers all told, a flock of 19 were foraging on a receding tide near the tip of Stone Harbor Pt.

30 western Willets were roosting on the north end of Nummy’s Isl. and another 8 or so were in the surf.

Just about 1000 Sanderling seem to have arrived out of nowhere, and there were likewise more than a few (ie 35 at Higbee’s Beach, 40 at South Cape May)Sanderling around Cape May Point, where yesterday, numbers were unimpressive.

Peep were very well represented at Stone Harbor, too- there were just about 2000 of the smaller three.

15 Red Knot, some breeding plumaged, others first years were also there, as well as, lots and lots of Semipalmated Plovers, but not quite the numbers of either soon to be bourne by August yet to come…

Juvenile Laughing Gulls seem to be around in abundance-which is excellent to see, they have had bum years the last two at least. Interestingly, the very first juv. Laugher I’ve seen was at Cape Island, today too.

On the breeding larid note, there were just shy of 400 Royal Terns on Champagne Island, and at least 18 gingery downy babies are being “creched”. Very cool. There were also over 1500 Black Skimmers there, as well as two Sandwich Terns. A third Sandwich was at the pond at the base of the Point. The first juv/fledgeling Common Tern I’ve seen this year was also following the rents at Stone Harbor Pt. today.

Otherwise,

there were no fewer than 21 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the beach in South Cape May this evening, and there were exceptional numbers of foaraging Larids in the rips. To the tune of more than a thousand Laughing Gulls, and nearly 200 Least Terns alone. 3 Black Terns, one in the Meadows, and two heading east with the other terns this evening were also very good to see.

There was also a noteworthy flock of nearly 40 Killdeer on recently tilled fields on Bayshore Rd.

2 Prothonotaries still begging, yet a bit yellower were in the wet woods at Higbee’s. Wonder if they are a family from that very spot, or one nearby?

4 Downy Gadwall are still accompanying their mother in the Meadows, though I’ve yet to see another brood.

Yellow-breasted Chats seem to be going through a second round of song-flights of late, and it seems like local Orchard Orioles have, well, gone south, so to say.

CJV

The most noteworthy bird I happened upon was again an Ibis at South Cape May, this time though, it was a White-faced.

The bird flew from the central pool and dropped down again in the western one. Otherwise there was a nice and steady push of Glossies overhead today.

The first baby Gadwall (4) I’ve see were with their mother in the central pool at the Meadows as well. It should also be mentioned that there are three or four unexpectedly late broods of newbie Mallards about.

There were also notably more Least Terns around today. eg, there were 60 just sitting on the newly exposed mudflats in the second plover pond at the state park, in addition to the usual number of nesting birds and foraging birds (including a couple of very sweet nestlings being fed).

Shorebirds continue to please, and are very easy to see in numbers around Cape May point.

CJV

Again, I regret I haven’t much time more than a quick list’s worth to spare:

I picture-perfect young Ruff flew down the dune at the State Park today with about 20 Short-billed Dows. The bird afforded brilliant, eye-level looks, but regrettably, could not be re-located.

During a quick turn around the Meadows, a Young White Ibis gave an excellent long look as it flew with a small flock of Glossies, down from the town of Cape May, and south along the Dune until out of sight. White Ibis are a bit heavier proportioned, than their skeksi like Plegadis chums, and that as much as the striking dun and white pattern on the bird, with the whitish retrices, and bright white rump, made it stand out.

Wonder if this bird had anything to do with the outskirts of Cristobal? (Sorry I just really like that name, for a few reasons.)

Otherwise, it becomes apparent that the best way to see all the birds in the Meadows is by having a young bald eagle buzz the place. Trouble is, its the best way to see all the birds in the Meadows at once…

The other really good way is to have a Cooper’s Hawk snatch a baby Redwing, and head for the state park with it, though it should be noted that a cooper’s hawk’s passing, though it will really put up a pissed-off mob of terns, will not flush every last egret, etc,. the way a low Bald Eagle can.

Otherwise, a fledgeling/juv Great Horned Owl which flushed and flew low along the plover ponds, and into the Red Cedar scrub was also an unexpected sight at the Meadows. All of the Crows, and two Osprey in the neighbourhood got in the act of mobbing the thing. It sat panting in the top of a small cedar for a long time-much to the consternation of the American and Fish Crows there. It’s head and mantle still bore the softer “juvenal” featherswhile its wings, torso, and face were just like an adults. Of course, sketch-pad, camera, etc were all at home. Always the way.

A male Kestrel, flying with purpose down the dune at South Cape May, just like a migrant Kestrel does, was moulting its retrices, and otherwise, kind of ragged. I assume it was a first summer type.

And finally, while speaking of Juvenal plumage- a Prothonotary ar Higbee’s yesterday was in a very peculiar stage between the very first feathers and proper “juvenile” plumage. The latter was just coming in on the flanks and chest, but otherwise the bird was a most peculiar un-color; like a house wren with a bit of olive-drab khaki thrown in. It still bore a yellow gape, and the wings and tail were dull, but “Prothonotary”, and it called just like a Prothonotary, but it would’ve been a great one for those photo quizz things which pop-up all over the place.

and that is all the bird news I have in me from Cape May at the moment

CJV

While again, time interests of grown-up matters conflict with birds and such I did just want to pass along:

The first juvenile Forster’s Tern I’ve seen was begging from an adult in the Meadows this morning.

Likewise, “fledgeling” Yellow-billed Cuckoos are now fully fledged (so to speak…) juveniles feeding themselves and all.

The most exciting thing I could squeak up in the rips were two more or less breeding plumaged adult Black Terns this morning, though I do hear that a Cory’s Shearwater was seen yesterday.

Otherwise, an adult male Prothonotary in the hedge at the first field at Higbee’s was nice this morning, and yesterday a Sandwich Tern and a small brace of three Stilt Sandpipers livened the place up a bit.

Wood-nymphs have all of a sudden become obvious-which is something I always associate with “early” migrants, the first Cloudless Sulphurs have begun to appear, and I keep neglecting to mention that a Bob-white has been calling from the scrub near the parking lot at Stone Harbor Point. Hen-bird by the sound of her…

all I’ve the time for at present, I’m afraid.

CJV

Today was largely underwhelming bird-wise in Cape May, at least as far as I could tell.

That being said, I did manage to find:

5 or six Gannets
1 Light-morph Parasitic Jaeger
1 Black-billed Cuckoo-which was fliying directly and like a bat out of hell down the length of Higbee’s Beach, just over tree-top level.
10 Yellow Warblers- more or less.
and a fine bunch of migrant shorebirds, including a couple of Pectorals, and a few more Juvenile Spotteds.

Gnatcatcher numbers were no great shakes today, however, juvenile Yellow-breasted Chats were seen about as easily as Chats can be.

Also worth noting were some lovely red-scapulared adult Western Sandpipers at the overflow pond at the base of Stone Harbor Point.

CJV

During a rather quiet tramp through Higbee’s Beach this morning, I turned a corner, and saw the hind-quarter of a skinny tailed Coyote disappear down the one little path to the wet woods.

I was far enough away, and upwind, so he clearly missed me.

Naturally I walked that way, and the scolding birds revealed the canid hadn’t gone far. One of the scolding birds was a nice, loud waterthrush. I rather stealthily got as far as I could to the noise, and was well rewarded by great looks at the very same male Coyote as he wandered on his way westward through the wet woods. He never did realize I was watching.

Apparently, having a real live predator waltz through a spot is much more effective than spishing, and as the Coyote went about his business, the waterthrush revealed itslef to be, in fact, a Louisiana.

Louisiana Waterthrushes are rather infrequently encountered migrants around Cape Island, and are pretty much unheard of after September sets in.

Otherwise, the first real pulse-slight though it may be, but a pulse nonetheless- of Gnatcatchers and Yellow Warblers that I have noticed happened today. I saw 10 Gnatcatchers where yesterday I was very pleased to have five, and today at various spots, a first-fall Yellow Warbler was zitting or flitting where yesterday there were none.

(Snouts have gotten a lot more noticeable in the last few days as well)

CJV

While I really only gave it a quick turn today I managed to come up with a few sightings worth mentioning.

A Greater Shearwater which came in from the South was remarkable on two counts:

Firstly it is the first Greater Shearwater I’ve seen this summer; and secondly-

A dark Parasitic Jaeger quickly rose from the surface to harry the Shearwater for a very brief bit. It quickly ended, as the Shearwater gave a remarkably agile evasive manouvre, and then just high tailed it in the direction it had been headed to begin with. The Jaeger just settled back down on the water once it clearly passed out of grasp.

I don’t know which is more fortuitous, the mere presence of a Greater Shearwater, or the fact that the Shearwater randomly crossed the path of a roosting jaeger. If the Shearwater hadn’t passed that way, I never would’ve been able to see the Jaeger.

Two Gull-billed Terns which flew over Sunset Blvd just near Steven’s St., clearly intent on Pond Creek at low tide to hunt Fiddler Crabs, caused me to do a bit of “holistic birding”, and follow them. (In this case, “holistic” applies to Dirk Gently and his style of driving. For those not familiar with holistic detecting as per Douglas Adams, Dirk Gently, the holistic detective, just randomly followed the cars ahead of him,rather than get directions, reasoning that eventually, they would take you to where you wanted to go.

A Bobolink, a nice showing of Shorebirds, a juv Little Blue Heron, and a Gull-billed Tern just walking on the mudflats hunting Fiddler Crabs were what I found.

Now, the Little Blue was the second juvenile I’ve seen around the last couple of days, and among the shorebirds were at least five Spotted Sandpipers on the creek. Noteworthy among them was the first juvenile Spotted I’ve seen this fall.

There was also a very nice clock-wise movement of Swallows rounding the dune in the Sunser Beach neighborhood. Mainly Barn and Tree Swallows, it was the largest movement of Trees thus far. Probably cause Tree Swallows are so abundant, and migrate well into late fall, many do not realize that the bulk actuallly go through in late Summer- the flocks of October are a but a shadow of those of August.

The most interesting behavioural note, Shearwater and Jaeger interactions notwithstanding again goes to the Kleptoparasitism of a Common Tern in the Meadows.

This time, the Tern turned on a Kingfisher, and vainly tried to get the anxiously rattling thing to give up the fish. While most fish thievery is Larid on Larid, or Stercorarid on Larid at least I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a Common Tern try to rob a Kingfisher before.

Like the Gulls in Finding Nemo so very well illustrated, there must just be something of the “MINE!” inherent in the personality of Larids. Somebody’s got something they want, they just try to take it.

CJV

Though I didn’t give it that much time today, I still wound up seeing more than a couple interesting birds in a few favoured patches.

Higbee’s Beach came through in terms of seasonal migrants. A rather drab and cold coloured Bobolink was my first southbound one of the year, though they can and do start moving by late June oftentimes.

A Juv. Black-billed Cuckoo near the wet-woods I am counting as a migrant, rather than the product of local nesting success. With an olive-drab bill base and ocular skin this bird was most cooperative, in that weird, lethargic, tranquilized sort of way Black-billed Cuckoos often have. I finally had to walk past him after ten minutes, and then he just flew a few feet, really.

A Prothonotary Warbler in the thick stuff just south of the wet woods was my first southbound one of those of the “fall” too.

A juvenile Bald heading south over the fields at Higbee’s was the first of that age I’ve seen around Cape Island in a bit over a month.

The most unexpected bird I stumbled upon was a Brant which was itself stumbling around the beach at St. Mary’s Jetty. A most decrepit specimen, its feathers were in a state of wear I have never seen achieved in a brant, rendering large portions of it whitish due to the bases of the exposed feathers.

At first I thought it might be oiled, it looked so weird. Whatever the cause, it was clearly not the same individual which was at Stone Harbor last week.

Otherwise, a nice assortment of southbound Shorebirds, and a random act of Screech-owl
in broad daylight rounded out a very good late morning’s bit of birding.

CJV

Briefly before turning in-

there were no fewer than three Worm-eating Warblers passing through Higbee’s Beach this morning.

One on the third, one on the seventh, two on the ninth, and three on the eleventh.

Hmmm, I begin to detect a pattern-other than the cadence of the little verse above, that is…

Otherwise, there was a very good showing of Least Sandpipers around Cape May Point, I tallied well over 60. THe largest flock containing just over thirty.

A Bald Eagle over Pond Creek was a treat, and the second Eagle I’ve seen recently, following an absence of just about a month.

However, an apparently adult female Kestrel over the hawkwatch, turning back around and heading NW, much to the consternation of the swarm of Purple Martins in the Park, was a bit more intriguing.

Also, I neglected to mention there was a Caspian Tern in the Rips just off St. Peter’s yesterday, and a healthy flock of 12 Western Willets was foraging in the surf at Stone Harbor Point that day as well.

CJV

For some reason, the overture to Porgy and Bess (or more to the point-”Summertime”) just wouldn’t get out of my head today…perhaps cause it very much is “summertime, and the livin’ is easy”

That easy livin’ naturally spills over into the birding…

First off- there was an obvious movement of southbound swallows this morning, both at Cape May and Stone Harbor Points, respectively. St. Peter’s Jetty produced around fifty Barns, over thirty Trees, a dozen Banks and half a dozen Rough-wings, all of which whizzed past, heading in one direction with purpose while I was watching this morning. Likewise, Stone Harbor Point, just a bit later on, held around fifty Barns, and ten Banks, plenty of which were just sitting on the beach-fence, as proper migrant swallows should.

A Baltimore Oriole, likewise at the base of Stone Harbor Point was the most unexpected bird of the day, by a long shot. He circled wide and far out over the beach, before turning back to the brush, having given the water-crossing a second thought I suppose.

Two Sandwich Terns were a bit less unexpected on Champagne Island. One, though white-crowned, was still sporting a distinct peachy tinge to his underparts.

The recent smattering of southbound Shorebirds today became more of a steady trickle.

A Marbled Godwit in the Jenkins Sound neighbourhood (ie behind Nummy’s Island) was arriving perfectly on time, and a knock-out Stilt Sandpiper in full breeding plumage (auburn auriculars and all) quietly foraging in front of the observation platform at the Meadows was just about the same. Gorgeous bird.

A Whimbrel which flew in from the Ocean, made a left over the Ponds at South Cape May, and continued on due South was a fine addition to a walk down the beach there this evening, however the really newsworthy birds were the no fewer than 20 Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I think this must be some sort of local record at least.

Also noteworthy was a Wilson’s Storm Petrel off the Point this afternoon- first I’ve seen in weeks. Two Brown Pelicans were out in the Rips at Cape May, and six were loafing on the furthest sandbar from shore at Hereford Inlet.

On behavioural notes, a duel which caught my eye involved a Common Tern turned the tables on a Gull-bill yesterday at the Meadows. While Common Terns are known kleptoparasites themselves, the fact that the Common was doing the chasing wasn’t waht caught my attention-it was the fact that the Common was trying to steal a frog! As one may’ve surmised, the smaller tern was not successful, though he gave it a valiant effort.

And secondly, I watched for a long time today, a Black-crowned Night Heron in the pool at Nummy’s Island forage in what was a novel manner in my experience of the species. (my experience of the species, though not exhaustive, is substantial…)The heron stood motionless in the shadow of a tussock, leaning far forward, with his bill held open plunged at a 45 degree angle in the middle of an algae mat. He kept up like this for some time, occaisionally snapping his bill closed.

I imagine he was taking advantage of a high density of prey items, and not needing his eyes, was just oppurtunistically waiting for something to swim into his maw or relying on tactile senses. While Storks forage with open bills, and it is not uncommon to see Snowy Egrets pattering their bills on the surface, I have never seen a Black-crowne dNight Heron doing an Open-billed Stork impersonation before!

And finally, one brood of fledged Piping Plovers at the Meadows, and one at Stone Harbor Point are both beginning to look like proper juvenile shorebirds. One brood of three smaller hatchlings at South Cape May looks a little more than half-way to fledging.

CJV

keep looking »

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