Migrants were downright abundant in Cape May today. From Warblers to Shorebirds, there was certainly no lack of birds in neighbourhood today. The Season of blooming Mallows, abundant Shorebirds, and Wood-warblers is very much here.

Between Higbee’s Beach and the State Park, I managed no fewer than 47 Yellow Warblers. 27 were at Higbees. Most in one flock of 12 or so, the rest at the State Park (more or less) with 15 in one group there. Each and every last one was a young of the year.

Redstarts also noticably increased today, there were 7 at Higbee’s and 4 at the State Park. Likewise, all were young of the year.

The first adult Black & White I’ve seen was in the Park today.

Four Northern Waterthrushes are just a hint at the floods to come in the next few weeks. One was just near the Dike, two were a complete surprise in the Ivy-dark thickets at the end of the third field, and the fourth was in the Mallows at the Lighthouse Pond. The two together at Higbee’s were very cool- they just popped up, inprompted by pishing, and bobbed, Spotted Sanpiper like on a low vine about 3 yards away for what seemed like a very long time. In an instant they gave up the ghost and chased each other around like proper Waterthrushes. (Waterthrushes are one passerine which holds and defends feeding territories while actually on migration.)

There was a very nice push of Swallows along the Beach-freont in Cape May today. The first swirling maelstroms of Tree Swallow were flying about the as yet, unripe Bayberries, and settling down on the sand. There were hundreds of Tree, and a lesser number of Barns. Banks numbered over fifty. Also in Hirundine news, Purple Martins are rapidly departing the nesting territories for staging areas.

Today also had the good fortune of having a Shorebirding “triple-Witch”. High tide, Sunset, and the turn of July into August all contrived to happen this evening at Stone Harbor Point.

In addition to a beautiful walk on the beach (though the water really is still rather cold for my taste) the result was:

187 Whimbrel-the herd of Whimbrel which congregated on the west side of the point in a seetting sun, with more flying in on bowed, duck-wings, was just a bit picturesque.

over 50 Western Willets.

1 alternate Dunlin

85 Red Knot, 22 Piping Plovers, and thousands of Peep, Sanderling, and Semi-plovers, hundreds of Herring and Black Backed Gulls, nearly 2000 Skimmers, several hundred Royal Terns, and-judgeing from the number of juvenile Laughers compared to the last two years- what was clearly a very good year for the largest Laughing Gull colony on Earth, all contributed to the mix. Merely enumerating the number is a grave disservice to the sound, the sights, the breeze, and the ineffeble which is Stone Harbor, at Sunset, at High Tide, during the peak of Shorebird Migration.

Viva migration.

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

There was again excellent birding to be had in Cape May this fine muggy summer day.

The Ruddy Duck continues in the Lighthouse Pond, but can be difficult to find as he has been foraging in the shallow water around Mallow tussocks, and can be easily overlooked.

Also in the odd-ball summering duck category, the Hooded Merg found a week ago last Thursday in the Cove Pool has now taken up residence in the main pool at the Meadows, and was hauled out today with the moulting mallards on the one artificial isalnd there.

On a breeding bird note, I hear that two nestling Cooper’s Hawks are in the State Park, though I only saw the one. They are rapidly shedding their down, and the branches surrounding the nest and the nest itself are covered with fuzzy white detritus as if festooned with some kind of spider-web facsimile halloween decoration.

The adults can be seen hunting until 8:30 or so in the evenings, such is the appetite of thieir babies. They also consistently range out as far from the nest as West Cape May, the Nature Conservancy’s preserve, and Higbee’s beach, much to the chagrin of the robin and pigeon sized birds in the neighborhood!

Also on the subject of downy-fuzzies, the older brood of Piping Plovers has reached fledging; making short, awkward flights, but are indeed perfectly capable of getting themselves airborne to evade a predator, and so go doen as a successful nesting.

Now there were also 5 newbies on the second Plover Pond, which indicates that more than one brood has hatched and are taking advantage of this habitat. Just how may of which brood hatched late last week are comprising that total is something I could not figure out from the observations I made there this afternoon. Evasive little blighters.

The Short-billed Dowitcher which turned up on Thursday is still around, and seems a bit lame in the leg. However, a Greater Yellowlegs which arrived at the Meadows today is decidedly a southbound migrant and a new arrival, marking the end of two and a half weeks of GreaterLeglessness. This is the first Greaterlegs I have seen there since the 11th of June.

The intentions of other newsworthy birds to be had in the Meadows today were rather more difficult to pin down.

One Bank Swallow was most definitely a south-bound migrant. But the two pairs of Gull-billed Terns, one of which was going through droop-winged, and neck-extended courtship displays, just prior to actually copulating were a bit more difficult to explain. This is not at all too late for Gull-bills to settle down and nest, and I have a feeling that given the paucity of Commons in Hereford Inlet, and the lack of all that much room on Chmapagne Island these birds may have their eye on Cape Island as a terrtiory.

On a non-courtship note, one of the birds, in it own inimitable deep swooping fashion deftly plucked a huge Giant Waterbug/Toebiter kind of aquatic bug right in front of me, dispatched the nastier parts of the beast as it would a crab’s, and swallowed it all in mid air, before settling back down to persuing the wooing of his intended.

Two Sandwhich Terns, one with a white-forhead, briefly stopped in at the Larid Island on the east path, but after circling the Meadows, headed over Sunset, and north, over West Cape May.

By far the most unexpected and unseasonal bird today though was an adult male Northern Parula singing his guts out at Higbee’s Beach. While I have found the odd, singing male N. Parula here in years past in late June or early July, and this one behaved the same way, a late June Northern Parula on Cape Island is a damned good bird.

He worked his way up the west side of the fields, and around to the nice oaks by the overflow lot, singing at a very spririted rate of once every 20 seconds or so, and never stopped. In other words, he seemed rather desperate. He was a very good-looking Parula too, one with a very dark full breast band.

Once upon a time, before the air became too polluted by the coal furnaces of the Industrial Revolution or the belching exhausts of the Post War ers to support Usnea lichens, Parulas were not unknown as breeders in Cape May. They were abundant breeding birds in what we now call Belleplain State Forest, in fact.

CJV

The drake Ruddy Duck discovered last week in the Lighthouse Pond at the State Park is still present, and rather surprised me when it popped up, cork-like just in front of the blind there.

A striking little bird in full breeding plumage, its bill an intense baby/sky blue. If the overall effect was not so handsome on the living bird, the proportions, pattern, and colours of a Ruddy Duck would be totally absurd. Like something a kid who put the wrong colours on a rubber-ducky in a colouring-books lines might concoct.

While some birds are feeding young, rearing second broods, or have not even settled down to nest yet, the beginnings of fall were already evident at Cape May Point today. A breeding plumaged Short-billed Dowitcher honed in on 4 Killdeer circling the Plover Ponds and eventually put down in one of them. The continuing one-footed Lesser Yellowlegs, and Willets notwithstanding, this is the first South-bound shorebird I’ve seen at the Point.

Likewise, while there have been 8 or so Glossy Ibis hanging around Cape Island, today a skein of 22 circled the island, and headed Seaward. Like Willets, Glossy Ibis don’t waste much time on the breeding grounds, they do however have a strangely protracted migration, which spans from June to November.

Otherwise, 4 young male Surf Scoter Continue off the Point, 8 Lesser Black-backs continue at South Cape May, and both broods of Piping Plovers seen yesterday continue on the beach there as well.

However, one of the Newbies was in the Plover Pond, and the other three were out on the Beach. While one parent was attending the black-sheep for a while, by sunset, both were with the majority of the brood, and I would place more money on the one in the thick grass by the plover pond becoming Rat-snake or Bull-frog Chow than rejoining his nest mates by morning.

It is also worth mentioning that there were two toddler Bottle-nosed Dolphins, each maybe a yard long, doing a sort of spy-hop, baby-play breach as they cruised along just yards off-shore with there mums this evening. If there is one thing more appealing than newborn Piping Plovers, newborn Bottlenosed dolphins trying to get a handle on just what that thinner element above them is all about, has got to be it. They really were ickle, and had the delphinid version of that same, stumbling clumsy look 8 week-old puppies, or terrible two-yearolds have got. Up close and personal Tursiops calves was a fine way to end this beautiful Summer day.

CJV

There was excellent birding and excellent birds to be had in Cape May today, and it also happened to be a spectacularly pleasant one on which to be out and about doing just about anything out-of-doors.

By far the most exciting find were three Sandwich Terns among the 200 Royal Terns and well over a thousand Black Skimmers on Champagne Island. While three Sandwich terns here in late June is not all that surprising, the exciting thing was that two were breeding plumaged adults, apparently going through some kind of courtship manouvres.

They were marching together in circles, quick-step time, side by side, wings slightly drooped, bushy crests raised, and necks arched. They kept this up for some time.

The interesting thing is that Sandwich Terns apparently form pair-bonds well before arriving on breeding turf. However the biirds showed no aggressive interaction, and stayed glued to each other’s side the entire timeI watched, even when not marching around together.

The other Sandwich was a first year, ousted from the middle of one cluster of Royal Tern nests by a garrulous Royal. The young Sandwich just flew a few feet to the edge of the nesters, and stayed within very close proximity to the colony. Last year, Sandwich Terns were landing among the actual nesting Royal Terns too, not just hanging out with the loafers as is typical of misfit terns.

I should not at all be surprised if Sandwich Tern is not among the next, if not the next bird added to NJ’s list of breeding birds.

Otherwise, there were 11 Brown Pelicans in that neighborhood, two roosting on the inlet side of Great Channel, the others all winging north off-shore, six of those being in one flock.

A young Great Cormorant left the flock of 50 roosting Double-cresteds roosting on the sandbars on the west side of the point, and headed to the north over the sea. This is the first I’ve seen or heard of an over-summering Great Corm at Hereford Inlet this year.

There was a decent little flock of shorebirds at the overflow pond at the base of Stone Harbor Point, including, 3 Red Knot, 9 Ruddy Turnstones, 11 Black-bellied Plovers, 13 Semipalmated Plovers, 3 Short-billed Dowitchers, 12 Western Sandpipers, and 5 Semipalmated Sandpipers.

One Tricolored Heron was at Nummy’s Island, but otherwise, the place belonged to the flies.

Cape Island was its effervescent summertime self and very birdy today.

I get the feeling that Yellow-billed Cuckoo eggs must’ve hatched. One because Yellow-billed Cuckoos were incredibly obvious, flying back and forth around the fields at Higbee’s in a way which they weren’t even just yesterday, and carrying food; and two because I found the discarded shell of a hatched Yellow-billed Cuckoo egg just near the Pond there today.

One Roseate Tern-beautiful bird, was hunting off the Point this morning, and the same bachelor flock of 4 Surf Scoters persists. Gannets also seemed to be a bit more in evidence today, I managed about 6, including one second-year type. Later, towards evening, there was a most unexpected, adult Black Tern hunting the rips. Odd time of year for one.

There were 9 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the South Cape May Beach front this evening, including the dark near-adult and two second summers.

A first-summer Yellow-crowned Night Heron at the Meadows was a bit unexpected as it came in from the north and circled the place two or three times before settling in. A first summer Black-crown was also there and an adult Black-crown was in the park.

The same footless Lesser Yellowlegs was in the Meadows, but the Willets of the last fortnight have apparently departed.

Best of all, there were two broods of four Piping Plovers, one very new- maybe a day or two old, the other a couple of weeks old, and maybe a week away from fledgeling, give or take. With the 8 chicks there were 16 Pipers on the Beach tonight.

Numbers of endangered species aside, the scene at South Cape May was just about idyllic this evening.

In a lowering sun, with a perfect breeze, the adult Lesser Black-backed Gull, flushed by a walker, unwittinlgy settled too close to the newborn Piping Plovers. As they ran behind his bright yellow legs and the parents mobbed his ankles, one of the Dolphins, unaccompanied by newborn calves, decided smacking his flukes was the best idea to come into his delphinic mind, and began pounding the waves with all his might, like a beaver on steroids, to the tune of 30 smacks.

I don’t know which was better, four adorably wide eyed newborn Piping Plovers incongruously behind a well-plumaged European stray, or the echoing cetacean ebullience. Perhaps its best not to try and tease it apart-the whole scene was a gesamtkunstwerk of Maw Nature at her finest.

CJV

While spending most of my day leisurely procrastinating dealing with grown-up business via birding, I managed to find a few unexpected or otherwise noteworthy birds along the way.

Before the birds however, a comment on the fact that today was a tremendous day on which to be outside studying nature. The weather was perfect, the biting insects minimal, the humidity far from oppressive, the breeze delightful, and interesting insects, birds and herps were everywhere. I realize it is a Wednesday, and miserably, most poor sods are engaged in so called “straight” 9-5 jobs, having sold their souls to their mortgages and car-payments, but why on god’s green earth I saw no one out birding or butterflying in Cape May on such a perfect early summer day like today quite simply defies explanation.

Anyway, four immature male Surf Scoters were off the point, and drifted with the tide all the way to the cove pool, as I unwittingly followed them. I parked by St. Pete’s jetty, and walked to the meadows and back, checking out favorite overlooks along the way this morning, which was a fine thing. The four bachelor Scoters were with me most of the morning as a result.

While on the topic of lingering sea-ducks, two non-breeding Red-breasted Mergs are hanging out on the Great Channel side of Stone Harbor Point. Like Scoter off the point Jetties, this is not an entirely unexpected thing in mid-June.

Five Lesser Black-backed Gulls were on the beach at South Cape May, including the very dark-mantled near adult. I managed some good shots (pictures that is) of this bird today, both roosting with other gulls and feeding in the surf, and it is clearly not the typical sort of Lesser Black-back one usually encounters in this hemisphere.

Three Broad-winged Hawks were kettling over the point today as well.

By far the most unexpected bird I stumbled upon today was a Black-billed Cuckoo at Higbee’s Beach. I caught a glimpse of it in flight, and tried to talk my self out of the fact that it was not “just” a Yellow-bill. So I gave a low, toothy whistled imitation of a Black-billed’s song. Boom-a Black-billed Cuckoo flew right in and leanded, calling, less than 20 feet away. He called rather surprisingly non-stop for a full 10 minutes. This is surprising not only because of the clearly territorial behaviour it indicated, but more cause my whistled Black-billed Cuckoo imitation is not all that great!

The bird remained in the area (just in the wet-woods past the second tower) for nearly an hour, and though I managed a few pics with a point and shoot, the bird would just not cooperate for more proffesionally taken shots.

A calling Black-bill on this date, in this spot is most interesting, as the last time they were present at Higbee’s Beach in the breeding season was 18 years ago (Sibley, D.A. The Birds of Cape May, 1997, p. 86 )

Three Piping Plovers were also on the Beach proper at Higbee’s, just north of the outflow of Pond Creek. This is an odd place to find them, and I was shocked when a peep-lo revealed three of the birds just in front of me. It is even odder that three Pipers were here in mid-june, as this is not a nesting site. Curioser and curioser, and just goes to show what weird avian information might be found if anyone was out looking.

And finally, a good long time looking at Royal Terns on nests at Hereford Inlet was food for the soul. These majestic animals, all facing into the wind were a sight this afternoon.

Skimmers and Common Terns still don’t seem to be having much luck there though, and I only managed one Gull-billed Tern snatching crabs from the flats on Stone Harbor Pt.

CJV

By far the most surprising bird found in a turn around south Cape May was an adult Horned Lark waddling around the artificial dune near the Plover Pond at the Meadows. The bird was in more or less the same spot for over an hour, and even engaged in a bit of anting behaviour, which was very cool to see, as it almost looked like it was making scrapes when doing so, rather like a beach-nesting bird.

The Meadows held a decent showing of spring Shorebirds, including two White-rumped Sandpipers (for a while, the only sandpiper on the little gull island was a White-rump), fifty Semipalmated Sandpipers, one Solitary, one each of both Yellowlegs, and a Spotted.

A Northern Waterthrush singing from the wooded areas around the east pool was getting quite late, but is not the latest into June I have ever had one at Land’s End in Jersey.

5 Royal Terns and three first-summer Lesser Black-backs were also nice additions to the list, if only I ever kept lists…

The most noteworthy find at the State Park came in the form of a Pine Warbler nest, full of noisy hatchlings being fed by mum. The nest is far from inconspicuous, being right over the path. I think we can call this a confirmation of nesting Pine Warblers at the Point.

While I hear tell that 2 Broods of Piping Plovers are now hatched, and that the exclosure closest to the bunker which started to hatch yesterday held a still wet new-born today, there was a great little bit of forensic bird-monitoring to be seen in the park today.

What I at first thought was the result of a human re-adjustment to the exclosure, it turns out was in fact the work of Coyotes!. The Coyote(s), and I am assuming at least part of the duo I watched scoping out beach-nester on Weds is to blame, dug a trench perfectly around the exclosure, in an attempt to get at the tidbits inside. They were unsuccessful in this endeavour, but it was a cunning attempt. If only the Coyote had an ACME plover pulverizer in his bag of tricks, perhaps he would’ve acheived more success…

Between high tides, feral cats, Red Foxes, gulls, humans, and now Coyotes, it is wonder the Plovers manage any fledges at all, and no small wonder that recruitment does not meet sustainability.

Slings and arrows of outrageous fortune indeed. I can’t imagine what was going through the poor parents’ heads as wolves were literally digging at their doorstep lastnight.

CJV

A bit of sea-watching from St. Mary’s jetty, and my typical long-walk around the beach-front today revealed no fewer than 4, and probably six Wilson’s Storm-petrels. Four were present at St. Mary’s this morning, three pattering in one field, and a bit earlier, two criss-crossed each other’s paths at South Cape May. All were very close to shore, really.

Otherwise, the most notworthy avian finds of the day came in the form of late Parulids. Most notable and unexpected of these was a singing, but apparently dull immature Male Blackburnian in the Plain-trees along Lafayette Street. A Blackpoll, and an immature male A. Redstart at Higbee’s were a bit less remarkable, though nonetheless rather late.

I could only manage two first year Lesser Black-backs at the Meadows today, and wonder if the impressive numbers which have occurred in the last four weeks are coming to a close, and are indicative of a movement of migrants. Vamos a ver.

A Greater Yellowlegs, and rather surprisingly, a flock of 40 Semipalmated Plovers were still longering at the Meadows. Try as I might, I could not re-locate the first brood of four Piping Plovers which hatched the day before yesterday, and think they went quickly to their doom. However, another set were in the process of hatching this morning, and one had already emerged.

A male Boat-tailed Grackle which has taken to singing and displaying at the Meadows is a bit odd, as the species is not common on the Island away from the harbor, despite the fact that they are abundant about 2 miles away from the Meadows along Ocean Drive.

Both immature Surf Scoters, a hen and a drake, which have been hanging around the Point Jetties were still there today.

It is also worth mentioning that the first fledgeling Brown-headed Cowbird I’ve noticed this year was being fed by an unwitting pair of Carolina Wrens in the State Park today.

A female Kingfisher hunting at the Meadows, a stellar look at a Yellow-billed Cuckoo just sitting in an exposed bare snag at the State Park for a good long time, and the most cooperative Chat by the base of the Dike at Higbee’s were also fine additions to a couple of hours spent out in the field just enjoying the place’s remarkable avifauna, as I am wont to do.

(and as an aside, yes, that chocolately, white-spangled Skipper I saw at Higbee’s was indeed a female Zabulon, as confirmed by the books at home. The white leading edge to the hind wing apparentyl being the key to it. Thanks to the local butterfly-expert who set me looking in the right direction. I have no patience with the little bastards- Skippers, not most local butterfly experts that is!)

CJV

A walk along the Beach front around noon, and my usual turn around the Meadows at Sunset turned up more than its fair share of excellent birds.

Standing on the dune cross-over which produced a Lark Bunting a couple of days ago today yeilded a duo of Brown Pelicans heading north over the sea. One was a black-bellied, smart looking adult, the other a rattier near-adult, possesed of a dull adult like head pattern, but still pale on the belly, and sporting far from even remiges.

Heading towards the Meadows with the surf lapping my toes, I was forced to stop in my tracks by that most peepolicious of sounds which can only mean Piping Plovers have hatched. They were on the crest of the beach, a pair and four newbies. Piping Plovers lay only four eggs, so it was worth passing cigars to see that all four had hatched. While I loathe the moniker of “cute” for most birds, the four knock-kneed, foal-like, huge-eyed, little half-dollar sized cursorial fuzz-balls were just about the cutest things conceived by god or man. We shall see just how many of this brood make it to fledging-which will be in about 21 days (or at least that is the statistically official marker).

The adults’ defensive peeps reached a strident tone, as two Laughing Gulls came too close, and quick as lightning were met in the air by both parents. I never tire of watching the skill with which the little stub-billed Plovers can drive away predators.

There were no fewer than 8 Lesser Black-backed Gulls on that stretch of Beach today. In the afternoon, there were 6 first-summers and one “fourth” summer adult. The fourth summer bird was for all intents an adult, but bore rather worn primaries, and had a tail that was kind of ratty. More interstingly this was apparently an intermedius Lesser Black-back, and was a very deep slaty, nearly black, but not the jet black of a fuscus bird.

All seven of these were still present this evening, but had moved down towards second Avenue, and there was an additional one on the little Gull Island on the east path.

Just how many Lesser Black-backs are passing through this spring is a very good question. The second year bird form yesterday has not been around, and the very dark intermedius adult is a new arrival. The smart adult graellsii of the nor-easter have not been around since, and whether the first-summer birds are a “resident” set or are indeed turning over their numbers is rather difficult to tease out. Given the number of first years, and the number of the various more readily individually identified age-groups, I think there have been at least 20 different Lesser Black-backs this spring, and that is conservative. The extent of the turnover among the first summers being the key to a true determination.

7 Royal Terns were sitting on the Beach as well, and being Royal Terns, must be mentioned by me.

A few dull Semi-palmated Plovers, and a total of fifty or so Semipalmated Sandpipers, a couple of Greater Yellowlegs, and a Willet or two were hanging around the Meadows at various times today, and there are indeed three pairs of American Oystercatchers in residence.

Other than the Pelicans, Seawatching was rather slow today, the feeding swarms of Foremon and Least Terns, and a Gannet or two being the most noteworthy. A duo of immature Surf Scoters continues at the Point, however.

By far the coolest sighting today came in the evening, after a tremendous downpour, at the west crossover at the Meadows. Looking west towards the State Park (the Hawkwatch and Martin Houses were actually in the background) I was totally thrilled to see a Coyote just sitting straight up on the rake of the lee-ward side of the Dune. Perched like Anubis himself, the Jackal like animal was in stark profile, and looked for all the world like the most handsome of pointed muzzled dogs, looking at the west end of the Plover Pond.

The behavior of the Mute Swans in the Plover Pond should have tipped me off. The Swans were in a rather tight flock, necks all erect, stock still, facing the same direction, and looking right at the Coyote. They looked exactly like the long-necked Alpacas at the Alpaca farm on New England Rd. do when a Coyote is in the immediate vicinity.

The thrill of this incredibly handsome Canid was soon doubled, as it quickly became evident that the Prairie Wolf was not alone, and on the crest of the dune, was her mate, a truly large Coyote with a very dark cape, a distinctive grizzled whitish patch over his shoulders, and a rather skimpy brush. The dog and the bitch made a rather dashing couple. I was quite content to watch them, and they could not have cared less that I was.

They had the ability to all but disappear in the wire-grass, and at one point were clearly snuffling around for the nests of unsuspecing beach-nesters. The two came, stealthily working the dune right towards me for a while, snuffling muzzles to the ground and ears laid back, and then hunting all the way, worked their way back. The bitch returned to her perch, and sat, and the dog disappeared for a while. He then made a mad rush down the windward side of the dune, scattering Least Terns, and clearly nabbed something. He emerged licking his chops, but I saw no white feathers, and no Terns came to mob him, so perhaps this time they were lucky, and his quarry was a four-footed beast. A few years ago, Coyotes ate every single Least Tern nest at South Cape May in one night.

I watched the two then rejoin, and skirt the dune-fence to trot down the cross-over path, and being so large, they had to duck under the split rail fence, as they hunted around the other shore of the Plover Pond, only to disappear into the marsh in a blink of an eye.

Watching two quite large four-footed predators just going about their business for over half an hour in increasingly fragmented Cape May was a perfect way to end the day, and made going out between downpours well worthwhile. (There was another chap with scope there, rather feverishly “birding”, but I am sure he was oblivious to the Coyotes right in front of him, unfortunately he appeared to be one of those unstable sorts, too dysfunctional to speak or make eye-contact, from which, I have learned the hard way, to keep my distance of. Pity really.)

CJV

A walk around the base of the Dike at Higbee’s Beach and just east a bit, along the Canal proved to be a fine Idea shortly after dawn, and one that had the advantage of being more conducive to finding birds than their watchers.

No fewer than 5 territorial male Indigo Buntings were a fine treat. There is nothing quite like the depths of coral reef hues borne on the plumage Indigo Buntings. A Nashville Warbler, a few Black and Whites, Black-throated Blue and Green, a Chestnut-sided, a first year male A. Redstart (I can’t believe it, but Redstarts are indeed few and far between this year) and best of all a pair of Magnolias were also to be seen.

Getting to see the male and female Magnolia forage for a while was a fine study. I rather like Audubon’s epithet “Black and Yellow Warbler” for this bird, but it is a toss up between the poetry and the descriptive I suppose. The female’s green and black striped back, and finer breast markings etc. were easily compared with the male’s jet-black back, intense golden underparts, and thick noodle like stripes. What a bird is the male Magnolia in May.

Baltimore Orioles were easy to come by, and a small but diverse assortment of Shorebirds were in the impoudment itself. Most surprising though was a getting-late Swamp Sparrow at the base of a Holly.

A wander around the well-treed streets of West Cape May (something that gets done a lot less than it used to than when Lehman lived around here), and a turn around the Beanery revealed still more Baltimore Orioles, 4-5 Chestnut-sideds, a few more of both Black-throated things, a Yellow-throated Vireo, a couple of Chats, two or three late and lingering Savannah Sparrows, the odd Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and one of the most brilliant asthetic treats I have had in some time.

While looking at an eye-searing male Scarlet Tanager, in all its glory and in just the right light, in where else, but the blossoms of a White Oak tree, I was awed and transfixed when I raised my binoculars, and not merely cause looking at the Tanager was just short of staring at the sun with 10xs. Just under the Scarlet Tanager, and inches away, was a male Blackburnian, who at that moment decided to kick back his head and burst forth in song. The glowing ember of his song-distended orange bits, inches away from the Tanager were cause to rub my eyes. No Tangara or Honeycreeper has got a thing on the Blackburnian.

A Turn around the Meadows and State Park revealed a few Shorebirds, notably Spotties, Leasts, both Yellowlegs, and a few Solitaries. Two first year lesser Black-backed Gulls are still hanging around, and actually it seems like there are two Piping Plover nests back in action after the Monday’s horrible Nor’easter. Apparently, and not surprisingly, I have it on good authority that just a handful of Piping Plover nests in the state made it through Monday. There will be time, there will be time…(No disrespect to Elliot intended).

Hawkwatching for a bit this afternoon revealed a few kettling Harriers, 2 Bald Eagles, Merlin, Kestrels, and a Broadwing, but nary a kite was to be had.

Hidden Valley, in addition to breeding Wood-ducks, paired up Cedar Waxwings, a territorial Prothonotary Warbler, a couple of more Chestnut-sideds, fabulous looks at paired-up Blue Grosbeaks, and both sexes of Black-throated Blue, held a fine flock of Bobolinks.

the ‘Links were just where they usually are there- where the young saplings meet the Orchard Grass in the first field. Seven females and five males, the males were singing to beat the band. It was worth noting that the males were still sporting buff edges on the flanks, and that the variation in the females was somewhat startling. Some were quite cold, rather winter-hay coloured, and others, sporting a warm buffy quality, not unlike autumn birds.

This first field at Hidden Valley, and the hawk-bander’s field to its west provide perfect breeding habitat, and every year it is not without reason that I hope they stick, but if this year is like any other, I’d bet the rent that they don’t.

I should also mention that a Cooper’s Hawk was carrying food, in this case what looked like a Grackle, surrounded by a vainly persuant and mobbing crowd of Robins and Blackbirds, while heading NE across Lighthouse and Seagrove- as in towards the nest-site in the Park. Perhaps they have just gone quiet, like a submarine under surveillance, in light of the recent human activity, and haven’t given up the house just yet.

And as an aside- though there were excellent numbers of Gannets today, the hordes of terns I would expect were not terribly in evidence, als ohaven’t seen a Jaeger in far too long, at least a day or two. Horrible state to be in, Jaegerless! and this the second week in May…

CJV

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