Mar
2
After the snow in Cape May
Filed Under Spring Migration, Winter Birds | 2 Comments
There were a few unexpected birds tucked here and there around a Cape Island blanketed with snow today.
Most surprising were number of birds in the middle of streets today-I suppose ploughed macadam being the only surface relatively free of snow, and a little out of the wind. Mainly butterbutts and numbers of sparrows were eking out a day’s forage in the road, but also a pair of quite buffy Ameican Pipits wagging and pumping, and barely getting out of the way of the car were literally on Sunset Blvd today.
Most of the Sparrows utilising this oppurtunity were Savannahs and Songs (both of which are beginning to get on the road north about now-so to speak) but there was also a rather unexpected Vesper Sparrow near the Meadows Parking lot.
9 Horned Larks were in fields along Bayshore Rd. and were on top of the wind-blown snow, energetically leaping up with a flutter to pick seeds from the heads of weeds tall enough to emerge from the white-stuff.
Most of the passerines sitting in the roads looked rather miserable-the Butterbutts especially had a bit of wind and cold-weary feebleness in their pace today.
Otherwise, a Melin was sitting on a telephone pole, a herd of Fish Crows was in West Cape May, and there are still thousands and thousands of Scoter in the bay-despite the incredible surf, chop, and surge.
Feb
25
Lots and lots of ducks around Cape May
Filed Under Spring Migration, Waterfowl, Winter Birds | 1 Comment
The waters around Cape May are just chock-full of Ducks these days. The Delaware Bay, and the few spots in the Back-bays of the Great Saltmarsh that I checked out today were covered with waterfowl.
Firstly the raft of Scoter which has been hanging out in the rips has swelled to nearly 6000, or so, and it is quite a sight. It stays tantalizingly far enough away to make most of the scoter not quite identifiable, though it seems like the majority are Black. Also, the number of birds wheeling about in characteristic Black Scoter fashion would seem to indicate this. Regardless of idenitfiability the sight of a slick of Scoter about a mile long and lord knows how wide is a sight to behold.
The number of American Black Ducks around is likewise cause for eye-rubbing. There were nearly 300 in Jenkins Sound, and well over 100 around Nummy’s Island. Between the Coast Guard Ponds and Brigantine, I cannot guess how many thousands of Black-Ducks there are in the Saltmarshes of South Jersey right about now.
Likewise there were impressive numbers of Bufflehead at the end of Shellbay ave-133 is the number i wound up with in the end. A nice treat was the rarer bucephaline in these parts-a lone and handsome drake Common Goldeneye.
Also in the odder-duck box were three Common Mergansers on the little pond in the Parkway median at mm3, and a hen Common Eider at the 8th Street Jetty in Avalon. Common Mergs do not often get this far south or coastal, and that Pond is indeed a reliable spot for them.
Otherwise, an Ad. Black-headed Gull continues off Sunset Beach, and a large flock of 70 Fish Crows in West Cape May seem to indicate their northward advance is finally underway in earnest. There were also at least 5 roding Woodcock around Higbee’s Beach; Spring is indeed Springing, as if the blooming crocuses, snowdrops, and now many Sweetgums and Maples weren’t a grand enough indication.
As an aside, this winter seems to have been a bit more “typical” than the two prior, and some birds, ie Brown Thrashers & Fox Sparrows, were not around through the thick of it in great numbers. Also the arrival of Fish Crows en masse seems to be a bit more “normal” (though I have a feeling if the last week hadn’t been quite so cold and plagues by northwesterlies…). In the few years prior, which were quite warm, the bulk came through nearly a month earlier, if I am not mistaken.
Feb
18
Flowering Maples
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Yes indeed, the odd Red/Silver Maples have begun to bloom, as well as a few Sweet Gums here and there, here on southernmost tip of NJ.
I guess they have been fooled by the last ten days of above normal temps, but mid February is early even here, and we shall see if this early flower doesn’t get thwarted. What is very interesting is that the pattern of which trees have already popped seems rather random-Off the top of my head, I’d bet 5% or fewer of the Maples are in full flower. Very cool to see individual variation at work- Ahhh, the oil which propels natural and sexual selection. Excellent.
(Willows are also getting tawny, the way they will before they turn yellow and bud-out, however, they are not nearly in full flower.)
A quick trip to Hereford Inlet before the rain revealed nice numbers of Dunlin, a few Oystercatchers, no fewer than four Western Sandpipers, a Semipalmated Plover, and soem very sharp Great Cormorants on the Channel markers. Drake Red-breasted Mergansers were doing their best deep bows as they asked the hens to dance for the season, too.
Feb
17
News and Notes from Cape May; Black-headed Gull, White-winged Crossbills, continuing Eurasian Wigeon, etc.
Filed Under Spring Migration, Winter Birds | 1 Comment
The Black-headed Gull, was not too terribly difficult to find among a whole herd of Bonaparte’s Gulls at the Concrete Ship. Another good-sized bunch of Bonies were just off St. Mary’s Jetty as well, but contained nothing else of great interest.
Four White-winged Crossbills were hanging out in some Short-leaved Pine just near the recently razed building at the Villas WMA. THe birds were utterly fearless and could not have cared less that I was directly under their not-so-tall Pines. The one female took a little nap in fact. Amazing looks.
The Hen Eurasian Wigeon continues on the main pond there (all one had to do today was turn around from the Crossbills, and boom-there she was.
A Merlin, a getting brighter Yellow Plam Warbler, and lots Chipping Sparrows whose russet crowns are rapidly losing their streaks of autumn were also to be had there, anong others.
Norbury’s Landing on a rapidly incoming tide revealed more Black-bellied Plovers than I have yet seen this year. Also on the increase of hardy shorebirds note- A lone American Oystercatcher heading up into the bay today was a sight for sore eyes.
Feb
16
Some nice looks at Short-eared Owls, etc.
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A half-hour spent at Sunset at Jake’s Landing turned up no fewer than 4 Short-eared Owls. One obliging individual perched up o a post just across the channel from the boat-ramp for a good long while.
The blackish Roughleg which has been hanging out there was in the very same cedar it has been, east of the boat-ramp. 8-9 Harriers were also fairly easy to see as they coursed the Salt Marsh, and Great Horneds were hooting well before Sunset.
Otherwise the numbers of Robins up and about and moving around to roost today was impressive, hundreds were here or there, who knows how many there were all told.
Feb
11
A seal, a balmy day, and the colour of a randy Mallards feet
Filed Under Spring Migration, Winter Birds | 2 Comments
Birds continue to be on the move in Cape May, and are at it with a largely northward bent.
While I spied nothing unusual or rare, I did manage to garner some fine seasonal sightings of common birds in a rather short time today. The bird of the day was, however a Harbor Seal at the mouth of Cold Spring Inlet. Seals are always welcome, and I have not seen so many this winter.
Dunlin have increased, it seems, on Beaches and Jetties. There were 1500 sleeping on the Breakwater at Higbee’s Beach alone, and hundreds were feeding at both Two-Mile Beach and Hereford Inlet.
Otherwise, shorebirdwise, a lone pair of Oystercatchers, and a single Western Willet were at Hereford Inlet (though there were a lot of clam-diggers on the flats today, so I have no idea what might have been around).
Like Dunlin, Icterids have made a marked influx. Today I saw the first, and typical, good sized flocks of Brown-headed Cowbirds (as in hundreds) foraging on lawns.
In keeping on the theme of common birds doing what they should be in a balmy mid February, Flocks of Pintail were up high overhead, going north, or off-shore today, and their numbers seem to have diminished by about half in the Coastguard Ponds on Ocean Drive.
Common Loons have settled in at favoured spots for their moult, and Red-throats are increasing, or at least becoming a bit more obvious, and a bit more mobile.
Among a dozen Great Corms at Cold Spring Inlet, only a a quarter were in breeding plumes, but those few were already in great form, with silvered, shaggy necks and saurian crests on the nape, breasts and necks all glossed blue-bottle. Schnazzy birds.
And another nuptial note struck me completely by surprise today, and accented the fact that Mallards have paired up “all of a sudden” (actually the pairing & bonding process has been going on for some time, its just now getting down to real business).
Right now, the feet of paired or pairing Mallards are a bright carmine, coral-red, not at all unlike “Red-legs”, as Black-ducks are soemtimes known. This change is evident in both the hens and drakes, and is kind of like the flush of a Snowy Egret’s toes. A Mallard’s feet and legs are usually a friendly, “orange-with a capital-O”, las found in a crayon box. It is only when pairing that they get this bloom. Also illustrating the pairing up of what I presume are our local Mallards, is the fact that one of the drake MallardxBlack hybrids, has apparently taken a blue-blooded Mallard hen for his mate. Hopefully they will pick a spot nearby to raise their brood.
Oh, and as an aside, the State Park is completely annoying. The boardwalk remains torn up and the plover ponds are possessed of a lot of earth moving machines rearranging and managing things for their charges(again). This makes birding there less than ideal at the moment.
While I like that the ponds will be maintained for the Plovers, I find the waste by the State to be a bit off-putting. The one pond was planted with plugs of native grasses, by hand, according to a plan, as well with shrubs and small trees as a restorative measure, and then, well everything grew in, rather nicely, obviously making it less hospitable to baby Piping Plovers. (That pond was actually planted for a different use at the time.) Now a couple of years later, it is bulldozed again. They could’ve just spared the expense the first time around, and left them both barren and plover-friendly to begin with…
Feb
10
More signs of spring
Filed Under Spring Migration, Winter Birds | 2 Comments
In keeping with yesterday’s theme, there were again today birds clearly on the move, or getting a bit “springy” (so to speak) in their demeanour.
A large concentration of Killdeer, 40 strong were on the mown fields of the Beanery. Like Grackles and Redwings, Killdeer are part of that cadre of classic February arrivals. It has been soemtime since there were 40 Killdeer together in these parts.
While yesterday at sunset, a Great Blue was curiously heading south, high and crossing the Bay to Delaware, today at the same time and place there was a skein of Snow Geese, cleaving its way north against a sky that looked marbleized by some gigantic faux finisher. (That is actually not at all poetic- their was a peculiar quality to the dark underlayer against a paler ceiling, which looked for all the world exactly like sponge or bag-painting-it was a sight.)
Almost as interesting as Snow Geese heading north, is the fact that there are two or three abberrant, partial albino Canadas in the wintering flock which are clearly returning individuals. One at least I recognize from the two winters past (he has a great white swath on his underside, just at the lower breast and upper belly, which is several inches wide). I wish I knew more about the site fidelity of Canadas to wintering grounds-something to look up later, no doubt.
Blackbirds were a lot more obvious today, with large, raucous flocks of mainly “purple” Grackles being evident pretty much all over the lower Cape May penninsula today. (It is worth noting that the wintering flock of female Redwings at the Villas is still acting as a wintering unit, though. Wonder where they are headed? If their breeding grounds are near or far, is anyone’s guess, really).
Another lingering winterer at the Villas is the continuing hen Eurasian Wigeon. A bit more of a surprise was the drake Common Merganser on the little retaining pond at Champlain Avenue in the Villas (One can see the chainlink of the WMA from this area, its located in the development immediatel to the north of the property.)
Otherwise, Towhees were a lot more vocal than they have been, 50-60 Pintail were quite picturesque on the coast-guard ponds, and just shy of a thousand Dunlin were on the extensive mudflats at Norbury’s Landing on a low tide.
Feb
9
Early signs of Spring…or at least confirmation of late Winter; Black-headed Gull, etc.
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Though not as balmy as yesterday or the day before, today was just busting with those little harbingers of spring.
Though, I think as a result of teething on Bent’s Birds of the New York Area, I have always regarded February as “Birder’s Springtime”. Bent, writing 40-50 years ago and 100 or so miles further north started his migration timetables on Feb 21. Here in Cape May the middle of the month, or around the tenth seems to work just fine for calibration’s sake.
This is perhaps the best time of year to look for small, old world, hooded Gulls, and usually sees an influx in gull numbers in general. Today there were more Bonaparte’s Gulls around the point than I’ve seen this year, just about 100 or so, give or take Nearly all were adults. It only took a little while of whatching them drifting, shuffling and re-alighting with the tide to find one slightly larger one with strikingly dark underprimaries. Just what I had been hoping for, and perfectly on time by the calendar, was an ad. Black-headed Gull.
It is amazing how similar to one another they can be on the water, and then in flight how the dark-underprimaries and longer wings set the Black-headed apart. Once he folds his wings and sets back down, he becomes a lot harder to pick out.
On the subject of Gulls and their seasonal numbers, this evening at the Meadows, for the first time since late fall, There was a north, or Eastward procession of large Gulls. There were nice flocks of Herring Gulls, young and old, and far lesser numbers of Black-backs and Ring-bills heading high and landward at Sunset, such that they caught the eye.
Redwings are conkareeing and decidedly on territory in a few spots, Fish Crows were acting like pairs for the first time I’ve noticed in the town, Red-tails are paired-up and courting, Mourning Doves and Carolina Wrens are singing and answereing in earnest where just a few days ago one could scarcely get a coo out of the doves at least.
Mute Swans are also very much terriotrial, and actively courting, today forming “neck hearts” for the first time I’ve seen this year. Hardly a cause for celebration, but nice to see if you are Mute Swan, and a striking display for onlookeers to behold, nonetheless.
Otherwise, a Bittern was in the precise spot I last saw a Bittern at the Meadows (the NE corner of the east path) Cooper’s and Shoulder’s were easy to see today, as were Harriers. A young of the year Hermit Thrush (one of many) was actively flutter-plucking Multiflora Rose hips at Higbee’s, being so engrossed in fluttering toward one berry cluster, and returning to the same perch that it was oblivious to close inspection for a good long time. This allowed one to see that the progression of the remaining little pale tips to the secondary coverts. It was nice to see that this one apparently only had a few left, and was well, and energetically on its way to making it through its first winter.
And, especially given what I just heard of the tone of the President’s first press conference, may we all be so lucky!
Feb
8
Yesterday, when I got out of the auto and started a walk at Ponderlodge, a dark-looking Peregrine, carrying something heavy, flew in from the right.
A bit later on, I re-found a perched, and young-of-the-year, Peregrine perched on the east side of the main pond. It was particularly large and darkly marked bird, much like the Peale’s Peregrines hacked on “local” bridges which often turn up at the point in autumn.
The big dark Peregerine at the the copses of “the Villas” in midwinter wasn’t the unusual thing however.
The fact that it was eating a big grey Willet was though.
When I looked at the bird, perched with its catch, I could not figure it out for a minute. Its quarry was large, as large or larger than a teal, but had a long wing, blackish on the primaries, posessed of a distinct and large white bar. It also had long, greyish, waderish legs.
It took a sec before the “Willet-you dumb-ass!”, kicked in.
The Peregrine eventually took the Willet to the little island with the gazebo, and I watched it for a good long time while it feasted on the (presumably) western Willet.
This is most interesting for a variety of reasons:
1. Most of the Peregrines I’ve seen around lately have been adults
2. Most Willets around here are at the northern edge of their range, and hence, at the limits of their success.
3. The fact that a (presumably) hacked Peregrine could take a (presumably) winter weakened Willet indicate two facts which only two decades ago were extreme rarities, shows quite a bit more about human-induced biogeographic changes than any of us would care to admit is nothing short of noteworthy, as is a record of Willet at the Villas WMA-even if it were carried there by a Peregrine…
I could find no Crossbills, however, the hen E. Wigeon I first discovered at the point was still hanging in, as well as a drake Redhead, and a hen Canvasback. Red-headed Woodpeckers, a Sapsucker, and a lot more Blue-birds, Chipping Sparrows, and Field Sparrows than one might expect for NJ in Winter were in residence.
Feb
5
A few nice birds to be had around the county this crisp and cold february day were:
A good-sized flock of Pipits at Hidden Valley and across New England Road, about 25 all told. Whether these were coming, going, or roving is a good question, but they were more Pipits than I’ve seen about the place for more than the last month.
A Likewise good flock of Eastern Meadowlarks was in the field formerly known as the “Vesper Sparrow’ field at Hidden Valley (ie the third one). Interestingly enough, the singleton remains on his winter digs at the causeway on the Meadows as well.
A good sized raft of Sea Ducks remains at the Sea-wall at Avalon, with one smart adult Harlequin duck in its midst. Surf Scoters were squeaking, and Oldsquaw were shyly vocal, feebly calling for “old south-southerly”, given the chill wind, and Black Scoter were noticeably not calling for ‘couer, couer, couer de’laine”.
22 or so Tundra Swans were at Tuckahoe, tucked in among the mutes,, and there were good concentrations of Pintail there, plus more Green-winged Teal than there have been around the point in the last month or so.
Three drake Common Mergansers were sleekly plying the ponds there-what a miracle of hydrodynamics is a Common Merganser. Makes a loon look clunky.
Interestingly, Waterfowl seem to have largely cleared out of the ponds around Cape May Point. THe Hordes of Gadwall and Wigeon wich have been so entertaining are clearly no more, and Lilly Lake was comparatively empty. Ruddy Ducks have begun to congregate in greater numbers on the harbour, but still, now tis the time for Pintail to want to start moving north, for sharp Gadwall to thin out, and for little dark-winged hooded Gulls like Black-heads or Littles proper to begin to turn up.
The heads of Herring Gulls are getting freer of dusky smudges by the day, and despite the cold, Redwings were conkaree-ing yet again today. We are afterall, six weeks between solsice and equinox, and these things don’t happen overnight, as I recall…
keep looking »