View from the Cape

Cape Maygration... part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Thu, 23 May 2013 03:13:00 +0000

Our spring weekend, affectionately known as Cape Maygration, has come and gone. It may only be one weekend of the year, but it is amazing how much planning goes into making sure that everyone has a good time - and how long it takes to get back to normal again afterward! If you were here for the weekend, we were pleased to see you and so grateful for your support of our work - and you will know what a great time we had. If you couldn't make it this year, well I'll give you a sample of what we saw and maybe you will be able to join us another time.

In this first review, I'm posting a simple photo gallery of some of the great birds seen during the event - a long weekend in which nearly 190 species of birds were recorded during our Cape Maygration events (and there were a number of other bird species that we know were in the area too!). It really is great to see so many people getting into wildlife photography these days, something that the relative cheapness of digital compared with film has no doubt played a part. This boom in wildlife photography is certainly something that we have responded to and if you check out our online events calendar or the Kestrel Express, you will see that we have photographic walks, workshops and tutorials more or less throughout the year, under the expert guidance of both Scott Whittle and Mike Hannisian. So here's some highlights from the past week, all taken by friends and weekend participants in and around wonderful Cape May - or should that be Cape A-Mayzing!!

One of spring's great highlights in the Cape May backbays is the gatherings of shorebirds that take place in mid-May. Our regular boat trips out into the marshes around Jarvis Sound regularly offer fabulous opportunities to photograph flocks of Whimbrel, pausing to feed up before continuing north to breed [photo by Beth Polvino].

Just when you have decided that you are destined never to see a Clapper Rail, one pops up right in front of you! This bird was washing yukky saltmarsh mud from its plumage and made a great subject for photography at Heislerville [photo by Peter Langman].

The great diversity of shape and size in birds is always something to marvel at. This Least Sandpiper at Cape May Point State Park is not much bigger than a single swan feather, drifting along on the water beside it [photo by Karl Lukens].

This slightly unusual male Orchard Oriole has been holding territory at the South Cape May Meadows recently. This appears to be a first-year male, but it is unusual - though not unheard of - for such males to have such an extensively black hood [photo by Karl Lukens].

Just when you thought it was too late to see one... I haven't seen a White-crowned Sparrow around Cape May for a long time now, but May can throw up odd birds such as this individual which showed up in the state park for just one day last week [photo by Karl Lukens].

Not to be sniffed at, even the common birds can provide temporary eye-candy to Spring Weekend participants. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers are always a delight to see, as well as to study more closely [photo by E J Nistico].

White-eyed Vireos pulled out all the stops this past week and set aside their usual skulking behavior to disport themselves before an appreciative audience [photo by Lambert Orkis].

Despite a dearth of good westerly or south-westerly winds so far this spring, a good handful of warblers made it through in time for spring weekend. Blackburnian Warblers were present in good numbers some days and included this very obliging bird in the pond-side willows at The Beanery [photo by Lambert Orkis].

Some real stars flaunted themselves before the cameras and really made the weekend for many folks. This first-summer male Summer Tanager posed beautifully at the Higbee Beach parking lot for all to enjoy [photo by Lambert Orkis].

Not photographed on our spring weekend - but worthy of note certainly - were the Cliff (below) and Cave (above) Swallows that hung out at Bunker Pond recently. Cave Swallows seem to be increasing on the east coast of the US so it is worth having an eye in for their appearance. Compared with the Cliff Swallow below, note Cave's orangey (not white) forehead and much paler throat [photos by Sam Galick].

While we are on swallows, take a trip to CMBO's Goshen Center to get excellent close views of the Barn Swallows nesting above the front door [photo by Beth Polvino].

Even the local Great Horned Owls got themselves on the weekend tally sheet; this young Great Horned Owl was a nice find at Hidden Valley and still has large amounts of down to get rid of before he's really ready to fly any distance [photo by Peter Bosak]

Eye-candy indeed! The outrageously gaudy male Painted Bunting manages to get itself to the Cape May area most springs and often shows up at a back yard feeder. This was the case when this individual showed up at a feeder in East Vineland on May 12th - just too late for World Series and too early for Spring Weekend!!! [Photo by Robert McKenzie]

Mid-May is certainly a great time to be at Cape May!!!

Nuthatches, kites and more...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:14:00 +0000

Cape May really bounced back today with treats at both ends of the county. South of the canal, there was no news today on yesterday's Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, but a report came in of a Brown-headed Nuthatch seen briefly in the south-west corner of the first field at The Beanery. This follows reports of the same species at the state park a couple of weekends ago, and one heard calling just off Seagrove Avenue last Thursday. All these reports may well refer to the same individual, so it is certainly worth keeping an ear out for the distinctive 'squeeky toy' call of this endearing little bird. There is only two fully documented records of Brown-headed Nuthatch so a lot of people are going to be looking for this one I reckon.

Also at the point today, the Western Grebe was reported off St Mary's and a Cave Swallow was feeding over Lighthouse Pond East with several Cliff Swallows. Meanwhile, up at Belleplain State Forest, a Mississippi Kite showed superbly to an admiring crowd after Matt Webster sent out news of one perched atop a dead tree, right beside Sunset Road. Being in Belleplain myself today, I was actually less than a half mile from the bird when the news broke, so we were able to show this wonderful southern wanderer to the participants of our Spring Shorebirds & Southern Breeders workshop. The kite headlined a great day in the field today as we enjoyed good views of most of the Belleplain specialties and also enjoyed a great afternoon at Heislerville, studying shorebirds and enjoying a session with NJA's research team who were busy continuing their studies into the sadly declining population of Semipalmated Sandpipers that passes through our region. Seeing these birds close-up and in the hand makes you realize just how amazing a feat is performed by these tiny waifs as they push on north from wintering grounds in Brazil to breeding grounds on the Arctic tundra. Adding an educational element to your birding is, of course, what we at CMBO are all about, so if you want to really get the most from your birding, do consider coming on some of our events and become part of the Cape May Family - check out our calendar of events, or treat yourself to a last minute booking on our fabulous Cape Maygration spring festival!

Acadian Flycatchers can be elusive at times and spend much of their time in deeply shaded forest, but this one performed perfectly for our workshop group today [photo by Mike Crewe].

We were seeing red in more ways than one at Belleplain today as we enjoyed great views of singing Scarlet Tanagers at a number of places today [photo by Mike Crewe].

The slightly more subtle red tones of Summer Tanagers were also enjoyed today - at one location we found three males and a female all congregated at the same spot and this one was calling relentlessly and looking down at the ground, which tempted us to suggest that perhaps a snake had been located there [photo by Mike Crewe].

This very obliging male Hooded Warbler was singing from high up in a White Oak and gave unusually good views to our workshop group [photo by Mike Crewe].

Today's highlight for me was a close encounter with this perched Mississippi Kite along Sunset Road in Belleplain [photo by Mike Crewe].

At Heislerville, the variety of birds seems to increase almost daily. This group of Black Skimmers was performing amazing synchronised fishing trips across the main impoundment today [photo by Mike Crewe]

Sometimes birds just seem to be having too much fun! These Short-billed Dowitchers spill the air off their wing surfaces as they pitch in to the main impoundment at Heislerville today - I love the one who has been caught upside down with his feet in the air!

Keep an eye out! This Brown-headed Nuthatch was photographed in South Carolina, but it gives you a clear picture of what to look out for around the point right now. Note the brown cap which extends down to just below the eye, without there being a pale supercilium. Note also the white 'thumb mark' up the back of the head.

Rain didn't stop play...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Mon, 13 May 2013 02:31:00 +0000

Saturday turned out to be a real rotter in New Jersey as waves of lashing rain swept across the state and brought thunderstorms to many areas. Saturday was also the day of the 30th World Series of Birding too of course - but the weather really didn't dampen the spirits of the participants and, once again, a great day was had by all.

As luck would have it, many teams seemed able to duck out of the worst of the weather and the heaviest downpours were mostly short-lived. Having taken part in the CMBO Century Run again this year, I can attest to the mucky weather, but we did have some gloriously sunny spells too and there was - as always - a great variety of birds to be sought. It's fair to say that the weather put paid to a good run of migrants this year to help boost team totals, but the cumulative total of 254 species seen in the state on the day by participating teams demonstrates that, even when the weather doesn't bring us a magical fall of migrants, New Jersey still plays host to a remarkable number of bird species.

Perhaps above all else, this year's World Series will be remembered for its youth teams; this competition has for many years been recognised for its great youth participation and this year was to be a year when a youth team romped home and stole the show. Upper Main Line YMCA's BB Kingfishers raced to the finishing line with an excellent total of 186 species recorded in New Jersey between soggy downpours, winning themselves a place in the record books. Other teams put on a magnificent showing too, not least of which were some of the carbon footprint teams who showed great presence of mind in using foot power and bicycle to demonstrate that you can still see a remarkable number of bird species around Cape May without the need to drive everywhere. All the results can be found via the World Series of Birding section of our website.

Of course, the seemingly inevitable cruel twist of fate meant that the sun shone beautifully today and those present at the World Series of Birding award ceremony were able to enjoy a trio of magnificent southern visitors afterward. News broke of a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher along Seagrove Avenue and this was swiftly followed by brief but much appreciated visitations from both Mississippi and Swallow-tailed Kites at the point.

Cape May delivers the very best of birding yet again!! If you haven't booked already, get in touch with us as soon as you can and book yourself a place on next weekend's Cape Maygration event - the birds are here, why would you want to be anywhere else?!!

It's certainly proving to be a great spring for Swallow-tailed Kites at Cape May, as this beauty cruised gracefully over Coral Avenue at Cape May Point this afternoon [photo by Mike Crewe].

I am sure that better photos of today's Scissor-tailed Flycatcher along Seagrove Avenue will come to light in due course. But for now, here's a couple of snap shots of this amazing species [photos by Mike Crewe].

World Series Here We Come!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:35:00 +0000

The 30th World Series looms before us; birders will be in bed early tonight (or perhaps not at all!) preparing for one second after midnight - when the countdown stops and the counting begins! As a fitting lead-in to the event, Mother Nature smiled on us last night, spun us a nice run of South-westerly winds and dumped a multitude of many-colored birds on us! Higbee Beach and many other locations south of the Cape May Canal dripped with warblers today, as well as a mass of Scarlet Tanagers and Baltimore Orioles. Flycatchers, grosbeaks, cuckoos and thrushes were all in the mix and conditions look set for a much healthier World Series than I was fearing.

At last night's Swapmeet at Goshen, teams exchanged information and a break day of latest sightings is given at the following page on our website:

http://www.njaudubon.org/Portals/10/Swap%20Meet%20Notes.pdf

If you are in town to compete, do check out the list for any extra species you may not know about; if you are here just to enjoy the birding, check out the list anyway!

Good luck all - the fun starts now!!

Yaaaayyyy!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Thu, 09 May 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Warblers are here, and so is the sun - yaaaayyyy!! Maybe I should have mentioned the dreary weather a little sooner, since it seems that as soon as I did, the mists rolled away, the sun shone and the birds moved into town!

Today definitely made promises that we hope will be kept and that is that migrants are on their way. My walk at Cox Hall Creek WMA this morning was accompanied pretty much throughout by the trilling songs of Northern Parulas, a species that seems to be all over the point today. Baltimore Orioles and Yellow-rumped Warblers were present in very good numbers too and, together with the parulas and the local Chipping Sparrows, made up the bulk of the birds there today. A number of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks arrived in the area today and at least one Acadian Flycatcher was at Cox Hall. I heard tell of Black-throated Green, Blackpoll and Blackburnian Warblers at several places today, a Swallow-tailed Kite was seen passing over Stevens Street and a male King Eider (presumably our itinerant bird from last winter) drifted past St Mary's - beware the male Common Eider that was also photographed at the same location today. There was brief discussion today of a Whiskered Tern at Bunker Pond but Will Kerling's photos showed that the bird was an unusually dark Common Tern.

A little further away from the point, a Red Phalarope was reported from Brigantine yesterday (8th) and the Wilson's Phalarope seems still to be lurking among the wader flocks at Heislerville.

This molting female Red Phalarope was at Brigantine on 8th and attracted a number of happy photographers [photo by E J Nistico]

Shorebirds are coming through in good numbers now, including Lesser Yellowlegs.... [photo by Beth Polvino]

....Black-bellied Plover.... [photo by Beth Polvino]

.... and Least Sandpipers.... [photo by Beth Polvino]

It's been a great day for enjoying Northern Parulas at Cape May Point today, and often up close and personal such as this one at the Northwood Center [photo by Mike Crewe]

One more parula, one less forktail! This Northern Parula snatched a recently-emerged damselfly this afternoon. There's no color yet in the insect to help with identification but size and shape suggests that it is a forktail species [photo by Mike Crewe]

Today's word - Emergence

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:45:00 +0000

The word for today is emergence. It's a really great word and one which, I reckon, really sums up spring. Winter's cold spell puts so much into dormancy and both animals and plants need to find ways to survive this chilly period. They achieve this mostly by shutting themselves off from the environment, either by forming tough, protective outer layers, or by hiding themselves away in the ground or in dark, out of the way places (or both!). Depending on their method of shutting down to survive, increasing day length or increasing temperatures will be needed to bring them out of this torpid state - and sometimes a combination of both.

As I poke around Cape May County, emergence is certainly a word that constantly comes to mind as spring gradually throws the heavy shawl of winter off the countryside; plants emerge from the ground as if by magic, flowers emerge from heavily-protected tree buds, insects emerge from their coccoons and crysalises and birds emerge from eggs. Emergence is taking place everywhere around you, right now, so keep an eye on one or two favorite spots every day and see how the ground turns from bare brown to leafy green and oddball bunches of dead leaves that have been hanging on your trees all winter turn into amazing moths. Check the edges of ponds for dragonflies, emerging from nymph cases that are left gripping the leaves like macabre remains and keep an eye on your backyard birds to see when they start following a regular path with beaks full of juicy insects....

But the word emergence is on my mind for one extra reason this particular year, for it's our turn here in New Jersey for the insanity that is a Periodic Cicada emergence! This is a spectacle that I have never had the opportunity to witness before and the last time it happened around here was in 1996. Spectacular emergences of periodic cicadas are unique to North America and take place as regular as clockwork, based on either a seventeen-year or thirteen-year cycle. These are peculiar periods and scientists generally believe that cycles based on these two prime numbers mean that they create the hardest cycle for potential predatory or parasitic species to mimic. Thus, a potential parasite with an even-number cycle may hit one year, but miss on several others. Each brood of periodic cicada has been given a number - from Brood I to Brood XXIII with most being 17-year species and a few 13-year.

In New Jersey, we get Brood II and Brood X (Brood X is due next in 2021, having emerged last in 2004); Brood II occurs along the East Coast from roughly North Carolina to Connecticut and is perhaps one of the better-known since it affects much of the I-95 corridor from Washington DC to New York. I'm not sure that we will get them out here in Cape May, but I'm hoping. Emergences have been reliably reported in North Carolina, where the soil has reached the magic temperature of 64F - the temperature at which the soil needs to be for an emergence to take place. While there has been many reports of empty nymph cases well north of this, I think these are old cases from last year's annual cicadas, still clinging eerily to tree trunks. So, if you are in the Eastern US, keep an eye out for those crazy red-eyed cicadas and let us know if you have any in your area.

One other thing I ask too: there's quite a bit of sad journalism out there, showing people having fun playing tennis with these insects, as well as any number of 'pest' exterminators looking forward to cashing in on the event by offering their services to rid people of these 'harmful bugs'. While it is true that Periodic Cicadas in large numbers can damage trees as they spend 17 years sucking away at the roots, our ecosystem has evolved to deal with them and healthy trees will survive. At the very most, these guys will give us a certain amount of inconvenience, which I am sure we can live with just once in 17 years right?! Please try and dissuade people from using pesticides (which generally do not specifically target cicadas and will kill friends as well as foe) and, if you do want to protect a valued ornamental in your yard, think about using a hose pipe to push the cicadas off elsewhere, or - if the plant is small enough - you can always use some well-placed netting.

Looking forward to seeing red eyes looking back at me some time soon - but I think we better do something about our soil temperatures first!!

Emerging from its larval exoskeleton, a Dragonhunter prepares to pump up its wings and get airborne. This species will be hunting the Tuckahoe River once we get into June [photo by Mike Crewe].

Freshly emerged moths are fabulous subjects for photography with their unbattered wings still covered in thick scales and their legs and bodies all furry. This Rosy Maple Moth was seen on our Belleplain Wildlife walk last Sunday [photo by Mike Crewe]

Mention spring emergence in plants and few trees offer the remarkable exuberance of a Redbud. The clusters of brilliant cerise flowers burst forth straight from the woody stems, even from the main trunk of older trees. Redbud is not native out here on the coastal plain but is a poplar garden tree [photo by Mike Crewe].

Spring emergence can still be exhilerating even when it is subtle. I found this unfolding Moccasin-flower (or Pink Ladies-slipper Orchid) in local woods last weekend and got a certain satisfaction from knowing that I was almost certainly the first person to witness its emergence. The pink has still yet to develop on the flower and its head still hangs in a protective arch as it pushes up from the sheathing leaves [photo by Mike Crewe].

Recent Bird Sightings
Don't forget to keep a close eye on our eBird link for all the rarity news in the region. This morning saw the point shrouded in mist and fine rain, but a few birds were grounded and a small push of warblers was reported from around Cape May Point this morning. Indigo Buntings and Orchard Orioles have arrived in fair number over the past 24 hours and Chimney Swifts were swarming with mixed swallow and martin flocks to hoover up insects along the dune line at the state park. A Blue-headed Vireo was singing at the Northwood Center midday and Rose-breasted Grosbeaks continue to visit the feeders here. Shorebirds too are heading north and always call more in foggy weather as they try to reorientate. Keep an eye (and ear!) overhead for passing shorebirds, Common Loons and many other birds right now. Rumor has it that we could be getting a SW element to the winds over the next couple of days - birds must surely be on their way!!

5 4 3 2 1....WSB!!

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:27:00 +0000

It's time for the final countdown to the 30th World Series of Birding - and what an interesting year it's going to be!! I love the gradual build up that takes place in the run-up to this event; old friends from years past start to drift into town, ready to start scouting for their teams, the stores get even busier than usual as excited birders stop by to pick up bird maps, snacks and catch up on the latest bird gossip.

But you can bet that this year there will be an extra topic of discussion - the East Coast weather! It's fair to say that the weather has been a little unkind to us so far this season, with temperatures well below what we would like to see at this time of year and some decidedly chilly nights - seems like our heating-oil guy is the only one with a smile on his face at the moment! With winds predominantly from the East of late, there's certainly been a shortage of migrants passing our way - but that doesn't mean that Cape May doesn't have birds - Cape May always has birds!

Under rather dreary gray skies, I spent the last couple of days checking a lot of hidden corners around the county ready for Cape May Bird Observatory's Century Run Team. Our team confines itself to Cape May County so we spend time beforehand checking all those hidden corners in the county where that one extra bird species may be lurking. I mention dreary gray skies for a reason, because it is easy to feel down about the weather and yet, the birds are out there. What amazed me today was the sheer exuberance of bird activity at Jakes Landing and it's something that I've noticed before with wetland birds. Many wetland birds seem to have a habit of being active at night and this is at least partly because their life is controlled more by the tides than the hours of daylight. Perhaps because these birds are regularly happy in the dark, they seem to be equally happy in dreary weather and this was the case today. Clapper Rails were amazingly vocal pretty much everywhere that I went today and I chanced across several trotting across roads and showing themselves. At Jakes Landing they were joined by active and vocal parties of Short-billed Dowitchers, Greater Yellowlegs and Willets, while Seaside Sparrows were weezing out their short songs in all directions. A male Northern Harrier breezed by and restless parties of Glossy Ibises and Brant were passing overhead. Similarly, it is often the case that woodland birds remain active for longer through the day when the weather is dull. When the weather is hot and sunny, woodland songsters soon go quiet, but last Sunday, warblers were easy to locate around Belleplain State Forest and we enjoyed some memorable moments with them - especially the wonderfully spiffy male American Redstart that sang and performed in a roadside maple.

So, World Series looms - there may not be too many migrants in town right now, but all the local birds are here and in fine song and in any case, there's another three days to go yet - who knows what might happen!!

If you are not able to take part in the World Series but would like to help, we value each and every pledge that we get. How about giving us a call a pledging a donation to the CMBO Century Run Team, or you could donate to Pete Dunne's Zeiss team if you prefer. Give us a call and help us on our way!

Continuing winter birds

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:48:00 +0000

As May dawns upon us it will very soon be time to be wallowing in kaleidoscope of color that comes with any spring migration season in Cape May. But for now, it seems that most of the local rare bird reports involve late winterers still hanging around our area. Purple Finches are currently rubbing shoulders with the first Rose-breasted Grosbeaks of the season at many feeders and one or two American Wigeons and Ring-ducked Ducks lurk on the ponds. Three Hooded Mergansers are still at Brigantine and at least two Fox Sparrows are still visiting feeders in Cape May county.

As far as arrivals are concerned, Heislerville continues to draw the crowds with a long-staying Wilson's Phalarope and up to two Glaucous Gulls - the latter joined by an Iceland Gull on 26th apparently. One or two Long-billed Dowitchers have been noted at both Brigantine and Heislerville as numbers of commoner shorebirds begin to build up now. Two Brown Pelicans were reported passing Cape May Point on 28th and a Gull-billed Tern was at Heislerville on 26th. Red-headed Woodpecker sightings continue to come from Cape May Point so do keep an eye out if you are visiting the Northwood Center.

Western Grebe and other news

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 21:42:00 +0000

Scott Whittle found a Western Grebe on the bay just off Sunset beach this morning; it seems likely that this bird wintered somewhere in the area and is now reorienting itself. It may even be the bird that that spent the end of last year in Cape May Harbor. An adult Parasitic Jaeger was also present briefly at the same site. It looks like we are in for some showers on Monday and Tuesday so make the best of the sunny weather to scan the Cape May skies for a kite or two - we must be due for a Mississippi Kite around now!

Elsewhere, a gentle trickle of warblers continues to filter through our area. Our Beanery walk had a nice singing Prothonotary Warbler this morning and I heard of an American Redstart at Mays Landing (one was also at Higbee Beach on 25th). If you are really keen on getting a good list up tomorrow, Karen Johnson tells me that her tour of the Belleplain/Peaslee area this morning turned up 17 species of warbler, four species of vireo and both Summer and Scarlet Tanagers, while two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, Indigo Bunting and Rose-breasted Grosbeak have all been at her feeders - what a morning! This morning saw a nice steady movement of small parties of egrets and Double-crested Cormorants passing through, Forster's Terns are returning to the Bunker Pond railing and several reports of Red-headed Woodpeckers have come from The Beanery, Cape May Point and Cox Hall Creek WMA. Recent reports of shorebirds continue to be headed by a Wilson's Phalarope which was still present at Heislerville today. One or two Blue Grosbeaks are popping up in scrubby fields around Cape May and a good scattering of Blue-headed Vireos continues to be reported. Cape May Point State Park continues to provide a good swallow show along the dune edge with at least four Cliff Swallows among the Barn, Bank, Tree and Northern Rough-winged Swallows there yesterday and a single Cave Swallow this morning (the latter presumably the continuing bird that has been around on and off for a few days now).

Whimbrels are starting to appear in our back bay marshes now - keep an eye out for the around Nummy's Island, Shellbay Landing and other saltmarsh areas [photo by E J Nistico]

It's amazing what Ospreys will pull out of the water for lunch! This one caught a nice-sized Atlantic Needlefish near Nummy's Island [photo by E J Nistico].

Yellow-rumped Warblers are back in our area and many are looking very smart in their breeding plumage now [photo by Mike Crewe].

Keep an eye out for Red-headed Woodpeckers as a small passage of these birds is taking place through our are right now. This bird was one of two at the Northwood Center yesterday [photo by Mike Crewe].

A few more warblers, a little more warmth

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:07:00 +0000

Despite some windy conditions overnight, the past couple of days have seen a steady increase in warmer temperatures and a slow but steady increase in warblers trickling through the area. We still await the first real big push as weather conditions haven't been right to send birds our way in any number yet, but sometimes, slow but sure can be nice - it means that each day you add a little bit more to your birding enjoyment, saving some for the next day.

As the weather warms, there has been a noticeable emergence of butterflies and dragonflies. You may have seen from our Field Trips blog that we notched up Springtime Darner and some nice Uhler's Sundragons on our Belleplain walk on Sunday and today at Cox Hall Creek, we added our first Mantled Baskettail of the year. In the butterfly line, Eastern Tailed Blues have clearly came out big time in the last few days and these dazzling blue jewels can be seen in good numbers flying close to the ground in grassy places now. On 24th I saw my first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail of the year, flying casually down Fulling Mill Road, while dusty brown Juvenal's Duskywings are appearing at more and more locations as the week goes by.

Yesterday's Swallow-tailed Kite seems to have finished its day in North Cape May but was not reported today. Blue-headed Vireos are putting on a good show this year with a good number of birds in song now, while at least three Yellow-throated Vireos were singing at Peaslee WMA on 24th. Small parties of Least Sandpipers are feeding at the plover ponds in the state park, Eastern Bluebirds are busy nest-building at both the state park and Cox Hall Creek WMA and the Northwood Center today provided a steady run of interesting birds, including singing Black-and-white, Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers. Also at the Northwood Center was a surprise Pine Siskin yesterday and a superb adult Red-headed Woodpecker today. Further afield, a Wilson's Phalarope was at Heislerville to at least 24th.

The birds are coming!

We're still gathering records of Springtime Darner in Cape May but on present knowledge it appears to be a rather scarce species here, confined to the very north of the county. This individual was seen on our Belleplain Wildlife walk last Sunday [photo by Mike Crewe].

Female Uhler's Sundragon. This species is one of the first dragonfly species to emerge here in the spring and can be found along dirt roads in the Belleplain area [photo by Mike Crewe].

This female Eastern Bluebird has been filling a nestbox at the state park with all manner of twiggy bits and pieces [photo by Mike Crewe].

The purpose-built plover ponds at Cape May Point are currently proving their worth as the local Piping Plovers search the edges for food [photo by Mike Crewe].

A Black-and-white Warbler makes it onto my coffee break list at the Northwood Center today [photo by Mike Crewe].

Today's star turn - a wonderfully colorful Red-headed Woodpecker at the Northwood Center today [photo by Mike Crewe].

One of the highlights of our Wednesday morning walk this week was the point blank view we got of a Cliff Swallow. This bird, along with a gathering of Tree, Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows seemed rather sluggish and perched on fences and even the ground. It seems likely that chilly conditions at the point were hitting the insect populations and swallows were struggling to find food [photo by Mike Crewe].

Now that we are well into April, it is finally time to start seeking out some of our native spring flowers. Swamp-pink still grows at a small handful of locations in Cape May County, but unsustainable use of ground water due to ill-advised building development and loss of habitat are just two reasons why we are losing this fabulous harbinger of spring [photo by Mike Crewe].

Swallow-tailed Kite

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 02:35:00 +0000

I had some nice ideas lined up for a blog post today, but it doesn't pay to plan too far ahead when you live at Cape May as the birds can change as quickly as the weather. After our Wednesday morning walk at the point (which produced a really nice set of up-close birds) our post-walk breakfast was interrupted by news of a Swallow-tailed Kite somewhere over The Beanery, seemingly heading West. After a second report of it from the fields between Sunset Boulevard and Seagrove Avenue, we decided to give it a look, not least because it would be a life bird for two of our party.

A lucky glance as we passed the fields along Sunset Boulevard, revealed the bird heading away southward over the trees. We hurried on down to the point and there was our bird, hunting insects over the wood on the north side of Lighthouse Pond. And here it is...

Now normally, I would be over the moon to get such shots of a Swallow-tailed Kite in Cape May. The views were fabulous in good light and, with a bit of careful photoshop work I could crop the photo and bring the bird in closer - very nice. But just occasionally life does deal you one of those nice cards - the queen of hearts I reckon.

My fellow associate naturalists all had other places to be and - happy with our great views and unable to re-find the bird once it drifted off west, we all went our separate ways. An hour later, I had to head off for a 1PM meeting and I too was then heading out of the area. But I made the error of glancing back across the fields along Sunset Boulevard - and there was this wonderfully rakish silhouette, drifting away over the trees. Meeting or no meeting, I had to have one last look, so I whipped round into Seagrove Avenue and there was our kite, hanging in the wind over the farm field there.

It's hard to describe just how spectacular an experience it is to have a Swallow-tailed Kite flying within 20 yards of you, swooping so low that its wing tips are brushing the grass blades then, with a twist of its tail, looping straight up and wheeling back round for another pass. This was one of life's great moments - a Cape May moment no less. So here are some of the results - make sure you are here for the next one!

All photos copyright, Mike Crewe

Footnote: I was late for my 1PM meeting!!!!

Spring Migration - Keeping Track

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 20:22:00 +0000

Spring migration is certainly well under way now and new arrivals are being reported daily. The very nature of this major natural event produces an overload of information flooding in from all corners of the region and keeping on top of this information and pulling it all together into something useful has always been a big problem for anyone interested in keeping long-term data. It seems to me to be somewhat unfortunate that, as we gain more and more useful technology to record such events, the dissemination of such data appears to get more and more difficult. Time was when your local bird club or society would have someone (often a faithful volunteer) saddled with the job of collating all the information into a readable report but, in recent years, we somehow seem to have lost that centralization and now I seem to have to trawl through any number of websites, data storage locations, text messaging services, twitter links and email chat forums (or is it fora, or fori?!!) just to try and keep up with it all - and still any number of birds turn up locally and manage to fly under my radar (excuse the pun).

It seems to me that if I am having trouble keeping on top of it all, then other people surely are too so, in an attempt to address this, I spent some time today pulling together a list of first arrival dates for spring migrants in the three counties of Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland. Setting this data out in a readable table does present some interesting results; look how many species make a general arrival into the three counties on the same or at least a very similar date. This is something of a selective list as some species' arrival dates are blurred by regular overwintering individuals so these species have been omitted. Species that have blanks are those for which I have heard no reports - so do let us know if you think you can plug a gap - but be prepared to have the Spanish Inquisition visit you if you've seen anything really amazing!! I'll aim to post an update to this table periodically as Spring continues.

One thing to always bear in mind is that first arrivals are not always a true representation of what the bulk of birds are doing. There often seems to be a hasty individuals that pushes on ahead of the pack, so don't worry if it looks like you're missing all these birds, the main arrival for most species is still yet to come.

2013 Arrival dates	Atlantic Co	Cape May Co	Cumberland Co
Cory's Shearwater
Great Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater
Wilson's Storm-Petrel
Brown Pelican		Feb 3
Least Bittern
Little Blue Heron	(Feb 26) Apr 6	(Jan 1) Apr 11	Apr 10
Tricolored Heron	Apr 13	(Jan 28) Apr 4	Mar 31
Cattle Egret		Apr 1	Apr 15
Green Heron		Apr 11	Apr 16
Yellow-crowned Night Heron	Apr 11	Apr 1
Glossy Ibis	Mar 31	Mar 31	Mar 30
White-faced Ibis
Swallow-tailed Kite		Apr 20
Mississippi Kite
Broad-winged Hawk	Apr 14	Apr 13	Apr 13
Black Rail
King Rail
Sora		Mar 30
Common Gallinule
American Golden Plover		Apr 2	Apr 12
Semipalmated Plover		(Jan 1) Mar 30	Apr 13
Piping Plover	Mar 21	Feb 27
Black-necked Stilt			Apr 12
American Avocet
Spotted Sandpiper		Apr 21
Solitary Sandpiper	Apr 21
‘Eastern’ Willet	Apr 10	Apr 10	Apr 13
Whimbrel	Apr 13	Apr 17	Apr 13
Hudsonian Godwit
Red Knot		Jan 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper			Apr 12
Least Sandpiper	Apr 8	Apr 17	Mar 30
White-rumped Sandpiper
Baird's Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper		Apr 7	Mar 29
Stilt Sandpiper			Apr 15
Short-billed Dowitcher	(Jan 11) Apr 13	(Jan 11) Apr 13	Apr 10
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Phalarope			Apr 19
Black-headed Gull		Jan 11	Mar 21
Laughing Gull	Mar 16	Mar 8	Mar 30
Least Tern
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern	Apr 7	Feb 1	Apr 15
Black Tern
Roseate Tern
Common Tern		Apr 17
Royal Tern
Sandwich Tern
Black Skimmer		Apr 2	Apr 18
Parasitic Jaeger (p)
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Black-billed Cuckoo
Common Nighthawk		Apr 20
Chuck-will’s-widow
Eastern Whip-poor-will		Apr 9
Chimney Swift	Apr 10	Apr 9	Apr 19
Ruby-throated Hummingbird		Apr 19
Eastern Wood Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Acadian Flycatcher
Alder Flycatcher
Willow Flycatcher
Least Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher	Apr 15	Apr 13
Eastern Kingbird	Apr 19	Apr 13	Apr 17
White-eyed Vireo	Apr 21	(Jan 6) Apr 10	Apr 13
Yellow-throated Vireo
Blue-headed Vireo		Apr 8
Warbling Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
No. Rough-winged Swallow	Apr 4	Mar 30	Apr 12
Purple Martin	Apr 1	Apr 1
Tree Swallow	Mar 20	Mar 1
Bank Swallow		Apr 20	Apr 13
Barn Swallow	Apr 1	Mar 30	Mar 30
Cliff Swallow		Mar 15	Apr 14
Cave Swallow		Mar 15
House Wren	Apr 19	(Jan 2) Mar30	Apr 11
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	Apr 7	(Jan 5) Apr 9	Apr 10
Veery
Gray-cheeked Thrush
Swainson's Thrush
Wood Thrush		Apr 22	Apr 20
Ovenbird	Apr 17	Apr 10	Apr 10
Worm-eating Warbler		Apr 14
Louisiana Waterthrush		Mar 20	Apr 8
Northern Waterthrush
Golden-winged Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler	Apr 13	Apr 10	Apr 13
Prothonotary Warbler		Apr 20
Tennessee Warbler
Nashville Warbler		(Jan 1)
Connecticut Warbler
Mourning Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Common Yellowthroat	Apr 14	(Jan 1) Apr 11	Apr 11
Hooded Warbler
American Redstart	Apr 21
Cape May Warbler
Cerulean Warbler
Northern Parula	Apr 14	Apr 13
Magnolia Warbler
Bay-breasted Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler
Yellow Warbler	Apr 19	Apr 13	Apr 16
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Blackpoll Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Palm Warbler	(Jan 5) Apr 11	(Jan 6) Apr 13
Pine Warbler	Mar 22	Jan 9	Mar 16
Yellow-throated Warbler	Apr 8	Apr 1	Apr 8
Prairie Warbler	Apr 21	Apr 13	Apr 19
Black-throated Green Warbler
Canada Warbler
Wilson's Warbler
Yellow-breasted Chat		Jan 13
Summer Tanager
Scarlet Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak	Apr 18
Blue Grosbeak		Apr 17
Indigo Bunting
Bobolink
Orchard Oriole		Apr 19
Baltimore Oriole		(Jan 1) Apr 19

Migrants can and do turn up in surprising places! I received this photo of a Prothonotary Warbler in Arlington, Virginia last Friday - not a bird you normally see clinging to the side of a brick building! [Photo by Lambert Orkis]

Getting more from your bird sightings

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 03:04:00 +0000

While listing a new bird for your year list is undoubtedly fun, it's nice to imagine that most people like to get a little more from the birds they see. How often do you stop and contemplate what you are actually looking at? Yep, you've identified your bird successfully, but what are you witnessing as you look at it? Why is it doing what it is doing? This thought struggled its way through all the nonsense to the front of my brain today (now there's a dark and mysterious place!) after a few of us were leaving this morning's Higbee Beach walk and we chanced upon a couple of the local Wild Turkeys, casually strolling around their estate. If you watch your local birds regularly you are probably more likely to construct more from a single observation, as you can pull up all those other sightings you have been making and piece the story together. Here is a fairly ordinary picture of two Wild Turkeys...

Wild Turkeys on New England Road, Cape May today [photo by Mike Crewe].

Now, I can construct a back-story from this picture because these are my local birds. On New England Road this spring we have been regularly seeing up to 13 turkeys; two males and 11 females. Here we have two male turkeys, strolling along quite amicably without a bad word to say about each other. So my first guess is that the courting is all done with and the two rivals have calmed down and are getting on well again. And the females? Well, if the males are ambling around on their own, you can bet that the females have snuck off into the woods to find somewhere to lay their eggs. Check out what's happening with your local turkeys now...

So here's another picture to ponder on - and I don't know the full story for this one...

Common Loon wailing his way over Cape May Point State Park [photo by Mike Crewe].

At this time of year, Common Loons can regularly be seen flying over land in Cape May, but here's a couple of questions to ponder on. Why are Common Loons so willing to fly over land here but Red-throated Loons are not? And another thing to contemplate - why and when do you hear Common Loons calling in flight at Cape May? The spine-tingling call of a Common Loon is a fabulous sound and one that is quite regularly heard around Cape May at this time of year, but why do they call in flight? Also, do they do it randomly, or does it only happen at certain times of day, or even in certain weather conditions? I have a feeling in the back of my mind that they largely seem to do it when visibility is poor, on heavily overcast days or when sea mist is rolling in at the point - as has been the case on both occasions that I have heard the call recently. See what you make of it; next time you hear a loon call, check the weather and see if you spot a pattern - or maybe it's something else that sets them off...

A couple of days ago I heard my first Ovenbird of the year; my favourite North American bird (and well up there with Lanceolated Warbler as possibly the best bird in the world!), I almost invariably hear the first one just as the weather is warming up and I can start driving with the car window down. Today I chanced across two males duelling with each other, one either side of the road and each sticking up for its territorial rights. Knowing that this was likely to keep them a little preoccupied, I jumped out with the camera and decided to test again the old wives' tale that Ovenbirds are hard to see. Good old fashioned fieldcraft always comes to the fore with this species and after a bit of bad luck with some particularly snappy twigs, I suddenly found a bird just sitting there, out in full view with all the singing having come to a halt. So I pondered why this was and shortly came to the answer - the two males had come rather too close for comfort to each other! Perhaps I had inadvertently moved one to the edge of its neighbor's patch and it seemed that an impasse had set in. Here's the first bird I spotted...

This guy looked a little forelorn and a few feathers were a little ruffled so I reckoned this was the loser of the brief spat. The other bird was sitting only about 10 feet away and I realised that they were giving me such good views because both bird was edgy about what the other might do next and didn't what to make any sudden movements. The stand-off lasted for some minutes and gave me a great opportunity to enjoy both birds in all their glory. The spell between the three of us was broken when a car came down the road and the two birds quietly melted away in opposite directions.

The victor in today's Cape May allcomers event - what a stunning bird and always a highlight of a walk in the woods at this time of year. Ovenbirds are plentiful in deciduous and mixed woodland throughout eastern North America but the best time to really enjoy them is when they are newly arrived and pre-occupied with their busy lives [photos by Mike Crewe].

Recent Reports
The warbler floodgates haven't opened yet but they're certainly starting to leak at the seams. Several Prairie Warblers were singing on our Higbee Beach walk this morning and Belleplain gets a little better day on day. Higbee Beach also had at least two Eastern Kingbirds, a couple of showy, singing Brown Thrashers, a few Ruby-crowned Kinglets and a dayglow male Baltimore Oriole today. Heislerville added Wilson's Phalarope to its list of star birds today, while the offshore activity of Northern Gannets, Surf Scoters and Red-throated Loons continues unabated. Richard Crossley reported an adult Parasitic Jaeger off 2nd Avenue Jetty a couple of days ago so the beaches are well worth a check if you're in town this weekend.

Butterflies at Higbee Beach today included a Pearl Crescent and this newly emerged (but already a bit tatty) White-M Hairstreak. Though rather drab below, the brilliant metallic blue upperwings really do catch the eye when these little beasties fly. One or two Holly Azures are on the wing around the point now too, as well as Orange Sulphurs and a scattering of Mourning Coaks. Dragonfly time is imminent too so keep an eye out for Blue Corporals which started to emerge last weekend, as well as incoming Green Darners from the south [photo by Mike Crewe].

Spring Migration - Part 1 (of many...)

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 05:07:00 +0000

There's no denying it, spring migration is well and truly under way now. As we stood on the dune crossover at the state park this morning on our Wednesday walk, the Northern Gannets streaming by were truly spectacular (every time I write that we get more show up, so I hope it doesn't get any better now because I've run out of superlatives!) and there was a busy flow of Surf Scoters with many high up and clearly on the move. I've seen a couple of Little Blue Herons this past couple of days and we had a single Whimbrel fly over us this morning. Songbird migration is still in its infancy but Common Yellowthroats were certainly very obvious at the park this morning. For regular updates on first arrivals of spring migrants, do remember to check our eBird link regularly, especially at this time of year when every day sees a new arrival it seems. Check our Field Trips blog for lists of what we are seeing on our walks too, that way you will have a clear picture of what is being seen here right now (or better still, come join us on a walk!) - we do try to provide you with everything so you can get all your Cape May information right here without having to keep switching between sites!

Today is April 18th, a special day as I reckon it marks the point after which almost anything and everything could show if the weather is right. Keep an eye on the weather reports and hope for a nice run of gentle south or south-west winds which should push a nice array of birds our way. If we don't get that, there is sure to still be birds around but you'll have to wait a little longer for the 'big one'.

If you feel you are missing out after reading of all the latest sightings, don't forget that, more often than not, the first arrival of a species doesn't mean that they have arrived en masse. More often than not, a single bird or two will sneak in early, then it can be several days or sometimes even weeks before the mass arrival of the species takes place.

Some recent photos...

Karl Lukens managed a better job than I did of the Black-necked Stilt at Heislerville last week. This bird has been hanging out on the north side of the impoundment that has the island in it where the egrets and cormorants roost.

Heislerville's Little Gull was tough to locate among all the Bonaparte's Gulls. Here, the small size of the bird compared with other gull species is easy to see [photo by Sam Galick].

Pine Warblers continue to catch the eye (and ear) of visiting birders and are currently very easy to see at a number of locations, including Belleplain Sate Forest, Cox Hall Creek WMA and Cape May Point State Park [photo by E J Nistico].

What more can I say about Northern Gannets? Take the opportunity to enjoy thousands of these birds right now off Cape May Point before they head north to breed [photo by Beth Polvino].

A Cattle Egret was located at the Rea Farm by Mike Pasquarello on Friday 12th and was joined by a second the next day, in time for Karl Lukens to get a photo of this bird having a bad hair day on our Rea Farm walk.

One of the highlights of our Wednesday morning walk was this adult Little Blue Heron, showing nicely in the state park [photo by E J Nistico].

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins are easy to see in the bay off Cape May Point right now, attracted to the same mass of fish that is pulling in all the Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons [photo by Beth Polvino].

Hawks (and eagles) a-plenty

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 02:12:00 +0000

Today was a real break from the routine for me as I spent all day well north of my usual haunts. Our Belleplain Wildlife walks started today and, having done some groundwork the day before, I knew we would be in for a great morning of wildlife viewing. The continuing warm weather was good to us and brought out a great showing of Blueberry Azures and Henry's Elfins. Brilliant emerald-green Six-spotted Tiger Beetles were scurrying along the dirt tracks and Bee-flies were hovering close to the ground. Pine, Yellow-throated and Black-and-white Warblers were all in song and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers seemed to be building nests at every turn of the track. A singing White-eyed Vireo was a first-of-year bird for most of us. A real walk highlight this morning occurred beside Lake Nummy, as a Bald Eagle cruised over and got three Broad-winged Hawks up, soaring and whistling loudly.

In the afternoon, it was up to Millville for the Maurice River eagle cruise - and we certainly found plenty of eagles! These eagle cruises are run for us annually by The Osprey and provide us with a great opportunity to enjoy habitats that are rare or absent in Cape May County, including sandy river bluffs and wild rice marshes. Forster's Terns, Green-winged Teal, Greater Yellowlegs and Wilson's Snipe may well be birds we can see on migration in Cape May, but it is also nice to see them out in the vast landscapes of the Maurice River. And was this an eagle trip? Oh yes! With chicks now growing strongly in the nests, this is a great time to cruise the river and we enjoyed watching adults and youngsters at three different nests. To add to the excitement, we picked out a distant group of Glossy Ibises on one of the marshes and were entertained by some amazing aerial interactions between the Bald Eagles and the many Ospreys that nest here, thanks to great work by local conservation groups.

Deciding this really wasn't enough for one day, some of us continued on to Heislerville after the boat trip and managed to find the Black-necked Stilt and Little Gull that had been reported from there. The lagoons there look quite different after the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy and later storms this past winter, but repair work has been finished in good time for the start of the main shorebird migration so I'm sure the many thousands of northbound birds will be grateful. Already, small numbers of Short-billed Dowitchers and Semipalmated Sandpipers are joining the flocks of Dunlin, while a good range of other birds was present today, including a very obliging Clapper Rail, good numbers of lingering Bonaparte's Gulls and an American Golden Plover.

Broad-winged Hawks are quietly sneaking back into breeding territories around Belleplain now, so keep an eye on the sky any time you have a gap in the tree canopy. Adults with broadly-banded tails are pretty easy to identify at this time of year [photo by Mike Crewe].

Not midges, mosquitoes, greenheads or gnats, those insects you see dancing in great clouds at Belleplain at the moment are mayflies. Individual insects only survive a day so have no mouth parts as they don't need to feed - of course this also means that they can't bite you, even if they wanted to! [Photo by Mike Crewe]

Sandy river bluffs are not something that you see in Cape May County and offer different photo opportunities along the Maurice River [photo by Mike Crewe].

Vast acreages of Wild Rice marsh are almost completely submerged at high tide. These marshes attract large flocks of ducks in the winter and it is the presence of these flocks that draws in so many eagles to winter in the area [photo by Mike Crewe].

The second of the three Bald Eagle nests we saw today is wedged rather precariously between two upright pine trunks. I took a long shot of this one to show the adult up in the pine, as well as two well-feathered youngsters in the nest [photo by Mike Crewe].

Nest number three and a much smaller chick, still in its gray down phase [photo by Mike Crewe].

Of course, great opportunities to photograph Ospreys should not be missed...

...especially when they start dog-fighting with the local eagles [photos by Mike Crewe].

And finally, as if you needed another excuse to cruise the Maurice River, there's the awesome vistas and great skyscapes that are crying out to be photographed [photo by Lisa Ryan].

Weather warms up again...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 03:00:00 +0000

After a dreadful, damp day on Friday, the weekend has seen a return to warmer spring weather, offering more great opportunities to enjoy the gradual increase in northbound migrants. Friday really was a poor day to be out in the field, but our Higbee Beach walk went ahead as planned and even had a very high air of expectation about it since Roger Horn started the day with a Pileated Woodpecker in the woods there at 06:45AM. Though Chris Marks and I managed to get there in time to hear the bird calling in the damp fog, we didn't get to see it again, but our group nevertheless had some good birding which included a singing Blue-headed Vireo, a Yellow-throated Warbler in the parking lot, good numbers of Field Sparrows and six Hermit Thrushes in one holly tree.

Friday rounded off a little better at the point than it had started weatherwise and the day finished with a report of a Cattle Egret at the Rea Farm. Up at Heislerville things are setting up nicely for our regular Heislerville walks which start next week. All the roads are now passable after having been closed for some time as repairs were made to the site after the passing of Hurricane Sandy, while bird news from there on Friday included Black-necked Stilt and American Golden Plover. The plover made it through into Saturday and there was also a Glaucous Gull there, but the stilt appeared to have been a one-dayer.

On April 11th, two Green Herons were at Cox Hall Creek WMA, while today, a number of people reported good numbers of Pine and Yellow-throated Warblers and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers throughout Belleplain State Forest and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo was reported along Tom Field Road, off Sunset Road. An adult Broad-winged Hawk was hunting the roadside along Mackeys Crossing Road in Belleplain today, while the forest was alive with insect life; especially noticeable were Blueberry Azures which were just about everywhere and good numbers of Blue Corporals and Leptophlebia mayflies along Tom Field Road. A Green Darner was on the wing on Hunter's Mill Road.

What's happening at your feeders...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 03:11:00 +0000

I have had some photos kicking around for a few weeks that I wanted to post here but somehow something else always seemed to turn up and take priority, so I'll squeeze them in here before the spring season really gets crazy. One of the first signs of spring that I notice is when the male American Goldfinches start to turn up back at the Northwood Center feeders; you look at them and you think to yourself, well you really look appalling! So why is that? Why do male American Goldfinches look so slovenly while all the other birds look relatively smart? The answer comes in their pre-breeding molt and how it compares with the molt strategies of other species.

Birds have a problem that is more or less unique to them and it stems from having feathers. Feathers are light but can be relatively strong and supportive, allowing birds to develop the power of flight. But the down side of feathers is that they wear rather quickly compared with hairs, and certainly when compared to scales, such as are found on reptiles. To cope with this wear problem, birds molt regularly, dropping old feathers and replacing them with new ones. There are a number of different strategies for doing this but overall it all sounds pretty straightforward - drop your feathers when they are getting old and get a new set. The problem here though, is that molting is expensive in terms of energy - it takes a lot of the individual bird's resources to produce a whole batch of feathers, and doing so all in one go could be very costly for the bird. Molting feathers has also allowed birds to change their appearance - it allows for a breeding (= fancy and showy-offy) plumage and a non-breeding plumage (= less showy and making the bird harder for predators to spot). But to achieve this, the bird would need to molt its feathers twice a year.

So what to do? Well, there are a number of different ways that the various groups of birds get around molt issues, but the one common to most songbirds is to turn the fact that feathers wear into an advantage. Most songbirds have just one complete molt a year and this usually takes place toward the end of summer, after the breeding season. During this time the birds molt all or most of their feathers, replacing breeding plumage with non-breeding plumage (if these are the same, then you won't notice a difference of course). This is costly for the bird, but takes place at a time when there is a relatively high amount of food available. But now comes the clever bit; to avoid having two complete molts a year, with the second coming in late winter when there is a lot less food available, many bird species have a non-breeding plumage which consists of feathers with a breeding plumage pattern on them, but with the addition of duller tips to the feathers. So what happens is that the duller tips and edges of these feathers gradually wear away with the daily wear and tear of life, slowly revealing the full colors of breeding plumage hidden underneath. A few birds such as American Goldfinch don't adopt this strategy, but many other species do...

Backyard feeders give a golden opportunity to study birds close up so take a moment to look at your birds and consider what is going on with them throughout the year. Are you watching a species that has two complete molts like the American Goldfinch, or are watching a species that gradually acquires breeding plumage through wear?

Male American Goldfinch at the Northwood Center feeders. Look carefully at the plumage and you will see irregular splotches of yellow on the back and belly and odd patches of black on the head. These are new, breeding-plumage feathers coming through among the older, less colorful, non-breeding feathers. This strategy produces a rather messy look for a while until the bird is done with the whole business of molting [photo by Mke Crewe].

In contrast to the goldfinch, this first-winter male Red-winged Blackbird looks somewhat more regular in its markings. This is a classic sign of a bird that doesn't molt into breeding plumage but acquires it by wear. All those pale tips and edges will gradually wear off to reveal a smart, all-black breeding plumage (actually, in first-winter birds like this, some of these markings are more extensive than in adult birds and will remain through the first breeding season, but let's not get too technical at this stage) [photo by Mike Crewe].

This picture is a bit soft, but hopefully you can see that the back looks grayer than the rest of the plumage on this male Northern Cardinal. This photo was taken in late December and shows the typical appearance of a male cardinal in mid-winter [photo by Mike Crewe].

This picture was taken in late March and if you look closely at the back feathers, you will see that there is far more red than gray in them. The gray has gradually worn away and is reduced to narrow fringes, revealing the red bases to the feathers - breeding plumage without the stress of a molt [photo by Mike Crewe].

Recent Sightings

Our Wednesday morning walk at the state park revealed a nice build up to spring migration, with fabulous numbers of Northern Gannets pouring around the point, Black and Surf Scoters all over the place and skeins of Double-crested Cormorants passing overhead. A couple of Chimney Swifts, two Blue-gray Gnatcatchers and at least eight Eastern Willets were also noted. Karen Johnson reported both Ovenbird and Black-and-white Warbler at Belleplain today and she heard her first Whip-poor-will yesterday evening.

It's impossible to capture the scale of the Northern Gannet movement off the point this morning, but here's a few of them cruising out of the bay [photo by Mike Crewe].

A big lens is sometimes needed to capture Willets as they pass high overhead. These five birds can be identified as returning Eastern Willets by the relatively small amount of white in the outer part of the wing bar [photo by Mike Crewe].

Always so happy when they first return! One of several bright, male Pine Warblers singing in the state park this morning [photo by Mike Crewe].

Gnatcatchers on the move...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 19:36:00 +0000

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers followed yesterday's Yellow-throated Warblers by turning up in a number of places today at both ends of Cape May County. Purple Martin numbers increased at Cape May Point State Park with at least 15 around the boxes today, as well as small numbers of Tree, Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows over the ponds. Vince Elia also reported the first two Chimney Swifts of the year at the state park and our two resident Eurasian Collared Doves took a a few spins around the state par parking lot this morning. The bay continues to heave with Northern Gannets, and Double-crested Cormorant squadrons pour across the skies. Forster's Terns are on the move too with several birds calling over Bunker Pond and numbers of Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs and Willets are increasing at coastal roost locations. The Cackling Goose put in another appearance at The Meadows on our Monday morning walk and the skies at The Beanery at lunch time today were full of raptors as temperatures reached the high seventies...

Up at Belleplain, birds are steadily trickling in just in time for our spring walks there. I heard of a couple of reports of Blue-headed Vireos there over the past couple of days and resident as well as early spring migrants are breaking into song now. Mourning Cloaks and Blueberry Azures should soon be joined by Falcate Orange-tips and Henry's Elfins, while I saw my first of season Orange Sulphur on Bayshore Road today, and first of season Summer Azure at the Northwood Center just seconds ago - this stuff is hot off the press!

While all these birds are inbound, don't forget outbound birds too, as it's all too easy to miss recording 'last of season' birds. The odd Red Crossbill still pops up on the message services from time to time and I saw my first Hermit Thrush for quite some time at the state park today - probably a bird on the move now. Garter Snakes were noticeable in the state park this morning, hunting fish and small frogs along the edges of the wetlands.

As the weekend heads nearer, think about joining us on a Maurice River boat trip for eagles, ospreys and much, much more...

Another bird that should be an outgoing migrant soon is Red-breasted Nuthatch. Last year's impressive movement of this species resulted in good numbers hanging on at backyard feeders throughout our area [photo by Beth Polvino].

The Yellow-crowned Night Herons at Avalon always know how to pose perfectly for the camera [photo by Beth Polvino].

Brigantine + Belleplain = Birds

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:01:00 +0000

Spring might be keeping us waiting this year, but there has certainly been birds a-plenty this past few days and I received a nice batch of photos in my inbox this morning. There must have been quite a party at Brigantine on Saturday as the reserve opened their doors to the public after a long spell and many a local birder's withdrawal symptoms were staunched, until next weekend anyway. I heard of two Caspian Terns, some very showy American Pipits and a point-blank American Bittern on show, so the place has not lost any of its appeal. Belleplain has been just a little slower in getting going but Karen Johnson reports a good influx of Yellow-throated Warblers and Louisiana Waterthrushes into both Belleplain and parts of Cumberland County today, with many birds giving great views in flowering Red Maples. Karen also reported the first Trailing Arbutus in flower at Belleplain - look for small, five-petalled flowers next to dark green, leathery leaves, growing very close to the ground on woodland trails. Also in Cumberland County, the Black-headed Gull was reported from Heislerville again on 6th.

At the state park at lunch time today, I found the male Common Teal still present, at least five Purple Martins at the boxes by the parking lot and a Marsh Wren singing from thick cover by the first bench along the red trail, heading out in a clockwise direction. Vince Elia reported a fabulous Northern Gannet show this morning and Double-crested Cormorants have been trailing in lines and Vs past my office window all day. In the non-bird stakes, I was intrigued to watch a face off between a pencil-thin Ribbon Snake looking for lunch and a big and chunky Bullfrog. It ended in a peace accord!

Ospreys waste no time in getting back to domestic duties once they arrive. This pair at Ocean City are typical of Cape May's birds, which are sorting out their nests after the trials and tribulations of Hurrican Sandy [photo by E J Nistico].

Brigantine (Forsythe NWR) opened its doors for weekends only for now, but is already producing the goods, such as this typically obliging American Bittern seen there last Saturday [photo by Jim Brennan].

They might be common, but that doesn't stop them being nice subjects for photography. American Robins are busy on untreated lawns throughout the county as worms awake from their winter slumbers and venture toward the surface [photo by E J Nistico].

And talking of common birds, this photo reminds me to remind you to keep your Tree Swallow boxes cleaned out of House Sparrow nests before your swallows can get back and use them. I always think it's kindest to remove the nests before the birds have a chance to lay, then they will move off somewhere else and leave your box in peace [photo by E J Nistico].

The assortment box continues to grow

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 21:41:00 +0000

As spring slowly unfolds on us, the wonderful array of choices of things to see and do gradually broadens. Slightly warmer weather this weekend (temperatures got threateningly close to 60F today!) certainly helped to increase the number of butterflies on the wing, as well as a variety of other insects, while the frog chorus at many ponds is winding up to a crescendo now. A sprinkling of Snowy Egrets and Glossy Ibises are trickling into our wetlands, squadrons of Double-crested Cormorants are passing overhead or pausing for a rest on pilings (and the concrete ship) and Belleplain State Forest rings to the cheary trills of Pine Warblers. Small parties of Golden-crowned Kinglets and Eastern Phoebes are popping up all over the place and busy groups of Tree Swallows are being joined by smaller numbers of Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows.

Offshore, Northern Gannets seem to be all over the place and Red-throated Loons are very easy to see right now. Tom Reed counted 443 Red-throated Loons from Coral Avenue this morning, as well as 1090 Black Scoters and 780 Surf Scoters flying out of the bay. A little further afield, an adult Black-headed Gull in full breeding plumage was at Heislerville on 6th and Forsythe NWR opened its doors to the public for the first time in many weeks as post-Sandy clear-up work gradually comes to a conclusion. Forsythe will be open at weekends from now on so hopefully we'll be hearing some interesting bird news from there soon.

Golden-crowned Kinglets are northbound right now - this one was right up close and personal on our Birds, Beasts & Botany walk at Cox Hall Creek WMA last Thursday [photo by Mike Crewe].

Yellow-crowned Night Herons are very unassuming and easy to miss in the spring as they slip quietly back to their breeding sites. Colonies in the barrier islands already have a number of these birds back in residence so keep an eye out for them in the back bays in the evenings [photo by Mike Crewe].

Be observant on the beaches and you might find a color-banded Piping Plover in residence. By using ultra-lightweight, colored plastic bands of different combinations, researchers can identify individual birds in the field which can help with studies of population size, movements, site fidelity, territory size and a whole bunch of other things. This bird was at Avalon today [photo by Mike Crewe].

With gradually increasing temperatures, Belleplain's dirt trails are starting to attract a few butterflies to take salts from the wet ground. As well as several Mourning Cloaks, there was a number of Blueberry Azures on the wing today and all the ones that I saw were of the 'marginata' color morph like the one above. This form has a distinct dark band around the outer edge of the underside of the hindwing, but lacks the dark central patch which is shown by the 'lucia' morph [photo by Mike Crewe].

Beating a regular patch can pay dividends as you often quickly notice when something different pops up. Our Birds, Beasts & Botany walk last Thursday turned up a great surprise when we found this Fingered Speedwell, a species which has never been recorded in Cape May County before and may be a first for New Jersey. Though not a native species, it is unlikely to become an invasive and adds a touch of color to disturbed ground [photo by Mike Crewe].

There are a number of introduced speedwell species in Cape May County, but Fingered Speedwell (Veronica triphyllos) had deeper, darker blue flowers than the other species. Most distinctive, however, are the upper leaves on the stems, which are deeply cut into a series of two to four, finger-like segments [photo by Mike Crewe].

A Promising Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 00:48:00 +0000

Winds don't look too exciting for the coming weekend so I'm not expecting a mad rush of spring migrants to happen just yet; however, at this time of year there is always plenty of surprises in store and I certainly find that spring birds tend to be in more of a hurry than fall migrants, so you need to be out there to be sure of not missing anything. This was especially noticeable with the Eurasian Wigeon a few days ago. When I heard about this bird, I was tempted to leave it until the next day - but I'm glad I didn't as, quite predictably, the bird moved on overnight. Trawling other information sources recently (isn't it difficult finding out bird news these days with so many different places now pushing and shoving to be top information dog?) I came across a few other birds that had slipped under the radar locally. Heislerville is slowly creeping back onto the list of hot places to check as shorebirds build up slowly. Among gathering numbers of Dunlin and both Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, the first Pectoral Sandpiper of the year showed up on March 29th, with continuing sightings since then. Barn and Northern Rough-winged Swallows are popping up several places now with early Barn Swallows seen at Gandy's Beach and Stipson Island Road on 30th and a small scattering of others elsewhere since then. A Northern Rough-winged Swallow was at the main pond at Cox Hall Creek WMA on our walk there on Thursday morning.

Ponds at Cape May Point State Park are relatively quiet at the moment - though those agressive Mute Swans are at the peak of bad behavior at the moment and have demonstrated a number of times recently why these alien invasives really need to be dealt with. Winter ducks fade away by the day, but there are plenty of Wilson's Snipe lurking in the marsh, often best seen when a passing Northern Harrier panicks them into the air, and there has been a recent run of reports of Soras from both here and The Meadows. Further to my note in an earlier posting, the Sunset Boulevard Western Tanager seems to have hung around to March 31st, but I've not heard of any April reports. Red Crossbills have all but faded into a memory now and Sam Galick's recent report of nine heading north at Beaver Swamp WMA probably indicates what they have all been doing - heading back north.

There's plenty of birds out there just busting to be enjoyed and we've a good range of walks and other events coming up for you to enjoy them on. Talking of such things, looking a little further ahead, the weekend of April 13th and 14th will feature our annual boat trips along the Maurice River on The Osprey. These trips are very special as there are no boats stationed on this river that are running birdwatching trips, so we are very grateful to Bob Lubberman who pushes the boat out (pun intended!) on this one and gives us a rare opportunity to see the wonderful wild rice stands and other interesting habitats that occur further into the fresh marshes than we can get in Cape May County. These trips leave from the municipal dock in Millville and several of our wonderful CMBO leaders are planning on coming along this year. For more details and to book, check out the Kestrel Express or call The Osprey on 609.898.3500 - see you there!

The Maurice River below Millville has very different habitats to those we see around Cape May wetlands, with wooded bluffs and wild rice meadows offering a chance to enjoy some very scenic birding, without having to wear yourself out! [Photo by Bob Lubberman]

Want another reason to come along the Maurice River with us? How about the chance for great views of Bald Eagles, cruising the airways looking for Ospreys, or tending young chicks in their nests [photo by Mike Crewe].

Turkey Time

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 02:02:00 +0000

While Wild Turkeys are non-migratory residents and therefore present all year, there are certainly times of the year when they are more noticeable than others. During winter and during the breeding season, birds can be surprisingly difficult to find, despite their relatively large size, so when is the best time to enjoy turkey sightings? Well, right now! Late March and early April constitute the peak of courtship and mating for Wild Turkeys in Cape May and an early morning drive around the county at this time of year is almost certain to provide you with some great turkey watching. Look for open, grassy areas on the edge of woodland, as courting birds often like to strut their stuff where their plumage can be shown off to maximum effect. Turkey numbers appear to be increasing in Cape May County and just a couple of days ago I counted 39 in a field off Tuckahoe Road - quite a sight with the males strutting their stuff. Recently, I visited the yard of a friend who has gradually worked up a close relationship with his local turkeys and it was quite a sight to see them all gathered around his feet and eating sunflower seeds.

Cape May National Wildlife Refuge fields along Rt 47, clearings and old fields in and around Belleplain State Forest and fields along New England Road are all good places to look for turkeys right now.

Wild Turkeys up close. Low light angles on a sunny morning show up the amazing metallic hues to maximum effect.

Male turkeys in all their finery

With different light angles come different colors. Here, a rich array of bronze tones stand out.

Turkey art. If you can get good and close to the birds, you can come up with all sorts of artistic possibilities.

Wild Turkeys occasionally come in variant color forms, the most common of which is this leucistic form, often referred to as 'smoke phase'. These birds occur naturally and are not escaped farmyard birds, as is often thought [photos by Mike Crewe].

Recent Reports and other news

April has finally arrived and with it, a nice range of birds. April 1st saw the first Yellow-throated Warbler singing along Jake's Landing Road, Barn Swallow at The Meadows, Purple Martin at The Beanery and the surprise appearance of a male Eurasian Wigeon on Lighthouse Pond. Highlights on the 2nd included an American Golden Plover flying over Stevens Street and a Black Skimmer past 2nd Avenue jetty. Tom Reed's diligence at the point today highlighted a steady movement of gulls, cormorants and swallows heading north, as well as a few raptors; the latter included a couple of American Kestrels late morning.

With a couple of days of west to south-west winds ahead, it's worth heading down to the point to see what new arrivals have come our way. Check out our online calendar or download a copy of the Kestrel Express to stay in touch with our program of walks, boat trips and other events - you don't want to miss out on the fun!!

A small party of American Wigeon showed up on Lighthouse Pond on April 1st and with them came this nice, rusty-headed male Eurasian Wigeon [photo by Mike Crewe].

Stop-Start Spring Continues

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 02:42:00 +0000

Spring can be very stressful for birdwatchers; just when you think the warm weather is breaking through, another cold front passes by and drops a little more rain on us. In many ways though, this makes spring more fun, as small pulses of migrants work their way north during the clearer spells of weather, interspersed with breaks in activity. At this time of year it is good fun to have a 'local patch' that you visit as regularly as you can and watch how migrant numbers vary from day to day - at times even hour to hour. The Western Tanager that turned up on Sunset Boulevard last week has not been reported since March 27th so it may have moved on; on the same day, I was surprised to see the Louisiana Waterthrush back on the Northwood Center Pond. Pine Warblers continue to trickle in, with one or two reported from backyard feeders at Cape May Point and numbers now building up in Belleplain State Forest. On 30th, one was feeding on the ground, right out in the middle of a farm field on Bayshore Road - migrants can turn up in strange places!

On 27th, a Glaucous Gull was reported from Bivalve in Cumberland County and numbers of shorebirds are growing on the impoundments at Heislerville. An adult Little Gull was at Miami Beach on 27th and 28th and at least one of the male Common Teals at the state park was still present on 30th. Laughing Gulls don't take long to build up in numbers once they decide to head north and, though I only had my first of the year in Cape May County on 29th, the next day I discovered that at least 2000 were at the main breeding colony near Nummy's Island. The two male Blue-winged Teal that have been wintering at the state park are not so lonely now, as small parties of this species begin to trickle thruogh our area. At least 15 can now be found around the state park/meadows area, while Ospreys have wasted no time in heading straight for their nesting platforms and many pairs are doing post-Sandy repair work now. Tom Magarian reported a migrant Little Blue Heron in Villas on 30th and Tom Reed reported a Northern Rough-winged Swallow at Stone Harbor Point the same day.

Great Cormorants have been present in good numbers this past few days, with our Friday morning Higbee Beach walk providing us with a nice party of five of these chunky birds, including three adults in full breeding plumage. The Higbee fields currently have a nice selection of Eastern Bluebirds, Eastern Phoebe (at least four on Friday), Field Sparrows, Gray Catbirds and Brown Thrashers - from now on it gradually gets better and better!!

The back bays and beaches are gradually livening up as Forster's Terns and Laughing Gulls return from wintering grounds further south. Notice the variation in head molt in the Forster's Terns at this time of year - always something to be wary of when looking for something different among the commoner birds [photo by Mike Crewe].

Dunlins have wintered with us in good numbers, but keep a watch on shorebird flocks from now on as birds gradually acquire their breeding plumage and become just a little bit more colorful day by day [photo by Mike Crewe].

Looking right back at you! Ospreys are just impossible to ignore right now as they stock up on local fish after a long journey back to Cape May from the Caribbean or South America [photo by Mike Crewe].

Laughing Gulls have worked hard to get back to Cape May from the Caribbean - so it's only fair that they should ask to be allowed to sleep for a little while!!! [Photo by Mike Crewe]

Ducks, cranes and more...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:47:00 +0000

While we all know that Cape May is the center of the universe (only kidding guys!!), there has certainly been good birding a little further afield this past week, as well as down here at the cape. Salem County has been providing some great birding along Featherbed Lane and around Mannington Marsh of late, with the resident Sandhill Cranes readily viewable in the Mannington marsh area and a Yellow-headed Blackbird along Featherbed Lane. A Ross's Goose has also been hanging out with the large Snow Goose flock in the triangle formed by Kings Highway, Haines Neck Road and Rt 540. At Parvin State Park, just west of Vineland, a male Tufted Duck has been present since 22nd with Ring-necked Ducks on Thundergust Lake, accessible off Parvin Mill Road.

Closer to home (for me anyway), the Louisiana Waterthrush continued today on the little pond at the Northwood Center, while our Wednesday morning walk provided us with four Ospreys, 10 Blue-winged Teal and the male Common Teal, still present on the North side of Lighthouse Pond West in the state park. The Northern Gannet, Red-throated Loon and scoter show continues unabated offshore - for a report on last Saturday's Poor Man's Pelagic, see Karen Johnson's piece on our Field Trips blog. A few Pine Warblers continue to move through the point and one joined the Western Tanager at a feeder at the north end of Lighthouse Avenue this morning. A scattering of Piping Plovers continue to be reported from sandy beaches, with one at Sunray Beach, Del Haven on 23rd and five at Brigantine Island on 24th (where there was also a Laughing Gull and at least 10 Willets the same day). The Tundra Swan put in another appearance at The Meadows on 22nd after a bit of an absence and two Orange-crowned Warblers continue to lurk in the state park. A Solitary Sandpiper was reported from Heislerville on 23rd.

This male Tufted Duck is drawing the crowds to Parvin State Park right now [photo by Karl Lukens].

Sandhill Cranes near Mannington Marsh this week [photo by Jeff White].

Pine Warblers are returning to our area now and many of the early birds are colorful males like this one. Keep an eye out for them at feeders over the next 10 days or so [photo by Karl Lukens].

Watching you watching me... a birder gets a close encounter with his first Laughing Gull of the year. Sam Galick took this photo from the Cape May Whalewatcher as it passed Cape May Point.

Though they hung on well into their breeding season, Red Crossbills seem to have slipped quietly away from our area and are becoming very hard to find now [photo by Sam Galick].

Western Tanager at the point

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Crewe) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 11:57:00 +0000

A female Western Tanager has been hanging out at a feeder on Sunset Boulevard for a few days now; we were waiting for the owners to be in residence before checking with them that it was OK to broadcast the news, as this is a busy road in a residential area. The bird is visitng a feeder in the back yard of the last house on the left (south) side of the road, just before you reach Lighthouse Avenue. Though the feeder is in the back yard, it is viewable from the street. The owners have a dog, so if you see a light metal fence across the driveway, do not enter the property as the dog is excercising in the yard. If there is no gate, you may walk in as far as the house to view the feeder closer. But please respect people's privacy here. With the long-staying Cape May Court House bird already on many people's year lists, I guess this won't be too big an issue.

Close by, the Louisiana Waterthrush was still at the Northwood Center all day Friday; note that the store will be closed this weekend for the annual Optics Sale which takes place at our Goshen Center on Rt47, but you may bird the property outside the building. (Don't forget to stop by the Goshen Center for the chance of a once-a-year optic bargain - all the lead companies have sales present!)

Female Western Tanager at Sunset Boulevard this week [photo by Mike Crewe].

The Louisiana Waterthrush continues to feed gymnastically on the small pond on the east side of the CMBO Northwood Center on East Lake Drive [photo by Mike Crewe].