Cape May 4/7--LAGU, EUCD, NRWS, BARS

Cape May was relatively quiet today--strong winds kept birds out of sight--and we still managed to find  47 species.  What an amazing place when on a bad day you can find so many birds.

We started the day off at the Cape May Meadows, a place Shari has disliked ever since the Nature Conservancy "restored" the area by opening it up. It does look naked compared to how it was when first started birding it. But, it has a variety of habitats, including a look out onto the ocean. A number of   interesting birds were there, including a large flock of Black Vultures, a lone Ring-necked Duck, a single Laughing Gull (FOY) and 1 Barn Swallow (also FOY). Walking out to the beach the ocean was pretty empty except for a number of Northern Gannets and 3 Surf Scoters way way out, but we were still able to make out their distinctive bills.

All photos: Shari Zirlin

Shari found these tufts of grass at the Meadows amusing, like really bad, big wigs. I don't know what this grass is called--we have it in the Whiting WMA, but not in such huge clumps.

Next stop was the State Park. The Purple Martins have returned in full force and it looks like they're battling the House Sparrows and starlings for possession of the bird houses. The pond in front of the Hawkwatch Platform just had the expected species and the Lighthouse Pond was really empty--Ospreys were hunting overhead but the only ducks we saw were a few Mallards and a couple of Gadwalls. However, we did see our first Northern Rough-Wing Swallow of the year. I wasn't sure if I saw one by the Hawkwatch (the swallows move fast), but this one flew close enough and in the right light to show that it was brown, not blue, like the Tree Swallows.

The most exciting bird of the day (at least for me) was the Eurasian Collared-Dove that we finally found on Lincoln Avenue. We looked for this bird twice before in the winter and couldn't find it. Today we went to Harvard & Whildin again, where it was last reported and came up empty. Shari cruised slowly around the neighboring streets, on the theory that "birds have wings" and turning onto Lincoln Avenue it looked like there was a lot of birdy activity. When we got out of the car we saw that the activity was mostly grackles and starlings when suddenly the dove flew in and sat on a wire practically on top of us. I actually heard it first--it sounds a lot different than a Mourning Dove. I'm glad it didn't splat on my head when I looked up to see what I'd heard. Shari caught a shot of the dove in cheerleader mode.

We still hadn't found Shari's favorite bird, so we drove over to Higbees Beach, all the way out across from the ferry terminal. Nothing in the channel but gulls, at first, but then we both heard the rapid "Whee-whee-whee" of American Oystercatchers, so we set off down the trail to find them. It isn't a long trail and after a minute standing at the end we saw 3 of them flying across the water. We could have gone home then.

But we didn't. Instead we went back the State Park and took a walk on the trails. It was quiet at first (that wind) but after we got into more protected parts of the trail we hit a little pocket of birds including this Eastern Phoebe.

A few minutes later I spotted a Great Blue Heron and was showing it in the scope to someone who'd heard me call it out to Shari--but Shari had found a Bald Eagle flying over the ponds and I was torn between being polite and grabbing the scope so I could run up the trail. Fortunately, the heron was found quickly and I was able to see the eagle as well.

On the way home, I saw a Wild Turkey at Mile Mark 42--zoom! but I saw it.
Our day list:

Species             Count       First Sighting

Canada Goose      15       Cape May Meadows

Mute Swan      8       Cape May Meadows

Gadwall      5       Cape May Meadows

Mallard      4       Cape May Meadows

Ring-necked Duck      1       Cape May Meadows

Surf Scoter      3       Cape May Meadows

Ruddy Duck      2       CMSP Hawkwatch Platform

Wild Turkey      1       GSP MM 42

Northern Gannet      10       Cape May Meadows

Double-crested Cormorant      1       Cape May Meadows

Great Blue Heron      1       Cape May SP

Great Egret      1       Cape May Meadows

Snowy Egret      2       Cape May Meadows

Black Vulture      6       Cape May Meadows

Turkey Vulture      10       Cape May Meadows

Osprey      1       Cape May SP

Bald Eagle      1       Cape May SP

Red-tailed Hawk      1       Cape May Meadows

American Coot      25       CMSP Hawkwatch Platform

American Oystercatcher      3       Higbees Beach

Laughing Gull      1       Cape May Meadows

Herring Gull      10       Higbees Beach

Great Black-backed Gull      2       Higbees Beach

Forster's Tern      3       CMSP Hawkwatch Platform

Rock Pigeon      1       CMSP Hawkwatch Platform

Eurasian Collared-Dove      1       Lincoln Ave

Mourning Dove      1       Lincoln Ave

Eastern Phoebe      1       Cape May SP

Blue Jay      2       Cape May Meadows

American Crow      1       CMBO Northwood Ctr

Fish Crow      1       Cape May Meadows

Northern Rough-winged Swallow      1       Lighthouse Pond

Purple Martin      11       Cape May SP

Tree Swallow      10       Cape May Meadows

Barn Swallow      1       Cape May Meadows

Carolina Chickadee      1       Lincoln Ave

Carolina Wren      1       Cape May Meadows

American Robin      10       Cape May SP

Northern Mockingbird      1       Cape May Meadows

European Starling      1       Cape May SP

Yellow-rumped Warbler      3       Cape May SP

White-throated Sparrow      3       CMBO Northwood Ctr

Northern Cardinal      6       CMBO Northwood Ctr

Red-winged Blackbird      1       Cape May Meadows

Common Grackle      4       Cape May Meadows

Brown-headed Cowbird      3       Cape May SP

House Finch      1       Lincoln Ave

House Sparrow      2       Cape May SP