Louise Zemaitis reports on the Cape May Christmas Bird Count, held January 1, 2010:
Thanks to all who came out for the Cape May Christmas Bird Count. The total species recorded is 150 plus 2 recognizable forms and 5 more during the count week. Unusual species seen include:
2 Cackling Geese
7 Eurasian Wigeon - a record number for the count (all on Cape Island)
4 Blue -winged Teal
1 Harlequin Duck
1 Sora - not recorded on the count since 1979
2 Sandhill Cranes - one in Cape May and one at Villas WMA
1 Black-headed Gull
1 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - survived in West Cape May until the bitter cold of Jan. 2
Record numbers of marsh dwelling sparrows were seen due to the high tide during the full moon. Birders who worked the marsh edges in the morning (though bleary-eyed from New Year's Eve) found:
14 Nelson's Sparrows
63 Saltmarsh Sparrows
plus 7 sharp-tailed sparrow sp.
20 Seaside Sparrows
Other record high numbers include: Gadwall (353), Wild Turkey (24), Common Loon (157), Merlin (9), "Western" Willet (10), American Woodcock (80), Tufted Titmouse (302), American Robin (17,184), and White-crowned Sparrow (13).
Additional count week species seen were Wood Duck, Redhead, Lesser Black-backed Gull (1), Pine Warbler (1), and Marbled Godwit (4).
The cumulative total for the Cape May CBC stands at 264.
Due to a blizzard on the original count date of December 20, the count was rescheduled for January 1 (the latest date in count history). The count day was just above freezing with light WNW winds.
Half-hardy species and migrants were few. We did, however, have a nice day between cold fronts and see a fine sampling of post winter solstice species.
The 2009 count was the 89th for Cape May. The next Cape May CBC will be held on 19 December 2010.
Thank you and good birding!
Louise Zemaitis
Cape May CBC Compiler
Cape May CBC January 1, 2010
Snow Goose (blue) 3
Snow Goose (white) 1381
Brant 5050
Cackling Goose 2
Canada Goose 1929
Mute Swan 58
Tundra Swan 6
Wood Duck cw
Gadwall 353
Eurasian Wigeon 7
American Wigeon 275
American Black Duck 1580
Mallard 1165
Am. Blk Duck x Mall 4
Blue-winged Teal 4
Northern Shoveler 58
Northern Pintail 34
Green-winged Teal 102
Canvasback 1
Redhead cw
Ring-necked Duck 53
Greater Scaup 384
Lesser Scaup 61
scaup sp. 181
Common Eider 38
Harlequin Duck 1
Surf Scoter 857
White-winged Scoter 14
Black Scoter 708
scoter sp. 120
Long-tailed Duck 349
Bufflehead 1710
Common Goldeneye 14
Hooded Merganser 493
Common Merganser 7
Red-brsted Merganser 254
Ruddy Duck 187
Wild Turkey 24
Red-throated Loon 113
Common Loon 157
Pied-billed Grebe 17
Horned Grebe 9
Northern Gannet 103
Dbl-crested Cormorant 28
Great Cormorant 29
American Bittern 2
Great Blue Heron 88
Great Egret 12
Snowy Egret 3
Little Blue Heron 4
Tricolored Heron 4
Blk-cr Night-Heron 31
Black Vulture 66
Turkey Vulture 189
Bald Eagle 5
Northern Harrier 39
Sharp-shinned Hawk 19
Cooper's Hawk 27
Red-shouldered Hawk 19
Red-tailed Hawk 72
American Kestrel 8
Merlin 9
Peregrine Falcon 10
Clapper Rail 67
Virginia Rail 12
Sora 1
American Coot 60
Sandhill Crane 2
Black-bellied Plover 354
Killdeer 70
American Oystercatcher 310
Greater Yellowlegs 28
“Western” Willet 10
Marbled Godwit cw
Ruddy Turnstone 182
Red Knot 244
Sanderling 1004
Western Sandpiper 10
Least Sandpiper 6
Purple Sandpiper 63
Dunlin 8673
Short-billed Dowitcher 2
Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Wilson's Snipe 16
American Woodcock 80
Black-headed Gull 1
Bonaparte's Gull 58
Ring-billed Gull 1114
Herring Gull 2106
Lesser Blk-backed Gull cw
Great Blk-backed Gull 577
Black-legged Kittiwake 2
Rock Pigeon 1100
Mourning Dove 992
Barn Owl 1
Eastern Screech-Owl 15
Great Horned Owl 30
Barred Owl 2
Ruby-thrtd Hummer 1
Belted Kingfisher 13
Red-bellied Woodpecker 124
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 12
Downy Woodpecker 113
Hairy Woodpecker 17
Northern Flicker 155
Blue Jay 513
American Crow 462
Fish Crow 14
Horned Lark 20
Carolina Chickadee 394
Tufted Titmouse 302
Red-breasted Nuthatch 10
White-brsted Nuthatch 22
Brown Creeper 8
Carolina Wren 448
Winter Wren 12
Marsh Wren 7
Golden-crowned Kinglet 24
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 15
Eastern Bluebird 121
Hermit Thrush 92
American Robin 17184
Gray Catbird 101
Northern Mockingbird 247
Brown Thrasher 59
European Starling 5827
American Pipit 33
Cedar Waxwing 541
Orange-crwnd Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2094
Pine Warbler cw
“Eastern” Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Eastern Towhee 53
Chipping Sparrow 77
Field Sparrow 101
Savannah Sparrow 140
“Ipswich” Sav Sparrow 15
Saltmarsh Sparrow 63
Nelson's Sparrow 14
sharp-tailed sparrow sp. 7
Seaside Sparrow 20
Fox Sparrow 165
Song Sparrow 641
Swamp Sparrow 128
White-throated Sparrow 2632
White-crowned Sparrow 13
Dark-eyed Junco 627
Snow Bunting 89
Northern Cardinal 625
Red-winged Blackbird 4865
Eastern Meadowlark 54
Rusty Blackbird 27
Common Grackle 4076
Boat-tailed Grackle 570
Brown-headed Cowbird 546
Baltimore Oriole 1
Purple Finch 6
House Finch 597
American Goldfinch 224
House Sparrow 1579
TOTAL SPECIES 150
additional forms 2
count week only 5
