Our annual New Year's Field Trip netted 92 species (if you include leader-only birds), with great views of Snow Buntings, Bald Eagles, and sea ducks, and plenty of great company. We began at Cape May Point State Park then broke for lunch (with a brief check of Lily Lake), reconvening at Stone Harbor Point and finishing the day with two Short-eared Owls and an American Bittern at Jake's Landing. Lists are presented below in the order we birded the sites.
Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 1/1/10
Number of species: 62
Snow Goose X heard overhead, not sure how many, never saw
Canada Goose 300
Mute Swan 30
Tundra Swan 6
Gadwall 50
Eurasian Wigeon 3 did not look for females
American Wigeon 360 pretty careful count
American Black Duck 3
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) 5
Mallard 30
Northern Shoveler 15
Ring-necked Duck 3
Surf Scoter 20
Black Scoter 20
dark-winged scoter sp. 1000
Hooded Merganser 10
Ruddy Duck 1
Red-throated Loon 1
Pied-billed Grebe 6
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 5
Bald Eagle 2 local pair hunting park
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Peregrine Falcon 1 flying down beach past bunker; migrant?
American Coot 25
Killdeer 2
Black-legged Kittiwake 2 - far, but, good look through scope at 60 power (no heat distortion.) 2 fast flying medium-small gulls with narrow wings, very pointed, angled back. Winds were light, other gulls observed did not fly with this speed or posture. Initially said kittewake and studied carefully to confirm. Appeared quite pale gray above, outerwing paler than inner and when they were at closest point clinched narrow dark wing tips cut straight across. Did not detect head pattern, focused on exact wing pattern while they were in view. Birds were flying southwest (angling offshore), turned suddenly and apparently landed on water where I lost them.
Ring-billed Gull 10
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 4
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 15
Horned Lark 5
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 8
Eastern Bluebird 3
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 100
Gray Catbird 5
Northern Mockingbird 5
Brown Thrasher 3
European Starling 10
Cedar Waxwing 40
Yellow-rumped Warbler 50
Eastern Towhee 1
Field Sparrow 3
Fox Sparrow 5
Song Sparrow 8
Swamp Sparrow 10
White-throated Sparrow 30
Snow Bunting 90
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Rusty Blackbird 3
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 4
House Sparrow 10
Location: Stone Harbor Point
Observation date: 1/1/10
Notes: Part of CMBO Kick Off Your Year List field trip. Dave Lord and Steve Weis helped as leaders. Low tide, few shorebirds on beach or jetty.
Number of species: 25
Brant 15
American Black Duck 5
Surf Scoter 50
Black Scoter 50
dark-winged scoter sp. 300
Long-tailed Duck 50
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Red-throated Loon 5
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Northern Harrier 1
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Sanderling 10
Purple Sandpiper 2
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 30
Great Black-backed Gull 10
Mourning Dove 2
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin 10
Northern Mockingbird 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 10
Savannah Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 1
House Finch 5
Location: Nummy Island
Observation date: 1/1/10
Notes: part of CMBO Kick Off Your Year List field trip. Dave Lord and Steve Weis helped as leaders. Very low tide, lots of exposed mud.
Number of species: 38
Brant 100
American Black Duck 50
Mallard 10
Long-tailed Duck 20
Bufflehead 25
Red-breasted Merganser 15
Red-throated Loon 1
Common Loon 15
Horned Grebe 1
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 1 Pre-field trip, not seen by participants
Turkey Vulture 2
Northern Harrier 2
Cooper's Hawk 1
Black-bellied Plover 25
American Oystercatcher 30
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Sanderling 30
Dunlin 300
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 5
Carolina Wren 2
American Robin 10
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 20
Song Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 5
Boat-tailed Grackle 25
House Finch 5
House Sparrow 8
Location: Jake's Landing
Observation date: 1/1/10
Notes: Part of CMBO Kick Off Your Year List Field Trip. Dave Lord and Steve Weis helped as leaders. Saw-whet and woodcock were leader only post-trip bonuses.
Number of species: 16
Snow Goose 400
Brant 10
American Black Duck 10
Northern Harrier 5
Clapper Rail 5
American Woodcock 1 flew in front of truck on way out, not seen by group
Herring Gull 2
Great Horned Owl 2 dueting
Short-eared Owl 2 Up at 4:50 p.m.
Northern Saw-whet Owl 1 flew in front of truck on way out at 5:15, in woods, not seen by group
Marsh Wren 1
American Robin 10
Song Sparrow 1
Swamp Sparrow 5
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Red-winged Blackbird 10
