Dave Lord reports: Monday morning's Back Bay Birding by Boat tour was fabulous, as any birding day in May should be. Many large flocks of Whimbrel flew by, many of which called, and Short-billed Dowitchers passed by overhead. Black-bellied Plovers were numerous and beautiful, and a fly-by Cliff Swallow was seen briefly. The biggest thriller of all would have to be the ruckus started when a Red-tailed Hawk flew through the Sunset Lake rookery. The Black-crowned Night Herons, Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets scattered like mad, flying about the area for over an hour. An adult Yellow-Crowned Night Heron got a delayed message and flew out later.
Location: Cape May County Back Bay
Observation date: 5/10/10
Notes: CMBO's Back Bay Birding By Boat.
Number of species: 30
Brant 450
Double-crested Cormorant 167
Great Egret 175
Snowy Egret 250
Black-crowned Night-Heron 150
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 5
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Black-bellied Plover 75
Semipalmated Plover 25
American Oystercatcher 12
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 19
Willet 11
Whimbrel 125
Ruddy Turnstone 5
Least Sandpiper 35
Dunlin 160
Short-billed Dowitcher 210
Laughing Gull 455
Herring Gull 80
Great Black-backed Gull 16
Least Tern 13
Common Tern 10
Forster's Tern 83
Fish Crow 8
crow sp. 1
Cliff Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 26
Red-winged Blackbird 34
Boat-tailed Grackle 25
