Cape May Point - Saturday, December 18, 2010

 [Above, adult, and below, juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks, Cape May Saturday. Photos by Karl Lukens.]

Location: Cape May Point
Observation date: 12/18/10
Notes: CMBO Cape May Point Walk-KL,K&RH,TP,+1.Cldy,30,NNW7. Started
with good raptors, a Red-tail and Red-shouldered Hawk, perched and a
fly-by Coopers Hawk. Finished with 4 Red-shouldered Hawks over the parking
lot. In between, the usual suspects, but some what low on ducks since Lily
Lake was the only really open water,

Number of species: 46

Canada Goose 50
Mute Swan 8
Gadwall 30
American Wigeon 20
Mallard 30
Northern Shoveler 10
Ring-necked Duck 12
Black Scoter 3
Ruddy Duck 5
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 15
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 4
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Killdeer 1
Ruddy Turnstone 6
Purple Sandpiper 10
Ring-billed Gull 1
Herring Gull 5
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Rock Pigeon 15
Mourning Dove 8
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 5
Carolina Chickadee 8
Tufted Titmouse 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2
American Robin 50
Northern Mockingbird 4
European Starling 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Fox Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 15
Dark-eyed Junco 5
Northern Cardinal 8
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Brown-headed Cowbird 5
House Finch 6
American Goldfinch 10
House Sparrow 15

Cape May Point - Saturday, December 11 2010

 [Above, Eurasian Wigeon found by Karl Lukens after Saturday's Field Trip. Karl reports that 3/4 hr later it was not there, possibly having moved over to Lily Lake.]

Location: Cape May Point
Observation date: 12/11/10
Notes: CMBO Cape May Point Walk-KL,K&RH,+6.Cldy,29-40 deg.,E5. Most ducks were on Lily Lake , the only open water around. Feeders around the pont were good with Pine Siskin and Purple Finch being seen. Over head a Harrier and 2 Red-shouldered Hawks formed a 3 bird kettle.
Number of species: 64

Snow Goose 2
Canada Goose 75
Mute Swan 10
Gadwall 35
American Wigeon 30
Mallard 35
Blue-winged Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 12
Green-winged Teal 6
Ring-necked Duck 10
Black Scoter 3
Hooded Merganser 4
Ruddy Duck 8
Red-throated Loon 2
Great Egret 2
Black Vulture 4
Turkey Vulture 5
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Merlin 1
American Coot 5
Killdeer 2
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Sanderling 11
Purple Sandpiper 1
Bonaparte's Gull 80
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 5
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Rock Pigeon 8
Mourning Dove 15
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1 /p
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 1
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 10
Carolina Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 8
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Eastern Bluebird 1 heard
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 5
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 35
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Eastern Towhee 1 heard
Fox Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 2
Swamp Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 15
Dark-eyed Junco 5
Northern Cardinal 10
Red-winged Blackbird 15
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Purple Finch 8
House Finch 5
Pine Siskin 4
American Goldfinch 12
House Sparrow 10

[Male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker found during the walk.]

Harlequin Romance - Barnegat Light - Saturday, December 4 2010

Location: Barnegat Lighthouse State Park
Observation date: 12/4/10
Notes: CMBO field trip. Wind west 20-25, partly to mostly cloudy, 30's.

Number of species: 38


Brant (Atlantic) 300
Canada Goose 30
American Black Duck 1
Common Eider 580 Actual count. 260 north side of inlet (most counted when this flock lifted; there easily could have been more), nearly 300 south side, balance in inlet itself. Remarkable.
Harlequin Duck 40
Surf Scoter 100
White-winged Scoter 5
Black Scoter 20
Long-tailed Duck 75
Red-breasted Merganser 200
Red-throated Loon 25
Common Loon 5
Northern Gannet 200
Double-crested Cormorant 5
Great Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 1
Northern Harrier 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Black-bellied Plover 5
Ruddy Turnstone 10
Purple Sandpiper 20
Dunlin 300
Black-legged Kittiwake 1
Bonaparte's Gull 3
Ring-billed Gull 50
Herring Gull 2000
Great Black-backed Gull 200
Mourning Dove 5
American Crow 10
crow sp. 1
European Starling 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Song Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 10
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 20
House Finch 5
House Sparrow 25

Cape May Point State Park - Saturday, Decmber 4, 2010

Location: Cape May Point
Observation date: 12/4/10
Notes: CMBO Cape May Point Walk.-KL,K&RH,SW,+4.Clr,34°,NW12. Cold and breezy, but the ducks provided good viewing. Wigeons, Gadwall, Shovelers, Ruddy, and Ring-necked were numerous, but the Eurasian Wigeon was not found. Passerines were more difficult to find but a few at local feeders gave us good looks.
Number of species: 47

Canada Goose 10
Mute Swan 10
Gadwall 25
American Wigeon 50
American Black Duck 1
Mallard 25
Blue-winged Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 15
Northern Pintail 10
Green-winged Teal 50
Ring-necked Duck 8
Black Scoter 1
Long-tailed Duck 2
Hooded Merganser 4
Ruddy Duck 6
Pied-billed Grebe 1
Northern Gannet 8
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Great Egret 2
Turkey Vulture 8
Northern Harrier 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
American Coot 20
Ruddy Turnstone 1
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Herring Gull 4
Great Black-backed Gull 5
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 10
Northern Flicker 5
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 10
Carolina Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 4
Carolina Wren 1
American Robin 3
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 15
Fox Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 5
Northern Cardinal 6
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Purple Finch 3
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow 25