Birding the Meadows with Pete Dunne - Monday, July 11th, 2016

Shorebirds are beginning to increase with sightings of Least and Semipalmated Sandpipers, Short-billed Dowitchers, Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, and Killdeer. Besides the usual gulls on the beach, we had two Lesser Black-backed Gulls, and three Ring-billed Gulls. Terns included Forster's and Common with 5-6 juveniles. A few people at the end of the group briefly saw a juvenile Virginia Rail. Leaders: Pete Dunne, Karl Lukens, Steve Weis, Warren Cairo, Barb Bassett, Janet Crawford, and Pat Perkins.
53 species

Canada Goose  100
Mute Swan  2
Gadwall  2
Mallard  30
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  2
Snowy Egret  3
Green Heron  3
Glossy Ibis  10
Black Vulture  3
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  7
Virginia Rail  1     Juv. - seen by some
American Oystercatcher  4
Killdeer  4
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  2
Least Sandpiper  13
Semipalmated Sandpiper  1
Short-billed Dowitcher  12     Fly-over 2 groups
Laughing Gull  30
Ring-billed Gull  3
Lesser Black-backed Gull  2
Great Black-backed Gull  15
Common Tern  25
Forster's Tern  15
Black Skimmer  2
Mourning Dove  10
Northern Flicker  1
Eastern Kingbird  1
Blue Jay  1
Fish Crow  1
Purple Martin  20
Tree Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  5
Carolina Wren  2
American Robin  1
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  3
European Starling  5
Common Yellowthroat  6
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  5
Northern Cardinal  1
Blue Grosbeak  2     fly-by - seen by a few
Indigo Bunting  2
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Common Grackle  5
Orchard Oriole  1     seen by a few
House Finch  2
American Goldfinch  2
House Sparrow  4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Lesser Black-backed Gull [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Osprey female and young [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Birding Cape May Point - Saturday, July 9, 2016

While we saw many cool birds on this morning's walk - a nest of House Finches by the hawk watch, an early Black Scoter off the beach, young American Oystercatchers among the dune grasses, beautiful Wood Ducks on Lighthouse Pond East, a male Indigo Bunting gleaming again a pine trunk - the non-bird critters almost outdid them. We watched a Red-eared Slider laying eggs along the path, a Gray Tree Frog leapt off a park sign as a snake started up the post toward it, and Red Admiral butterflies were landing at our feet along the boardwalk.  Leaders: Kathy & Roger Horn, Karl Lukens, Kyle Chelius, and Cindy Bamford.
54 species

Canada Goose  15
Mute Swan  56
Wood Duck  2
Gadwall  3
Mallard  24
Black Scoter  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  3
Snowy Egret  2
Black-crowned Night-Heron  2
Glossy Ibis  18
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  4
American Oystercatcher  7
Killdeer  12
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  1
Least Sandpiper  3
Laughing Gull  22
Herring Gull (American)  3
Great Black-backed Gull  9
Least Tern  6
Common Tern  18
Forster's Tern  11
Black Skimmer  5
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  3
Mourning Dove  11
Chimney Swift  3
Northern Flicker  1
Fish Crow  3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1
Purple Martin  22
Tree Swallow  2
Barn Swallow  3
Carolina Chickadee  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  6
American Robin  6
Gray Catbird  3
Northern Mockingbird  3
Cedar Waxwing  3
Common Yellowthroat  8
Yellow Warbler  1
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  4
Indigo Bunting  2
Red-winged Blackbird  19
Common Grackle  6
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
House Finch  6
American Goldfinch  2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Southern Gray Tree Frog [Photo by Roger Horn]

Red Admiral [Photo by Roger Horn]

Red-eared Slider laying eggs [Photo by Kathy Horn]

Birds Before Dinner - Friday, July 8th, 2016

The Meadows held a few surprises this evening. We were hoping to see the Common Gallinule that had been seen there sporadically for a few weeks and there it was, walking out of the grasses until it was in full view, looking especially large in the cloudy evening light. Then we noticed some rapid movement and fluttering, something feathered jumping up and down, flying back and forth crazily- and there was a young Virginia Rail, not all black and fluffy but not in adult plumage either. Virginia Rails, it turns out, eat mostly insects, crayfish and snails and this little guy was jumping up to catch bugs and chasing them across the mudflat. It eventually settled down for a bit of preening and we got Really.Good.Looks.  Leaders: Kathy & Roger Horn, Bert Hixon, BJ Pinnock, and Beth Freiday.
49 species

Canada Goose  45
Mute Swan  2
Gadwall  11
Mallard  25
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  4
Snowy Egret  5
Green Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  14
Osprey  4
Virginia Rail  1
Common Gallinule  1
Killdeer  12
Spotted Sandpiper  3
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Least Sandpiper  6
Short-billed Dowitcher  16
Laughing Gull  75
Herring Gull (American)  8
Great Black-backed Gull  14
Caspian Tern  1
Common Tern  2
Forster's Tern  14
Black Skimmer  11
Mourning Dove  2
Chimney Swift  6
Eastern Kingbird  2
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  2
Purple Martin  7
Tree Swallow  3
Barn Swallow  7
Carolina Wren  2
American Robin  5
Gray Catbird  2
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  1
Cedar Waxwing  5
Common Yellowthroat  11
Song Sparrow  3
Eastern Towhee  1
Northern Cardinal  4
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Common Grackle  18
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Orchard Oriole  1
American Goldfinch  2
House Sparrow  3

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Common Gallinule [Photo by Roger Horn]

Juvenile Virginia Rail [Photo by Roger Horn]

Bird Walk for All People - Thursday, July 7th, 2016

Out first heat wave of the summer did not deter our group from exploring the State Park habitats. We were able to observe many birds resting on the beach and ponds. We discussed how birds stay cool since they do not perspire. Birds have no sweat glands, heat is lost through the respiratory tract by panting, or in non-passerines by the rapid vibration of the upper throat and thin floor of the mouth ("gular flutter"). Leaders:  Chris Marks and Shaun Bamford.
45 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  48
Mute Swan  69
Gadwall  2
Mallard  8
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid)  1
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  1
Snowy Egret  3
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  17
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  4
American Oystercatcher  1
Killdeer  3
Laughing Gull  18
Herring Gull  5
Great Black-backed Gull  22
Least Tern  2
Common Tern  3
Forster's Tern  18
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  4
Mourning Dove  6
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1     Seen by a few
Blue Jay  1
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  3
Purple Martin  36
Tree Swallow  4
Carolina Chickadee  3
House Wren  1     Heard
Carolina Wren  3
American Robin  5
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  6
Common Yellowthroat  4
Pine Warbler  2
Song Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  2
Indigo Bunting  2     Female seen 1 heard
Red-winged Blackbird  14
Common Grackle  8
Brown-headed Cowbird  4
House Finch  3
American Goldfinch  2
House Sparrow  4

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Birding the Meadows with Pete Dunne - Monday, July 4th, 2016

Fall migration has started with the appearance of three Least Sandpipers, two Lesser Yellowlegs, and one heard Greater Yellowlegs. Could not find any young American Oystercatchers but found one adult, on nest with eggs, very close to the east beach path. Other birds of interest were 10 fly-over Great Blue Herons, and an adult Common Gallinule. Leaders: Pete Dunne, Karl Lukens, Janet Crawford, and Pat Perkins.
51 species

Canada Goose  100
Mute Swan  1
Gadwall  4
Mallard  35
Hooded Merganser  1     fly-over
Great Blue Heron  11
Great Egret  1
Snowy Egret  1
Green Heron  3
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1
Osprey  8
Common Gallinule  1     adult
American Oystercatcher  6     one on nest w/eggs
Killdeer  4
Spotted Sandpiper  3
Greater Yellowlegs  1     heard
Willet  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  2
Least Sandpiper  3
Laughing Gull  30
Ring-billed Gull  1
Herring Gull  5
Lesser Black-backed Gull  2
Great Black-backed Gull  15
Common Tern  5
Forster's Tern  15
Black Skimmer  1
Mourning Dove  8
Chimney Swift  4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Hairy Woodpecker  1     fly-by
Fish Crow  1
Purple Martin  20
Tree Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  3
American Robin  2
European Starling  5
Cedar Waxwing  2
Common Yellowthroat  4
Prairie Warbler  1
Field Sparrow  1     heard
Song Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  3
Indigo Bunting  2
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Common Grackle  8
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Orchard Oriole  1     adult male singing
House Finch  5
American Goldfinch  2
House Sparrow  2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

American Oystercatcher on nest [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Common Gallinule [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Birding Cape May Point - Saturday, July 2nd, 2016

A beautiful day for birding with the usual suspects. Mute Swans becoming more numerous with 60+ on Bunker Pond. Shorebirds were few but we did have two Spotted Sandpipers, a couple of American Oystercatchers, and Lesser Yellowlegs which probably just arrived from the north. We finally got good looks at singing Indigo Bunting and House Wren. Heard and briefly saw an adult male Orchard Oriole. Leaders: Karl Lukens, Kyle Chelius, & Cindy Bamford.
42 species

Canada Goose  10
Mute Swan  60
Gadwall  2
Mallard  10
Double-crested Cormorant  4
Great Egret  2
Glossy Ibis  4
Black Vulture  1
Osprey  7
American Oystercatcher  2
Killdeer  2
Spotted Sandpiper  2
Lesser Yellowlegs  1
Laughing Gull  25
Herring Gull  5
Great Black-backed Gull  10
Common Tern  1
Forster's Tern  8
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  2
Mourning Dove  8
Chimney Swift  4
Downy Woodpecker  1
American Crow  1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1
Purple Martin  35
Tree Swallow  1
Barn Swallow  8
Carolina Chickadee  5
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  3
American Robin  10
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  10
Common Yellowthroat  3
Song Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  3
Indigo Bunting  2
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Common Grackle  10
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
House Finch  2
House Sparrow  2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Juvenile Barn Swallow [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Red-winged Blackbird [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Bird Walk for All People - Thursday, June 30th, 2016

A lovely, warm summer day in the park gave us the opportunity to watch multiple Osprey hunting for food. Osprey are unable to dive to more than about three feet below the water's surface, Ospreys gravitate toward shallow fishing grounds, frequenting deep water only where fish school near the surface. The average time they spend hunting before making a catch is about 12 minutes. Leaders: Chris Marks, Karl Lukens, & Shaun Bamford.
37 species

Canada Goose  93
Mute Swan  57
Mallard  8
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  1
Glossy Ibis  5
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  4
American Oystercatcher  5
Killdeer  2
Laughing Gull  8
Great Black-backed Gull  24
Common Tern  1
Forster's Tern  5
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  3
Mourning Dove  4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Eastern Kingbird  1
Purple Martin  36
Tree Swallow  4
Barn Swallow  2
Carolina Chickadee  3
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  3
American Robin  10
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  8
Cedar Waxwing  2
Common Yellowthroat  4
Yellow-breasted Chat  1     Heard by leader
Song Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  3
Indigo Bunting  2
Red-winged Blackbird  12
Common Grackle  6
Brown-headed Cowbird  4
House Finch  5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Birding the Meadows with Pete Dunne - Monday, June 27th, 2016

Waders included an early fly-by Green Heron, three Snowy Egrets, two Great Egrets and one Great Blue Heron. On the beach we did have three American Oystercatchers and among the usual Gulls one Lesser Black-backed Gull. Most interesting and unusual were an adult Spotted Sandpiper with two very young chicks indicating that they bred here. Leaders: Pete Dunne, Chuck Slugg, Karl Lukens, Steve Weis, Pat Perkins, Mary Watkins, Barb Bassett, & Warren Cairo.
47 species

Canada Goose  80
Mute Swan  1
Gadwall  3
Mallard  25
Black Scoter  4
Double-crested Cormorant  6
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  2
Snowy Egret  3
Green Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  7
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  7
American Oystercatcher  3
Killdeer  3
Spotted Sandpiper  3     adult + 2 chicks! Breeders here.!
Willet  1
Laughing Gull  25
Herring Gull  4
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1
Great Black-backed Gull  10
Forster's Tern  10
Black Skimmer  2
Mourning Dove  12
Yellow-billed Cuckoo  1
Chimney Swift  2
American Crow  1
Fish Crow  3
Purple Martin  20
Barn Swallow  3
Carolina Wren  1
American Robin  2
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  3
European Starling  20
Cedar Waxwing  2
Common Yellowthroat  4
Prairie Warbler  1
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  3
Northern Cardinal  1
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Common Grackle  15
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Orchard Oriole  3
American Goldfinch  3
House Sparrow  5

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

American Oystercatcher [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Lesser Black-backed Gull [Photo by Karl Lukens]

Birds Before Dinner - Friday, June 24th, 2016

Leaders: Bert Hixon and B. J. Pinnock.
54 species

Canada Goose  40
Gadwall  2
American Black Duck  12     2 broods
Mallard  15     1 brood
Double-crested Cormorant  3
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  2
Snowy Egret  4
Green Heron  2
Glossy Ibis  1
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  7
American Oystercatcher  7
Killdeer  4
Spotted Sandpiper  3
Willet  1
Least Sandpiper  3
Laughing Gull  50
Herring Gull  5
Great Black-backed Gull  40
Least Tern  2
Common Tern  5
Forster's Tern  25
Black Skimmer  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1
Mourning Dove  4
Great Horned Owl  2     visible in sun-lit woods east of East Path; possible breeders
Chimney Swift  5
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  2
Eastern Kingbird  1
American Crow  4
Fish Crow  24
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1
Purple Martin  20
Tree Swallow  2
Barn Swallow  5
Marsh Wren  1
Carolina Wren  2
American Robin  3
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  3
Song Sparrow  2
Eastern Towhee  1
Northern Cardinal  1
Blue Grosbeak  1
Red-winged Blackbird  12
Common Grackle  4
Orchard Oriole  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  2
House Sparrow  1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Bird Walk for All People - Thursday, June 23rd, 2016

A damp walk was brightened with the number of birds seen carrying food to hatched young as we tried to find the breeding birds in the park. We were rewarded with young fledgling American Robins foraging for food with their parents. American Robins eat large numbers of both invertebrates and fruit. Particularly in spring and summer, they eat large numbers of earthworms as well as insects and some snails.  Leaders:  Chris Marks and Karl Lukens.
43 species

Canada Goose  26
Mute Swan  45
Gadwall  2
Mallard  6
Great Egret  2
Snowy Egret  2
Black Vulture  2
Turkey Vulture  3
Osprey  3
Killdeer  3
Laughing Gull  12
Herring Gull (American)  6
Great Black-backed Gull  6
Least Tern  5
Forster's Tern  8
Royal Tern  2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  5
Mourning Dove  4
Chimney Swift  3
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  3
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  3
Purple Martin  35
Tree Swallow  6
Barn Swallow  4
Carolina Chickadee  4
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  3
American Robin  6
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  4
Cedar Waxwing  3
Common Yellowthroat  4
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  2
Northern Cardinal  3
Indigo Bunting  2
Red-winged Blackbird  14
Common Grackle  4
Brown-headed Cowbird  4
House Finch  3
American Goldfinch  2

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)