Birds Before Beach - Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Leaders: Brett Ewald, Shaun Bamford, Jessica Schera-Scullion, Chris Dewaghe, Gerry Dewaghe. 
36 species

Canada Goose  6
Mute Swan  28
Mallard  6
Great Egret  1
Snowy Egret  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  3
American Oystercatcher  1
Semipalmated Plover  1
Killdeer  1
Sanderling  9
Pectoral Sandpiper  1
Short-billed Dowitcher  2
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Greater Yellowlegs  6
Lesser Yellowlegs  8
Laughing Gull  15
Ring-billed Gull  1
Herring Gull (American)  2
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Least Tern  3
Common Tern  3
Forster's Tern  16
Mourning Dove  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Northern Flicker  1
Tree Swallow  13
Northern Mockingbird  3
Cedar Waxwing  2
Common Yellowthroat  1
Field Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  1
Red-winged Blackbird  3
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
Common Grackle  1
House Finch  4

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

Birding the Meadows - Monday, July 23, 2018

44 species

Canada Goose  71
Mute Swan  3
Gadwall  8
Mallard  29
American Black Duck  1
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Egret  2
Snowy Egret  2
Black Vulture  1
Osprey  3
American Oystercatcher  10
Semipalmated Plover  3
Killdeer  3
Sanderling  4
Least Sandpiper  8
Pectoral Sandpiper  2
Semipalmated Sandpiper  5
Short-billed Dowitcher  2
Greater Yellowlegs  3
Lesser Yellowlegs  10
Laughing Gull  18
Ring-billed Gull  3
Herring Gull  1
Great Black-backed Gull  11
Least Tern  4
Forster's Tern  7
Mourning Dove  4
Peregrine Falcon  1
Fish Crow  1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  1
Purple Martin  12
Tree Swallow  6
Barn Swallow  12
Carolina Wren  2
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  2
Common Yellowthroat  6
Field Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  4
Yellow-breasted Chat  1
Northern Cardinal  1
Red-winged Blackbird  15
Brown-headed Cowbird  2
House Sparrow  1

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

Lesser Yellowlegs photo by Karl Lukens

Lesser Yellowlegs photo by Karl Lukens

Ring-billed Gull photo by Karl Lukens

Birding Cape May Point State Park - Saturday, July 21st, 2018

Signs of seasonal progression are all around at the State Park. The young Purple Martins have fledged and, instead of peering from their martin houses as they were just last week, are perched on all the bare limbs throughout the park. Male Mallards, last week mostly green-headed, are now mostly brown-headed as they go through their post-breeding molt into eclipse plumage. Many young Red-winged Blackbirds are chipping and whistling along the trails, and the small white egret that foraged along the edge of Bunker Pond turned out to be a young-of-the-year Little Blue Heron, with a two-toned bill and greenish legs. 

Leaders: Kathy Horn, Roger Horn, Michael McCabe, Bernie Hodgson

49 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  20
Mute Swan  45
Mallard  68
Great Blue Heron (Blue form)  5
Great Egret  2
Little Blue Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  15
Black Vulture  2
Turkey Vulture  4
Osprey (carolinensis)  2
American Oystercatcher  3
Killdeer  4
Least Sandpiper  14
Short-billed Dowitcher  2
Solitary Sandpiper  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  5
Laughing Gull  16
Herring Gull (American)  4
gull sp.  1
Least Tern  15
Common Tern  7
Forster's Tern  5
Black Skimmer  2
Mourning Dove  5
Chimney Swift  1
Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)  1
Great Crested Flycatcher  1
Eastern Kingbird  2
White-eyed Vireo  1
Fish Crow  2
Purple Martin  28
Tree Swallow  120
Barn Swallow (American)  5
Carolina Chickadee  3
House Wren  3
Carolina Wren  5
American Robin  16
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  3
European Starling  10
Cedar Waxwing  6
Common Yellowthroat  6
Field Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  7
Indigo Bunting  3
Orchard Oriole  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  13
Common Grackle  2
American Goldfinch  4

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

Bird Walk for all People - Thursday, July 19, 2018

Beautiful morning. Surprises included a couple of parrots in silhouette, flying over the plover ponds, which were later seen at the Meadows. There were 46 glossy ibis seen, and 13 great blue herons on Bunker Pond. Fall migration is on!

Leaders: Chuck Slugg, Mary Watkins,  Karl Lukens

35 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  11
Gadwall  8
Mallard  32
Great Blue Heron  13
Great Egret  4
Glossy Ibis  46
Osprey  3
American Oystercatcher  2
Killdeer  5
Pectoral Sandpiper  2
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  1
Laughing Gull  14
Great Black-backed Gull  2
Common Tern  2
Forster's Tern  6
Mourning Dove  7
parrot sp.  2     Two birds flying east, seen in silhouette,  no field marks distinguished. Possibly green/blue in color. Long -tailed, broad-winged with long primaries, "parrot heads". Reported moments later at the South Cape May Meadows as possible Monk Parakeets, but appeared larger to this group.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  3
Purple Martin  46
Tree Swallow  6
Barn Swallow  12
Carolina Chickadee  4
House Wren  5
Carolina Wren  6
American Robin  12
Northern Mockingbird  5
Cedar Waxwing  1
Common Yellowthroat  5
Northern Cardinal  4
Indigo Bunting  1
Orchard Oriole  1
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Common Grackle  5
American Goldfinch  3
House Sparrow  2

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

Sunset Birding at the Meadows - Wednesday, July 18, 2018

37 species

15 Canada Goose

6 Mallard

3 Great Egret

1 Snowy Egret

2 Glossy Ibis

5 American Oystercatcher

1 Semipalmated Plover

9 Killdeer

25 Least Sandpiper

18 Semipalmated Sandpiper

1 Spotted Sandpiper

2 Greater Yellowlegs

0 Willet

3 Lesser Yellowlegs

50 Laughing Gull

2 Herring Gull

2 Lesser Black-backed Gull

5 Great Black-backed Gull

8 Least Tern

3 Forster's Tern

10 Mourning Dove

5 Chimney Swift

1 Great Crested Flycatcher

20 Purple Martin

1 Barn Swallow

1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

2 Northern Mockingbird

12 European Starling

6 Common Yellowthroat

2 Field Sparrow

3 Northern Cardinal

3 Blue Grosbeak

1 Baltimore Oriole

6 Red-winged Blackbird

7 Common Grackle

6 House Finch

10 House Sparrow

Birding the Meadows - Monday, July 16, 2018

46 species

Canada Goose  12
Gadwall  3
Mallard  3
Double-crested Cormorant  4
Great Egret  10
Snowy Egret  2
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  12
Black Vulture  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  9
American Oystercatcher  10
Killdeer  6
Stilt Sandpiper  4
Sanderling  8
Least Sandpiper  7
Semipalmated Sandpiper  50
Solitary Sandpiper  4
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  12
Laughing Gull  16
Herring Gull  4
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1
Great Black-backed Gull  5
Least Tern  2
Forster's Tern  5
Mourning Dove  5
Chimney Swift  4
Northern Flicker  2
Fish Crow  2
Purple Martin  27
Barn Swallow  14
Carolina Wren  2
Northern Mockingbird  3
European Starling  2
Common Yellowthroat  4
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  1
Blue Grosbeak  2
Orchard Oriole  1
Red-winged Blackbird  20
Common Grackle  1
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  2
House Sparrow  2

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

American Oystercatcher photo by Karl Lukens

Barn Swallow photo by Karl Lukens

Blue Grosbeak photo by Karl Lukens

Common Yellowthroat photo by Karl Lukens

Ghost Crab photo by Karl Lukens

Osprey photo by Karl Lukens

Purple Martins photo by Karl Lukens

Swamp Rose Mallow photo by Karl Lukens

Pufferfish photo by Karl Lukens

Birding Cape May Point - Saturday, July 14th, 2018

While July birding at the State Park can be hot, muggy and buggy, such was not the case today; we had a good variety of birds on a very pleasant morning. There's a lot of activity at the Purple Martin condos in the parking lot as adults fly in to feed their yellow-gummed young, shorebirds are starting to move, and late-nesting Cedar Waxwings are still in the nest-building phase, with one nest currently under construction on the yellow trail.    

Leaders: Kathy Horn, Roger Horn, Kyle Chelius

51 species

Canada Goose  15
Mute Swan  45
Mallard (Northern)  16
Wild Turkey  5
Double-crested Cormorant  1
Great Egret  3
Snowy Egret  1
Black-crowned Night-Heron  2
Glossy Ibis  5
Black Vulture  3
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey (carolinensis)  2
American Oystercatcher  1
Killdeer  2
Least Sandpiper  1
Willet (Eastern)  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  1
Laughing Gull  20
Herring Gull (American)  2
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1
Least Tern  2
Forster's Tern  7
Mourning Dove  7
Chimney Swift  2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  2
Great Crested Flycatcher  2
Eastern Kingbird  1
White-eyed Vireo  1
Fish Crow  5
Purple Martin  25
Tree Swallow  1
Barn Swallow (American)  9
Carolina Chickadee  2
House Wren  3
Carolina Wren  5
American Robin  25
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  4
European Starling  5
Cedar Waxwing  10
Common Yellowthroat  8
Field Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  2
Yellow-breasted Chat  1
Northern Cardinal  7
Indigo Bunting  3
Orchard Oriole  2
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  16
Common Grackle  6
House Finch  3
American Goldfinch  2

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

Bird Walk for all People - Thursday, July 12, 2018

Lively walk with highlights of 32 Glossy Ibis, a Black-crowned Night Heron , Pine Warbler and nesting Cedar Waxwings.

Leaders: Mary Watkins and Catherine Busch

43 species

Canada Goose  22
Mute Swan  37
Gadwall  5
Mallard  18
Wild Turkey  3
Great Egret  2     3
Black-crowned Night-Heron  1
Glossy Ibis  32
Black Vulture  3
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey  4
Laughing Gull  12
Great Black-backed Gull  26
Least Tern  1
Forster's Tern  3
Black Skimmer  1
Mourning Dove  2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker  2
Blue Jay  2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow  3
Purple Martin  45
Tree Swallow  2
Bank Swallow  2
Carolina Chickadee  2
Tufted Titmouse  1
House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  4
American Robin  6
Gray Catbird  1
Northern Mockingbird  4
Cedar Waxwing  2
Common Yellowthroat  4
Pine Warbler  1
Field Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  1
Northern Cardinal  2
Indigo Bunting  2
Orchard Oriole  1
Red-winged Blackbird  18
Common Grackle  2
American Goldfinch  2

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

Sunset Birding at the Meadows - Wednesday, July 11, 2018

31 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  45
Mallard  3
Great Egret  1
Snowy Egret  8
Black-crowned Night-Heron  3
Glossy Ibis  12
American Oystercatcher  6
Killdeer  16
Least Sandpiper  30
Semipalmated Sandpiper  31
Greater Yellowlegs  1
Lesser Yellowlegs  5
jaeger sp.  1
Laughing Gull  26
Ring-billed Gull  1
Lesser Black-backed Gull  4
Least Tern  3
Common Tern  2
Forster's Tern  3
Mourning Dove  5
Northern Flicker  1
Fish Crow  2
Purple Martin  15
Barn Swallow  1
Carolina Wren  1
European Starling  255
Common Yellowthroat  1
Field Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  2
Blue Grosbeak  1
Red-winged Blackbird  18
Common Grackle  8

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