Birding the Meadows - Monday, April 8, 2019

43 species

Canada Goose  8
Mute Swan  2
Northern Shoveler  2
Gadwall  8
Mallard  10
Green-winged Teal  5
Black Scoter  185
Bufflehead  6
Red-breasted Merganser  3
Mourning Dove  2
American Coot  2
American Oystercatcher  9
Killdeer  1
Wilson's Snipe  1
Greater Yellowlegs  2
Lesser Yellowlegs  2
Herring Gull  6
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Red-throated Loon  2
Common Loon  1
Northern Gannet  X
Double-crested Cormorant  42
Great Blue Heron  11
Great Egret  5
Cattle Egret  1
Black Vulture  1
Turkey Vulture  1
Osprey  3
Bald Eagle  5
Northern Flicker  1
American Crow  2
Tree Swallow  7
Barn Swallow  4
Carolina Chickadee  2
Sedge Wren  2     Continuing in same area. Multiple observers. 
Carolina Wren  5
Northern Mockingbird  1
Field Sparrow  3
White-throated Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  16
Common Grackle  11
Northern Cardinal  5
House Sparrow  1

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

Sunset Beach: A Place for all Seasons - Sunday, April 7, 2019

48 species

Canada Goose  5
Northern Shoveler  6
Gadwall  10
Mallard  17
American Black Duck  35
Green-winged Teal  26
Surf Scoter  27
Black Scoter  57
Red-breasted Merganser  5
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  1
Mourning Dove  6
Greater Yellowlegs  3
Laughing Gull  8
Ring-billed Gull  2
Herring Gull  4
Great Black-backed Gull  9
Forster's Tern  3
Red-throated Loon  7
Northern Gannet  72
Double-crested Cormorant  175
Great Blue Heron  2
Great Egret  4
Snowy Egret  7
Glossy Ibis  1
Black Vulture  8
Turkey Vulture  24
Osprey  7
Bald Eagle  3
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Downy Woodpecker  1
Eastern Phoebe  1
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  8
Tree Swallow  28
Carolina Wren  2
American Robin  7
Brown Thrasher  2
Northern Mockingbird  12
European Starling  14
House Finch  3
American Goldfinch  4
Field Sparrow  12
White-throated Sparrow  1
Song Sparrow  2
Red-winged Blackbird  30
Brown-headed Cowbird  1
Common Grackle  9
Northern Cardinal  3

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

Above Par Birding at Cox Hall Creek WMA - Sunday, April 7, 2019

It was a beautiful day to bird CHC WMA. There aren't a lot of migrants in yet, but the Pine Warblers were singing throughout and we had what was a first-of-year bird for many of us, a Palm Warbler. A couple of Ospreys wheeled overhead and a White-throated Sparrow, which won't be here much longer before leaving for points north, was practicing its song. We also had long, satisfying looks at a Hermit Thrush as it sat atop a sumac bush eating remains of last fall's berry crop.

Leaders: Kathy Horn, Roger Horn, Janet Crawford
35 species

Canada Goose  2
Mallard  2
Mourning Dove  5
Laughing Gull  5
Herring Gull (American)  3
Great Black-backed Gull  1
Great Blue Heron (Blue form)  4
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey (carolinensis)  2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker  5
Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)  4
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  6
Eastern Phoebe  2
Blue Jay  4
Fish Crow  3
Tree Swallow  10
Carolina Chickadee  3
Tufted Titmouse  6
Red-breasted Nuthatch  2
Carolina Wren (Northern)  6
Hermit Thrush (faxoni/crymophilus)  1
American Robin  6
Northern Mockingbird  1
European Starling  2
Chipping Sparrow  1
Field Sparrow  3
White-throated Sparrow  4
Song Sparrow  1
Eastern Towhee  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  5
Common Grackle  2
Palm Warbler  1
Pine Warbler  5
Northern Cardinal  7

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

Birding Cape May Point - Saturday, April 6, 2019

It was Brown Thrashers that provided evidence of spring migration today. "There's a thrasher" was followed by "there are two", "wait, there are four", until eventually we'd seen nine thrashers at one spot and three at another. Short-distance migrants, Brown Thrashers are back on the move to their breeding territories, which includes Cape May. We watched a Great Egret hunting stealthily through the water around East Lighthouse Pond and he was obviously stealthy enough to catch a large frog by surprise. We watched it battle the frog's flailing legs until the frog was still, but the Egret still hadn't managed to swallow it's feast by the time we had to move on.

Leaders: Kathy Horn, Roger Horn, Kyle Chelius, Michael McCabe
48 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose  6
Mute Swan  8
Northern Shoveler  6
Gadwall  18
American Wigeon  8
Mallard  8
Green-winged Teal (American)  25
Surf/Black Scoter  6
Long-tailed Duck  4
Bufflehead  9
Ruddy Duck  1
Mourning Dove  5
American Coot (Red-shielded)  2
American Oystercatcher  2
Killdeer  2
Laughing Gull  2
Herring Gull (American)  3
Great Black-backed Gull  2
Common Loon  3
Northern Gannet  15
Double-crested Cormorant  4
Great Egret  3
Black Vulture  5
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey (carolinensis)  3
Red-bellied Woodpecker  1
Downy Woodpecker (Eastern)  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  3
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue Jay  6
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  1
Tree Swallow  4
Carolina Chickadee  3
Carolina Wren (Northern)  8
American Robin  3
Brown Thrasher  12
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  5
House Finch  1
American Goldfinch  1
Chipping Sparrow  1
Field Sparrow  7
White-throated Sparrow  3
Song Sparrow  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  18
Brown-headed Cowbird  4
Common Grackle  2
Northern Cardinal  8

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

Great Egret photo by Kathy Horn 

Tree Swallow photo by Kathy Horn

Migration at the Point - Wednesday, April 3, 2019

Migration at the Point - first walk of the spring. Lighthouse to beach, Coral Ave. Dune crossing, Lilly lake, lighthouse pond. Incredible Opsrey show feeding close along the beach, close in gannets and red-throated loons.

Leaders: Brett Ewald, Mary Watkins, Adehl Schwaderer.
54 species

Canada Goose  3
Mute Swan  9
Northern Shoveler  6
Gadwall  30
American Wigeon  6
Mallard  15
Ring-necked Duck  3
Surf Scoter  28
Black Scoter  3
Long-tailed Duck  6
Red-breasted Merganser  11
Ruddy Duck  1
Wild Turkey  1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  5
Mourning Dove  18
American Coot  1
Black-bellied Plover  1
Bonaparte's Gull  1
Ring-billed Gull  3
Herring Gull  9
Lesser Black-backed Gull  1
Great Black-backed Gull  3
Red-throated Loon  35
Northern Gannet  400
Double-crested Cormorant  6
Great Egret  1
Snowy Egret  1
Black Vulture  14
Turkey Vulture  3
Osprey  18     Careful count.
Bald Eagle  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker  2
American Kestrel  2
Peregrine Falcon  1
Blue Jay  4
Fish Crow  7
Tree Swallow  4
Carolina Chickadee  1
Tufted Titmouse  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch  1
White-breasted Nuthatch  1
Carolina Wren  2
American Robin  35
Northern Mockingbird  2
European Starling  7
House Finch  8
American Goldfinch  3
White-throated Sparrow  7
Red-winged Blackbird  10
Brown-headed Cowbird  5
Common Grackle  40
Pine Warbler  1
Northern Cardinal  8
House Sparrow  14

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

Sunday Morning at Turkey Point - Sunday, March 31, 2019

Glades Wildlife Refuge--Turkey Pt., Cumberland, New Jersey, US

16 species

Canada Goose  3
American Black Duck  10
Ring-necked Duck  10
Bufflehead  72
Common Merganser  2
Ring-billed Gull  2
Double-crested Cormorant  16
Great Blue Heron  1
Osprey  7
Northern Harrier  8
Bald Eagle  5
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Fish Crow  2
Tree Swallow  1
Red-winged Blackbird  20
Boat-tailed Grackle  1

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

James Moore Road, Cumberland, New Jersey, US

7 species

Canada Goose  3
Wild Turkey  3
Black Vulture  16     Actual count
Bald Eagle  1
American Kestrel  1
Carolina Wren  1
Louisiana Waterthrush  1

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

Railroad Ave./ Ackley Road, Cumberland, New Jersey, US

5 species

Red-breasted Nuthatch  5
Carolina Wren  1
American Robin  3
Pine Warbler  6
Northern Cardinal  1

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

Birding Cape May Point - Saturday, March 30, 2019

A steady stream of Northern Gannets has been migrating up the coast all week and today was no exception. With their six-foot black-tipped wingspan and gold highlighted head, they're quite a spectacle when flying close to land. Oystercatcher numbers are increasing and a group of them were raising quite a racket over the dunes. A male and a female Blue-winged Teal were a nice surprise on one of the back ponds. 

Leaders: Kathy Horn, Roger Horn, Carrie Bell

Canada Goose  14
Mute Swan  8
Blue-winged Teal  2
Northern Shoveler  10
Gadwall  32
American Wigeon  6
Mallard  11
American Black Duck  2
Green-winged Teal (American)  16
Surf Scoter  6
Black Scoter  2
Surf/Black Scoter  8
Bufflehead  6
Mourning Dove  7
American Coot (Red-shielded)  1
American Oystercatcher  4
Killdeer  1
Herring Gull (American)  7
Red-throated Loon  1
Common Loon  1
Northern Gannet  15
Great Egret  4
Black Vulture  1
Turkey Vulture  2
Osprey (carolinensis)  3
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted)  2
Eastern Phoebe  1
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  2
Fish Crow  4
Tree Swallow  8
Carolina Chickadee  2
Carolina Wren (Northern)  8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  1
American Robin  7
Northern Mockingbird  3
European Starling  1
House Finch  1
Field Sparrow  6
White-throated Sparrow  2
Song Sparrow  2
Eastern Towhee  1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged)  20
Common Grackle  3
Northern Cardinal  6

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

American Oystercatcher photo by Kathy Horn

Northern Gannet photo by Kathy Horn