Autumn Weekend Birding Cape Island
October 26, 2013
What an eventful day for our youth birders in Cape May! Starting the day at the Nature Center we picked up the newly resident flock of Brant, had a few good looks at some early morning sparrows, and a couple of interesting flyovers including a kingfisher and a pair of common loons. Our first stop at the Beanery turned out very productive with good looks at a variety of sparrow species including Song, Swamp, Savannah, White-throated, Field, Eastern Towhee, and a cooperative Vesper Sparrow! We watched three Hermit Thrushes give us a show as they actively fed on some Virginia Creeper. Other highlights were a variety of raptors riding the first thermals of the day including an adult Golden Eagle! Our youth birders also picked up a drab fall warbler feeding near the ground on some low foliage. The brightness and the lack of streaking tipped us off that this was probably not an Orange-crowned warbler. Sure enough after closer study we deduced it was a late Tennessee Warbler.
Our next stop was the Cape May Point State Park Hawk Watch Platform and a walk around the park. There we spotted a number migrating raptors moving through as well as a nice variety of waterfowl. We capped off the State Park with a raptor demonstration and watched the release of a hatch year female Peregrine Falcon.
A stop at the convention center brought us a close encounter with a wolf (Samson) and visits with a red-tailed hawk, screech owl, and expert birders (and youth birding advocates!) Michael O'Brian and Louise Zemaitis. We also spotted Northern Gannets feeding out over the ocean and skeins of Scoters streaming by. We finished the day off at Cove Pool spotting a number of Killdeer feeding on the mudflats and stopped on the beach to watch the flocks of Sanderlings being chased by the rough ocean surf.
Thanks to all of our youth birding participants, leaders Scott Banes, Sam Wilson, Dale Rosselet, Jim Wilson, and Carl Zeiss Sports Optics and the Stone Foundation for sponsoring the event.
-Sam Wilson
Species list and pictures from the day below:
Our next stop was the Cape May Point State Park Hawk Watch Platform and a walk around the park. There we spotted a number migrating raptors moving through as well as a nice variety of waterfowl. We capped off the State Park with a raptor demonstration and watched the release of a hatch year female Peregrine Falcon.
A stop at the convention center brought us a close encounter with a wolf (Samson) and visits with a red-tailed hawk, screech owl, and expert birders (and youth birding advocates!) Michael O'Brian and Louise Zemaitis. We also spotted Northern Gannets feeding out over the ocean and skeins of Scoters streaming by. We finished the day off at Cove Pool spotting a number of Killdeer feeding on the mudflats and stopped on the beach to watch the flocks of Sanderlings being chased by the rough ocean surf.
Thanks to all of our youth birding participants, leaders Scott Banes, Sam Wilson, Dale Rosselet, Jim Wilson, and Carl Zeiss Sports Optics and the Stone Foundation for sponsoring the event.
-Sam Wilson
Species list and pictures from the day below:
Full species list:
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-Winged Teal
Surf Scoter
White-Winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Northern Gannet
Double-Crested Cormorant
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Killdeer
Sanderling
Wilson's Snipe
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Forster's Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total species: 81
Brant
Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Green-Winged Teal
Surf Scoter
White-Winged Scoter
Black Scoter
Ruddy Duck
Common Loon
Northern Gannet
Double-Crested Cormorant
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Golden Eagle
American Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
American Coot
Killdeer
Sanderling
Wilson's Snipe
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Royal Tern
Forster's Tern
Black Skimmer
Rock Pigeon
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Downy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Blue Jay
American Crow
Fish Crow
Tree Swallow
Carolina Chickadee
Carolina Wren
Winter Wren
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Hermit Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
Brown Thrasher
European Starling
American Pipit
Tennessee Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Palm Warbler
Eastern Towhee
Chipping Sparrow
Field Sparrow
Vesper Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Swamp Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Red-winged Blackbird
Eastern Meadowlark
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
Total species: 81