Day Two
First on the agenda this morning is going to the hotel cafe to get a cup of coffee. While partaking in this liquid wakeup I decide to check the app - BirdsEye. This app will show me rare birds and birds I haven’t seen which have been spotted nearby. One of the birds that came up which was a new bird for me was the Black Skimmer, in the tern family. It had been seen close by. I decided to take a walk to see if I could find one. Stepping outside the hotel somewhat early (7:00am) I see it has been raining and there is currently a light mist. None of my weather apps called for this. As a matter of fact they are not even acknowledging it is currently happening.
I head to the beach, the mist is light and doesn’t deter me. I reach the beach and notice it is pretty much deserted of people. It is wide and requires a short walk to get closer to the water. I notice a slight ridge in the sand, I cross over the crest of it and there to the right are abut 180 Black Skimmers. I did not expect that, was pleasantly surprised. What an interesting bird and a lifer for me!
Black Skimmers
They got scared off by people walking the beach, but luckily flew back. You may be able to see them in the distance.
My next birding spot was the Nature Conservancy South Cape May Meadows Preserve, a short drive from the hotel. The misty rain picked up, it was now requiring a raincoat. That did not deter the birds however, they were moving. Mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers and sparrows - Song, Swamp and Savannah.
I see something different, it’s in the phragmites. Luckily I was able to get a couple of pictures. What an attractive bird. I continue my walk and naturally see another birder. He asks the question most birders ask upon seeing another birder - “See anything interesting?” I explain I saw something I couldn’t identify and show him the picture on my camera. After he studied it a bit he said “That’s a Bobolink.” OMG, I’ve been trying to find one of those for months. Two life birds in one day - it might be raining, but it is a wonderful day!
Moving on to the Meadows blind and the nearby ponds, I was able to see various shorebirds and waterfowl.
It was here I met up again with my friends, Sue and Alan and the rain began to dissipate.
We headed to the Hawk Watch to see what was flying today. It was cloudy, 68F NE winds 15mph. While I was there I saw:
29 Mute Swan
2 Mallards
2 Pied-billed Grebe
1 Laughing Gull
5 Great Blue Heron
2 Black Vultures
4 Turkey Vultures
2 Osprey
19 Sharp-shinned Hawks
3 Cooper’s Hawks
2 Bald Eagles
4 Peregrine Falcons
200 Tree Swallows
1 Carolina Wren
2 Mocking Birds
1 Palm Warbler
I then headed to Stone Harbor Point, about a 30 minute drive. I had signed up for an Audobon bird walk. The “Sunset Birding at Stone Harbor Point” walk was 1.5 hrs. and was mostly along the beach to view shorebirds and anything else we find on the way to the beach. Sadly the mist of the morning returned on my way there. It was a chilly 67F with NE winds 9mph. With the mist/light rain, I decided to leave my camera in the car.
We saw:
1 Mourning Dove
5 American Oystercatchers
6 Semipalmated Plover
1 Ruddy Turnstone
135 Sanderling
4 Western Sandpipers
3 Laughing Gulls
6 Ring-billed Gulls
12 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
1 Forster’s Tern
It was a very long day of birding. I have another Audubon bird walk in the morning.
