Memories of Cape May, New Jersey Day 8

Our last early start of the trip, up at 5:45 am and out to Higbee for one final time. There was nothing in the way of migration but we did see a flock of scoters which flew behind the tree line in front of us and then didn't re-appear. We made our way down to the beach and saw them on the shoreline, identifying them as Black (Common) Scoters.
We then headed back to the Hawk Watch Point pausing only when we saw a large flock of Wild Turkey's.

Wild Turkey's

 A walk out to the beach produced a single Surf Scoter on the sea before we headed back to the bus and the motel to final pack and head north to the airport at Newark.

Cape May State Park

Blue-Winged Teal

We had planned some stops on the way and the first was to the Avalon Sea Watch. Here there were more Black Scoters and also large numbers of migrating Double-Crested Cormorants flying south in untidy skeins similar to geese.
We now headed for our last stop of the trip at Brigantine, but this time we would drive around the reserve with stopping. We had good views of Semi-P's and Western Sandpipers using the van as a hide.

Western Sandpiper

Near the north dike we saw a Red Fox which ambled across the track allowing photos to be taken from the bus and near the woods at the end of the drive, a White-Tailed Deer and a Cooper's Hawk.

Red Fox

Cooper's Hawk

Back at the car park we changed into our travelling clothes and packed our 'scopes away, but there was still one new species to be had with several Chipping Sparrows feeding around the trees.

Chipping Sparrow

Then it was back onto the bus for the rest of the journey to Newark and our flight home.
The end of a great trip which ended with a total of 146 species seen by me including 94 new ones for my world list and a desire to maybe visit the USA again soon.

Memories of Cape May, New Jersey Day 7

Up again at 5:30am and at Higbee by 6:30am but this morning I decided to give the dike a miss and birded the fields instead.

Higbee Beach Dike

I had good views of Blackpoll Warbler and Indigo Bunting but missed getting a decent view of a White-Eyed Vireo as it flew and then just disappeared.
I then spent some time on the Flight Deck getting photo's of species I'd seen earlier in the week such as Carolina Wren and Brown Thrasher.

Carolina Wren

Brown Thrasher

We then headed over to the Cape May Airfield again. There were at least fifteen American Kestrels around the runways. We also spotted a flock of Horned (Shore) Larks and we had a flyover American Pipit. On the far side of the runway outside of the perimeter fence were a couple of Wild Turkeys.

Horned Larks

We took the opportunity whilst there to have brunch at the Flight Deck Diner before heading north to the Belleplain State Forest for some woodland birds.

The Flight Deck Diner

Belleplain is a 20,000 acre forest established in 1928 for public recreation, timber production and wildlife management. We were advised to find an old scout camp on one of the trails and here James used his tape lure to entice our target species, White-Breasted Nuthatch. We also saw Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, Carolina Chickadee, Tufted Titmouse, Pine Warbler and heard Red-Breasted Nuthatch.

We tried several other sites around the forest but apart from good views of Ruby-Crowned Kinglet we added nothing new.

White-Fronted Nuthatch

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

Pine Warbler

We now headed to Stone Harbour to try for Piping Plover again, with no luck again, perhaps due to the presence of two hunting Peregrine Falcons. We did see good numbers of Semi-Palmated Plovers and Sandpipers though.

Stone Harbour

We went back to the motel early tonight as we had to pack for our flight tomorrow and then out for our evening meal. Tonight my beers were Anglesea and Jawjacker.

Memories of Cape May, New Jersey Day 6

We again started the day at Higbee Beach but it was very quiet and I only added Ruby-Crowned Kinglet to the trip list.

Downy Woodpecker

As it was a slow day talk turned to great days of the past and we heard stories of over 75,000 Yellow-Rumped Warblers passing in the 80's. After an hour of nothing much we headed over to Coral Ave. to sea watch. Again nothing new bird wise but we did see another large pod of Bottle-Nosed Dolphins and several Monarch Butterflies feeding up on the budhlia as they migrated south.

Monarch Butterfly

  We had been seeing these everyday as they migrated and the numbers were building.
We then went to the Hawk Watch Point again and I finally connected with the Green Heron that I'd missed on the first day.

Green Heron

Richard, Alastair and I took a walk along the path whilst the others stayed on the platform and we saw an Indigo Bunting and a Field Sparrow.

Indigo Bunting

Field Sparrow

After 'brunch' we spent the rest of the morning at Cape May Meadows which is just along the road from our motel. This is reclaimed land from the former town of South Cape May which was washed away in the 1950's and is now managed for migratory birds in both spring and fall.

Its a circular walk with a mixture of wet meadows and ponds.
Here we added Common Gallinule, a recent split from Common Moorhen, a Killdeer plus many Green & Blue-Winged Teals, Northern Pintails and Shoveler and a Ruddy Duck.
We the called back to the CMBO and in a moment of self indulgence I purchased a new 'scope, an Opticron MM3. To be fair I've been meaning to get a new one as I've been lugging my old Kowa TS1 around the world for the last 30 years. The new one is great and I hardly know I'm carrying it.
We the headed to Shell Bay Ave. for saltmarsh sparrows.

Shell Bay Ave.

Here we saw both Seaside & Saltmarsh Sparrows but not the rarer Nelson's Saltmarsh Sparrow.

Saltmarsh Sparrow

We now went to a new site for the trip and the Wetlands Institute near Stone Harbour where the visitor centre informs visitors about the delicate balance between the land and sea. I was please to see House Finch in the car park as I'd been trying to get a decent view of this species all week.

House Finch

On the reserve were a large flock of Willets roosting on the Islands and also two Short-Billed Dowitchers feeding in the channel. We also had our best views yet of Tri-Coloured Heron.

Willets

Short-Billed Dowitcher

Tri-Coloured Heron

A walk along the track to the river produced a Little-Blue Heron, a hunting Osprey, and a few fly-over Flickers. At the river we saw another Clapper Rail and our first Yellow-Crowned Night Heron.

Juvenile Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

Back at the visitor centre I went off to find a 'loo' but the centre had closed for the day, I did see this Eastern Phoebe though.

Eastern Phoebe

Our last stop of the day was Nummy's Island where we 'scoped the channel from the toll bridge. There was a large group of birds, mostly Great-Black Backed Gulls, Forster's Terns and a few American Oystercatchers and Willets on a sandbar but they were some distance away and by now the light was poor. 

We now headed back to the motel to get ready for our evening meal. My beers this evening were Stone IPA and Big Leaf Maple from the Anchor Brew Co.

Memories of Cape May, New Jersey Day 5

Another morning at Higbee Beach, so much quieter than yesterday but I did add Indigo Bunting, a flock of Pine Siskins and a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker. Ian also spotted two Ruddy Ducks which bizarrely were on the sea off the beach..
We then headed up to the Avalon Sea Watch again. A brief sea watch added a Parasitic Jaeger (Arctic Skua) and a large pod of Bottle-Nosed Dolphins.

Avalon Sea Watch

Bottle-Nosed Dolphin

We then went for 'brunch' at Brian's Waffle House before a long drive north to the Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, or as its also called Brigantine, or just Brig for short.

This a 47,000 acre reserve of coastal habitat managed for migrating birds and is a site of special importance for American Black Ducks and Atlantic Brant. Most of the reserve is tidal salt marsh.

American Black Duck

The drive around the reserve is 9 miles long with various stopping points and takes around three hours to complete.  Our first stop was at the tower on the south dike where we stayed for a while. The tower affords great views over the whole reserve and also of nearby Atlantic City.

Atlantic City

From the vantage point of the tower we saw Boat-Tailed and Common Grackles, Greater Scaup, Brown-Headed Cowbird, Red-Winged Blackbird, Black-Crowned Night Heron and the first of our several species of salt-marsh sparrows with Song and Swamp Sparrows and also Savannah Sparrow.

Boat-Tailed Grackle

Brown-Headed Cowbird

We carried on with the drive and stopped next the turn onto the East Dike. Here we added Saltmarsh Sparrow and Semi-Palmated Plovers.

Semi-Palmated Plover

There was also a juvenile Northern Harrier hunting.

Juvenile Northern Harrier

At the turn back onto the North Dike was a large collection of herons and egrets with our first views of Tri-Coloured Heron and also Great Blue Heron, more Black-Crowned Night Herons and Snowy Egrets.
When we got near to the end of the drive we stopped by the bridge at Doughty Creek and 'scoped over lily covered water. Here we saw our first and only of the trip, Wood Ducks, with several males and females present and a Belted Kingfisher. 

Doughty Creek

Belted Kingfisher

We then had a couple of hours drive back to Cape May, where we again stopped at the liquor store and I stocked up with some beers to go with my evening meal. This time a couple of ex-pat ales with Samuel Smiths of Tadcaster, Oatmeal Stout and Nut Brown Ale. Then it was off to get ready and out for our meal and up-dating of the log before turning in for the night.