Bob Heitzman -- The 251 Town Birder
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7-11 May 2015


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I had the pleasure of spending 5 days this month traveling and birding with a small group of six enthusiastic birders and two knowledgeable guides, down at Cape May.  The trip was hosted by the North Branch Nature Center, in Montpelier, which has run this trip for a decade.  I had never been on an organized trip before, and the opportunity to join a small group of birders to one of the great birding hotspots in the eastern US was too good to let pass by.  Plus, the price was within my budget, I wouldn't have to drive, and best of all, I would be going with people who knew where to go and what to see.  Our group included intermediate and advanced birders, a botany-enthusiast, and two shutter-bugs -- yup, one was me!

The weekend of our trip coincided with the World Series of Birding.   The WSB is a 24-hour birding Marathon on one day of the year, with teams of 3-4 birders, many of them youth teams, streaking hither and yon across Cape May County or All of New Jersey, to identify, confirm, and log as many species as they can.  We did the WSB marathon but at a more leisurely pace, because while we were equally enthusiastic about the quest, we wanted to savor each bird species, the sounds, smells, settings, and everything around us.

Our base of operations was a group cabin in Belleplain State Forest in adjacent Cumberland County.  Our cabin had a picnic area, it's own dock onto the lake, and was very private - apart from being less than 50 yards from a highway.  The days were intense:  Up at 5:00am, out at 6:00, bird all morning, picnic lunch, bird all afternoon, a light dinner, and then out for evening/twilight birding.  Mornings usually started in a cool, moist, dense fog, but mid-afternoons were hot and sunny.  Some nights we weren't back until almost 10:00pm.  I stayed up each evening to sort thru photos and crop down the best, so that my companions could watch a slide show with breakfast the next morning.  Oh, breakfasts:  for the record, I've had enough of Greek yoghurt and Granola for quite some time; I am proud to call myself an 'opportunivore' but on my first morning back, I wanted nothing other than a hot, flavorful sausage and egg breakfast sandwich.

The end result of the marathon weekend was 20 checklists (including the WAWA near Belleplain, and the service plaza on the Garden State Parkway) and 135 bird species.  That's 8 more bird species than I've seen in Vermont in all of 2015 (so far)!

Here, for my Cape May compatriots, my birding friends, and my real-world friends, is a medley of photos, organized by the general habitats we trekked thru.  Enjoy! 

Shorebirds, Offshore birds, and Coastal-cruising Cetaceans

American Oystercatchers nest along the shore. Just like humans, these birds all wanted 'beachfront property' for their nest. As a result, they were easy to approach and photograph
A male American Oystercatcher showing some attitude
Brants at Nummy Island. Such elegant little geese. I love them.
This male Horned Grebe entertained us for the longest time, practicing his courtship performance.
Whimbrel on Nummy Island. Only wish we had been closer for a better photo.
A Red Knot resting amongst Short-billed Dowitchers and Dunlin
A Black-bellied Plover amongst Short-billed Dowitchers
A Greater Yellowlegs passing behind a Short-billed Dowitcher
A freshly-banded Dunlin after being released
Willets, courting
Willet on watch
Forster's Terns, amongst Dunlin and Semipalmated Plovers
Laughing Gulls feeding on Horseshoe Crab eggs, out at Cape May Point
... that were part of a massive flock foraging on the beach.
A lone Caspian Tern
A Black Scoter, but this one has some white on its wing; wonder if they cross-breed with White-wings?
A large Horseshoe Crab that didn't make it back into the water.
Seeing porpoises moving up the coast was a real treat for us landlocked birders.

Marshes and Coastal Woodlands

An Immature Bald Eagle, one of two that had been taking shelter in a large pine tree.
A great pose by a Great Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis were a common but captivating sight on our trip.
Great Egret with a pair of Canada Geese
Male and female "Blallards" -- Mallard x American Black Duck
A Ruddy Turnstone in breeding plumage
Clapper Rails. Widespread but often very secretive.
Immature Double-crested Cormorant
A very glossy male Brown-headed Cowbird
A Boat-tailed Grackle showing his stuff
Snowy Egret doing Karate
Jack-in-the-Pulpits growing happily in the sandy woodlands
Osprey on his perch...
... and his mate on the nest
A large rookerie of Cormorants, Snowy Egrets, and Black-crowned Night-herons
The Yellow-crowned Night-herons had their own rookery, further along the coast.
An elegant Mute Swan
Mute Swans in flight

Woodlands and Open Spaces

The flowering Dogwood were gorgeous
Larry discovered this Blue-gray Gnatcatcher's nest
... and the gnatcatcher wasn't too thrilled about it.
Blue Grosbeak
Male Purple Martin glistening in the sun at Cape May SP
This Cooper's Hawk missed all of the Purple Martins
Eastern Bluebird at the bird bath
Eastern Towhee
Great-crested Flycatcher
This Hooded Warbler was one of our prized sightings on the trip
A passing Guinea Fowl, from a nearby farm no doubt
One of several Horned Lark in a roadside field
Black and Turkey Vultures foraging near a roadside
This Summer Tanager and his mate captivated us for several minutes
The female SUTA was less showy but no less beautiful
A Worm-eating Warbler singing in a foggy woodland on a chilly May morning
Male Yellow Warbler
Yellow-throated Warblers do not come to Vermont, so we came to them
House Wren
A juvenile Mourning Dove startled from its hiding place
A Pine Warbler foraging for nest materials
Male Orchard Oriole
Immature Orchard Oriole
Sharp-eyed Larry spotted this 7 year old Eastern Box Turtle crossing the road; we helped it along its way

And of course, Humans and their Creations

The Cape May crew: Bob, Lisa, Ken C, Fran, Ken B, Linda, Larry, Connie, and Pat
Most mornings we were birding in heavy fog
Trekking thru the dunes near the point
We did spend time enjoying the beach... just not for its sand and sun.
Cape May Lighthouse was often enveloped in fog. We could hear it's high and low tones all around the southern Cape
Cape May Lighthouse from one of the State Park trails
East Point Light, in Heislerville
The Cape May - Lewes ferry arrived with an entourage of gulls and porpoises.
WWII coastal defense Bunker 223. This bunker was built ~400 yards inland in the 1940s, and was surrounded by ocean in 2001; today sand again surrounds the bunker.
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