FAREWELL TO CAPE MAY

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Black-throated Blue Warbler outside the Convention Hall - a late lingerer 

CAPE MAY WAS VERY KIND TO ME, even providing a Black-throated Blue Warbler that waited all day in a tiny flowerbed in front of the Convention Hall until I was able to get out and photograph it. I love almost everything about Cape May, from the bird-filled migrant traps, raptors passing overhead, friendly birders and brightly painted quaint buildings to Seven Eleven coffee, blueberry muffins and Uncle Bill’s Pancake House. My last morning added a final warbler species, Orange-crowned, courtesy of Glen as well as another great visible migration spectacle from the Merlin grasping a Golden-crowned Kinglet atop a telegraph pole to a steady stream of Red-bellied Woodpeckers, this time from the Coral Avenue dune crossing platform, one of the nicest spots on the point. The birding festival itself was great with lots of folks serious about birding travel and a great talk by the Warbler Guide guys, Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle not to mention catching up with a lot of old friends as well as some new ones. I look forward to returning! 

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The Coral Avenue crew including (L-R) Tom Johnson, Warren Cairo, Roger Horn, Doug Gochfeld and Glen Davis. 

STONE HARBOR SHOREBIRDS

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A Semi-palmated Plover feeding on the shore.

SMALL NUMBERS OF SEMI-PALMATED PLOVERS AND WESTERN SANDPIPERS DELIGHTED on the sandy shore at Stone Harbor. Although the Piping Plovers that breed here in the summer were now gone there were still plenty of other shorebirds to watch, in between the dumb beach walkers who persisted in walking along the water’s edge. Given time it was possible to get very close to them, lying on the ultra fine sand. Sanderlings from the High Arctic were the commonest shorebirds but were also joined by a few Red Knot and Dunlin. Two Red Knot, Black-bellied Plovers and a couple of juvenile Semi-palmated Plovers also enlivened my visits. The second, with Wildside guide and ex-pat Brit Adrian Binns, was ‘with the lights on’ in lovely evening sun that improved on my rather flat photos from the first session. The shorebirds were also more approachable here than back home. I’ll be back! 

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Western Sandpiper 

SPARROWS IN THE BEANERY

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This delicate Field Sparrow obliged at the beanery.

OUT OF THE WIND, THE SHELTERED HEDGEROWS AND WIND BREAKS OF THE REA’S FARM (AKA THE BEANERY) WERE FULL OF MIGRANT SONGBIRDS. Sparrows predominated here with some particularly nice views of Field and Savannah. A few warblers were also still around - my only Common Yellowthroat of the trip skulked in a tangle of creepers here. There were also other birds that would set pulses racing back home like Blue-headed Vireo, Tennessee Warbler and Hermit Thrush. Although numbers dwindled towards the end of my stay there were still a few interesting species to be seen or better views to be had of familiar faces that seemed to stick to the same small discreet areas of the farm. The farm is also a good place to keep an eye on the skies and most of the raptors that are seen from the hawkwatch platform can also be seen passing over here. Thanks a lot to Cape May resident Kevin Karlson for another top tip of how to best to spend my time. 

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Savannah Sparrow 

FLIGHT OF THE KINGLETS

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Ruby-crowned Kinglets are such wonderful little creatures, hover-gleaning under leaves or foraging on plants 

AT CAPE MAY'S MORNING FLIGHT, A BIG PUSH OF RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS joined the Sharpies and Yellow-rumpeds . Although both of the latter were still on the move there was a noticeable spike in kinglet numbers today, of both species but particularly Ruby-crowned. They even flew between the birders gathered on Higbee Dyke, landing everywhere. ‘Counter’ Sam has even had them land on him previously here. Brown Creepers were also more in evidence today, although flicker numbers were markedly down on a couple of days before. Cape May resident Glen Davis commented that he had never seen so many kinglets migrating as this autumn…so it is little wonder that kinglets made it to the Azores and Ireland this autumn. This is a totally incredible phenomenon but we tend to forget that even smaller creatures complete this journey routinely – Monarch butterflies for instance. I have often wondered why both continents only have two kinglet species each (there are two island species as well – Flamecrest in Taiwan and Madeira Firecrest). So when 26 forms make up the Goldcrest/Kinglet family there must surely be some future splits on the cards?