Bedford Audubon Society

Bedford Audubon's 2004 Cape May Weekend
By Ryan MacLean
Photographs by Kay Cocozza

Seventeen of us made Bedford Audubon's annual pilgrimage to Cape May the first weekend of October. We were blessed with great weather and a spectacular 122 species of birds. Friday brought sunny skies and crisp temperatures for our first stop, the famous Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (Brigantine). We were treated with great looks at thousands of shorebirds, waterfowl and waders. Our best highlight was the previously reported American White Pelican. We then headed south to Stone Harbor Point, where hungry shorebirds, including Red Knots and Piping Plovers, drilled along the shore’s edge. Caspian Terns, majestic Brown Pelicans, and the star Cape May bird, the Peregrine Falcon, put on a dazzling show over our heads.

Saturday brought southerly winds and rain showers throughout the day. Our first stop, Higbee Beach was silent, except for migrating Merlin and Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks. At the hawk watch, several hawks were present; from the pavilion we had great looks at Parasitic Jaegers offshore. Unfortunately, it began to pour.

After the rains ceased, we headed downtown to the 2nd Avenue Jetty. Hundreds of Black Skimmers and terns roosted along the beach. Offshore we saw Northern Gannets and flocks of Surf and Black Scoters. Another Parasitic Jaeger came right in to shore and harassed gulls along the beach, giving us all a breathtaking glimpse of this powerful pelagic bird. We moved out to Nummy Island, where we had great looks at Little Blue Herons, Cattle Egret, Marbled Godwits, and the elusive Clapper Rail. Both night herons, sitting secretively in the surrounding trees, gave us great looks.

That night, a cold front moved through with the promise of northwest winds the next day. As hoped for, Higbee Beach was filled with migrants. Ten species of warblers, including Chestnut-sided, Nashville, Black-throated Blue, and Blackpoll, flitted amongst the dense foliage. Other highlights included a very cooperative Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Brown Thrasher, and an immature Red-headed Woodpecker. Hungry Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks hunted directly over our heads.
We headed over to the Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge (South Cape May Meadows) where we were greeted by a Black Vulture soaring overhead. The marshes were filled with waterfowl, and there was a truly amazing spectacle as thousands of migrating Tree Swallows spiraled over our heads.

The hawk watch was also much more productive. In the little time we had there, several Bald Eagles and a few Peregrines were seen along with numerous accipiters and smaller falcons. The Wetlands Institute at Stone Harbor proved to be quite productive this year providing our only Tricolored Heron for the trip and three more Red-headed Woodpeckers. After picking up Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on a front lawn, we headed to our last stop, the Avalon Sea-watch, which gave us our last species for the trip, Common Loon along with several flocks of xcoters. Then it was time to battle the Garden State Parkway traffic and head home. Another successful Cape May trip was at an end.