Birding at the Jersey shore

I lucked out with last weekend's weather down at the Jersey shore and spent a good bit of my time birdwatching in the Cape May/Stone Harbor areas. I've got a good pair of binoculars but I find that my camera sometimes fails me when I'm trying to capture detail in my distance shots of birds. Nevertheless, I got to see quite a few interesting birds and I'll share a few of my images. I've consulted my field guides in an attempt to identify all the birds whose pictures I'm sharing, but I would appreciate ID assistance (or correction) with any of them.

My first bird is a Laughing Gull, as seen on a Stone Harbor beach.

My second bird is a Great Egret looking for lunch in the waters of Cape May.

Here's another view of the same Great Egret.

It looks like this Herring gull caught some lunch in the waters behind the Stone Harbor Wetlands Institute.

This duck I photographed at Cape May looks very familiar to me, but I was unable to identify him.

I believe this is one of the semi-palmated plovers I saw at Cape May.

This cute waterbird may be a lesser yellowlegs, though his legs are not very visible.

I've always called the little birds who run along the incoming and outgoing ocean waters sandpipers, but if that's what they really are, I don't know their specific ID.

I got only a silhouetted picture of these two shore birds flying around the Cape May waters. They were dark in color with some lighter feathers underneath. Their bills were curved, and their legs were extended. I believe they are Glossy Ibises.

There were a number of Mute Swans swimming around. This one was swimming away from me at Cape May.

This is another little waterbird that needs an identity. Too bad all I got is this view of him. It makes it difficult to see some of his important features.

This red-winged blackbird was one of many seen near the Wetlands Institute at Stone Harbor.

I was lucky to spot this Red-headed Woodpecker in a tree along one of the Cape May Lighthouse nature trails. Too bad I couldn't get a little closer. This is only the second one I've ever seen.

I had no trouble identifying this pair of Canada Geese.

I was at Leaming's Run Gardens near Cape May Court House when I spotted this bird in a tree in a very woodsy section of the gardens. Although my picture is not very sharp, I think my bird is a Veery, a bird I've never seen before.

Good going thyme!!! I was there in Stone Harbor and Cape May this past Monday.

Glad you had good weather; thanks for sharing with us!

The red-headed woodpecker is great, I haven't seen one in decades either.

Thanks, Resin for all your assistance with my IDs. I was at least headed in the right direction for most of them. As for my last bird, I had at least determined that I had a spotted thrush. Years ago (before I owned my own field guides) I had the misfortune of meeting my first spotted thrush on the front doorstep of my home. He had been the victim of a window collision and had not survived the impact. Although I did not at the time know his identity I went to the library and had concluded that he was a Wood Thrush. Although this might sound just a little weird, I found this bird to be so beautiful that instead of burying him in the back yard immediately, I wrapped him securely and stored him in my freezer for at least a year. (This is not a little story that I have shared with many people over the years, so I'm not sure why I'm doing so now.) In my memory, my saved bird had seemed smaller than my pictured bird, although I see that typically the Wood Thrush is a little larger than the Veery.

Pelletory, just where did you photograph your wonderful osprey with fish shots? They are great. I did see osprey at several locations at Stone Harbor and Cape May, but I was never able to get any decent shots, especially not with a fish in its mouth. I'm a real fan of osprey myself, so I'm looking forward to the day when I'll be able to see something similar to what you captured without having to go to YouTube or the like. As for my good luck with the weather, I arrived in Stone Harbor early Saturday afternoon and did most of my birding on Sunday morning before some rains moved in. I visited Leaming's Run Gardens early Monday and was back in Pennsylvania by the time those heavy winds had already arrived.

Claypa, I was so happy to have seen this Red-Headed Woodpecker last week. Coincidentally, my previous sighting of one was in Williamsburg, Virginia, so it looks like I'm probably going to have to leave home in order to get lucky with the RHW again.

Hi thyme, There are 2 nests on N. Wildwood Blvd on the side as your driving towards n. wildwood. There located before the light thats before the bridge.

The nest nearest the light is closest to the road.

thyme, Are the lighthouse trails your speaking of on the lighthouse side or across the parking lot on the other side?

This message was edited May 25, 2008 5:52 AM

Pelletory, I knew there was a reason why I wanted to stop on N. Wildwood Blvd on our way to Cape May. We didn't, though, as we were trying to get to Cape May Point as early in the morning as possible to beat the rains. The trails I am referring to are on the other side of the lighthouse parking lot near the Hawk Watch platform. For those not familiar with those trails at Cape May Point State Park, they can take you through some wetlands, scrubby woods, around the pond that fronts the platform, and along the lee side of the dunes. There's plenty to see along the way.

After those trails we like to go to The Meadows, the Nature Conservancy's Migratory Bird Refuge along Sunset Blvd. This was the first time we had been there since the major upgrade, and although I do miss the old paths in a way, I was glad to be able to keep my feet dry this time even though there had been recent rains.

Before heading back to Stone Harbor we hiked a few trails at Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area. I probably wasn't patient enough to stop, watch and listen because I never got to see as many birds as I would have liked. Last year I was there over Mother's Day weekend during the World Series of Birding (not as a participant) and by being around some more experienced birders I was able to add a number of birds to my sightings.

I used to be an Avalon renter and still miss being close to all the bird action in and around Cape May County. As it is, we only get down to the area once or twice a year which is not nearly often enough for me.

Resin, that is an excellent idea to donate birds found killed in a collision to a local museum. Luckily I rarely do find window-collision victims, but I would like to know that they might be appreciated and used in an educational setting.

This message was edited May 25, 2008 10:34 AM

Small world thyme; I used to live in Stone Harbor!

What a wonderful birding day you had Thyme...I especially love the shore birds since I don't get to see many of those. Thanks for posting them...very lovely shots!