Kayaking with Brooke & Stacie - Cape Island Creek

One of the fun things about living in CMC is kayaking in the back bays.  I just haven't had time to  kayak this spring because of working and when off of work creating new butterfly gardens for my front yard.  This weekend friends were down so kayaking Cape Island Creek was planned.  What a fun time we had 

seeing Common Terns (above) Great Egrets (left), Snowy Egrets, Osprey and Osprey chicks,
Cormorants on poles, many Green Herons hunting along the edges of the creek, Clapper Rails calling with one bathing in the creek, hundreds of Fiddler Crabs, Gulls catching crabs for breakfast  and lots more birds.

Green Heron

Clapper Rail bathing

Broooke kayaking

Stacie having fun!

 

Thoughtful Thursday - Snowy Egret

Who is that bird trying to steal my territory?

Back Bays Cape May County

Common Tern on nest

Common Loon in breeding plummage- a rare sight in CMC!

Some of my best afternoons are spent in the Back Bay Salt Marshes of Cape May County observing the birds.  Here are some of the birds from the last trip.

Double-crested Cormorant (juvenile)

Boat-tailed Grackle

Thoughtful Thursday - Monarch Butterfly

“Butterflies are self propelled flowers. ”
― R.H. Heinlein

Wordless Wednesday

Herring Gull with chick

Butterflfies galore - My backyard

This year I have started to put out rotten fruit on a plate in the front and back gardens to attract the butterflies.  At first we had just one, then about 5 at once and now a plateful with to many to count.  Most of the butterflies are Question Marks, with Red Admirals, Painted Ladies and a rare Comma Butterfly.  Now I plan to add a pan of sand moistened with Gatoraide for those butterflies that like to puddle for minerals.

Question Mark Butterfly

Many Question Mark Butterflies with a few Red Admirals nectaring on rotten fruit.

Birding- CM Point State Park

Purple Martin's - Male & Female

Eastern Kingbird



Birding South Cape Meadows

American Oystercatchers and babies - South Cape Meadows

     

Killdeer

Piping Plover and chick

  

Thoughtful Thursday

“One person's weed is another person's wildflower.” 

Susan Wittig Albert

Wordless Wednesday

Thoughtful Thursday

"Behold the turtle.  He makes progress only when he sticks his neck out."
James Bryant Conant

Full Moon and HIgh Tides

The moon as it rose tonight in the sky. Breathtaking!!

There have been several days of high tides in CMC back bays as the mooon became full. Sadly, it washed away the American Oystercatcher's nest of eggs in the wrak on Nummy Island that I posted a few days ago. It also washed away most of the nests of eggs on Thorofare Island and all along the route the Skimmer Salt Marsh Safari takes their trips. It's sad all of the future babies that were lost and probably some chicks that were already hatched. I saw a Clapper Rail chick today minus it's parents. Hope it survives.