My Yard ~ Late Butterflies

 Today was a nice sunny day after 4 days of cloudy, cool weather - mid 60's with winds 10-145 MPH.  I put up the feeder pole and put out several feeders for the birds.  I bought a platform feeder and a squirrel proof feeder and filled them with a mix of safflower seed and sunflower chips.  I added a Niger sock for the goldfinches and a peanut block in a cage.  I am hoping the squirrels aren't able to get onto the pole as there is a baffle.  First bird we saw on it was a white-breasted Nuthatch.

Then as I was sitting and enjoying the feeder from the back deck an Eastern Comma came to visit - new yard butterfly #31.  I decided to check all of the gardens and found another new yard butterfly #32 Eastern-tailed Blue.  Also present were Cabbage White, Orange Sulphur, Painted Lady, and Fiery Skipper.  A bit later there was a Monarch heading South.

Eastern-tailed Blue

Fiery Skipper

Orange Sulphur

Cabbage White

I also saw some cabbage whites, another orange sulphur, another fiery skipper and a meadow fritillary while taking a walk in my community..

Wetlands Institute, Stone Harbor, NJ ~ Birds

 Today's a day to sort through pictures and try to ID some of the birds or butterflies I wasn't able to ID initially.  I am doing pretty good at the ID's so far and confirming my ID with other more knowledgeable than I.  Here's a Pectoral Sandpipers from April of 2022 along with a Tree Swallow and Osprey.

Tree Swallow

Pectoral Sandpiper

Osprey

My Yard ~ Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle flying overhead while Jenny & Jayne were visiting and looking at my back gardens. Yard Bird #35

 

Lancaster County ~ Leaf Peeping

 Wonderful day out with a friend enjoying the colors of Fall.  I have missed the change of seasons while living in NJ.

My Yard ~ White-throated Sparrow

 

White-throated Sparrows came buzzing through on Monday. I wonder if they'll hang around? Yard bird #34

My Yard ~ Butterflies

 Sad to say but the butterflies in PA are gone so much sooner than the butterflies in Cape May but that's the difference in Cape May being a milder climate.  The  hardiness zone at my old house was 7b but here at my new home it's 6b. I have no idea how my plants will fare this winter as it's colder here but I'll know next spring.  I had 4 species visit the yard on Sunday.  My plants are still blooming so there is nectar here for them.

Monarch on lantana

Painted Lady on pansies

Sachem on zinnia

Cabbage White on Caryopteris

Cape May ~ Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers

 It's always great to be in Cape May in the Fall during migration.  These sapsuckers were at a home where I was staying.

Cape May Sunrise

 Up early today and off to Cape May for sunrise at the beach.  Then over to Cape May Point for some birding.

Cape May Point Hawkwatch

Yesterday was an amazing day on the hawkwatch platform in the Point. The birds were flying fast and furiously. I arrived in the afternoon and the place was rocking. The Sharpies, Coop's, Broad-wing's Merlin and Kestrel's were abundant. I was there when the Eurasian-collared Dove came through not once but twice. There were warblers off the platform in the trees. A good number of Monarch were flying past the platform also. Total birds counted 4754 with 64 species.

Belted Kingfisher

Northern Pintails

Osprey

American Kestrel

Osprey

Red-tailed Hawk

Northern Harrier hunting over the marsh.

Cape May ~ Birds in the Yard

Fall migration brings many birds through Cape May, NJ.  The house where I am staying has a fantastic back yard with many feeders and also a great pond and waterfall feature.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Palm Warbler

Yellow-crowned Kinglet

Common Yellow-throat

Common Yellow-throat

Magnolia Warbler

Carolina Chickadee

Swamp Sparrow

Cape May Point Birding

 Great to get out early this morning to bird at several productive spots in the Point.  First stop, was the jetty at Alexander Avenue where I saw several Brown Pelicans, lots of different species of gulls, some Double-crested Cormorants, many Yellow-rumped warblers and many Golden-crowned kinglets.  Next stop was Northwood Center.  Then I headed over to the beach and the trees along Harvard Avenue.  I had a great time.

Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Yellow-rumped Warbler

American Redstart

American Goldfinch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Downy Woodpecker