Stone Harbor Point ~ Birds

This is the first bird I saw today ~ US coast Guard

Hen Harlequin Duck

Hen Harlequin Ducks

There were initially 5 American Oystercatchers flying overhead.

It's a parade!

Then there were 3 American Oystercatchers that flew back and conducted aerial acrobatics for about 1/2 hr.  They were calling back and forth to each other.

Purple Sandpiper out on the jetty.

CMP State Park ~ Nesting birds

A return visit to the park shows that there are several pairs of American Oystercatchers on nests along with many Least Terns sitting on eggs.  Love seeing the circle of life going on in nature.  It's also amazing to see how the eggs are camouflaged in the sand.

American Oystercatcher on eggs

Least Tern on Eggs

Least Tern Eggs

South Cape Meadows

I am always excited to walk along the beach in the Meadows at the end of May/beginning of June as it's time for the birth of the American Oystercatcher chicks.  It is also a time of mating for the Least Terns.  Last year most of the Least Terns left the area due to destruction of their eggs so I wasn't sure there would even be any terns.  While there were some of the terns the majority of them have left for other nesting areas.  Hopefully in the future they'll come back.

Least Terns Mating Ritual

American Oystercatchers and chicks

Happy Mother's Day

Here's a collection of some of my favorite birds and their checks pictures.  Enjoy...

American Oystercatcher with days old chicks ~ South Cape Meadows, NJ

Piping Plover parent watching out for chick ~ South Cape Meadows, NJ

Piping Plover chick learning to feed at the water's edge ~ South Cape Meadows, NJ

Elegant Tern chick wanting to be feed ~ Potter's Marsh outside of Anchorage, Alaska

Clapper Rails learning to cross the water ~ Benny's landing Rd, NJ

Horned Grebe chicks take a ride on Mom's back ~ Potter's Marsh outside Anchorage, Alaska

Salt Marsh CMC

No time to get out to see the birds these days but finally had to steal some time before all of the chicks grew up and fly away.

Mom & Dad Osprey with 2 chicks



Osprey chick closeup



American Oystercatcher and chick (on left)

Birding South Cape Meadows

American Oystercatchers and babies - South Cape Meadows

     

Killdeer

Piping Plover and chick

  

Nummy Island - Start of a great day of birding

When arriving on Nummy Island where the Terns were catching fish I went forward to walk along the side of the road so I could get in better range for pictures and almost walked on top of an American Oystercatcher nest.  Momma/Dad Oystercatcher was so buried I couldn't see the bird in amongst the wrack.  As the AO left the nest I caught a glimpse of her eggs so I took a quick photo before backing away from the area and letting Momma return to nest.  The AO returned quickly to the nest.

 The terns were fishing as were the Snowy and Great Egrets.  Almost every time the terns dived a fish was caught and across the way on the spit the egrets were feasting on small fish.

I saw Least Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, (left) a Tri-colored Heron, Greater Yellow Legs, Black-bellied Plovers, Dowitchers,  Red-winged Blackbirds, Willets, Laughing Gulls and more.

Further down the road the Black-crowned Night Heron was catching breakfast. It was fun to watch the BCNH catch the fish caught up in the green slime, get the fish out and eat it.

Out & about on a Sunday afternoon

Today included a trip on the Skimmer Salt Marsh Safari. My first trip on the boat since last fall where we saw lots of migrating spring shorebirds plus some that stay here to breed. The highlight of of the trip for me had to all of the Whimbrel feeding in the salt marshes.  There was a family of American Oystercatchers with chicks though we didn't get to see the chicks.  Several times we saw American Oystercatchers doing flybyes.

When going home I stopped to bird along Ocean Drive going towards Cape May. Here I saw Dunlin, Yellow Legs, Dowitchers, Willets and lots of Laughing Gulls.

Dunlin (pictured above)    Greater Yellow Legs (pictured below)

Jetty's of Cape May Point

When I woke up today I saw that the Northern Gannets were moving down the Delaware Bay and around Cape May Point.  After a quick bite to eat I headed over to the Alexander Street jetty to watch the gannets.  They were flying in groups with some flying right over my head. They winter on the ocean in the southern areas of the US and migrate to Quebec, Great Britian and Ireland for breeding on cliffs overlooking the ocean.

Then it was off to St Pete's jetty where there were lots of varieties of gulls, Ruddy Turnstones, American Oystercatchers with dolphins surfacing and swimming along in the waves.

Endangered Shorebirds Fencing

New Jersey Nature Conservancy put out a call via FB for help putting up the fences to protect the nesting shorebirds on the South Cape May beach. We have Piping Plovers, Least Terns and American Oystercatchers that all nest on the beach during May-August. The past 2 years Black Skimmers have come to the beach but so far they haven't nested here. Everyone is hoping that they'll choose to nest on this beach one year soon. All of these birds nest on the beach in small depressions where they lay their eggs. So each spring symbolic fencing is put up as a marker to keep people off some of the beach area to give the birds space to have their nests. I decided to go help put up the fencing. It was a beautiful sunny day with temperatures in the low 70's, very remarkable for March but our whole winter & spring have been unusual. There were 5 volunteers in addition to the 4 staff. We saw 5 or 6 Piping Plovers along with 4 American Oystercatchers during our workday.