- RBA
* New Jersey
* Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic Counties
* NJNH0508.11
* August 11, 2005
- Birds Mentioned
American Oystercatcher
American Redstart
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Black Skimmer
Black Tern
Black-and-white Warbler
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Blue Grosbeak
Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Warbler
Bobolink
Brant
Broad-winged Hawk
Brown Pelican
Caspian Tern
Cattle Egret
Cedar Waxwing
Cerulean Warbler
Common Tern
Cory's Shearwater
Dunlin
Eastern Kingbird
Foster's Tern
Glossy Ibis
Great Cormorant
Great Egret
Greater Shearwater
Green-winged Teal
Gull-billed Tern
Herring Gull
Laughing Gull
Least Sandpiper
Least Tern
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Little Blue Heron
Louisiana Waterthrush
Marbled Godwit
Northern Gannet
Northern Parula
Northern Waterthrush
Osprey
Prairie Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Purple Martin
Red Knot
Royal Tern
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sandwich Tern
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Snowy Egret
Surf Scoter
Tricolored Heron
White-rumped Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
- Butterflies Mentioned
American Lady
American Snout
Cloudless Sulphur
Common Checkered Skipper
Common Sootywing
Common Wood Nymph
Gray Hairstreak
Hayhurst's Scallopwing
Horace's Duskywing
Little Glassywing
Little Wood Satyr
Monarch
Northern Broken-Dash
Painted Lady
Pearl Crescent
Question Mark
Rare Skipper
Red Admiral
Red-banded Hairstreak
Red-spotted Purple
Sachem
Saltmarsh Skipper
Summer Azure
Variegated Fritillary
Viceroy
White Admiral
White M Hairstreak
Zabulon Skipper
- Dragonflies Mentioned
Swamp Darner
==========- Transcript
Hotline: Cape May Natural History & Events Hotline
Number: (609) 861-0466
To Report: (609) 861-0700, 884-2736
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland & Atlantic Counties, NJ
Compiler: Pat Sutton, Cape May Bird Observatory
URL: http://www.njaudubon.org
CAPE MAY NATURAL HISTORY AND EVENTS HOTLINE, August 11, 2005
This is Pat Sutton with the Cape May Natural History & Events Hotline, a
service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This
hotline was prepared on Thursday, August 11. The Cape May Birding Hotline is
temporarily being included in this hotline in an abbreviated fashion. NJ
Audubon's hotlines can be read in full on our website (www.njaudubon.org),
by clicking on "Sightings" (top of any page).
Due to a bookstore staff opening, CMBO’s Northwood Center in Cape May Point
will be closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays but open otherwise
(Friday thru Monday), 9-4:30.
A juvenile WILSON’S PHALAROPE was seen by boat from “The Skimmer” August 10
& 11 in mudflats on the ocean side of Nummy’s Island near a wooden cross.
Back Bay trips aboard “The Skimmer” are also enjoying the best heron rookery
season in a few years. Chicks of GREAT and SNOWY EGRETS, BLACK-CROWNED &
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS, LITTLE BLUE & TRI-COLORED HERONS, GLOSSY IBIS,
and CATTLE EGRETS have all been seen on recent trips! LAUGHING GULL and
HERRING GULL chicks have fledged. COMMON, FOSTER’S, and LEAST TERN young of
the year are flying and fishing on their own now. It’s the best OSPREY
nesting season in 5 years! See for yourself by taking one of the “Back Bay
Boat Cruises,” offered every Sunday and Monday (10 a.m. to Noon) and
sponsored by CMBO. To register for the cruises call “The Skimmer” at
609-884-3100.
Stone Harbor Point is spectacular right now with migrant shorebirds and
nesting terns and skimmers. On August 7, highlights included: adult BROWN
PELICAN, 3 GREAT CORMORANT (also seen August 8), BRANT, 4 SANDWICH TERNS, 27
ROYAL TERNS, 2 adult CASPIAN TERNS, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL,
135 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, 1,400 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, DUNLIN, 2 MARBLED
GODWIT (also seen August 8), 1,000 RED KNOT, 150 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER,
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER and LEAST SANDPIPERS
(newly arrived from their breeding grounds), and many, many COMMON TERN
chicks and BLACK SKIMMER chicks being fed by adults! A BLACK TERN was seen
there August 7 & 8. The Black Skimmer colony has been harassed and preyed
upon by gulls in recent years, including Laughing Gulls. An observer this
week watched a dozen Black Skimmers gang up on and injure (perhaps kill) a
juvenile Laughing Gull that came too close to the colony. Every Tuesday
evening “Sunset Birding at Stone Harbor Point” with Gail Dwyer and Jim
Armstrong meets at 6 p.m. in the Stone Harbor Point parking lot. Join them
and be amazed by the birds at this magical spot!
Shorebird numbers are building and immatures are arriving, offering nice
studies of adult vs immature plumages. A “2-Day Shorebird Workshop” on
August 23-24 (Tuesday and Wednesday) with Pete Dunne & Richard Crossley is
full, but a 2nd workshop has opened up on the same dates to be taught by
Michael O’Brien. 30 species in many plumages can be studied at this magic
time. Call 609-861-0700, x-11, to register.
Cape May Point State Park and viewing from the St. Mary’s Jetty this week
produced CORY’S SHEARWATER (August 6), GREATER SHEARWATER (August 8), N.
GANNET (August 10), BROWN PELICAN (August 7), SURF SCOTER (August 8), 2
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS (August 7 & 8), 5 BLACK TERNS (2 adults & 3 juv.
on August 8 and 1 on August 11), 2 GULL-BILLED TERNS (August 7), SANDWICH
TERN (August 6), 3 ROYAL TERNS (August 11), and 500 COMMON TERNS. Join CMBO
naturalists to savor it all on the “Birding Cape May Point” walk (offered
Saturday, August 13, and every Wednesday, 7:30-9:30 a.m.).
2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and 12 BOBOLINK were in The Meadows
on August 8. Every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. “Birding with Pete Dunne” explores
this rich area, and every Friday at 5:30 p.m. “Sunset Birding at the
Meadows” is another way and time of day to enjoy this magic spot.
Warbler migration continues! August 9, 10 species were tallied at Higbee
Beach between 5:45 and 8 a.m.: AMERICAN REDSTART (25), YELLOW WARBLER (12),
N. WATERTHRUSH (3), LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH (1), PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (3),
CERULEAN WARBLER (2), PARULA WARBLER (1), BLACK & WHITE WARBLER (3), PRAIRIE
WARBLER (7), and BLUE-WINGED WARBLER (4). Pete Dunne and Louise Zemaitis
will be teaching a “2-Day Fall Warblers, Flycatchers, and Vireos Workshop”
on August 31 and September 1 (Wednesday and Thursday), THE peak time for
these migrant songbirds.
Learn to “Identify Birds on the Wing” with Pete Dunne during this 2-day
workshop, held September 14-15 (Wednesday and Thursday). The “3-Day Fall
Migration Workshop,” Friday through Sunday, September 16-18, is FULL with a
waiting list. To register for any of the “Cape May Birding Workshops” call
609-861-0700, x-11. To view full details about each workshop go to:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/Cmboworks05.html
A BLUE GROSBEAK was vocal and evident in CMBO’s gardens in Goshen on August
5 and 6. The Cape May NWR headquarters on Kimbel’s Beach Road and the
Woodcock Lane trail were excellent on August 7: BLUE GROSBEAK, BALTIMORE
ORIOLES, E. KINGBIRDS, PURPLE MARTINS, COMMON FLICKERS, and CEDAR WAXWINGS.
Dozens of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are in CMBO’s gardens daily. With
migration underway they are probably different birds every day. Some of the
young males are beginning to show a spot or two of red on the throat. 1 ½
hour “Ruby-throated Hummingbird Walks” are offered every Saturday and
Wednesday through August at 9:30 a.m. at the CMBO Center in Goshen (600 Rt.
47 North). At the same location, learn about wildlife gardening by getting
your hands dirty with Pat Sutton each Friday morning (9 a.m. till Noon) at
“Garden Maintenance Workshops.”
Hummingbird numbers will soar towards the end of August. Join Pat Sutton for
1 or all 3 “Hummingbird Migration” evenings at CMBO’s Center in Goshen
(Thursdays: August 18 & 25; Saturday, August 27) from 6 to 8 p.m.
when a blizzard of these tiny jewels “tank up” before migration. To register
for the “Hummingbird Migration” programs or for more information, call
609-861-0700, x-11. During this super hot weather be sure to clean and
maintain Hummingbird feeders at least every 2-3 days, so the solution is as
fresh as a flower’s nectar. For extensive information about gardening for
hummingbirds & butterflies and wildlife in general, visit the “World of
Backyard Habitat” pages on NJ Audubon’s
website:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Education/BackyardHabitat/
The final tally is in on the success of NJ’s breeding BALD EAGLES. 53 pairs
were monitored throughout the state of NJ. 47 pairs laid eggs and
64 young successfully fledged in 2005.
The Maurice River Township in Cumberland County is holding a PURPLE MARTIN
MIGRATION SPECTACLE on Friday, August 19, from 5 to 9 p.m. Events
include: (1) Dinner Cruise aboard the
"Bodacious" with local Purple Martin mentor, Allen Jackson (call Linda
Costello at 856-785-1120, x-10 to register for the cruise) (2) kayak trips
from 5:30 to 7:30 from the base of the Maurice River bridge (call Steve
Eisenhauer at Natural Lands Trust, 856-825-9952, to register for kayak
trips), (3) Nature Conservancy events at TNC's Eldora Preserve, and (4)
observations from the base of the Maurice River Bridge (near Mauricetown,
NJ). For additional information call 856-785-1120, x-10.
The Cumberland Co. Butterfly Count on Tuesday, August 2, tallied 48 species.
Highlights included: 3 CLOUDLESS SULPHURS (immigrants from the south), 1
WHITE M HAIRSTREAK, 23 VARIEGATED FRITILLARIES (also immigrants from the
south), a WHITE ADMIRAL, 58 RED-SPOTTED PURPLES, 179 MONARCHS, 5 HAYHURST’S
SCALLOPWING, 2 COMMON CHECKERED SKIPPER (another southern immigrant), 1 RARE
SKIPPER, and a DION SKIPPER. 22 species of skipper were seen.
30 species of butterflies were seen in CMBO’s Gardens in Goshen on August 10
(between rain showers) and August 11, including lots of the 3 common
swallowtails, GRAY & RED-BANDED HAIRSTREAKS, lots of SUMMER AZURES, PEARL
CRESCENTS, QUESTION MARK, numbers of AMERICAN & PAINTED LADIES, RED
ADMIRALS, LITTLE WOOD SATYR, COMMON WOOD NYMPH, and a dozen PLUS MONARCHS
(plus eggs and caterpillars). CMBO’s gardens are a nursery bed for Monarchs
with all the lush stands of various milkweeds. 13 species of skippers were
seen August 10 & 11, including: HORACE’S DUSKYWING, LEAST, TAWNY-EDGE,
LITTLE GLASSYWING, SACHEM, DELAWARE, 1 RARE, ZABULON, 1 AARON’S, many
BROAD-WINGED, 1 DUN, and a few SALTMARSH SKIPPERS. ‘OLIVE’ JUNIPER
HAIRSTREAK, AMERICAN SNOUT, COMMON SOOTYWING, and HAYHURST’S SCALLOPWING
were in the Goshen gardens on August 5.
Higbee Beach on August 8 held lots of some of the same butterflies plus a
VICEROY. A N. BROKEN DASH was at Bivavle August 5.
SWAMP DARNERS are thick, especially at dusk. CMBO’s Dragonfly Pond at the
Center in Goshen is “alive” with dragonflies feeding, mating, egg laying,
and emerging as winged adults.
WILD CHERRY fruits are ripe and falling to the ground. These fruits are
eaten by 52 different birds and a critical food to many early migrants
coming through right NOW! TRUMPET CREEPER is in full bloom and attracting
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. CORAL HONEYSUCKLE is blooming for the 2nd time.
BUTTERFLY BUSH is in full bloom and the hotspot for butterflies,
hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths. SWEET PEPPERBUSH is in bloom along road
shoulders and in wildlife gardens. It’s fragrance gives it its name.
Four very special “Tours of Private Butterfly & Hummingbird Gardens”
still have room. Tours of private gardens from Dennisville south to Rio
Grande will be offered on August 12 and September 9 (Fridays). Tours of
private gardens in and near Cape May and Cape May Point will be offered
August 13 and September 10 (Saturdays). These tours are a great way to get
ideas for your own backyard habitat garden, to see secret gardens full of
wildlife created by working people just like you (without a staff of
gardeners), and to meet kindred spirits! Call 609-861-0700, x-11, to
register or for more information.
A “Kayak Trip to Wild Areas : East Creek Lake and Pickle Factory Pond”
on Tuesday, August 16, still has room. Call 609-861-0700, x-11, for more
information or to register.
CMBO’s 2005 Workshops (many listed above) are ideal ways to learn.
Summer workshops are often held mid-weed to avoid summer traffic. A “2-Day
Raptor Workshop,” focusing on Falcons, Accipiters, and Osprey, will be
taught by Pete Dunne and Pat Sutton on Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25.
To receive the workshop brochure (covering 11 workshops now through January
‘05) call 609-861-0700 or go to:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/Cmboworks05.html
Witness early fall migration by attending one or all of CMBO’s weekly walks,
requiring no preregistration. For details on each walk as well as CMBO’s
many preregistration programs go to:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/calcmbo.html
The Cape May Bird Observatory offers an extensive series of regular bird
walks that require no pre-registration and many special field trips and
programs for which advanced registration is required. All are detailed in
the Kestrel Express. To receive a copy stop at either CMBO Center, call the
office during business hours at 609-861-0700, or go to New Jersey Audubon's
web site:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/calcmbo.html
This Cape May Natural History and Events Hotline is a service of the Cape
May Bird Observatory, which is a research, conservation, and education unit
of the New Jersey Audubon Society. Our aim is to preserve and perpetuate the
ornithological and natural history significance of Cape May. Your membership
supports these goals and this hotline. We detail sightings from Cape May,
Cumberland, and Atlantic Counties.
Updates are typically made on Thursdays. Please report your natural history
sightings to CMBO's Center in Goshen at 609-861-0700. Thanks for calling and
ENJOY THE NATURAL WORLD!
- End Transcript
* New Jersey
* Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic Counties
* NJNH0508.11
* August 11, 2005
- Birds Mentioned
American Oystercatcher
American Redstart
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Black Skimmer
Black Tern
Black-and-white Warbler
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Blue Grosbeak
Blue-winged Teal
Blue-winged Warbler
Bobolink
Brant
Broad-winged Hawk
Brown Pelican
Caspian Tern
Cattle Egret
Cedar Waxwing
Cerulean Warbler
Common Tern
Cory's Shearwater
Dunlin
Eastern Kingbird
Foster's Tern
Glossy Ibis
Great Cormorant
Great Egret
Greater Shearwater
Green-winged Teal
Gull-billed Tern
Herring Gull
Laughing Gull
Least Sandpiper
Least Tern
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Little Blue Heron
Louisiana Waterthrush
Marbled Godwit
Northern Gannet
Northern Parula
Northern Waterthrush
Osprey
Prairie Warbler
Prothonotary Warbler
Purple Martin
Red Knot
Royal Tern
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sandwich Tern
Semipalmated Plover
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Snowy Egret
Surf Scoter
Tricolored Heron
White-rumped Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Yellow Warbler
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
- Butterflies Mentioned
American Lady
American Snout
Cloudless Sulphur
Common Checkered Skipper
Common Sootywing
Common Wood Nymph
Gray Hairstreak
Hayhurst's Scallopwing
Horace's Duskywing
Little Glassywing
Little Wood Satyr
Monarch
Northern Broken-Dash
Painted Lady
Pearl Crescent
Question Mark
Rare Skipper
Red Admiral
Red-banded Hairstreak
Red-spotted Purple
Sachem
Saltmarsh Skipper
Summer Azure
Variegated Fritillary
Viceroy
White Admiral
White M Hairstreak
Zabulon Skipper
- Dragonflies Mentioned
Swamp Darner
==========- Transcript
Hotline: Cape May Natural History & Events Hotline
Number: (609) 861-0466
To Report: (609) 861-0700, 884-2736
Coverage: Cape May, Cumberland & Atlantic Counties, NJ
Compiler: Pat Sutton, Cape May Bird Observatory
URL: http://www.njaudubon.org
CAPE MAY NATURAL HISTORY AND EVENTS HOTLINE, August 11, 2005
This is Pat Sutton with the Cape May Natural History & Events Hotline, a
service of New Jersey Audubon Society's Cape May Bird Observatory. This
hotline was prepared on Thursday, August 11. The Cape May Birding Hotline is
temporarily being included in this hotline in an abbreviated fashion. NJ
Audubon's hotlines can be read in full on our website (www.njaudubon.org),
by clicking on "Sightings" (top of any page).
Due to a bookstore staff opening, CMBO’s Northwood Center in Cape May Point
will be closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays but open otherwise
(Friday thru Monday), 9-4:30.
A juvenile WILSON’S PHALAROPE was seen by boat from “The Skimmer” August 10
& 11 in mudflats on the ocean side of Nummy’s Island near a wooden cross.
Back Bay trips aboard “The Skimmer” are also enjoying the best heron rookery
season in a few years. Chicks of GREAT and SNOWY EGRETS, BLACK-CROWNED &
YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT HERONS, LITTLE BLUE & TRI-COLORED HERONS, GLOSSY IBIS,
and CATTLE EGRETS have all been seen on recent trips! LAUGHING GULL and
HERRING GULL chicks have fledged. COMMON, FOSTER’S, and LEAST TERN young of
the year are flying and fishing on their own now. It’s the best OSPREY
nesting season in 5 years! See for yourself by taking one of the “Back Bay
Boat Cruises,” offered every Sunday and Monday (10 a.m. to Noon) and
sponsored by CMBO. To register for the cruises call “The Skimmer” at
609-884-3100.
Stone Harbor Point is spectacular right now with migrant shorebirds and
nesting terns and skimmers. On August 7, highlights included: adult BROWN
PELICAN, 3 GREAT CORMORANT (also seen August 8), BRANT, 4 SANDWICH TERNS, 27
ROYAL TERNS, 2 adult CASPIAN TERNS, LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL,
135 AMERICAN OYSTERCATCHER, 1,400 SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, DUNLIN, 2 MARBLED
GODWIT (also seen August 8), 1,000 RED KNOT, 150 SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER,
WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPER, juvenile SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER and LEAST SANDPIPERS
(newly arrived from their breeding grounds), and many, many COMMON TERN
chicks and BLACK SKIMMER chicks being fed by adults! A BLACK TERN was seen
there August 7 & 8. The Black Skimmer colony has been harassed and preyed
upon by gulls in recent years, including Laughing Gulls. An observer this
week watched a dozen Black Skimmers gang up on and injure (perhaps kill) a
juvenile Laughing Gull that came too close to the colony. Every Tuesday
evening “Sunset Birding at Stone Harbor Point” with Gail Dwyer and Jim
Armstrong meets at 6 p.m. in the Stone Harbor Point parking lot. Join them
and be amazed by the birds at this magical spot!
Shorebird numbers are building and immatures are arriving, offering nice
studies of adult vs immature plumages. A “2-Day Shorebird Workshop” on
August 23-24 (Tuesday and Wednesday) with Pete Dunne & Richard Crossley is
full, but a 2nd workshop has opened up on the same dates to be taught by
Michael O’Brien. 30 species in many plumages can be studied at this magic
time. Call 609-861-0700, x-11, to register.
Cape May Point State Park and viewing from the St. Mary’s Jetty this week
produced CORY’S SHEARWATER (August 6), GREATER SHEARWATER (August 8), N.
GANNET (August 10), BROWN PELICAN (August 7), SURF SCOTER (August 8), 2
LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS (August 7 & 8), 5 BLACK TERNS (2 adults & 3 juv.
on August 8 and 1 on August 11), 2 GULL-BILLED TERNS (August 7), SANDWICH
TERN (August 6), 3 ROYAL TERNS (August 11), and 500 COMMON TERNS. Join CMBO
naturalists to savor it all on the “Birding Cape May Point” walk (offered
Saturday, August 13, and every Wednesday, 7:30-9:30 a.m.).
2 BLUE-WINGED TEAL, a GREEN-WINGED TEAL, and 12 BOBOLINK were in The Meadows
on August 8. Every Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. “Birding with Pete Dunne” explores
this rich area, and every Friday at 5:30 p.m. “Sunset Birding at the
Meadows” is another way and time of day to enjoy this magic spot.
Warbler migration continues! August 9, 10 species were tallied at Higbee
Beach between 5:45 and 8 a.m.: AMERICAN REDSTART (25), YELLOW WARBLER (12),
N. WATERTHRUSH (3), LOUISIANA WATERTHRUSH (1), PROTHONOTARY WARBLER (3),
CERULEAN WARBLER (2), PARULA WARBLER (1), BLACK & WHITE WARBLER (3), PRAIRIE
WARBLER (7), and BLUE-WINGED WARBLER (4). Pete Dunne and Louise Zemaitis
will be teaching a “2-Day Fall Warblers, Flycatchers, and Vireos Workshop”
on August 31 and September 1 (Wednesday and Thursday), THE peak time for
these migrant songbirds.
Learn to “Identify Birds on the Wing” with Pete Dunne during this 2-day
workshop, held September 14-15 (Wednesday and Thursday). The “3-Day Fall
Migration Workshop,” Friday through Sunday, September 16-18, is FULL with a
waiting list. To register for any of the “Cape May Birding Workshops” call
609-861-0700, x-11. To view full details about each workshop go to:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/Cmboworks05.html
A BLUE GROSBEAK was vocal and evident in CMBO’s gardens in Goshen on August
5 and 6. The Cape May NWR headquarters on Kimbel’s Beach Road and the
Woodcock Lane trail were excellent on August 7: BLUE GROSBEAK, BALTIMORE
ORIOLES, E. KINGBIRDS, PURPLE MARTINS, COMMON FLICKERS, and CEDAR WAXWINGS.
Dozens of RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRDS are in CMBO’s gardens daily. With
migration underway they are probably different birds every day. Some of the
young males are beginning to show a spot or two of red on the throat. 1 ½
hour “Ruby-throated Hummingbird Walks” are offered every Saturday and
Wednesday through August at 9:30 a.m. at the CMBO Center in Goshen (600 Rt.
47 North). At the same location, learn about wildlife gardening by getting
your hands dirty with Pat Sutton each Friday morning (9 a.m. till Noon) at
“Garden Maintenance Workshops.”
Hummingbird numbers will soar towards the end of August. Join Pat Sutton for
1 or all 3 “Hummingbird Migration” evenings at CMBO’s Center in Goshen
(Thursdays: August 18 & 25; Saturday, August 27) from 6 to 8 p.m.
when a blizzard of these tiny jewels “tank up” before migration. To register
for the “Hummingbird Migration” programs or for more information, call
609-861-0700, x-11. During this super hot weather be sure to clean and
maintain Hummingbird feeders at least every 2-3 days, so the solution is as
fresh as a flower’s nectar. For extensive information about gardening for
hummingbirds & butterflies and wildlife in general, visit the “World of
Backyard Habitat” pages on NJ Audubon’s
website:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Education/BackyardHabitat/
The final tally is in on the success of NJ’s breeding BALD EAGLES. 53 pairs
were monitored throughout the state of NJ. 47 pairs laid eggs and
64 young successfully fledged in 2005.
The Maurice River Township in Cumberland County is holding a PURPLE MARTIN
MIGRATION SPECTACLE on Friday, August 19, from 5 to 9 p.m. Events
include: (1) Dinner Cruise aboard the
"Bodacious" with local Purple Martin mentor, Allen Jackson (call Linda
Costello at 856-785-1120, x-10 to register for the cruise) (2) kayak trips
from 5:30 to 7:30 from the base of the Maurice River bridge (call Steve
Eisenhauer at Natural Lands Trust, 856-825-9952, to register for kayak
trips), (3) Nature Conservancy events at TNC's Eldora Preserve, and (4)
observations from the base of the Maurice River Bridge (near Mauricetown,
NJ). For additional information call 856-785-1120, x-10.
The Cumberland Co. Butterfly Count on Tuesday, August 2, tallied 48 species.
Highlights included: 3 CLOUDLESS SULPHURS (immigrants from the south), 1
WHITE M HAIRSTREAK, 23 VARIEGATED FRITILLARIES (also immigrants from the
south), a WHITE ADMIRAL, 58 RED-SPOTTED PURPLES, 179 MONARCHS, 5 HAYHURST’S
SCALLOPWING, 2 COMMON CHECKERED SKIPPER (another southern immigrant), 1 RARE
SKIPPER, and a DION SKIPPER. 22 species of skipper were seen.
30 species of butterflies were seen in CMBO’s Gardens in Goshen on August 10
(between rain showers) and August 11, including lots of the 3 common
swallowtails, GRAY & RED-BANDED HAIRSTREAKS, lots of SUMMER AZURES, PEARL
CRESCENTS, QUESTION MARK, numbers of AMERICAN & PAINTED LADIES, RED
ADMIRALS, LITTLE WOOD SATYR, COMMON WOOD NYMPH, and a dozen PLUS MONARCHS
(plus eggs and caterpillars). CMBO’s gardens are a nursery bed for Monarchs
with all the lush stands of various milkweeds. 13 species of skippers were
seen August 10 & 11, including: HORACE’S DUSKYWING, LEAST, TAWNY-EDGE,
LITTLE GLASSYWING, SACHEM, DELAWARE, 1 RARE, ZABULON, 1 AARON’S, many
BROAD-WINGED, 1 DUN, and a few SALTMARSH SKIPPERS. ‘OLIVE’ JUNIPER
HAIRSTREAK, AMERICAN SNOUT, COMMON SOOTYWING, and HAYHURST’S SCALLOPWING
were in the Goshen gardens on August 5.
Higbee Beach on August 8 held lots of some of the same butterflies plus a
VICEROY. A N. BROKEN DASH was at Bivavle August 5.
SWAMP DARNERS are thick, especially at dusk. CMBO’s Dragonfly Pond at the
Center in Goshen is “alive” with dragonflies feeding, mating, egg laying,
and emerging as winged adults.
WILD CHERRY fruits are ripe and falling to the ground. These fruits are
eaten by 52 different birds and a critical food to many early migrants
coming through right NOW! TRUMPET CREEPER is in full bloom and attracting
Ruby-throated Hummingbirds. CORAL HONEYSUCKLE is blooming for the 2nd time.
BUTTERFLY BUSH is in full bloom and the hotspot for butterflies,
hummingbirds, and hummingbird moths. SWEET PEPPERBUSH is in bloom along road
shoulders and in wildlife gardens. It’s fragrance gives it its name.
Four very special “Tours of Private Butterfly & Hummingbird Gardens”
still have room. Tours of private gardens from Dennisville south to Rio
Grande will be offered on August 12 and September 9 (Fridays). Tours of
private gardens in and near Cape May and Cape May Point will be offered
August 13 and September 10 (Saturdays). These tours are a great way to get
ideas for your own backyard habitat garden, to see secret gardens full of
wildlife created by working people just like you (without a staff of
gardeners), and to meet kindred spirits! Call 609-861-0700, x-11, to
register or for more information.
A “Kayak Trip to Wild Areas : East Creek Lake and Pickle Factory Pond”
on Tuesday, August 16, still has room. Call 609-861-0700, x-11, for more
information or to register.
CMBO’s 2005 Workshops (many listed above) are ideal ways to learn.
Summer workshops are often held mid-weed to avoid summer traffic. A “2-Day
Raptor Workshop,” focusing on Falcons, Accipiters, and Osprey, will be
taught by Pete Dunne and Pat Sutton on Saturday and Sunday, September 24-25.
To receive the workshop brochure (covering 11 workshops now through January
‘05) call 609-861-0700 or go to:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/Cmboworks05.html
Witness early fall migration by attending one or all of CMBO’s weekly walks,
requiring no preregistration. For details on each walk as well as CMBO’s
many preregistration programs go to:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/calcmbo.html
The Cape May Bird Observatory offers an extensive series of regular bird
walks that require no pre-registration and many special field trips and
programs for which advanced registration is required. All are detailed in
the Kestrel Express. To receive a copy stop at either CMBO Center, call the
office during business hours at 609-861-0700, or go to New Jersey Audubon's
web site:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Calendar/calcmbo.html
This Cape May Natural History and Events Hotline is a service of the Cape
May Bird Observatory, which is a research, conservation, and education unit
of the New Jersey Audubon Society. Our aim is to preserve and perpetuate the
ornithological and natural history significance of Cape May. Your membership
supports these goals and this hotline. We detail sightings from Cape May,
Cumberland, and Atlantic Counties.
Updates are typically made on Thursdays. Please report your natural history
sightings to CMBO's Center in Goshen at 609-861-0700. Thanks for calling and
ENJOY THE NATURAL WORLD!
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