BirdCapeMay.org

The last day of the Seawatch was slow overall, but had some excitement. It all started at about 0740, when a Black guillemot flew down the channel at an unbelievably close range and kept going south pass the 8th street jetty. Then a little later in the morning, an adult male King Eider turned up in the Common Eider flock and was seen through the end of the day, often at very close range. Other noteworthy birds were a handful of Razorbills, three Red-necked Grebes, and a couple of Black-legged Kittiwake. Nothing like going out with a bang!

The seawatch was rather slow with rain in the morning and late afternoon. This is not uncommon for late December, as things tend to slow down. The highlight was a young Brown Pelican midday.

My time at the Seawatch ended with pleasant weather and a respectable late-season flight today. A couple lingering Forster's Terns and a few Common Goldeneye complemented a small early morning surge of Red-throated Loons, which just don't seem to stop moving.

This seems a fitting time to thank the many people who supplied assistance to this year's Seawatch season. Whether it was help with counting on the big flights, or supplying food and coffee, or just keeping me company on the slow days, it was all appreciated very much. Thank you.

However, the season isn't quite over yet! Tom Magarian will wrap things up tomorrow and Thursday, so make sure to stop by and get your last dose of seawatching for 2011. If nothing else, go check out the Common Eider flock, which has grown to over 50 birds and is providing great and close looks from the seawall.


Canada Goose - 41
American Black Duck - 12
Surf Scoter - 145
White-winged Scoter - 7
Black Scoter - 226
dark-winged scoter - 109
scoter, sp. - 81
Long-tailed Duck - 57
Bufflehead - 8
Common Goldeneye - 4
Hooded Merganser - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 11
Red-throated Loon - 865
Common Loon - 2
Northern Gannet - 94
Bonaparte's Gull - 55
Ring-billed Gull - 107
Forster's Tern - 2

(Total = 1,828)

A generally slow day was punctuated by a few highlights at Avalon, among which were an Iceland Gull, two Humpback Whale spouts, and a pair of Red-necked Grebes. Duck diversity was fair, and included Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser and a hybrid Mallard/Black Duck.

The Seawatch ends on Thursday, but tomorrow will be my last day at the end of 7th Street. Here's hoping to a great last day!

Snow Goose - 1
Canada Goose - 1
American Black Duck - 61
Mallard X Black Duck hybrid - 1
Lesser Scaup - 4
Surf Scoter - 285
White-winged Scoter - 6
Black Scoter- 251
dark-winged scoter - 73
scoter, sp. - 17
Long-tailed Duck - 25
Bufflehead - 1
Common Goldeneye - 1
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 28
Red-throated Loon - 65
Common Loon - 2
Horned Grebe - 1
Red-necked Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 183
Double-crested Cormorant - 3
Bonaparte's Gull - 49
Ring-billed Gull - 47
Herring Gull - 18
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
large alcid, sp. - 4

(Total = 1,132)

It finally felt like December in Avalon today, with temps struggling to reach the mid-30s and a stiff north wind all day. A goose flight that had started the night before spilled over into the morning hours, and included over 1,000 Snow Geese, several hundred Canada Geese and a Cackling Goose. Another Razorbill passed by during the first hour of the day, followed a bit later by two Black-legged Kittiwakes. An appreciable movement of Ring-billed Gulls developed late in the day.

The Seawatch is also included in the Cape May Christmas Bird Count, so today was the only day of the season in which "all" birds were tallied. Thanks go to Kevin Karlson for his assistance with the CBC portion of today's effort.


Snow Goose - 1,067
Brant - 51
Cackling Goose - 1
Canada Goose - 728
American Black Duck - 111
Mallard - 12
Greater Scaup - 1
Common Eider - 1
Surf Scoter - 208
White-winged Scoter - 10
Black Scoter - 153
dark-winged scoter - 237
scoter, sp. - 106
Long-tailed Duck - 22
Hooded Merganser - 8
Horned Grebe - 3
Northern Gannet - 385
Double-crested Cormorant - 72
Great Egret - 9
Bonaparte's Gull - 32
Ring-billed Gull - 520
Herring Gull - 93
Black-legged Kittiwake - 2
Razorbill - 1

(Total = 4,181)