Morning Flight Friday August 28 2009

I generally consider it a good omen when the first bird of the day is something fun. Today as I opened my car door in the pre-dawn murkiness of Higbee's Beach a Barred Owl sounded off. While this omen did not foreshadow an excellent flight of warblers, movement today was a bare trickle, it did proceed the arrival of a great bird. Glen Davis and I were deftly not seeing warblers when a small flock of Lesser Yellowlegs began a quick reconnaissance of the muddy flat at the top of the dike. In their midst was a odd mottled black shorebird that Glen quickly recognized as a Ruff! The Ruff settled on the mudflat briefly then then took flight again, circled the impoundment several times and flew south not to be seen again. I was quite pleased to see an adult, still largely in alternate plumage, rather than the more expected juvenile. It always amazes me what can be seen if you stay in one place long enough, particularly if that place happens to be in Cape May.


Canada Goose 2
Mallard 8
Blue-winged Teal 1
Double-crested Cormorant 35
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 1 A different bird than the one that has been around Higbee recently
Semipalmated Plover 3 Still have yet to see a juv this fall
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 12
Sanderling 6
Semipalmated Sandpiper 60 Back to all juvs
Western Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 25
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
Stilt Sandpiper 1
Ruff 1 Flew in with a flock of 5 LEYE. Upper breast and back largely blackish while the head was a bit pale due to incoming basic feathers. Landed on the flats for less than a minute then circled around the impoundments for several times then took off toward Pond Creek. Just before 7:20.
Laughing Gull 120
Herring Gull 16
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Common Tern 3
Forster's Tern 8
Royal Tern 4
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 15
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Barred Owl 1 Calling in the woods before 6.
Chimney Swift 14
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Kingbird 240
White-eyed Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 8
Purple Martin 20
Tree Swallow 20
Bank Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 45
Carolina Chickadee 5
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Veery 1
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 5
European Starling 125
Cedar Waxwing 150
Yellow Warbler 4
Prairie Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 3
American Redstart 5
Northern Waterthrush 5
Common Yellowthroat 2
Northern Cardinal 6
Blue Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 3
Bobolink 350 Southbound
Red-winged Blackbird 180
Common Grackle 4
Baltimore Oriole 2
American Goldfinch 3
House Sparrow 12