This morning was another dastardly slow day on the dike with little visible migration occurring. But one of the blessings of birding is that day is different, even if it’s slow. The first warbler of the morning was a lovely northbound Prothonotary Warbler that shot over the dike pool while calling before it dove into cover. You can almost taste the Tupelo honey sweetness in the purity of that single-banded upsweep call. The other highlight of the morning was a juvenile Red-bellied Woodpecker that flew north along the treeline towards the canal before turning back. What did it sense that caused it to make that choice as it dispersed?
Another fun aspect of the past few days has been the Snowy Egrets that are moving around Cape May, mostly headed north up the Bayshore in what is presumably re-oriented migration. It’s truly hard to grasp that we almost lost this wonderful species to the fashion-driven feather trade, and I have to remind myself of that fact to appreciate them all the more. Their story also represents a good lesson about what even a small group of determined citizens can accomplish in the name of conservation.
As always, you can find the link to the official count on Trektellen here and the complete eBird checklist here. Photos from the morning can be found below.
Bring on Day 13!
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| Feathers look far better on birds, wouldn't you agree? |
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| This gnatcatcher is smarter than all other gnatcatchers for migrating on light winds. They really struggle against high winds! |
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