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Birding Cape May Point – February 1, 2025

Leaders: Roger Horn, Holly and Mark Lemieux, Bernie Hodgdon

Temp: 41° F

Winds:  NW 14 mph

Weather Conditions: mostly sunny

13-16mph wind and 41 degrees at Cape May Point State Park this morning. Canada Geese calling and flying overhead. They were starting to fly towards Delaware then changed their minds and came back over Cape Island. The Plover Ponds and Bunker Pond had much less ice and therefore we were able to scope the ducks making use of them. Many Mallards were interspersed with American Black Duck, Hooded Mergansers, American Widgeon and a couple of Gadwall. Some of us saw a Field Sparrow amongst the many Yellow-rumped Warblers flitting about. Through the wooded areas we came across a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and some Carolina Chickadees. Lastly, we wander over to St Marys’ Dune crossing to view the ocean where a Red-tailed Hawk was sitting on a pole. From the beach we saw distant Black Scoter and while some American Herring Gulls were flying over the choppy waters. A lone Red-throated Loon, still distant, flew towards Delaware. As we walked back to our cars a single Snow Goose flew right over us.  37 species. “Not too shabby” for a windy winters’ day.

37 species

Species Count
Snow Goose 1
Canada Goose 45
Mute Swan 2
Gadwall 2
American Wigeon 2
Mallard 36
American Black Duck 10
Northern Pintail 1
Green-winged Teal (American) 3
Black Scoter 12
scoter sp. 18
Hooded Merganser 8
Mourning Dove 2
American Herring Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Red-throated Loon 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 4
Northern Harrier 1
Bald Eagle 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
American Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 4
Carolina Wren (Northern) 5
European Starling 2
Northern Mockingbird 4
American Robin 11
House Sparrow 8
American Goldfinch 1
Field Sparrow 1
Song Sparrow 1
Red-winged Blackbird (Red-winged) 220
Common Grackle 60
blackbird sp. 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 36
Northern Cardinal 1
passerine sp. 3