Birds of Magee Marsh

Prothonotary Warbler
IMG_1549 Yellow WarblerIMG_1654 Green HeronIMG_1457 Northern ParulaIMG_1440 Black-throated BlueIMG_1427 Magnolia WarblerIMG_1352Blue-gray GnatcatcherIMG_1405 Common YellowthroatIMG_1984 Bald EaglesIMG_2018 Red-headed WoodpeckerIMG_2042 NighthawkIMG_2066 Bay-breasted WarblerIMG_2102 Nashville WarblerIMG_2106 Warbling VireoIMG_2115Trumpeter SwanIMG_2317DunlinIMG_2308White-crowned SparrowIMG_2175House WrenIMG_2165Black and White WarblerIMG_2144Chestnut-sided WarblerIMG_2136 Canada WarblerIMG_2142 White PelicansIMG_2250 Least SandpiperIMG_2270Dowitcher
IMG_2273Ruddy TurnstonesIMG_1798

Cape Maygration Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival – The Meadows and the Beanery

The second day at the Cape May Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival, we birded dunes, freshwater wetlands, meadows, ponds and protected beach at the Meadows and the Beanery.IMG_1898 IMG_1900 IMG_1903 IMG_1904 IMG_1905 IMG_1907 IMG_1910Mute Swa

IMG_0243Forster TernsIMG_0224Piping Plovers

IMG_0222Laughing Gulls

IMG_0198 MuskratIMG_0215 Great Black-backed GullIMG_0191 IMG_0197

Cape Maygration

The most special part of our trip was meeting up with our friend Mark Garland. Mark is a Naturalist who leads lots of field trips and tours. He took us to a couple great birding spots. At the beach, we saw Horseshoe Crabs and thousands of shorebirds including Gulls, Terns, Sandpipers, Plovers, Killdeer, Ruddy Turnstones and then some! Every year in the spring, the Horseshoe Crabs come to shore to lay their eggs. For two weeks, thousands of shorebirds come to eat the eggs to refuel before heading north.

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Mark is showing us how the male Horseshoe Crab latches on to the female with their boxer claws.IMG_1922

Isn’t he attractive?IMG_1923

Mark is looking through some seaweed to show us a Horseshoe Crab egg.

IMG_1915 He is showing us the egg. It is so tiny we could hardly see it. IMG_0298

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We saw a Tri-colored Heron. Another life bird!IMG_0257

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Cape Maygration Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival

 

Ferd and I went to Cape May, New Jersey for the Cape Maygration Shorebird and Horseshoe Crab Festival. We didn’t realize until the last minute that we needed to take a Ferry over to Cape May. We were very lucky to catch the last Ferry over!IMG_1868 IMG_1870Our first day, we birded the trails, fields and forest edges of Higbee Beach and Cape May point State Park. Here is our group starting out.

IMG_1882Ferd observing from the observation deck.

IMG_1884Observing our group

IMG_0048And me

IMG_0051We saw so many, many shorebirds and other wildlife and many new life birds for me! Here are only a few of the things we saw.

Here is an Oystercatcher on her nest.IMG_0127Ruddy Ducks

IMG_0114Gadwalls

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Blue-gray GnatchcatcherIMG_0031Turtle

IMG_0011Black Razor Snake

IMG_0146Blackburnian Warbler

IMG_0170Red-headed Woodpecker

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Thousands of Gulls and Terns.IMG_0105

We saw many Summer TanagersIMG_0058

Great Crested FlycatcherIMG_0036Everywhere I turned, I saw birds!

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Rat SnakeIMG_0034The Cape May LighthouseIMG_0179

Mute SwanIMG_0141Painted TurtleIMG_0144

 

What a great trip! I saw 70 species and it’s only the first day!

New River Birding & Nature Festival birds!

Each morning at we drove through the fog over the New River Gorge Bridge to breakfast at 6 am. After breakfast, we loaded onto our bus for our birding trip. Total birds seen by the whole group for the week was 148 different species. Ferd and I saw 60 different kinds alone. Here are few birds that we saw.

Blue-winged Warbler

Black-billed Cuckoo

Rough-winged Swallow

Scarlet Tanager