Spectacular Day's End!

All this in less than an hour - 

Enjoy!

Captured moments through the seasons

2 bluebirds from a flock of 50+

cape may view on a chilly early spring day

mute swans in formation

green horseshoe crab eggs 

spring flowers

 dog walker

black bellied plover antics

dramatic sunset

 summer end's noisy cicada 

monarch population rebounds

autumn seeds

sunset silhoutte

  evening sky canvas

glorious camellia flowers

The Point's Owlet!

Great Horned Owls start nesting in January and February and lay 2 to 4 dull white eggs in a borrowed nest of another raptor, such as a hawk or crow. Incubation lasts between 26 and 35 days, done by the mother, while the male feeds her and then the owlets for a couple of weeks after they have hatched. After the babies have their second set of down feathers, the male and female hunt and feed the babies together for up to 3 months, while the owlets grow very quickly and eat ravenously. They stay together as a loosely knit family through the summer, until autumn, when the juveniles disperse. The mated pair will remain in the same territory up to 8 years.

Here at the Point, a Great Horned Owl with nest and babies was reported over near Lake Lilly.  On the way, I spotted 2 birders and they led me to the special vantage point to get a glimpse. I came back in late afternoon, when the lighting was better, to take these photos:

I was surprised by the small nest size. Apparently, there had been 2 owlets, but now only one remains. The mother and baby can barely fit in the nest as it is. The owlet is covered in white fluffy down with a dark predominant beak. The mother is stoic and keeps a close watch on us.

Owlets start roaming onto nearby branches after 6-7 weeks even though they still are covered in down.  They are called "branchers" at this stage, but can't really fly until 9+ weeks. 

Here, the owlet tries out his quickly growing wings, teetering precariously on the edge of the nest, but  perhaps, almost ready to move beyond the nest. 

I stopped by again this morning for a quick peek and the owlet was tucked under the mother, shielded from the chilly wind, with only its tail visible. I guess, it decided to stay close for another day.

Sources: 

http://birdnote.org/bird/great-horned-owl-bubo-virginianus; 

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_hornedowl/lifehistory

http://www.internationalowlcenter.org

http://www.owlpages.com/owls.php?genus=Bubo&species=virginianus

Birding Lists and Journals

Being a frequent visitor to Cape May, it is high time to start keeping track of all the birds I see. Where to start?  I bought a ABA Area Trip List at the Cape May Bird Observatory to first record all the birds I have ever seen. 

I would like a more permanent journal, but this is a start.  My list includes a rather meager number of only 130 species.

The 7.7 downloadable version for September 2014 of the ABA Birding Checklist can be found at this site and includes 987 species:  http://listing.aba.org/aba-checklist/. 

My goal is to increase my knowledge by participating in more birding classes in PA and NJ. I bought a Rite in the Rain All Weather Birder's Journal with a corresponding pen to use during these walks and classes and to keep track of what I see. 

I like what these blogs suggest for keeping a birding journal, such as:

a. Include the species name, habitat, weather, date, appearance, behavior, vocalizations, and flock size. 

b. Include a quick sketch. 

c. Note the color and size of the beak, the eyes, legs and feet.

http://birding.about.com/od/birdingbasics/a/How-To-Keep-A-Birding-Journal.htm

http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/bwdsite/solve/howto/journal.php

The folks at 10,000 Birds Blog have an excellent post about why to keep birding lists: http://10000birds.com/birdlist.  I like how they have a digital running list for their life list and yearly list.

My goal is to at least double my number by the end of the year and keep a yearly list. I want to focus on shorebirds, gulls, warblers and sparrows. 

Earliest Sunset NOT on Winter Solstice!

I often like to catch the sunset and when I checked on my blog site for the sunset time, which is located on the right column below, I noticed that the sunset time 

was the same for several days in a row:

How could that be? What about solstice? Wouldn't the earliest sunsets be on solstice?

After some research, NO it is not for this part of the hemisphere! The earliest sunsets are happening NOW and not just for one day but for days, as displayed above. 

Winter solstice is on December 21st this year and the reason the earliest sunsets and solstice don't coincide is due to the discrepancy between the clock and sun. It has to do with the solar noon measurement, which is a half minute longer in December. 

See this site for further information: 

http://earthsky.org/tonight/earliest-sunset-today-but-not-shortest-day

Make note though, that the shortest day still is on solstice since sunrise is later!

The upside is we can start enjoying later sunsets sooner, starting December 16th!

Progression of a Sunset

It was sunset time and time to celebrate the end of a great day!

After watching for a short while, it looked like it was finishing up quickly.

Later, the sky was glowing and begged for another visit. 

Racing over the dune and down to the beach, this was the view to behold. . .

 It slowly melted away.

A Windy Adventure in Cumberland County

Clay and Pat Sutton's "Birds and Birding at Cape May" is an excellent go to book for scouting out a fun outing. It provides detailed information about where and what can been seen and is organized by the seasons in Part 1.

With time for an adventure in late April, I turn to the Spring section, and see that Horseshoe season is just starting, with Red Knots and other shorebirds on the way and that the Delaware Bayshore is a great place for sightings. I page to the Site Guide section, and determine that Cumberland County, including Thompson's Beach, East Point and Heislerville WMA, is where we should head.

On the way, we spot an osprey nest, with one eating a fish on a limb, while the mate tends to the nest.

At East Point, with cold weather and a stiff wind, void of both birds and people, 

a quaint old Lighthouse, built in 1849, is there to greet us. 

Out from the grasses, flies a Red-winged Blackbird with his bright red epaulet showing, 

down along the rocky shore, are a few Willets nibbling 

and winging in and out of the wind.

Back off the shore in the grasses, 

three Glossy Ibises swirl down and find a quiet place to rest. 

Our trip continues on to Heislerville. where we discover with delight an island 

covered with nesting Snowy Egrets and Cormorants.

The almost 7000 acre Heislerville WMA has a series of impoundments that you can drive on - it is a little crazy as they are only wide enough for one car.

Unfortunately, the winds scare off most of the birds and there are only a few Willets lingering. According to Sutton, this is a great place for a variety of shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors. If you are lucky, you might see 100s or even 1000s in a day.

On the way out, we park in the wooded area, where the paths have recently been reshelled, making it too noisy to see any birds, although the habitat is rich and lush.

 These are great birding sites that we look forward to revisiting.