Day 38, Tuesday May 10, 2016- Horseshoe crabs on the Western shore. (NJ)

See these teasers first!

A Greater Black Backed Gull

A Willet

Any place for a roost as there was little room on the beach.

Day 38, Tuesday May 10, 2016- Horseshoe crabs on the Western shore. (NJ)

That was not the aim of the day’s stops and sites, but that certainly was the peak of the day in birding language.

The travel today took us generally north of our campsite some 30 mies to a starting place called “Jake’s Landing”.  (A WMA or Wildlife Management Area) It is nothing more than a boat launch at the end of the road, but leads to a wonderful marshy area that is filled with birds at any time of the year. The ducks and geese have flown north but the songbirds and other smaller birds are present  at this time. This does not end at the Delaware Bay.

An Osprey Nest (there were dozens near here) With two adults
in view

This is the end of the road at "Jake's Landing". Plenty of room for birds

The marsh at Jake's landing with hiding places for Rails especially.

The road to the Landing has many songbirds and we did also pick up a few on the road. The Marsh Wren and the Swamp Sparrow were two of the many we saw closer to the Landing.

The Audobon Observatory and Education Center

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The four pillared trellis we ate lunch under.

After that road it was a look at the Audubon (NJ) Observatory and Educational Center a few miles down the road where we also had our lunch in the honeysuckle covered trellis (4 sided() while a Hummingbird came and ate nearby.  These grounds have about 15 different areas that one could place in their yard to attract the birds. A very neat idea. Inside there were meeting rooms and an excellent display of binoculars and telescopes that you could try  and buy if desired. It has been the center of NJ birding since 1895 or so. Their birding book display was high. Want go birding in South farce.They had guide for that in books.

The many birds eating the Crab eggs on Reed's Beach.

A Black Scotor was really "out of place" but we don't know why.

The rules and regs!

What's left of a female Horseshoe Crab after it lays
those 40,000 eggs

The birds chow down and add "flight weight".


See below!

n succession after lunch we birded at 4 separate sites. 

1. Reed’s Beach  (Eating of crab eggs  by the gulls and shorebirds)
2. Kimbles Beach  or part of  the Cape May NWR, (CMNWR) (MIxed Pines, and hardwoods on the way in and birds feeding on the beach)
3. Woodcock Trail also art of the CMNWR, (A one mile foot path)
4. Norbury’s Landing. (An unobstructed view of the beaches of Delaware Bay.)

Many  of the spits nearby had hundreds of birds waiting
 for the main flocks to come. Below are Red Knots and
 Ruddy Turnstones (black pieces) and Semi Palmated
Sandpipers.

So it was a full day of birding on a mostly cool day, but with no wind blowing it was comfortable even at 55 F.  There were 42 species seen today including the two mentioned as new ones. 

OH! Forgot to mention that the local birds have started to come to our campground feeders.We have had Cardinal, Common Grackle, Titmouse, Red Bellied Woodpecker, and the White Breasted Nuthatch.  So things are looking up! Tomorrow we will venture to the eastern  portion of the peninsula  with a different “feel “ than today.