Day 41, Friday May 13, 2016 Matt’s Landing and Reed’s Beach revisit. (NJ)

Day 41, Friday May 13, 2016  Matt’s Landing and Reed’s Beach revisit. (NJ)

A very new acquisition to the Cape May bird sites is a former golf course that was sold and never returned to golf. Here is a quote from their website.   (Below the two photos)

The sign for the new wildlife area. 

Matt's Landing Rd. at the end, near the many Marinas.

"It’s been several years since the old Ponderlodge Golf Course was purchased by the Green Acres Program. After being slated for use as a satellite campus for Stockton College (no deal) the old lodge and other buildings are long gone from the site. Today, the site is managed for wildlife and outdoor recreation. The old paved cart paths make it a magnet for local residents to easily explore it’s features. We’re delighted to be working with NJ Fish & Wildlife to enhance the habitat on site.”

This is a fantastic use for old golf courses that no longer are used for golf.  We did examine this site, but again, for us the walking would have been overdoing it . We moved on but saw the great potential in the site. My suggestion is to utilize, with some parameters, the cart paths for handicapped (or any one) folks. Time will tell.

A portion of the Rookery at Matt's Landing Rd.

The Island Rookery at Matt's Landing Rd.

Some of the Long Billed Dowitchers at Matt's Landing Rd.

Next was “Matt’s Landing” a sort of “harbor at the end often road” about 25 miles north. It has many impoundments for the migrating birds to use. That was exactly what it was. The three impoundments held hundreds of birds and the center piece on a small island was a Rookery of both Double Crested Cormorants and Black Crowned Night Herons. It was (see photo)filled with birds and easy visible from the road. We ate lunch here overlooking one of the ponds and watched a Bald eagle land on a nearby roof, while the Dowitchers fed in the pools.  (What a lunch spot, eh?) There were twenty one  bird species seen there . It was also a fishing site with some folks fishing from the banks, and about 5 marinas offered everything from bait to boats and charters for prospective fishermen.

Reed's beach from the end of the spit. As far as you can see
there are birds feeding  on Horseshoe Crab eggs.

The group on the top of the beach are digging in the eggs deposits,
The others on what has rolled down near  the water.

It appeared that it was threatening rain so we hustled to Reed’s Beach for the second time this week, and arrived just in time (before the rain)  to walk to the beach where the birds were feeding on the crab eggs.  The “NO Trespassing” on these beaches rule applies so we stood behind the yellow rope. It was an amazing spectacle. Ruth and i have seen many birds in our 25 years  birding, but the was the largest gathering of birds,ever. From the end of the spit  (Reed’s Beach) to the base of it is about a mile and a half, and there were feeding birds all along that beach. Even where the houses had piling over the beaches there were birds under the houses.There was a great group of Laughing Gulls with Greater Black Backed and other birds mixed in. One large group of shorebirds was still there that we had seen before .  As we took a few photos of the mass of birds the rain came down seriously so we hustled back to the truck and drove straight home.

This was indeed  birding at its best especially for the numbers, the rookery, and the migrating birds.

Here are a few bonus photos today.

A Great Egret 'strutting' across the road.

Ruth wanted to include this pair that we saw as we entered
Matt's Landing Rd.

The Bald eagle that accompanied us during lunch.

Gotta have signs! Can you correctly guess
how many "points" there are on this sign post?

Tomorrow we will head up  the coast to visit Forsythe NWR which is actually north of Atlantic City. We will get an early start (for us)  and see what that NWR has to offer. Most of it is tidal flats and marshes on the Atlantic Ocean.

Day 40 Thursday May 12, 2016 A day trip from Cape May to Ocean City along the “Beaches”.

Day 40 Thursday May 12, 2016 A day trip from Cape May to Ocean  City along the “Beaches”.

When driving the “Beaches”  of south New Jersey, it is usually a single main road that is nestled between the homes along the way. There may be some width to the town of 3-5 blocks but generally it s very narrow. Getting to the Beaches is only competed on the county roads that are spaced some 5-10 miles apart. Don’t make a wrong turn or you may find yourself going over a long causeway to the mainland, with no hope or turning around for a few miles.(That did not happen to us today).

Better that I mention some of the towns on the Beach Route and then show photos of the day  to better give a feeling of the area.

For the record the towns are : Diamond Beach, Wildwood Crest and Wildwood, Middle Township (city), Stone Harbor,  Avalon, Sea Isle City  and at the north end is Ocean City. Billions of dollars of multiple dwelling complexes as well as single homes. Construction all along the way on roads and infrastructure was evident .  Here are the days photos. Have fun.

The Beach area at the Anglesea Lighthouse 

A tribute

A 'fuzzy' Oystercatcher.

Turtles do return to the same nesting sites. This Sanctuary
has a dozen or more nets that were covering the egg laying
sites from predators. The nets are in the ground
so cannot be dug up.

A Dunlin

A Semi Palmated Sandpiper

Hard to tell from the back but it is a long Billed Dowitcher

Another view of  Dunlin

The tide was at ebb tide, and emptying the marsh.
Friday is full moon and the 13th. (Just saying;)

This is part of the Wetlands Institute,  Aavery well designed
refuge.

Apply your technology here as you walk the trail.

Ruth walks toward the beach as the forest will give way to all sand.

A description of what is happening to the protection of the beaches,.

The beginning of the trail to the beach. Note heavy forest. 

The small town of Sea Isle with some construction in progress.

Stony Point Beach area. Almost all of the shorebird types
 pass this beach on their way north.

Main Street (Ocean Drive) of Sea Isle.

A momma duck and her charges heading across the pond.

A "not so afraid" Red Winged Blackbird about 5 feet away.

Day 39 Wednesday May 11, 2016 Discovering the birds in WMA’s and Preserves

Day 39 Wednesday May 11, 2016 Discovering the birds in WMA’s and Preserves

Wildlife Management Areas  (WMA’s) are set aside to assist the bird (and wildlife) species with maintaining good habitats for them in which to survive.  They are used for hunting and fishing and other recreational purposes.  That is different from NWR’s which do not allow hunting, fishing, etc, and limit the recreational uses. Today we explored some of those WMA’s in the northeast portions of Cape May County. (NJ)

It should be noted (I may have mentioned this previously) that before I left on the trip, I prepared some details on getting to these places. Two days ago I was able to secure a booklet (just published and not for sale) at one of the NWR’s and have used it since then. Many states do have “birding trail” pocket size books to use, and NJ now has these. it covers most the state.  We found them in TX , SD, ND and NE to name a few. Michigan has come out with a modified version recently.

It si quite ironic that the State Parkway runs down the Eastern Coast and is just a few miles from most of these WMA’s and Conservancy areas that we visited today. The human development along the Parkway is complete so these “oasis” are  most necessary to maintaining the bird and animals welfare. Especially those that migrate along the Eastern flyway to the north and south.

A Semi Palmated Sandpiper (They will soon be
in the thousands along the beaches.)

Beaver Swamp WMA.

The road at the end near the lakes to
Beaver Swamp WMA

Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve Entrance
Saw a Yellow Billed Cuckoo here.

Just so we don't forget!

Where we ate lunch while watching the birds in the bushes.
Shellbay Ave. Pier at the other end of the rad.

That idyllic lake at the beaver pond converted.

The Visits today were these:

1. Beaver Swamp WMA. (It really was a Beaver dam and pond , but they have since left and          this 75 acre pond remains and is managed.)

2. Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve. (A long trail winds through the forest and although the highway is very close, the sound of traffic soon disappears as you enter the forest.)

3.  Carol Nicolette Park and Shell Bay Ave.Pier. (We ate lunch here on the road where there were some trees for birds to lite in. And we were successful is finding a few. 

4. North Cape May County Park  (and Zoo)  (This we had “mistakenly” dropped in on a few days ago, so did not stop again)

5.Cape May County Park North. (There was a very long walk to the entrance and no ‘auto route’ so we opted out ) It would have been a good stop.

6. Tuckahoe WMA.  This is a  14,000 acre tract that has Salt marsh, fresh water lakes, rivers and marshes and Pine Barren Woodlands. It was a terrific place to spend more time. You could certainly relax in this huge area.  One of the lakes has been planted with trout, and Turkey have been introduced. Coyotes abound and pheasants don’t do so well. (Another story) 

On the way back  we stopped at a Garden center that Ruth spotted on the way north. “Wild Garden Accents” was rather eclectic, but did have almost anything you would want for gardens from waterfalls and pools, to vases, pots,  decor of all kinds and and all sorts “Knick Knacks”. We did purchase a few gifts for family.

Birding today was not a big day, but as far as other things about New Jersey, we found that it does have a lot of diversity in habitat, and that was a bonus.

Tomorrow we expect to drive the barrier islands of the eastern shore.  More photos and more info. This will take us north to Ocean City .

If you wish to know an interesting story about this area and how it affected the politics of USA, then search for the term “Tuckahoe-Cohee”. It will be enlightening I am sure.

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

Add caption

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.