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		December 2-4, 2005    Avids Asea? by Linda  Benner Andy Sewell, Linda Benner, Becky Hatfield and Kevin Pickerd flocked to Belmar, NJ, for the Avids’ December destination. Locations we birded in NJ were: Barnegat Inlet and Lighthouse, Avalon Breakwaters, Beach Island State Park, and Cape May Point. Locations in DE were: the Delaware Bay from the Cape May-Lewes Ferry, Henlopen State Park, the Indian River Inlet of Silver Bay, and Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge. The offshore boat trip into the Atlantic, aimed at pelagic species, was cancelled at the last minute due to high seas. The weather ranged from 27-32 degrees with blinding snow traveling at night through PA to a bright, very cold, very windy day. The following morning was overcast and rainy, warmer at 47 degrees while crossing the Bay on the ferry. As we landed in DE the sky cleared, the sun shone, the temperature climbed to 57 degrees and the wind was not overbearing. The day and beach were wonderfully beautiful! We experienced skies constantly covered with white clouds, V after V after V formations of birds in flight beside, above, below and adjacent to each other the entire day with hundreds of thousands of snow geese. Brants were as numerous as our Canadas are here; Canada geese were few in all. The soft twittering of ~90 dunlins and three white winter sanderlings was sufficiently loud to overwhelm the sounds of the ocean waves and the strong wind. The sensation was of erratic flight, but their formation was a constant state of flux with a smooth, fluid alteration of configurations. Quick glimpses of lighter color reflected from their under wings as their wings beat stiffly, swiftly, and steadily. At one point the flock appeared as a single sheet of birds (no depth) while flying in harmony to circle us. The birds were so close, numerous, and tightly-flocked that through our binoculars, nothing could be seen other than their black eyes and heads, lateral bodies and wings fluttering and overlapping each other. The flock landed 50 feet away seemingly merging into the huge, dark-charcoal break wall boulders disappearing instantly and silently. This was a stunning sight and awesome experience. Overall, we had 88 species identified, and maybe three additional unidentified: Red-throated loon Common loon Pied-billed grebe Northern gannet Great cormorant Double-crested cormorant Manx shearwater Great blue heron Great egret Tundra swan Mute swan Snow goose Canada goose Brant Green-winged teal American black duck Mallard Northern pintail Northern shoveler Gadwall Ring-necked duck Lesser Scaup unknown scaup sp. Common eider Long-tailed duck Black scoter Surf scoter White-winged scoter Bufflehead Hooded merganser Common merganser Red-breasted merganser Ruddy duck Black vulture Turkey vulture Bald eagle Northern harrier Sharp-shinned hawk Cooper’s hawk Red-tailed hawk Rough-legged hawk American kestrel Merlin American coot Killdeer Ruddy turnstone Sanderling Laughing gull Bonaparte’s gull Ring-billed gull Herring gull Great black-backed gull Forster’s tern Razorbill Rock pigeon Mourning dove Belted kingfisher Red-bellied woodpecker Downy woodpecker Northern flicker Horned lark American crow Carolina chickadee Tufted titmouse White-breasted nuthatch Brown-headed nuthatch Carolina wren unknown kinglet sp. Eastern bluebird American robin Gray catbird Northern mockingbird Cedar waxwing European starling Yellow-rumped warbler Northern cardinal Savannah sparrow Fox sparrow Song sparrow Swamp sparrow White-throated sparrow White-crowned sparrow Dark-eyed junco Red-winged blackbird Eastern meadowlark Boat-tailed grackle Common grackle Purple finch House finch Pine siskin House sparrow Page updated 12/14/05 © Columbus Audubon 2005