Birding in Cape May

  I thought I would make birding my number one hobby in retirement but it hasn't happened.  As a matter of fact, this is the first birding walk or hike that I have ever done thanks to my son who drove my sister and her husband and I down to Cape May Lighthouse area. 

http://www.njaudubon.org/SectionCapeMayBirdObservatory/CMBOHome.aspx

I have toured around with a naturalist for a day in the Pinelands but that is about it.  We had an excellent birder in Chuck Slugg and his wife.  It was a wonderful tour and he certainly knew more than I did about the local shore birds.  Maybe with repeated tours I would be able to retain more of the birding information which he shared.  Mr. Slugg described the differences in the swallows and the purple martins.  He also would describe the bird habits and all the other small details that lend themselves to making firm identifications.  I think I am more into the bigger picture of how all the parts of the eco-system work together and identifying much more than just the birds.  So today wasn't just for the birds, it was for the insects, the flora and the highlight was the muskrat! I guess if I really want to retain more knowledge about the birds, I have to go at a slower pace. I want to linger in my favorite spots and bring my field guide. Investing in better optics is probably another good idea.  I was like the straggler and had to keep up with the group.

Swallowtails are named for the tails on their hind wings that resemble the long tail feathers of swallows. Papilio is from the Latin word papilio meaning "butterfly."

 

Hibiscus is found growing in some parts of New England, by the sides of streams; it has large pink flowers.

    Mute swans are very aggressive even toward people. They chase water birds including loons, and can keep those birds from nesting. One bird can uproot about 20 pounds of submersed aquatic vegetation daily, reducing important native aquatic plants.

   The elegant Great Egret is a dazzling sight in many a North American wetland. Slightly smaller and more slender than a Great Blue Heron, these are still large birds with wide wingspans.

The cat birds, mockingbirds and the thrashers will love these wild blackberries.

 
    Above is the perfect one but below is the more interesting one.  I guess some insect got hungry.

 

Below my brother-in-law listens to Mr. Slugg:

My son liked the opportunity to photograph some of the nature:

    Muskrats are large rodents that always live near water. They have thick brown fur and a long, fur-less, scaly tail. They can grow up to two feet long (with tail). Their rear feet are webbed for swimming, and their eyes and ears are very small.  Muskrats live in marshes, or alongside ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams.

 

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    Thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles on the margins, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Prickles often occur all over the plant – on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are adaption  that protects the plant against herbivorous animals, discouraging them from feeding on the plant.