October 6 - Cape May State Park & Meadows

After dipping on the Calliope Hummingbird in the nearby town of Woodbine, we decided to make a stop at the Cape May Hawk watch. to our surprise we saw a juvenile Ruff at Bunker Pond. This eurasian species is more likely to be seen in April during spring migration, or early fall migration during August!
credit: K. Lukens

Other shorebirds seen here were Pectoral Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, and Killdeer.

Also around the hawkwatch were Peregrine Falcons, Kestrel, Osprey, black & Turkey Vultures, Sharp-Shinned 7 Cooper's Hawks, Broad-Winged Hawk, Black Skimmers.

At the Meadows we had waterfowl of the most blue-winged Teal I have ever seen, with 4-dozen plus, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Pied-Billed Grebe, Wigeon, Pintail, Green-Winged Teal, and a Common Loon in the surf.