Ducks and Geese
Over the years I always lived in West Cape May, or south of the canal. And I believed people should need a passport to come over either of the two bridges that cross the canal—and that is from an Englishman. Now I live in “north” Jersey, north of the canal next to the bay. I am getting more intimate with a new set of great birding spots and loving it. A larger area and fewer birders also means there are a lot more chances to discover new things; something I really enjoy, and I would like to share a lot of these great birding places and birds in Cape May County with you.
Winter is a great time to go birding, particularly for one of my favorite groups of birds, Waterfowl (Ducks, Geese and Swans). When it gets particularly cold, things get even better with birds from the even colder northern areas moving south. When the water starts to freeze in the area, birds congregate in the remaining open patches of water, giving great opportunities to see flocks of them up close.
If you are keen and want to get really close for great views and photos, you could try getting dressed up in camouflage, lying down close to a place that you know birds use lots, and waiting patiently. Back in my younger, tougher, and more driven days I froze my tush off plenty of times and really had some great moments. These days I am less motivated and a lot softer, often preferring to stay in the car and work out places where I can stay warm and see birds at the same time. Yes, I got soft. Sound familiar?
If you are taking photos from a car there are a couple of things you should know. When you open the window on a freezing cold day, the frigid air outside meeting the warm air inside the car causes a disturbance that leads to blurry photos. You need to get your camera lens further outside the car window past where the two sets of air meet. Obviously, turning the car off, letting the temperature cool down, and if you are really brave, opening other windows quickly cures this. I always dressed warm because of this, but I still got cold at times. Being able to close the windows and turn the heat back on is a great thing!
The back bays up the coast can all be great. My favorite areas tend to be in Stone Harbor and Avalon, perhaps because of their accessibility. Given the changing temperatures, moving ice and food sources, the best places would change. I would stop off at lots of places, never knowing where the best ones are. It is also good to watch for flying birds and see where they are going.
Driving over Nummy Island, the block of land between North Wildwood and Stone Harbor, is always great for seeing Brant Geese. Brant are always in large flocks, waddling around grazing in grassy areas, sometimes on the ball parks in town, or swimming in the sound and tipping up to feed. At a distance they look black above, gray below with a white rear end that always stands out. Being in dense flocks is a great clue to their ID. I love their croaking cackles, the sound of winter in these parts. Their breeding grounds in the high-Arctic remain frozen until June, and so they are one of the latest waterfowl to leave in spring.
Any of the bays between the houses in Stone Harbor can be good for ducks. One of my favorites is Shelter Haven, the small enclave off 96th Street, the main drag into town. Sandwiched between houses, this is a great place to see Lesser Scaup, Hooded Mergansers, and Common Loons. Because it is such a small body of water, the birds can’t move too far, allowing for great viewing opportunities.
The 80th Street marina is another favorite place. The birds are often further away but will sometimes come into the basin, feeding around the pilings. Going when it is quiet always improves your chances of seeing more up close. Red-breasted Mergansers with their spiky crests and long, skinny, serrated bills designed for grabbing fish are regular here. Horned and Pied-billed Grebes are also often here when the food is good.
Driving north, often after refueling at Wawa with coffee and a hoagie, my next stop is the 54th and Ocean car park. If the tide is right, birds will often come into this tiny harbor, and have to sneak past you to get back out to more open water. Like many of these places, a bit of cat-and-mouse is often needed; drive away and wait for them to come back inside the harbor. If you drive back slowly, they often get used to you, giving great viewing opportunities.
Most of the ducks seen in these locations are called Bay Ducks, though there are others such as Ruddy Duck and Mallard that are categorized differently. The common ducks are Lesser Scaup, Ring-necked Duck, Hooded and Red-breasted Mergansers and Bufflehead; Greater Scaup; Redhead and Canvasback are scarcer. They are all great, but I have a special affinity for Bufflehead. They are small and punky, typically occurring in small loose flocks. Shaped like your yellow rubber duck in the bathtub, they bob up and down, disappearing between the waves. The males are those little black and white things you have no doubt noticed. If you get closer, their iridescent purple or green heads are amazing. The youngsters and adult females are brown headed with a little white cheek spot. If you look really close some have slightly larger heads. These are the males. In many species of duck, the males have larger heads.
Ducks that prefer the open ocean are called Sea Ducks. Many can be found in both places but tend to stick to one or the other. Any of the three-scoter family (Black, Surf, and White-winged) are quite rare in the back bays yet common on the ocean just a few hundred yards away. We will chat about them another time. ν
