Black Tern Storm

[Black Tern at the Coral Avenue jetty, Cape May Point, NJ, Wednesday, August 31 2016. One of 96 (!) in a single scan. Click to enlarge photos.]

First, it is incumbent on me to say that this Friday 8/2  is looking to be a very good day for migrant landbirds: front passing the day before, NNW winds overnight (currently forecast more north than west, less good but still good), kind of poor migrant weather recently. . . I'm predicting 1000+ warblers at the Higbee dike.

While we wait, look offshore. Hundreds of Black Terns in Cape May in late August/early September are certainly not unprecedented, but nor are these numbers annual. The BLTE show around the point has been wonderful, e.g. 96 in a single scan count this morning from Coral Avenue.

[Black Terns, Common Terns and a Laughing Gull in a frenzy over breaking fish.]

[15 Black Terns in a single photo is a personal best, off Coral Avenue in Cape May this morning.]