First Day of Home Visit to Cape May!

This is a belated report with pics from Friday, April 26.
The first full day home in Cape May, to rest and visit family and friends, was of course partially spent out in the field on my home turf where I started birding. I had an amazing reunion with some unexpected bonus birds. I headed to Cape May Point State Park. I fell in love all over again with Common Yellowthroats, Northern Cardinals, Carolina Wrens, and even Laughing Gulls. Nice surprises were 6 species of Swallows (missed the reported Cave though), a single early Blackpoll Warbler, nice close looks at a handsome Palm Warbler (foraging on the ground about 6 feet away!), a flyover Green Heron, a preening Wilson's Snipe hiding along the edge of Bunker Pond, and a Merlin flying high over the pond, along with many other raptors including 2 sub-adult Bald Eagles, and several Broad-winged Hawks. But the raptor of the day, actually, THE BIRD of the day, was an almost unbelievable Swallow-tailed Kite, cruising low over the parking lot of the State Park, heading towards the lighthouse...likely the same bird reported (and highly photographed due to excellent looks) two days earlier, hunting in the field off of Seagrove Avenue, in Cape May Point. Being that there were no other birders around, and I didn't have a working cell phone, I rushed to the Northwood Center (local CMBO store very close by), I found and informed Mike Crewe, and after ~15 minutes  from my initial sighting he sent a rare-bird alert out (KEEKEEKERR). I do not now if the bird was relocated thereafter.

Below I posted some decent photos I took; well, decent considering I only used a Canon Power Shot held up to a scope?...good birding to all!

Great Egret

Forster's Terns

Piping Plover

Piping Plover noticing me!

Snowy Egret

Tree Swallow

Saxon Spring is Underway! - Temminck's Stint, Wood Warbler, Little Egret

Awesome birding today in lake-rich area south of Leipzig (Stöhna, Rötha, etc.), and Haselbacher Teiche (Haselbach Lakes) westwards in nearby Thuringia.

Highlights included a single, mouse-like Temminck's Stint and gorgeous Wood Warblers (overdue lifers), Little Egret (rarest bird of the day), and 8 other first-of-year warbler species (listed below).

Low point of the day had to be my first-of-year Whinchat...found freshly killed on the road. Michael Schulze spotted it while driving and quickly put the car in reverse to pick it up...and it was still warm, poor thing.
At least we were able a bit latter to meet up with another birder who will take the bird to a local natural history museum for their collection, since the bird was in such great condition. Still a shame though....

Here is a list of the other birds of interest seen on this fine sunny (yet unseasonably chilly) day:

(bold -> first for the year)
(bold and red -> rarity and/or lifer)
Spotted Redshank - 1
Wood Sandpiper - 7
Ruff - 12 (11 females, 1 male (most males must have already moved north))
Green Sandpiper - 5
Greenshank - 3
Dunlin - 2
Common Sandpiper - 1
Little Ringed Plover - 5

Temminck's Stint - 1 (Lifer!)

Garganey - 4+2
Black-throated Grebes -2+6+12
Little Grebe - x
Red-necked Grebe - 1 heard only
Common Shelduck - 6+2
Wigeon (Eurasian) - 1 drake
Red-crested Pochard - 1 pair
Common Teal - x
Mediterranean Gull - 3 (1 adult, 2 2nd year birds)
Little Gull - 9+31!
Great Egret - 2
Gray Heron - x
Little Egret - 1 
Bittern - 2, heard only
Water Rail - 2 heard
Moorhen - 1 heard
Gray-headed Woodpecker - 2
Wryneck - several heard at many locations, but alas non seen
Cuckoo - 1 heard 
Nightingale - x
Common Redstart - 1
Bluethroat - 1 (brilliant bird!)
Wren - 1
Yellowhammer - x
Reed Bunting - only 1 (?)
Swift - x
Sand Martins - x
Stonechat - 2
Lesser Whitethroat - x
Common Whitethroat - x
Sedge Warbler - x
Marsh Warbler - x
Greater Reed Warbler - x
Grasshopper Warbler - 1
Blackcap - x
Chiffchaff - x
Willow Warbler - x

Wood Warbler - 2 (Lifer!)

Penduline Tit - 4, one new nest was discovered by following a male flying with nesting material from the reeds; my first nest for this species, and a really awesome looking one at that!
Hawfinch - 1 flyover
Linnet - 2 flyovers
Dunnock - heard a few at various spots
Serin - several
Many Cm. Buzzards, Red Kites, Kestrels and Marsh Harriers.
Osprey - 2 (with nest)
Sparrowhawk - 1
Black Kite - 2

P.S. Shared 2 lifer Dippers last weekend (Sunday, April 14) with Ashwin Mohan, by Waltersdorf Mühle along the Polenztal hiking path behind Rathen, in the Saxon Switzerland region. Awesome birds they were, and extra cool was that we got to see where this pair (probably) has a nest. I think we will return soon to check up on these guys. Many other birds in this area; Black Woodpeckers, both Firecrest and Goldcrests (the latter becoming thinner this time of year), Crested Tits, and several species of Owls (we found 2 pellets and whitewash at several locations, but no luck spotting any in the trees).

Good birding!
SR