Say's Phoebe, Cape May, 24 Oct 1999


Date: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 14:38:21
From: Shawneen Finnegan/Paul Lehman
Subject: Say's Phoebe in Cape May County

A Say's Phoebe was discovered at noon today (Sunday) by Mike Hannisian in Cape May County south of Goshen, just off Route 47. The bird was still present and seen and photographed by many as of 2PM when we left.

Directions: several miles south of Goshen, on Route 47, look for the Cape May County Mosquito Commission HQ building on the west side of the road, and just south of that is a WAWA market on the east side of the road at Hand Avenue. Barely 100 feet south of the WAWA, turn off Route 47 on to Kimble's Beach Road to the west (there is a sign for the Cape May NWR headquarters building down that road). The phoebe is along the power line along K.B.R. from about 100 yards down the road down to the refuge headquarters building itself, where it is also seen around the parking lot. It also perches in the few scattered bushes in the nice grassy fields on both sides of the road for this entire stretch (the whole stretch is a third of a mile long). Sometimes the bird perches in trees bordering the edge of the field, where it is harder to spot, but it seems to like to come back regularly to the power line. Note: cars driving along the road flush the bird off the power line every time, so drive slowly and stop well away from the bird.

If we hear that the bird is still present Monday morning, we will post an update tomorrow. Let us know.

--Paul Lehman