by Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director
Another World Series of Birding is in the books, and this year’s all ladies Marshketeers birded their way to success under some challenging conditions. Over 20 hours of searching, they identified 124 species, braving persistent strong winds (and 30mph gusts) that kept the birds hunkered down and made finding them particularly difficult. Their search had them in Belleplain State Forest and the marshes at Jake’s Landing in the light of a near-full moon; on sunny, wind-swept beaches on the Atlantic and Delaware Bay; in pockets of Atlantic Maritime Forest preserved in Stone Harbor and Avalon (where they spotted the bonus bird, the Black-crowned Night Heron); in meadows and dune overlooks in Cape May; and back home at The Wetlands Institute and Stone Harbor Bird Sanctuary. A highlight of the day was a pair of Swallow-tailed Kites circling above Cape May Point – a rarity here. Each team member logged more than 20,000 steps, each step reconnecting them to the wonder of Cape May and its importance as a world-renowned migration corridor hosting one of the great migrations on planet Earth.
Every year, the search takes The Marshketeers to diverse natural habitats and reminds them of the importance and necessity of natural areas for their survival – and for our wellbeing. Thanks to all of you who support our coastal bird conservation programs and enable us to do more to help the incredible at-risk species that nest along our coast.