Brown-chested Martin
Darius Ecker (dariuse@abs.net)
Mon, 10 Nov 1997 06:52:15 -0500
Rather than look for the Pacific Loon again on Sunday, Paula and I took the
ferry over to Cape May, New Jersey to look for the Brown-chested Martin
being seen there.
After a bumpy ride across the Delaware bay (saw Black & Surf Scoter, and
Northern Gannet on the way) we arrived at the end to Stevens street
sometime around 12:00 noon to find the bird active over the field there.
Several times the bird flew right over our heads. We got great looks at
the brown back and the irregular brown band on the chest. Watched the bird
until 2:00 PM, when we headed off to look for an Evening Grosbeak which we
didn't find.
I believe the Davis' also went up, but arrived later and found the bird
along the dunes at the gingerbread chuch on Lincoln Street around 3:30 PM.
It apparently left the Stevens Street area sometime around 2:30 PM.
This is a great bird, a second US record, well worth the trip. If you
decide to go, be sure and check in at CMBO by Lily Lake. They can save you
a lot of time in locating the bird.
Good Birding,
Darius Ecker,
Columbia, Maryland