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Subject:

Cape May -- Hughes Hollow

From:

Tom Fry

Reply-To:

Tom Fry

Date:

Wed, 17 May 2006 15:14:38 -0400

After slogging around for several enjoyable but migrant-less hours along 
the far River Road spots, I *finally* got a look at at my life CAPE MAY 
WARBLER at Hughes Hollow. He was on the far side of the first impoundment 
to the right, opposite the dike, just sitting there, preening and singing. 
On the way, I saw the oddest, most hilarious thing. Toward the western 
side of the second impoundment on the right, a goose, I suppose, had left 
a bunch of down feathers on the surface of the water. A TREE SWALLOW 
zoomed in and scooped up a feather. He banked around, climbed, and then 
dropped the feather, which floated gently on the breeze. The swallow sped 
away, careened, and dove back, grabbing the feather in mid-air, only to 
bank around, climb a little, and drop it to float again. I watched him 
repeat this five or six times, astounded. This was not a lucky find for 
his nest; this was simply play! Has anyone else seen swallows or swifts do 
this? I heard a BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO at Hughes, and two CERULEAN WARBLERS 
were calling along the towpath at Sycamore Landing, only about 100 yards 
downstream from the parking lot entrance.