The Ahhh of the Storm

Buying a local paper on September 3rd provided a hearty and satisfying chuckle. The seemingly inappropriate giddiness attracted a few strange looks from the cashier and other patrons at our neighborhood WaWa.

The banner headline glared “ERNESTO’S AFTERMATH.” I will concede the remnants of this hurricane still packed a slight punch at our temperate latitude. The turbulent tropical visitor dumped 5 inches of rain, broke a few limbs with his gusts, and knocked out power for some people. Yet, the disproportionately dramatic headline was far from accurate. This editorial dispute was rooted in both my optimism and selfishness.

Immediately upon glancing at the two bold words, I flashbacked to the previous morning. There I was standing under the awning of the Sunset Beach Grill in Cape May scoping for storm blown tropical and pelagic birds exiting the Delaware Bay. When we first arrived, Ernesto was desperately trying to hold his ground. By midmorning, his attempts proved futile and the sun slowly emerged.

How was the avian addicted audience rewarded for braving the elements that morning? Phalaropes and jaegers and terns - oh my! The day’s sightings included 2 dozen Pomarine Jaegers, 9 parasitic, more than 200 Red-necked Phalaropes, a nice array of terns, an early morning Common Nighthawk flying over the beach, and a hunting merlin at close range.

These birds were nice but not the cause of my convenience store glee. The aforementioned chuckle was so satisfying because of my flashback’s highlights - 3 new life birds.

It’s not often than you can stand on the beach in New Jersey and watch Long-tailed Jaegers, Sooty Terns, and Bridled Terns fly by! While I had several good (if not GREAT) looks at these species, the totals for the day were even more impressive: 3 Long-tailed Jaegers and 11 for each of the tropical terns.

Instead of an “aftermath”, this wonderful storm event brought with it a terrific day in the field and a truly unique birding opportunity. If the paper’s editor had been a birder, I believe the headline may have read more appropriately, “Ernesto’s Bounty.”

While the store clerk could not comprehend my explanation for the chuckle, several lucky beach wanderers that happened upon our tribe of tropical storm birders the day before were amazed to learn about the connection between hurricanes and birds. We definitely piqued their interest in birding.

(originally posted Oct. 2006)