Morning Flight Wednesday September 30 2009

Another windy day with few birds. Early on we had a Peregrine drift in off the ocean carrying a bird. It proceeded to pluck it in flight while we tried to figure out the identity of the unfortunate victim. A lively debate resulted in a complete stalemate. Later a pair of Long-billed Dowitchers flew into the impoundment. Otherwise it would have been a quiet morning except the wind was whistling in my ears.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/30/09
Number of species: 68

Mallard 4
Northern Shoveler 8
Green-winged Teal 2
Northern Gannet 1
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Snowy Egret 6
Black-crowned Night-Heron 3
Turkey Vulture 4
Osprey 3
Bald Eagle 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 7
Cooper's Hawk 2
American Kestrel 3
Merlin 4
Peregrine Falcon 2
Semipalmated Plover 5
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 2
Laughing Gull 55
Ring-billed Gull 6
Herring Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 20
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 8
Royal Tern 4
Rock Pigeon 2
Mourning Dove 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 20
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 15
Tree Swallow 30
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 1
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 5
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 15
Northern Parula 14
Cape May Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 9
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Pine Warbler 2
Prairie Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 34
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 18
American Redstart 6
Northern Waterthrush 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 4
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 2
Bobolink 1
Red-winged Blackbird 8
Eastern Meadowlark 1
Common Grackle 6
Baltimore Oriole 2
American Goldfinch 6

Morning Flight Tuesday September 29

We just about got blown off the dike this morning! The wind was WNW but far too strong for a good flight. We did have 3 Connecticut Warblers.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/29/09
Number of species: 76

Mallard 3
Blue-winged Teal 5
Northern Shoveler 8
Green-winged Teal 4
Black Scoter 1
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 6
Snowy Egret 8
Turkey Vulture 4
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 2
American Kestrel 1
Merlin 2
Semipalmated Plover 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 55
Ring-billed Gull 12
Herring Gull 20
Lesser Black-backed Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 25
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 7
Royal Tern 6
Rock Pigeon 5
Mourning Dove 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 8
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 12
American Crow 18
Tree Swallow 45
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 4
House Wren 1
Marsh Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 5
Northern Mockingbird 2
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 35
Cedar Waxwing 18
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 6
Magnolia Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 11
Bay-breasted Warbler 2
Blackpoll Warbler 31
American Redstart 3
Connecticut Warbler 3
Chipping Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 5
Indigo Bunting 1
Dickcissel 1
Red-winged Blackbird 14
Common Grackle 5
Baltimore Oriole 23
American Goldfinch 5

Sea Watch Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Today was a goregous day with a good wind from the WNW, but visibility was hampered due to heat waves, and so I did not see as many Gannets as I thought I would today.

We had the strongest turn out of the season so far for Double-Crested Cormorants at 1,390 as well as Blue-winged Teal at 19. And being counted for the first time this year we had both Great and Snowy Egrets at 11 and 13 respectively.

Here is a list of what was seen today.

Location: Avalon Sea Watch
Observation date: 9/30/09
Number of species: 14
Brant 18
Blue-winged Teal 19
Northern Pintail 9S
urf Scoter 12
Black Scoter 6
Dark-winged Scoter 1
Northern Gannet 6
Brown Pelican 22
Double-crested Cormorant 1390
Great Blue Heron 43
Great Egret 11
Snowy Egret 13
American Oystercatcher 44
Laughing Gull 8
Common Tern 2

Hawk Watch Wednesday September 30, 2009


A solid day at the Platform, with a pretty good movement of accipiters during the early hours through mid-day. There were some nice non-raptors as well, including the first group of American Coots (8) of the season, as well as a couple of flyover Dickcissels and a very obliging female Blue Grosbeak that dropped into the platform area at the end of the day.

eBird list follows (with Hawkcount data below):

Canada Goose 200
Mute Swan 8
Wood Duck 22 (flyover flocks of 5 then 17)
Gadwall 1
American Wigeon 4
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 8
Blue-winged Teal 3
Green-winged Teal 24
Surf Scoter 9
Black Scoter 1
Pied-billed Grebe 5
Double-crested Cormorant 45
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 5
Glossy Ibis 1
Black Vulture 9
Turkey Vulture 35
Osprey 54
Bald Eagle 12
Northern Harrier 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk 301
Cooper's Hawk 214
Broad-winged Hawk 13
Red-tailed Hawk 6
American Kestrel 54
Merlin 28
Peregrine Falcon 19
Common Moorhen 1
American Coot 8
Killdeer 10
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 8
Least Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 6
Stilt Sandpiper 1
peep sp. 2
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 75
Royal Tern 5
Black Skimmer 100
Rock Pigeon 15
Mourning Dove 10
Chimney Swift 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 100
Blue Jay 20
Fish Crow 20
Tree Swallow 400
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 2
Bank Swallow 2
Cliff Swallow 2
Barn Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 2
Cape May Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Prairie Warbler 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 25
Blackpoll Warbler 2
White-throated Sparrow 2
Blue Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 10
Dickcissel 2
Bobolink 5
Red-winged Blackbird 350
American Goldfinch 20
House Sparrow 30


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 5 43 43
Turkey Vulture 24 68 68
Osprey 49 1646 1646
Bald Eagle 12 195 195
Northern Harrier 8 156 156
Sharp-shinned Hawk 301 3812 3812
Cooper's Hawk 214 1233 1233
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 6 6
Broad-winged Hawk 13 178 178
Red-tailed Hawk 6 179 179
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 54 2075 2075
Merlin 28 834 834
Peregrine Falcon 19 262 262
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1

Total: 733 10689 10689
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter: Doug Gochfeld

Observers:

Weather:
NW/NNW Winds, Mostly cloudy

Sea Watch Tuesday September 29, 2009

The only notable seabird change from yesterday was that Gannets (including an adult)were moving more consistently. Another thousand+ day of Cormorants was again almost enirely concenrated in the morning. The non-waterbirds were probably more notable today, including 6 species of raptor, a Dickcissel which perched obligingly for a brief period, and a flyby Marbled Godwit.

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 9/29/09
Notes: SW/W/NW Winds
Number of species: 44

dabbling duck sp. 4
Surf Scoter 3
Black Scoter 1
Common Loon 3
Northern Gannet 23

Brown Pelican 2
Double-crested Cormorant 1028
Great Blue Heron 1

Great Egret 20 Townsends Inlet wader roost
Snowy Egret 85 Townsends Inlet wader roost
Little Blue Heron 8 Townsends Inlet wader roost
Turkey Vulture 10
Osprey 5
Bald Eagle 3
Northern Harrier 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 6
Black-bellied Plover 1 Heard only
Semipalmated Plover 1 Heard only
American Oystercatcher 42 Townsends Inlet
Lesser Yellowlegs 1
Marbled Godwit 1
Ruddy Turnstone 3
Sanderling 400
Least Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 7
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull 50
Caspian Tern 12
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 200
Royal Tern 20
Rock Pigeon X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Tree Swallow 450
Carolina Wren 1 Heard only
American Robin 2
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 1 Flyover coming in off the jetty
Northern Cardinal 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Dickcissel 1 Perched briefly on telephone wire
Common Grackle 1
blackbird sp. 2
House Sparrow X

Monarch Monitoring Project Week 3

Greetings All!

Week 3 brought us an average of 38.28 monarchs/hour, our highest numbers so far this season and we're getting some great turn outs for our weekly tagging demos...in fact, everyone seems to be getting in on the action...



That's right, that's Doug Gochfeld, this season's swing counter...Yay for cute incriminating pictures...

You may have also seen us on the Atlantic City news (NBC Channel 40)last Monday...If not, you can check us out here:


http://www.nbc40.net/view_story.php?id=10602

We also had our very first sighting of this little critter courtesy of Michael O'Brien:



Naturally with a find like this it only makes sense that the Ocala Skipper (Panoquina ocala) be our Butterfly of the Week



Appearance: 1.5-1.75 in. wingspan, slight purple sheen, long and narrow, longitudinally striped abdomen, forewings very long and narrow, outer wing edges are darker brown.

Habitat: Marshes, Forest Edges, Roadsides, old fields, utility easements and gardens

Interesting Facts: The Ocala Skipper is a variable immigrant and a relatively rare find (rare to non-existent in the Manhattan area)here in Cape May. This skipper appears from mid Sept.-mid-Oct. so hurry out and happy hunting!

For those interested in reading a bit more about our Monarchs and the story behind scientists' discovery of their overwintering grounds in the recent decades, I highly recommend picking up Sue Halpern's Four Wings and a Prayer: Caught in the Mystery of the Monarch Butterfly (ISBN: 037570194X). This book is an excellent overview of the mystery of their 2,000 mile journey and all the biologists studying them (including our very own scientific advisor, Dr. Lincoln Brower)and a great addition to any nature enthusiasts library. Copies are available at the CMBO Northwood Center, so pick up a copy today!

So some of you may have heard that prior to working here, I worked with sea turtles...




Sea turtles were what pulled me into the wonderful world of migratory animals and have led me to this marvelously charming town of Cape May to work with the Monarchs. Like Monarch Butterflies, the sea turtles that I worked with face similar threats to their survival. If you are interested in reading a little bit about my last job and about what scientists have done to protect nesting Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtles on Padre Island National Seashore (Texas Gulf Coast) feel free to mosey on over to my other blog:

http://www.marinebioclaire.blogspot.com/


Now, for those who weren't aware, tomorrow is supposed to be an EPIC birding/butterflying day! Northwest Winds, 15 mph wind speed, mid-60's, sunny skies, and a partridge in a pear tree *sings* Grab your scopes, sun block, and enthusiasm (and if you're like me a strong cup of coffee if you're heading out there early)and enjoy what will hopefully be a fantastic flight day tomorrow!

Sea Watch Monday September 28, 2009

In line with the hot-and-cold nature of the seawatch, the first two-plus hours of the day saw over 1200 individuals counted, but that number dropped off to only 49 counted during the last 9 hours. Double-crested Cormorants were the big movers of the morning, and migratory Laughing Gulls were detected for the first tme this season. I found out this Laughing Gull movement was evident well offshore too, after talking to Glen Davis (who was on a boat on the ocean) a bit later in the morning.
Non-waterbird notables were an American Pipit, and 2 Northern Flickers motoring in from off the ocean, the second of which was seen at around 12:30 PM (it must have been very far offshore).

eBird list follows
(Migrant waterbirds in bold):

Brant (Atlantic) 1
Northern Shoveler 2
Surf Scoter 1
Black Scoter 19
Common Loon 2
Northern Gannet 11
Brown Pelican 3
Double-crested Cormorant 1173
Great Blue Heron 3

Osprey 3
Peregrine Falcon 2
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Sanderling 150
Laughing Gull 34
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull 75
Caspian Tern 3
Common Tern 8

Forster's Tern 80
Royal Tern 10
jaeger sp. 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Tree Swallow 50
American Robin 2
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 1
Northern Cardinal X
House Finch 2
House Sparrow 10

Morning Flight Monday September 28 2009

Light west winds overnight produced exactly the result I expected: a solid flight early that quickly tapered off. Good light, good company, and a few exciting birds made for a very enjoyable morning. In the second hour Bob Fogg alerted us via text message to a Red-headed Woodpecker flying towards the Dike from the sough end of Higbee. Three minutes later the very bird appeared and lit in the top a tree. It sat there basking in the morning sun and in the admiration of the assembled birders for the better part of 15 minutes. A bit later a flock of Black-bellied Plovers with a gorgeous juvenile American Golden-Plover in tow circled the impoundment, flying right over our heads before disappearing up the bayshore. One rather uncooperative Connecticut Warbler headlined a solid lineup of 17 species of warblers.

For those keeping track at home we added three species to the total for the Morning Flight project this season, American Black Duck, Surf Scoter and Parasitic Jaeger. Thanks to James Smith for spotting the Jaeger way out on the Bay. With the additions today, there have been 196 species seen from the Dike this season. Those who know me know I'm far too gracious to truly be competitive, but it is worth noting that we are rather handily kicking the tails of those slouches at the Hawkwatch when it comes to species totals for the season!

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/28/09
Number of species: 78

American Black Duck 1
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) 1
Mallard 6
Blue-winged Teal 8
Northern Shoveler 8
Green-winged Teal 4
Surf Scoter 3
Black Scoter 12
Double-crested Cormorant 16
Turkey Vulture 6
Osprey 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
American Kestrel 3
Merlin 3
Black-bellied Plover 8
American Golden-Plover 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Least Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 85
Ring-billed Gull 15
Herring Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 30
Forster's Tern 12
Royal Tern 6
Parasitic Jaeger 1 Head south along the middle of the Bay. Appeared to be an arriving migrant.
Rock Pigeon 35
Mourning Dove 8
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 53
Eastern Phoebe 1
Warbling Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 12
American Crow 12
Fish Crow 1
Tree Swallow 35
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 6
Northern Mockingbird 2
Brown Thrasher 2
European Starling 115
Cedar Waxwing 35
Tennessee Warbler 2
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 40
Yellow Warbler 3
Magnolia Warbler 5
Cape May Warbler 4
Black-throated Blue Warbler 5
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 7
Black-throated Green Warbler 5
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 31
Blackpoll Warbler 41
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 35
Northern Waterthrush 2
Connecticut Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 4
Scarlet Tanager 1
Chipping Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 6
Northern Cardinal 8
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3
Indigo Bunting 2
Bobolink 9
Red-winged Blackbird 65
Common Grackle 8
Baltimore Oriole 5
American Goldfinch 6

Sea Watch Sunday, September 27, 2009

The day started off rainy with only one Common Tern showing itself in the limited visibility. The rest of the day was pretty slow even though it gradually cleared off and became sunny. We had a total of 13 species and 266 total birds counted.

Below is a list of birds seen.

Location: Avalon Sea Watch
Observation date: 9/27/09
Number of species: 13
Brant 10
Green-winged Teal 1
Surf Scoter 4
Black Scoter 81
Common Loon 3
Cory's Shearwater 1
Greater Shearwater 1
Northern Gannet 11
Brown Pelican 7
Double-crested Cormorant 143
Great Cormorant 1
Common Tern 2
Parasitic Jaeger 3

Oh, I almost forgot, on a minor note we had two species of shearwater (Cory's and Greater) hang around for 4 1/2 hours, and at one point were in the same field of view.

Morning Flight Sunday 27 2009

Once again a damp morning resulted in zero birds counted at the dike. We did have a fair number of birds in the trees after a periods of rain. The highlight of the morning was a Worm-eating Warbler, the first I've seen in several weeks.
Today the weather was kind to those who came up to visit the Avalon Seawatch. We had a 10-15mph wind out of the ESE blowing under a mostly cloudy sky.

Today started out slow compared to yesterday, and it seemed like the rest of the day could have followed suite, but things picked later on in the day. We had a total of 16 species spotted today, with a total 959 birds counted in total. Though we had less birds today, we had a greater diversity. Of the birds seen, those of special note are the first Brant, Common Eiders, Red-throated Loon, White-Winged Scoter, and Wood Duck of the season. Of further note is the lone Gannet seen today was an adult; another first for the season.

Below is a break down of the birds seen today:

Location: Avalon Sea Watch
Observation date: 9/26/09
Number of species: 16
Brant 6
Canada Goose 3
Wood Duck 4
Mallard 17
Northern Pintail 11
Green-winged Teal 6
Common Eider 8
Surf Scoter 34
White-winged Scoter 1
Dark-winged Scoter 34
Black Scoter 87
Red-throated Loon 1
Common Loon 3
Northern Gannet 1
Brown Pelican 4
Double-crested Cormorant 736
Common Tern 3

Morning Flight Saturday September 26, 2009

A rather slow morning at Higbee's, and the strong east winds kept a lot of the activity between the sun and the dike. The lone highlight was a single Connecticut Warbler. Palm Warblers are now ever present and Redstarts are fading fast, as evidenced by the measley total of 5 for the day. Summer is most definitely over. Total birds counted for the day was 236. On a non-passerine note, a large movement of Double-crested Cormorants was detected, including one flock of around 150 individuals. 2 juvenile Long-billed Dowitchers also showed nicely for at least 20 minutes before flying off south.


Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal 6
Northern Shoveler 4
Double-crested Cormorant 450
Great Blue Heron 3
Osprey 15
Bald Eagle 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 10
Cooper's Hawk 5
Red-tailed Hawk 2
American Kestrel 2
Merlin 6
Peregrine Falcon 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 4
Long-billed Dowitcher 2
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Forster's Tern 6
Royal Tern 4
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 52
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 4
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow 2
Carolina Chickadee X
Carolina Wren 4
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 12
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 26
Tennessee Warbler 1
Northern Parula 18
Magnolia Warbler 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 6
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 36
Blackpoll Warbler 13
Black-and-white Warbler 2
American Redstart 5
Northern Waterthrush 1
Connecticut Warbler 1
warbler sp. 42
Scarlet Tanager 2
Savannah Sparrow 5
Northern Cardinal 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 3
Red-winged Blackbird 100
Common Grackle 1
Baltimore Oriole 3
American Goldfinch 6
House Sparrow X

Sea Watch Friday, September 25, 2009

Today was a good day for migrating birds on all fronts, including for migrating waterbirds. With the day starting with strong north-westerly winds the birds had a strong tail wind at their backs to speed them along the way.

The waves at Avalon sea watch were in a perpetual state of agitation making ocean conditions a Beaufort 3 to 4. With the waves breaking over parts of the jetty the air was filled with spray covering everything, including the optics (Note: Need to pack more lens cloths).

We had 1,576 birds migrate through. Of special note we had 112 American Oystercatchers pass by, as well as the first teal and mallards of the season. And what made this thousand plus day possible were the hundreds of cormorants and scoters flying through. I'd like to thank them for giving me something to count!

Here is a complete list of birds seen today.

Location: Avalon Sea Watch
Observation date: 9/25/09
Number of species: 14
Canada Goose 87
Mallard 5
Northern Pintail 47
Green-winged Teal 6
Surf Scoter 12
Black Scoter 51
Dark-winged Scoter 407
Common Loon 2
Brown Pelican 5
Double-crested Cormorant 785
Great Blue Heron 26
American Oystercatcher 112
Caspian Tern 5
Common Tern 4
Black Skimmer 22

Morning Flight Friday September 25 2009

We were treated to another excellent flight with great diversity. Waxwings basically took over the place. We had a few first for the Dike this season, Great Cormorant, Eastern Phoebe, Golden-crowned Kinglet, and a surprise Hooded Warbler. We had two incredibly cooperative Connecticut Warblers or at least as cooperative as could be expected from flying Connecticut Warblers. Warbler diversity matched the season high with 24 species, though the totals individuals were only 784 including 208 unidentified warblers.


Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/25/09
Number of species: 94

Canada Goose 35
Gadwall 1
Mallard 5
Blue-winged Teal 12
Northern Shoveler 6
Green-winged Teal 7
Double-crested Cormorant 12
Great Cormorant 1 FOS
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 8
Snowy Egret 9
Turkey Vulture 12
Osprey 55
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 85
Cooper's Hawk 9
Broad-winged Hawk 1
American Kestrel 14
Merlin 18
Peregrine Falcon 5
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Laughing Gull 25
Herring Gull 12
Great Black-backed Gull 30
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 3
Royal Tern 6
Rock Pigeon 12
Mourning Dove 8
Belted Kingfisher 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 2
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 656
Eastern Wood-Pewee 4
Eastern Phoebe 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 4
Warbling Vireo 3
Red-eyed Vireo 6
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 18
Fish Crow 2
Tree Swallow 55
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 4
Carolina Chickadee 6
Carolina Wren 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 6
Northern Mockingbird 4
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 90
American Pipit 3
Cedar Waxwing 2060
Tennessee Warbler 2
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 35
Yellow Warbler 5
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Magnolia Warbler 4
Cape May Warbler 13
Black-throated Blue Warbler 9
Yellow-rumped Warbler 64
Black-throated Green Warbler 11
Blackburnian Warbler 4
Pine Warbler 4
Prairie Warbler 2
Palm Warbler 208
Bay-breasted Warbler 4
Blackpoll Warbler 116
Black-and-white Warbler 9
American Redstart 31
Ovenbird 1
Northern Waterthrush 2
Connecticut Warbler 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
Hooded Warbler 1
Wilson's Warbler 2
Scarlet Tanager 9
Chipping Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4
Blue Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 3
Bobolink 14
Red-winged Blackbird 20
Common Grackle 2
Baltimore Oriole 9
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 6

Hawk Watch Thursday September 24, 2009

Finally some northwestish winds at the watch, and the Hawks, well...Falcons at least, responded. We had a solid afternoon American Kestrel and Peregrine Falcon flight pick up as the mid-day accipiter flight (also not too slow) wound down, and we counted almost through 6:00 PM since the Kestrels (200 total for the day, 30 after 5:00 PM) were still moving. By the late afternoon a good number of Ospreys had settled down to hunt and roost in the area (see Josh's post @ http://www.birdcapemay.org/blog/), so there could be an early movement of them tomorrow. Non-raptor highlights were a flyover Dickcissel, the continuing 2 Common Moorhen at the back of Bunker Pond and 2 Parasitic Jaegers working the rips between 8 and 9 AM.

eBird list follows:
Location: Cape Island--Cape May Point SP--CMBO Hawk Watch
Observation date: 9/24/09
Number of species: 69

Canada Goose 150
Mute Swan 10
Gadwall 2
American Wigeon 29
American Black Duck 4
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal 11
Northern Shoveler 4
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Northern Gannet 1
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 8
Snowy Egret 1
Green Heron 3
Glossy Ibis 1
Black Vulture 16
Turkey Vulture 14
Bald Eagle 9
Northern Harrier 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 171
Cooper's Hawk 59
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 200
Merlin 18
Peregrine Falcon 23
Common Moorhen 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 9
Pectoral Sandpiper 16
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Caspian Tern 3
Common Tern X
Forster's Tern 40
Royal Tern 40
Black Skimmer 300
Parasitic Jaeger 2
Rock Pigeon 20
Mourning Dove 20
Chimney Swift 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 50
White-eyed Vireo 1 Heard only
Blue Jay 2
Fish Crow X
Tree Swallow 500
Cliff Swallow 2 Separate individual flyovers
Barn Swallow X
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 8
European Starling X
Yellow Warbler 2
Palm Warbler (Western) 4
Northern Waterthrush 2
Common Yellowthroat 2
Song Sparrow 5
White-throated Sparrow 1 Heard only
Northern Cardinal X
Dickcissel 1
Bobolink 250
Red-winged Blackbird 500
Common Grackle 3
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow X

Sea Watch Thursday, September 24, 2009

The day started out with a light drizzle over Avalon Sea Watch, before it cleared into a hot humid day. Visibility was partially limited due to haze, thus Atlantic City was not viewable for most of the day.

Today was another slow day of scanning the ocean, with only a slightly better count today of 74 birds, versus yesterdays count of 56. The most notable birds were the Northern Pintail that was leading six Double-crested Cormorants, the Great Blue Heron flying in from the ocean, and the Common Loon flying over in the early hours of the morning.

Here is a full list of birds encountered:

Location: Avalon Sea Watch
Observation date: 9/24/09
Number of species: 8
Northern Pintail 1
Common Loon 1
Northern Gannet 5
Brown Pelican 13
Double-crested Cormorant 30
Great Blue Heron 1
Common Tern 18
Dark-winged Scoter 5

Morning Flight September 23 and 24 2009

Yesterday was spectacularly bad, however it was significantly better than the day before. Three days ago I counted zero birds, yesterday I counted two. I did spent a significant portion of the morning stacking Cheerios. I case anyone is wondering, roughly seven Cheerios can be stacked atop one another before falling over. More to the point, the two birds I counted were a Redstart and an unidentified warbler.

Today (09/24) was infinitely better than the past few days though the numbers remained low. The diversity was excellent, due largely to Michael O'Brien and his camera. There was an uncommonly cooperative Gray-cheeked Thrush that perched out in the open and allowed prolonged scope views. We also had a quick view of an adult Red-headed Woodpecker, also thanks to Michael O'Brien, and a late morning Lark Sparrow.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/24/09
Number of species: 60

Canada Goose 5
Blue-winged Teal 12
Northern Shoveler 8
Green-winged Teal 7
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 35
Herring Gull 6
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Forster's Tern 4
Royal Tern 8
Rock Pigeon 4
Mourning Dove 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 12
Least Flycatcher 1
Blue Jay 12
American Crow 6
Tree Swallow 85
Carolina Chickadee 4
Carolina Wren 6
House Wren 1
Gray-cheeked Thrush 1
Swainson's Thrush 1
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 1
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 55
Cedar Waxwing 6
Northern Parula 7
Yellow Warbler 2
Cape May Warbler 5
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 3
Palm Warbler 4
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 8
American Redstart 5
Northern Waterthrush 3
Common Yellowthroat 6
Lark Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 4
Song Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 6
Indigo Bunting 3
Dickcissel 1
Bobolink 8
Red-winged Blackbird 8
Common Grackle 4
American Goldfinch 4

Sea Watch Wednesday, September 23, 2009

This morning the sunrose at 6:47am. Not too long afterwards rain passed through the area for the next few hours, and occassionally was down pouring. To say the least the visibility during early hours of the survey were fair to poor. However, it eventually cleared into a hot and humid day.

Today was a slower day than the first day of sea watch. There were only 56 birds encountered, the most notable bird sighted being a Great Cormorant heading south of the Jetty.

Here are the total counts for the day:


Location: Avalon Sea WatchObservation
date: 9/23/09
Number of species:6
Northern Gannet 1
Brown Pelican 12
Great Cormorant 1
Caspian Tern 9
Common Tern 30
Black Skimmer 3

Hawk Watch Wednesday September 23, 2009

Heavy rain pushed us off the platform briefly this morning, but shortly afterwards the sun came out, the fog burned off and it became a beautiful day...just with the wrong winds. 2 Common Moorhens at the back of Bunker Pond entertained people for much of the day, and the changing of the seasons was evident in the 5 Black Scoters flying offshore, as well as my first White-throated Sparrow of the season calling from in front of the Platform.

My eBird list is below, followed by the Hawk Totals up to this date

Canada Goose 40
Mute Swan 8
Gadwall 3
American Wigeon 18
American Black Duck 10
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal 3
Black Scoter 5
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 4
Green Heron 3
Black-crowned Night-Heron 1
Black Vulture 6
Turkey Vulture 10
Osprey 28
Bald Eagle 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 41
Cooper's Hawk 6
Red-tailed Hawk 4
American Kestrel 7
Merlin 4
Peregrine Falcon 13
Common Moorhen 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 11 Flocks of 4 and then 7
peep sp. 4
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Common Tern 10
Forster's Tern 30
Royal Tern 15
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 50
Fish Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Cliff Swallow 1
Barn Swallow X
Carolina Wren 2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 6
European Starling X
Yellow Warbler 4
Northern Waterthrush 2
Common Yellowthroat 1
Song Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 2
Bobolink 5
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird 1
American Goldfinch 2
House Sparrow 40


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 - 0 - 0
Turkey Vulture 0 - 0 - 0
Osprey 28 - 1316 - 1316
Bald Eagle 3 - 161 - 161
Northern Harrier 0 - 135 - 135
Sharp-shinned Hawk 41 - 3105 - 3105
Cooper's Hawk 6 - 845 - 845
Northern Goshawk 0 - 0 - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 - 3 - 3
Broad-winged Hawk 0 - 161 - 161
Red-tailed Hawk 4 - 169 - 169
Rough-legged Hawk 0 - 0 - 0
Golden Eagle 0 - 0 - 0
American Kestrel 7 - 1563 - 1563
Merlin 4 - 718 - 718
Peregrine Falcon 13 - 129 - 129
Unknown Accipiter 0 - 1 - 1
Unknown Buteo 0 - 0 - 0
Unknown Falcon 0 - 0 - 0
Unknown Eagle 0 - 0 - 0
Unknown Raptor 0 - 1 - 1

Total: 106 8315 8315
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter: Doug Gochfeld

Observers:

Weather:
Humid all day. SW and SSW winds, rain during the first couple of hours,
becoming sunny in the afternoon.

Morning Flight Tuesday September 22 2009

Completely and totally skunked! Zero birds counted in morning flight, just a few hanging out in the trees. We did get a flyby Marbled Godwit, complements of Michael O'Brien, a new species for the dike this season.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/22/09
Number of species: 54

Mallard 6
Blue-winged Teal 8
Northern Shoveler 8
Green-winged Teal 4
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Little Blue Heron 1
Osprey 2
Merlin 1
Black-bellied Plover 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Semipalmated Sandpiper 1
Western Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 45
Herring Gull 15
Great Black-backed Gull 55
Caspian Tern 2
Forster's Tern 7
Royal Tern 6
Rock Pigeon 4
Mourning Dove 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 8
Red-eyed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 12
Tree Swallow 45
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 5
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Veery 3
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 6
Northern Mockingbird 2
Brown Thrasher 2
European Starling 55
Cedar Waxwing 7
Northern Parula 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 3
American Redstart 1
Northern Waterthrush 3
Common Yellowthroat 4
Eastern Towhee 1
Field Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 6
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 4
Indigo Bunting 2
Bobolink 6
Red-winged Blackbird 45
Common Grackle 4
American Goldfinch 4

Sea Watch Tuesday September 22, 2009

Today we kicked off the Avalon Seawatch, and it wasn't as slow a day as I had expected. The first birds of the season were 3 Black Scoters (joined by 1 Surf Scoter), and we ended with 90 migrants comprised of 8 species. It was a warm day at the seawatch, and even if there weren't many birds it was nice to have hospitable weather, something that will be in short supply here later in the season.
eBird list follows (with migrants in bold)

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 9/22/09
Number of species: 30

Canada Goose 2
Surf Scoter 3
Black Scoter 35
Common Loon 1
Northern Gannet 5
Brown Pelican 4
Double-crested Cormorant 8

Turkey Vulture 10
Osprey 6
Peregrine Falcon 1
Black-bellied Plover 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Sanderling 40
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8
Western Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Caspian Tern 5
Common Tern 29

Forster's Tern 60
Royal Tern 15
Rock Pigeon X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Tree Swallow 500
European Starling X
House Finch X
House Sparrow 12

Morning Flight Monday September 21 2009

Southeast wind. 'Nuff said.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/21/09
Number of species: 68

Canada Goose 5
American Black Duck x Mallard (hybrid) 1
Mallard 4
Blue-winged Teal 8
Northern Shoveler 5
Northern Pintail 1
Green-winged Teal 6
Double-crested Cormorant 12
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 2
Osprey 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Semipalmated Plover 1
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper 6
Least Sandpiper 3
White-rumped Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 40
Herring Gull 8
Great Black-backed Gull 35
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 5
Royal Tern 6
Rock Pigeon 4
Mourning Dove 12
Chimney Swift 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 8
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 8
Fish Crow 2
Tree Swallow 45
Barn Swallow 4
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 12
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
American Robin 6
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 2
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 55
American Pipit 1
Cedar Waxwing 7
Northern Parula 4
Yellow Warbler 2
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 5
Blackpoll Warbler 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1
American Redstart 5
Northern Waterthrush 2
Chipping Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 6
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Dickcissel 1
Bobolink 5
Red-winged Blackbird 55
Common Grackle 3
Baltimore Oriole 1
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 6

Morning Flight Sunday September 20 2009

A bit of a slow day, but good diversity. We counted 18 species of warblers plus a Yellow-breasted Chat was seen from the platform.


Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/20/09
Number of species: 77

Canada Goose 2
Gadwall 2
Mallard 6
Blue-winged Teal 8
Northern Shoveler 5
Green-winged Teal 6
Double-crested Cormorant 14
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 3
Black Vulture 15
Turkey Vulture 4
Osprey 6
Bald Eagle 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Sanderling 6
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8
Least Sandpiper 12
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 45
Ring-billed Gull 3
Herring Gull 15
Great Black-backed Gull 40
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 12
Royal Tern 6
Rock Pigeon 15
Mourning Dove 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 31
Eastern Kingbird 1
Red-eyed Vireo 5
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 45
Fish Crow 3
Tree Swallow 215
Bank Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 1
Carolina Wren 4
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 85
Cedar Waxwing 44
Tennessee Warbler 3
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 68
Yellow Warbler 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 1
Cape May Warbler 9
Black-throated Blue Warbler 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Blackburnian Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 2
Prairie Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 19
Blackpoll Warbler 7
Black-and-white Warbler 4
American Redstart 32
Northern Waterthrush 3
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 4
Blue Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Bobolink 27
Red-winged Blackbird 85
Common Grackle 6
Baltimore Oriole 7
House Finch 2

Hawk Watch Results Sunday, September 20, 2009

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 53 1259 1259
Bald Eagle 11 154 154
Northern Harrier 8 134 134
Sharp-shinned Hawk 220 2821 2821
Cooper's Hawk 92 772 772
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 3 3
Broad-winged Hawk 4 161 161
Red-tailed Hawk 5 165 165
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 27 1548 1548
Merlin 11 705 705
Peregrine Falcon 6 111 111
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1

Total: 437 7835 7835
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter: Pete Dunne

Observers:

Weather:


Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:

Hawk Watch Results Saturday, September 19

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 19, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species - Day's Count - Month Total - Season Total
--------------------------------------------------
Black Vulture - 0 - 0 - 0
Turkey Vulture - 0 - 0 - 0
Osprey - 78 - 1206 - 1206
Bald Eagle - 21 - 143 - 143
Northern Harrier - 23 - 126 - 126
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 283 - 2601 - 2601
Cooper's Hawk - 173 - 680 - 680
Northern Goshawk - 0 - 0 - 0
Red-shouldered Hawk - 1 - 3 - 3
Broad-winged Hawk - 40 - 157 - 157
Red-tailed Hawk - 12 - 160 - 160
Rough-legged Hawk - 0 - 0 - 0
Golden Eagle - 0 - 0 - 0
American Kestrel - 39 - 1521 - 1521
Merlin - 41 - 694 - 694
Peregrine Falcon - 12 - 105 - 105 -
Unknown Accipiter - 0 - 1 - 1
Unknown Buteo - 0 - 0 - 0
Unknown Falcon - 0 - 0 - 0
Unknown Eagle - 0 - 0 - 0
Unknown Raptor - 0 - 1 - 1

Total: 723 7398 7398
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 11 hours

Official Counter: Pete Dunne

Report submitted by Doug Gochfeld

[Editor's note: This was an "ozone flight," with birds undoubtedly passing higher than could be seen even with binoculars or scope. One of these may have been the Swainson's Hawk Forrest recorded over at Cape Henlopen, Delaware in the afternoon.]

Monarch Migration Project Week 2

Howdy All (In true Texas drawl)!

Week 2 of the migrating season was a bit of a step backwards from the previous weeks' numbers with an average of 7.37 Monarchs/hour. However, this number isn't all too surprising with the epic storm that happened during the week...the storm that resulted in Cameron Cox's impromptu kayak trip down Columbia Avenue at 6 AM (please refer to Doug's previous posts for pictures). As the high water receded, so did our Monarchs. This week, the Monarchs are staging a major comeback and today was a record day with 63.46 Monarchs/hour!

Last Friday (Sept. 18th) we kicked off our weekly Monarch tagging demos and Team Monarch is coming together. The biggest team player and founder of the Monarch Project here in Cape May, Dick Walton (who is well known for his work on the Peterson's Birding By Ear Field Guides), has just arrived here to assist us in tagging and getting the word out on what we're up to.

While reading about the Monarch happenings here sure is fun, what's better is that you can catch us in action for free! Till the end of the season (Oct. 31st), you can find us giving Monarch tagging demonstrations at the pavilion next to the Hawkwatch Platform (at Cape May Point State Park) every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2 PM.

And now for our Butterfly of the Week: The Fiery Skipper (Hylephila phyleus)



ID Points: Wing Span 1.25-1.5 in. Very short antenae; Males have many small black spots on the underside of the hindwing while Females are pale brown in color with slightly lighter specks (the upper side is darker than males with an orange band rather visible)



(In this picture, the male is shown to the left and the female to the right)

Food (Adults): Aster, Swamp Milkweed, Ironweed (side note: These are also favorite foods for Adult Monarchs!), Thistles, and Sweet Pepperbush

Interesting Facts: When these caterpillars emerge, they eat leaves and also roll and tie them to create makeshift shelters that lie horizontally in the sod..talk about being resourceful!

Though these skippers breed further south, they often wander northward to the Cape May area at the end of summer. Like Monarchs, Fiery Skippers cannot survive the cold winters here, making them rarer to see as we head into the fall season. In recent walks given by staff of the Cape May Bird Observatory, we are still finding a few of them lurking about on walking paths at the State Park, Pavilion Circle, and other private gardens. If you haven't seen a Fiery Skipper yet, or, like me, have difficulty finding them amongst the sea of Sachems (another common Skipper species here), the Cape May Bird Observatory regularly hosts Butterfly walks around Cape May. The next CMBO sponsored walk will be held Thursday Sept. 24 in the Goshen Gardens (at the NJAB/CMBO Center for Research and Education) from 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM and a Butterfly and Dragonfly Walk will be held on Sunday Sept. 27 from Noon - 2PM meeting at the Hawkwatch Platform. Both events are $6 for members and $10 for non-members.

Till next time, Happy Bird/Butterfly/Dragonfly hunting everyone!



For more information about Dick Walton and his DVD releases, Podcasts, and other publications check out this website:

http://www.rkwalton.com/

For more cool pictures of the Fiery Skipper check out this site:

http://www.cirrusimage.com/skipper_fiery.htm

For the CMBO Weekly Walks Schedule, check out this link:

http://www.birdcapemay.org/programs.php

Morning Flight Saturday September 19 2009

This morning brought a very solid flight with great species diversity, though not overwhelming numbers. I have been attempting to deny that the fall is steadily slipping through my fingers, but my denial was dealt a resounding blow today when Palm Warblers soundly trounced redstarts as the most numerous warbler. Fall marches on. The Long-billed Dowitcher from yesterday made another appearance, but warblers were the hit of the morning. Including Common Yellowthroats, which do not participate in morning flight, we had 24 species of warblers; a rather solid total! There were 1084 individual warblers counted including 448 unidentified warblers. We also had some great looks at Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and a flyby Clay-colored Sparrow. A fine morning!

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/19/09
Number of species: 86

Mallard 6
Blue-winged Teal 5
Northern Shoveler 5
Green-winged Teal 6
Double-crested Cormorant 7
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 8
Turkey Vulture 12
Osprey 6
Bald Eagle 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 18
Cooper's Hawk 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Merlin 8
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 5
Semipalmated Sandpiper 6
Least Sandpiper 9
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Laughing Gull 55
Ring-billed Gull 4
Herring Gull 18
Great Black-backed Gull 35
Forster's Tern 2
Royal Tern 6
Rock Pigeon 12
Mourning Dove 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 94
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 12
Blue Jay 8
American Crow 55
Fish Crow 6
Tree Swallow 300
Barn Swallow 15
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 6
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 5
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 35
Cedar Waxwing 557
Blue-winged Warbler 1
Tennessee Warbler 9
Nashville Warbler 5
Northern Parula 110
Yellow Warbler 2
Chestnut-sided Warbler 3
Magnolia Warbler 2
Cape May Warbler 10
Black-throated Blue Warbler 13
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Black-throated Green Warbler 8
Blackburnian Warbler 3
Prairie Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 256
Bay-breasted Warbler 9
Blackpoll Warbler 64
Black-and-white Warbler 22
American Redstart 80
Ovenbird 1
Northern Waterthrush 18
Connecticut Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 6
Wilson's Warbler 2
Canada Warbler 2
Scarlet Tanager 5
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 5
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 9
Indigo Bunting 5
Bobolink 21
Red-winged Blackbird 110
Common Grackle 8
Baltimore Oriole 4
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 12

Morning Flight Friday September 18, 2009

Another very slow morning. Luckily a molting juvenile Long-billed Dowitcher was there from sunrise through the end of the count to brighten up the slow monotony of the flight. 107 re-determined migrants were counted. Tomorrow should be much better.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/18/09
Number of species: 48

Mute Swan 4
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal 6
Northern Shoveler 4
Green-winged Teal 10
Double-crested Cormorant X
Great Blue Heron 1
Snowy Egret 12
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 1
Merlin 4
Semipalmated Plover 1
Spotted Sandpiper 4
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Semipalmated Sandpiper 2
Least Sandpiper 6
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Laughing Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Caspian Tern 2
Forster's Tern X
Royal Tern 1
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Red-eyed Vireo 3
crow sp. X
Tree Swallow X
Carolina Wren 6
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 1
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 19
Tennessee Warbler 2
Northern Parula 28
Yellow Warbler 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler 2
Palm Warbler 2
Blackpoll Warbler 2
Black-and-white Warbler 5
American Redstart 35
Northern Waterthrush 6
warbler sp. 17
Northern Cardinal X
Blue Grosbeak 2
Red-winged Blackbird X

Morning Flight Thursday September 17 2009

A blustery morning with very few birds. Surprisingly, one of the weakest fliers, Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, made an attempt to fight through the wind. A Seaside Sparrow, spotted by Scott Whittle, was a major surprise. Quite out of character it spent its time running around amid the frag!

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/17/09
Number of species: 67

Canada Goose 7
Mallard 4
Blue-winged Teal 5
Northern Shoveler 5
Green-winged Teal 2
Double-crested Cormorant 2
Great Egret 2
Glossy Ibis 3
Turkey Vulture 3
Osprey 8
Bald Eagle 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15
Merlin 10
Peregrine Falcon 1
Semipalmated Plover 3
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 6
Semipalmated Sandpiper 12
Least Sandpiper 5
Laughing Gull 45
Ring-billed Gull 3
Herring Gull 15
Great Black-backed Gull 40
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 4
Royal Tern 6
Rock Pigeon 3
Mourning Dove 5
Chimney Swift 2
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 8
Eastern Kingbird 6
Red-eyed Vireo 2
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 18
Fish Crow 1
Purple Martin 2
Tree Swallow 215
Bank Swallow 1
Cliff Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 45
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 5
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 16
American Robin 4
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 35
Cedar Waxwing 15
Tennessee Warbler 1
Northern Parula 2
Palm Warbler (Western) 2
American Redstart 2
Northern Waterthrush 7
Common Yellowthroat 4
Seaside Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 6
Indigo Bunting 1
Bobolink 11
Red-winged Blackbird 35
Common Grackle 3
Baltimore Oriole 7
House Finch 6
American Goldfinch 12

Morning Flight Wednesday September 16 2009

A bit slow today though the warbler diversity was fairly good. The count of 7 Eastern Wood-Pewee was quite good.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/16/09
Number of species: 79

Canada Goose 12
Gadwall 2
Mallard 5
Blue-winged Teal 12
Northern Shoveler 6
Green-winged Teal 5
Double-crested Cormorant 15
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 2
Osprey 6
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 12
Cooper's Hawk 2
American Kestrel 5
Merlin 10
Semipalmated Plover 6
Killdeer 2
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 8
Semipalmated Sandpiper 15
Least Sandpiper 6
Laughing Gull 85
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull 12
Great Black-backed Gull 30
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 6
Royal Tern 12
Rock Pigeon 115
Mourning Dove 2
Chimney Swift 9
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Eastern Wood-Pewee 7
Alder Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 3
White-eyed Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 15
Fish Crow 2
Tree Swallow 250
Barn Swallow 300
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 6
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 8
Veery 1
American Robin 6
Gray Catbird 7
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 85
Cedar Waxwing 6
Tennessee Warbler 2
Northern Parula 35
Yellow Warbler 6
Chestnut-sided Warbler 3
Cape May Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 4
Blackburnian Warbler 2
Palm Warbler (Western) 4
Blackpoll Warbler 20
Black-and-white Warbler 14
American Redstart 36
Northern Waterthrush 43
Common Yellowthroat 6
Savannah Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 8
Blue Grosbeak 1
Dickcissel 1
Bobolink 21
Red-winged Blackbird 145
Common Grackle 6
Baltimore Oriole 6
House Finch 8
American Goldfinch 14

Morning Flight Tuesday September 15 2009

Basically a typical day-after-a-big-flight kind of day. Some birds and good variety but it suffered from the comparison to yesterday. A flock of three adult Snow Geese was a pleasant surprise. Shorebird numbers are declining in the impoundment while waterfowl numbers are increasing.

Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/15/09
Number of species: 89

Snow Goose 3
Canada Goose 5
Mallard 4
Blue-winged Teal 7
Northern Shoveler 5
Green-winged Teal 5
Double-crested Cormorant 12
Great Egret 2
Snowy Egret 36
Little Blue Heron 1
Osprey 4
Bald Eagle 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15
Cooper's Hawk 2
American Kestrel 8
Merlin 15
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 5
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 12
Semipalmated Sandpiper 9
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull 115
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 25
Great Black-backed Gull 45
Caspian Tern 1
Forster's Tern 12
Royal Tern 8
Rock Pigeon 15
Mourning Dove 8
Chimney Swift 8
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 6
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 80
Eastern Wood-Pewee 1
Empidonax sp. 1
Eastern Kingbird 5
White-eyed Vireo 1
Philadelphia Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 8
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 45
Fish Crow 2
Tree Swallow 210
Barn Swallow 8
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 7
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 4
Veery 3
American Robin 5
Gray Catbird 6
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 120
Cedar Waxwing 174
Tennessee Warbler 2
Nashville Warbler 7
Northern Parula 92
Yellow Warbler 5
Chestnut-sided Warbler 1
Magnolia Warbler 2
Cape May Warbler 4
Black-throated Blue Warbler 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Black-throated Green Warbler 3
Blackburnian Warbler 3
Prairie Warbler 1
Palm Warbler (Western) 21
Bay-breasted Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 21
Black-and-white Warbler 19
American Redstart 119
Ovenbird 1
Northern Waterthrush 31
Connecticut Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 4
Wilson's Warbler 1
Scarlet Tanager 2
Northern Cardinal 8
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 3
Dickcissel 1
Bobolink 96
Red-winged Blackbird 45
Common Grackle 4
Baltimore Oriole 4
House Finch 1
American Goldfinch 12

Hawk Watch September 14, 2009

The day started out absurdly well, as there were American Kestrels and Sharp-shinned Hawks dotting the sky over the parking lot when I arrived just before dawn. American Kestrels were streaming high off the water (going north) over the entire visible coastline. In the frst 30 minutes of the day there were already 78 tallied. As a busy morning Kestrel and Accipiter flight tailed off, excitement built around the number of Bald Eagles that were moving. We ended up setting a new single day record count for Bald Eagles at the Cape May Hawkwatch, breaking the old record of 39 by 7.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 14, 2009
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 163 784 784
Bald Eagle 46 91 91
Northern Harrier 34 58 58
Sharp-shinned Hawk 753 1410 1410
Cooper's Hawk 165 335 335
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 2 2
Broad-winged Hawk 33 83 83
Red-tailed Hawk 34 123 123
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 399 1079 1079
Merlin 47 344 344
Peregrine Falcon 8 45 45
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 1684 4356 4356


Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 11.5 hours
Official Counter Pete Dunne
Observers: Doug Gochfeld


Weather:
Light NW winds.

Raptor Observations:
Kestrels and Sharp-shinneds were all over the sky pre-dawn. Bald Eagle count of 46 beat the previous daily high of 39.

Non-raptor Observations:

Hawk Watch September 13, 2009 (redux)

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 13, 2009
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 185 621 621
Bald Eagle 15 45 45
Northern Harrier 12 24 24
Sharp-shinned Hawk 451 657 657
Cooper's Hawk 40 170 170
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 6 50 50
Red-tailed Hawk 7 89 89
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 243 680 680
Merlin 95 297 297
Peregrine Falcon 6 37 37
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1

Total: 1060 2672 2672
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter: Doug Gochfeld

Observers:

Weather:
Light NNW wind throughout the day. Cloudy early with some drizzle at times,
clearing by ~10:30 AM when the raptor flight really picked up.

Morning Flight Monday September 14 2009

Expectations. Sometimes they are met or exceeded sometimes they are not. Today fell into the former category. Or, more accurately, expectations were utterly outstripped! I had a feeling that it would be a good day as I watched over 30 Sharp-shinned Hawks sail through the pink-washed pre-dawn sky. Almost immediately my suspicions were justified as warblers dotted the sky. Things quickly accelerated into world class bedlam with birds all over the sky. Several of the counts for the day were notable: The 347 Northern Parulas is an excellent number, while in these post spruce budworm years, the 13 Bay-breasted Warblers seen today is also notable, and the 129 Blue-gray Gnatsnachers, the second highest count of the season and late in the season for such a large push of Gnatcatchers. Also more signs of the progress of fall were evident today with the first Yellow-rumped Warbler for the count and the first large flight of Northern Flickers. In all, 22 species of warblers were counted from the Dike. Add to that number the afraid-to-fly Common Yellowthroats, and the Wilson's and Blue-winged Warblers seen from the Morning Flight platform, but not on the Dike, and we had 25 total species of warblers. Not shabby! The total number of warblers was 2073 including 853 unidentified warblers. The total number of species for the morning was 104, a fantastic total for 4.5 hours spent all at one spot!


Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/14/09
Number of species: 104

Canada Goose 2
Mute Swan 7
Mallard 6
Northern Shoveler 7
Northern Pintail 7
Green-winged Teal 8
Double-crested Cormorant 25
Black Vulture 35
Turkey Vulture 7
Osprey 9
Bald Eagle 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 85 30+ before sunrise
Cooper's Hawk 1
American Kestrel 2
Merlin 12
Black-bellied Plover 1
Semipalmated Plover 2
Killdeer 5
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 1
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 9
Semipalmated Sandpiper 18
Least Sandpiper 3
Laughing Gull 85
Ring-billed Gull 5
Herring Gull 15
Great Black-backed Gull 85
Caspian Tern 2
Forster's Tern 15
Royal Tern 8
Black Skimmer 6
Rock Pigeon 12
Mourning Dove 4
Chimney Swift 9
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 129
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Least Flycatcher 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 2
Eastern Kingbird 18
White-eyed Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 2
Philadelphia Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 15
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 25
Fish Crow 2
Purple Martin 3
Tree Swallow 400
Barn Swallow 6
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
Carolina Wren 4
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 129 Huge flight for this late!
Veery 4
American Robin 2
Gray Catbird 8
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling 120
Cedar Waxwing 112
Tennessee Warbler 8
Nashville Warbler 12
Northern Parula 347
Yellow Warbler 18
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Magnolia Warbler 31
Cape May Warbler 17
Black-throated Blue Warbler 110
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1 The end is near! Run for your life!
Black-throated Green Warbler 9
Blackburnian Warbler 7
Yellow-throated Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Prairie Warbler 6
Palm Warbler 33
Bay-breasted Warbler 13 The ratio of BBWA to BLPW was crazy. Seem to fly lower than BLPW
Blackpoll Warbler 27
Black-and-white Warbler 72
American Redstart 474
Ovenbird 1
Northern Waterthrush 23
Connecticut Warbler 6
Common Yellowthroat 9
Canada Warbler 1
Scarlet Tanager 15
Chipping Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 3
Song Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 8
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 10
Blue Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 5
Dickcissel 2
Bobolink 150
Red-winged Blackbird 90
Common Grackle 6
Baltimore Oriole 12
Purple Finch 2
American Goldfinch 14

Hawk Watch Sunday September 13, 2009

Raptors, finally! The first few hours of the day made it seem like it was going to be a dud, but as soon as the clouds cleared and it warmed up the Sharpies started to move, and the Kestrels came a little while later. Ospreys were moving loosely all day. Also of note around the platform was a Yellow-breasted Chat, a crowd pleasing flyby Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and a flyby White-rumped Sandpiper. Bobolinks were pouring over all morning, and the count we got (thanks mostly to Tony Leukering's dilligent listing) was over 4500. Total # of migrant raptors for the day was 1,060.

Location: Cape Island--CMBO Hawk Watch Site
Observation date: 9/13/09
Notes: Light NNW wind throughout the day. Cloudy early with some drizzle at
times, clearing by ~10:30 AM when the raptor flight really picked up.
Number of species: 78

Canada Goose X
Mute Swan 7
American Wigeon 9
Blue-winged Teal 12
Green-winged Teal 3
Double-crested Cormorant X
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 5
Green Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 4
Black Vulture 5
Turkey Vulture 18
Osprey 185
Bald Eagle 16 One local adult stealing fish from various Ospreys, the
rest were deemed migrants.
Northern Harrier 12
Sharp-shinned Hawk 451
Cooper's Hawk 40
Broad-winged Hawk 6
Red-tailed Hawk 7
American Kestrel 243
Merlin 95
Peregrine Falcon 6
Semipalmated Plover 10
Killdeer 1
American Oystercatcher 1
Solitary Sandpiper 2 flybys
Greater Yellowlegs 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 97
Least Sandpiper 8
White-rumped Sandpiper 1 flyby
Stilt Sandpiper 9 flybys, including a pure flock of 8
Short-billed Dowitcher 8
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Caspian Tern 4
Common Tern X
Forster's Tern X
Royal Tern 15
Black Skimmer X
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Yellow-billed Cuckoo 1
Common Nighthawk 3
Chimney Swift X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 5
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Empidonax sp. 1
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Fish Crow X
Tree Swallow 2500
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Bank Swallow 2
Barn Swallow X
Carolina Chickadee X
Carolina Wren 5
Gray Catbird 2
Northern Mockingbird 8
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing X
Yellow Warbler 10
Magnolia Warbler 1
American Redstart 3
Northern Waterthrush 4
Common Yellowthroat 5
Yellow-breasted Chat 1
Song Sparrow 3
Northern Cardinal 3
Indigo Bunting 3
Bobolink 4671
Red-winged Blackbird X
Baltimore Oriole 6
American Goldfinch X

Morning Flight Sunday September 13 2009

Expectations. Sometimes they are met or exceeded sometimes they are not. Today, unfortunately, fell in the later category. It wasn't a bad morning, in fact it was pretty good, but I expected excellent and was disappointed. There was an solid flight of northbound Bobolinks, over 1300. Also, the first signs of the progression of fall were evident with a trickle of Blackpolls and Palm Warblers. The highlights were an immature Red-headed Woodpecker and a flyover Long-billed Dowitcher. Hint for morning flight visitors: get there early. Lately more than 75% of the flight has occurred in the first hour after dawn, roughly 6:45-7:45.


Mallard 6
Blue-winged Teal 6
Northern Shoveler 4
Northern Pintail 1
Green-winged Teal 8
Brown Pelican 1
Double-crested Cormorant 45
Great Blue Heron 1
Snowy Egret 3
Osprey 4
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5
Cooper's Hawk 2
Merlin 8
Semipalmated Plover 2
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 4
Semipalmated Sandpiper 18
Least Sandpiper 4
Long-billed Dowitcher 1
Laughing Gull 85
Ring-billed Gull 4
Herring Gull 25
Great Black-backed Gull 45
Caspian Tern 4
Royal Tern 9
Rock Pigeon 12
Mourning Dove 3
Chimney Swift 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 6
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee 2
Least Flycatcher 1
Empidonax sp. 2
Eastern Kingbird 76
White-eyed Vireo 1
Warbling Vireo 2
Red-eyed Vireo 4
Blue Jay 5
American Crow 18
Fish Crow 2
Purple Martin 3
Tree Swallow 145
Barn Swallow 5
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 8
House Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Veery 2
American Robin 3
Gray Catbird 6
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 145
Cedar Waxwing 15
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 56
Yellow Warbler 11
Chestnut-sided Warbler 2
Magnolia Warbler 5
Cape May Warbler 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler 13
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Blackburnian Warbler 2
Prairie Warbler 3
Palm Warbler 5
Blackpoll Warbler 24
Black-and-white Warbler 9
American Redstart 121
Northern Waterthrush 15
Common Yellowthroat 6
Northern Cardinal 8
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 2
Indigo Bunting 1
Bobolink 1307
Red-winged Blackbird 90
Common Grackle 6
Baltimore Oriole 13
American Goldfinch 1

Hawk Watch Saturday September 12, 2009


What a day at the Hawkwatch. The platform list for the season gained several species, including Cattle Egret, American Bittern, Dickcissel, and Parasitic Jaeger, but the real show was from shorebirds. We tallied 653 Lesser Yellowlegs flowing by, and most of the flocks contained other species, largely Stilt (20+) and Pectoral (17), but also a few Dowitchers, 9 Semipalmated Sandpipers, and 2 Wilson's Phalaropes. The highlight shorebirds though, were 2 adult HUDSONIAN GODWITS still retainng some breeding plumage. We almost certainly missed a few shorebird flocks, and a couple of large ones were too far offshore to identify with any sort of certainty. Raptor-wise (this IS a hawkwatch after all) there wasn't a ton of variety, but Ospreys were definitely on the move through the middle of the day, Merlins had a small movement early, and a single Northern Harrier was nice.
My complete eBird lists follows:
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan 13
Gadwall 1
American Wigeon 6
Mallard X
Green-winged Teal 8
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Brown Pelican 12
Double-crested Cormorant 100
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 12
Great Egret 5
Snowy Egret 9
Little Blue Heron 1
Cattle Egret 1
Green Heron 1
Glossy Ibis 8
Black Vulture 4
Turkey Vulture 12
Osprey 67
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 6
Broad-winged Hawk 1 The same non-migrant that's been hanging around for
a few days.
American Kestrel 5
Merlin 21
Peregrine Falcon 1
Greater Yellowlegs 25
Lesser Yellowlegs 653
Whimbrel 1 S-N calling flyby over Bunker Pond
Hudsonian Godwit 2 Close flyby adults, 9:15 AM
Semipalmated Sandpiper 11
Least Sandpiper 15
Pectoral Sandpiper 17
Stilt Sandpiper 20
Short-billed Dowitcher 7
Wilson's Phalarope 2 Flyovers with separate Lesser Yellowlegs flocks.
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Caspian Tern 1
Common Tern 200
Forster's Tern 40
Royal Tern 20
Parasitic Jaeger 2
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Common Nighthawk 2
Chimney Swift X
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 3
Belted Kingfisher 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Least Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 2
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Fish Crow X
Purple Martin 1
Tree Swallow 1500
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Bank Swallow 2
Cliff Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 50
Carolina Chickadee X
Carolina Wren 3
House Wren 1
Gray Catbird X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
American Pipit 1 calling flyover, seemed to drop down near the bunker
Cedar Waxwing X
Yellow Warbler 12
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Northern Waterthrush 8
Common Yellowthroat X
Song Sparrow X
Northern Cardinal X
Indigo Bunting 1
Dickcissel 2
Bobolink 700
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle 2
Baltimore Oriole 54
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X

Morning Flight Saturday September 12 2009

Quite an interesting morning on the dike; perhaps even weird. The Baltimore Oriole situation provides the best example of how things went this morning. Throughout the morning orioles were trickling south until the beginning of the third hour when the floodgates opened and about three hundred went south! Just as I was beginning to wonder if there was enough space on the Point for all these orioles, when 300 orioles came back north! Then 60 went south, and 84 went north, ect. I was just a bit puzzled. Otherwise there were few passerines in flight. There were tons of Lesser Yellowlegs and two Stilt Sandpipers. The main highlight was a dark bird I picked up through binoculars and I assumed was my first Parasitic Jaeger for the dike, but when I put it in the scope it was clear that it was something different. After some fumbling around I realized it was a Long-tailed Jaeger!

Finally, on a personal note, some of you may have seen post from me on the NJ list. Unfortunately my email has been hacked and I've spent the last two day trying to fix it. My apologizes for the additions to your spam.


Location: Cape Island--Higbees Beach SWA--Dike
Observation date: 9/12/09
Number of species: 72

Mallard 4
Blue-winged Teal 3
Northern Shoveler 4
Green-winged Teal 8
Black Scoter 17
Brown Pelican 9
Double-crested Cormorant 8
Turkey Vulture 1
Osprey 5
Bald Eagle 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 2
Merlin 8
Semipalmated Plover 2
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 85
Sanderling 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper 40
Least Sandpiper 6
Pectoral Sandpiper 2
Laughing Gull 85
Ring-billed Gull 2
Herring Gull 25
Great Black-backed Gull 105
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 8
Royal Tern 12
Long-tailed Jaeger 1
Rock Pigeon 35
Mourning Dove 4
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Eastern Kingbird 78
White-eyed Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 3
Blue Jay 6
American Crow 15
Purple Martin 2
Tree Swallow 200
Barn Swallow 2
Carolina Chickadee 2
Carolina Wren 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Veery 2
American Robin 6
Gray Catbird 4
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 45
Cedar Waxwing 6
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 4
Yellow Warbler 6
Magnolia Warbler 1
Cape May Warbler 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler 4
Black-throated Green Warbler 1
Prairie Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 9
Black-and-white Warbler 2
American Redstart 9
Northern Waterthrush 8
Clay-colored Sparrow 1
Northern Cardinal 7
Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1
Blue Grosbeak 1
Indigo Bunting 1
Dickcissel 3
Bobolink 300
Red-winged Blackbird 12
Common Grackle 2
Baltimore Oriole 353
American Goldfinch 2

Monarch Monitoring Project 9/12/2009

Greetings butterfly, birding, and nature enthusiasts! My name is Claire Iseton and I am the new Monarch Migration Project intern for what will hopefully be an exciting fall 2009 season here at Cape May. Chances are you may have seen me in the neighborhood channeling my inner 5-year old and donning a butterfly net. If you haven't yet, not to worry, that will soon change. I hope that if you do find me awkwardly tripping over things in people’s gardens that you'll stop on over, say hello, and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

But enough about me, let's talk about the star of the show: Danaus plexippus a.k.a. the Monarch Butterfly.



Some say that this butterfly was named in honor of King William III of England, who claimed the throne following a growing threat of a revival of Catholicism at the hand of King James II. A devout Protestant, he quickly gained public support and later won the English, Scottish, and Irish crowns following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. King William III to this day is more commonly known as William of Orange, which seems to make "Monarch" a rather fitting name for one of the most popular of the butterfly species.

The Monarch season has yet to reach full swing but the first week of September was very promising with an average of 26.77 monarchs per hour! This is significantly higher than the average 14.02 monarchs/hr we saw this time last year, and it's only the beginning...



In the past few days Monarch numbers have slowed to a halt, so I've been out trimming butterfly bushes (Buddleja sp, see above) around the Point. Before our cross-country migrants wander into your garden, I strongly encourage you do go out and deadhead too! Besides being a reference to the Grateful Dead fanbase, deadheading refers to removing the flower heads that have died to make way for fresh growth and new flowers. When removing the dead flowers, take care to leave as much of the stem as possible so the plant can devote more energy in creating new flowers just in time for the migrating season.

For more info. on butterfly bushes and the art of deadheading check out these sites:
http://www.mountainvalleygrowers.com/mvv2-94.htm
http://butterflywebsite.com/articles/bgq/buddleia.htm

So grab a pair of clippers, a pail, and your green thumb and let's get deadheading!

Morning "Flight" Friday September 11, 2009



It would be hard for me to fully describe the early hours of today. Suffice to say that there was a lot of water around Cape May...mostly in places where it shouldn't have been. The street where us counters and naturalists are staying was under several inches of said water, and it was still coming down (and hard) as I started the morning "flight" count. 0 reverse migrants were counted, although an absolutely miserable looking Whimbrel was perched up on the dike for most of my stay there.
If you are planning on heading up to the dike over the next few days be forewarned that there is a large puddle at the base of the dike and the slope up to the dike is VERY slippery and dangerous. The photos above were taken on the sreet directly in front of the house and, yes, that is a Kayak.
eBird list:
Blue-winged Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 3
Green-winged Teal 6
Snowy Egret 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Semipalmated Plover 9
Spotted Sandpiper 1
Lesser Yellowlegs 2
Whimbrel 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper 8
Least Sandpiper 1
Laughing Gull X
Forster's Tern X
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Yellow Warbler 1
Northern Waterthrush 4

Morning Flight Thursday September 10 2009

Wow, just a bit windy this morning. Surprisingly there were warblers flying in between and sometimes amid the 40 MPH gusts. I spent a large part of the morning looking at warbler specks through the excellent Zeiss scope out on the distant treeline. Lots of raptors was also a surprise; the Ospreys just kept coming. Add 204 unidentified warblers to the total.

Mallard 4
Blue-winged Teal 15
Northern Pintail 1
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 85
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 1
Snowy Egret 8
Turkey Vulture 4
Osprey 40
Bald Eagle 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 2
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 6
Merlin 3
Peregrine Falcon 2
Semipalmated Plover 1
Killdeer 2
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Solitary Sandpiper 2
Lesser Yellowlegs 8
Sanderling 15
Semipalmated Sandpiper 55
Western Sandpiper 1
Least Sandpiper 8
Laughing Gull 35
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 35
Forster's Tern 3
Royal Tern 8
Rock Pigeon 15
Mourning Dove 6
Chimney Swift 12
Ruby-throated Hummingbird 4
Belted Kingfisher 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Great Crested Flycatcher 1
Eastern Kingbird 131
White-eyed Vireo 1
Red-eyed Vireo 6
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 15
Purple Martin 3
Tree Swallow 215
Barn Swallow 30
Carolina Chickadee 3
Carolina Wren 6
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2
Veery 1
American Robin 8
Gray Catbird 6
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 65
Cedar Waxwing 53
Blue-winged Warbler 1
Tennessee Warbler 1
Northern Parula 23
Yellow Warbler 20
Magnolia Warbler 2
Cape May Warbler 10
Black-throated Blue Warbler 7
Black-throated Green Warbler 2
Pine Warbler 1
Prairie Warbler 1
Blackpoll Warbler 1
Black-and-white Warbler 10
American Redstart 56
Northern Waterthrush 11
Connecticut Warbler 1
Common Yellowthroat 8
Wilson's Warbler 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Northern Cardinal 9
Indigo Bunting 3
Bobolink 279
Red-winged Blackbird 85
Common Grackle 1
Baltimore Oriole 8
American Goldfinch 3