Hawk Watch Saturday November 6, 2010

It certainly felt like November today with the cold temperatures and brisk breeze in the air, and the hawk flight also had a very November-y feel to it. Most movement occurred between 10 and 2 when the thermals were good which produced really great looks at Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks mixing in with kettles of vultures. We also had 4, count 'em, 4 Northern Goshawks today (3 in the same hour!), all of which provided great views as they cruised past the platform.

One of the best highlights for today was the Long-eared Owl found by Tom Johnson that flew right over the parking lot as it was being harassed by 3 crows. After evading the crows, the owl proceeded to fly low down the beach and eventually landed somewhere in town.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 06, 2010
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture               14             99            275
Turkey Vulture              53            773           1863
Osprey                       7             18           4548
Bald Eagle                  11             41            450
Northern Harrier            31            336           1967
Sharp-shinned Hawk         151           1077          18884
Cooper's Hawk               25            243           3928
Northern Goshawk             4              8             10
Red-shouldered Hawk         36            145            259
Broad-winged Hawk            2              8           1215
Red-tailed Hawk             36            696           1278
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0             12             20
American Kestrel             5             29           5590
Merlin                       6             38           2211
Peregrine Falcon             0             10           1379
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0

Total:                     381           3533          43878
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Observation start time: 06:30:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Light to moderate Northeast winds early on becoming North for the majority
of the day with partly cloudy skies becoming overcast by late afternoon.

Raptor Observations:
Respectable numbers of Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Northern Harriers,
Red-tailed Hawks, and Red-shouldered Hawks.  We also had 4 Northern
Goshawks.

Non-raptor Observations:
1 Long-eared Owl being harassed by crows in the late afternoon; 1
Bufflehead; 2 Lapland Longspurs; Common Loons; 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull

Predictions:
Clear skies and moderate NNW winds all day tomorrow should produce a nice
hawk flight.