Hawk Watch Tuesday November 30, 2010



Well, that's the ballgame. Or at least as far as the 2010 Cape May Hawk Count is concerned. The raptor count today was a whopping 5, and fittingly enough all were the trademark species of our Hawkwatch: Sharp-shinned Hawk. Other than that the continuing adult female Northern Harrier made two appearances, as did an adult Bald Eagle which buzzed Bunker Pond at eye level. There was only one non-raptor event worth noting today, and that was the incredible Northern Gannet extravaganza going on just offshore. Throughout the day Gannets were plunge-diving across the horizon with reckless abandon, and by the afternoon there were dozens, if not hundreds, of them strewn across the surface of the water resting (including some quite close to shore). Also of note were 2 young Great Cormorants, a Purple Finch, 2 American Pipits, 2 Blue-winged Teals, 29 Hooded Mergansers, 11 White-winged Scoters, 2 Bonaparte's Gulls, and a Forster's Tern.

With the season over, a little bit of a look back seems appropriate, starting with a brief re-cap. The overall number of Raptors counted (47,542) was the highest total since 2006, and the 2nd highest of this Millennium. Basically every raptor species was counted in higher numbers than the recent averages (not to be mistaken with the historical averages). Rough-legged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk, and Mississippi Kite were all misses, although none of them are expected in any numbers, let alone every season necessarily. Over 500 Bald Eagles were counted (breaking the season record set just last year), which makes this one of only a few counts with that distinction, Golden Eagles had one of the highest counts on record here, and Black Vultures were counted in close to record (for this location) numbers. Northern Goshawks had an excellent year, with almost 30 tallied, including an adult/2nd year-type bird which was a pretty awesome sight. Much of the Raptor increase likely had to do with the great weather pattern we had (in terms of bringing raptors to the coast) rather than increasing raptor populations across the board.

However, increased raptor numbers aside, the thing that really made this year so excellent were the people who frequented the platform throughout the season. In fact here's a little rag-tag homage just thrown together on short notice:

Melissa on day #2. Note the mostly empty platform, beneath what is presumably a sky mostly devoid of raptors.


A special shout out goes to Steve Bauer, who parked himself on the platform almost every single day for the entire season. His raptor ID (and people) skills were a welcome addition to the daily goings on at the hawkwatch. The knowledge of and experience with raptors he brought helped out immensely, and I know I speak for Melissa as well when I send out a BIG "Thank you" to Steve.



Tom Johnson, Morning Flight counter by day (...or, rather, morning), hawk instructor by nigh...afternoon. Tom's excellent skills and ready wit brought great fun to the platform, especially as he counted a modified diurnal morning flight from the platform many mornings in November.



Scott Whittle (he of the excellent Tuesday Photography Walks) enraptured with an obviously exciting high raptor flight. I believe he was convinced to take a nap on the platform just in case something really good flew by. Or maybe he's just in a food coma from all the goodies on the bench above his head.


Introducing (once again) our primary Hawk Counter. Here Melissa Roach is pretty clearly trying to cope with a very light (read: nonexistent) September "flight" on South winds.



Then again, more often than not this year this was the sight: people looking at/for many raptors in the air around the point. Here, in addition to Melissa, Steve Bauer, and Tom Johnson, are Mark Garland and some of our amazing seasonal staff: Ashley Green, Jenny Howard, Alyssia Church, and Tiffany Kersten




Should we look at the hawks, or the Dickcissel and Clay-colored Sparrows? Obviously you'll get a different answer depending on who you ask. And of course, if you ask the people who choose "hawk," which hawk they're looking at you'll get even more answers. Included here, in the background between Michael O'Brien and Richard Crossley (they chose the Sparrow), is Tom Parsons, the most consistent visitor to the platform, bar none.





Although, something that is almost always associated with the cold fronts that bring good movements of birds to Cape May id rain. Of course, a little rain doesn't put a damper on our count, as Melissa shows here.



Of course, just because the counter isn't taking shelter doesn't mean others (such as the two young Toms pictured here: Johnson and Reed) won't take advantage of an out of the wind and rain spot during a brief downpour.



And yes on an occasion or two we even had to take shelter in the south pavilion to continue the count. The indefatigable Tony Leukering, possibly the best around at spotting (and identifying) hawks against a cloudless blue sky, was always ready with the most up-to-the-minute weather updates to tell us when to retreat, and then when it was safe to return to the open air of the platform.




And lest we forget what strange and funny things rain brings us at the Hawkwatch, I refer you to the above.



And more birders looking at birds. In fact, the primary hawk counters from each of the last two years are here doing what they do best.



Even the counter over at the Cape Henlopen State Park Hawkwatch just across the Delaware Bay from us, Forrest Rowland, made it over to our side of the Bay for a day as it got colder...



...and colder.



Some non-birders certainly enjoyed the dropping temperatures for a bit though.



Here hawkwatch regular Marc Breslow (yes those are shorts he's wearing on November 30), amazing world-class naturalist Mark Garland, and Steve Bauer enjoy the last day of the count season this afternoon. (In addition to being a great naturalist, Mark also makes some killer homemade bread)



And it wouldn't be a complete summary of the season without mentioning the official unofficial Hawkwatch mascot (and energetic Associate Naturalist) Scott Whittle's Border Terrier (although it's still up for debate as to who actually owns who): Monkey.

And without further ado, here are the season totals:


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 30, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 345 521
Turkey Vulture 0 1546 2636
Osprey 0 46 4576
Bald Eagle 0 97 506
Northern Harrier 0 754 2385
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 2156 19963
Cooper's Hawk 0 421 4106
Northern Goshawk 0 24 26
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 329 443
Broad-winged Hawk 0 19 1226
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1225 1807
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 0 90 5651
Merlin 0 79 2252
Peregrine Falcon 0 46 1415
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 5 7197 47542
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours

Official Counter: Doug Gochfeld

Observers:

Visitors:
Arthur Nelson, Don Freiday, Marc Breslow, Steve Bauer, Mark Garland, Scott
Whittle, Chris Vogel, Tony Leukering, Melissa Roach, Michael O'Brien,
Louise Zemaitis.


Weather:
SE Winds and Overcast all day.

Raptor Observations:
Local adult Bald Eagle.

Non-raptor Observations:
2 Great Cormorants, 2 American Pipits, Hundreds upon hundreds of Northern
Gannets going ballistic, 11 White-winged Scoters, Purple Finch.

Predictions:
0 migratory raptors will be counted. Miserable weather tomorrow followed by
potential for a good raptor flight Thursday. Unfortunately none will be
officially counted then either, as today was the last day of the official
count period.



Location:     Cape Island--CMPSP--Hawkwatch Platform (CMBO hawkwatch)
Observation date: 11/30/10
Notes: SE Winds and overcast skies.
Number of species: 60

Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon 75
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Blue-winged Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 14
Northern Pintail 4
Green-winged Teal 135
Surf Scoter X
White-winged Scoter 11
Black Scoter X
Hooded Merganser 29
Red-breasted Merganser 6
Ruddy Duck 4
Northern Gannet 750
Double-crested Cormorant 10
Great Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Great Egret 1
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 5
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5
Cooper's Hawk 1
Greater Yellowlegs 14
Bonaparte's Gull 2
Laughing Gull 1
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Forster's Tern 1
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) X
Blue Jay X
American Crow X
Carolina Chickadee 4
Tufted Titmouse X
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren X
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin X
Northern Mockingbird 3
European Starling X
American Pipit 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 5
Song Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Common Grackle 12
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Purple Finch 1
House Finch 4
American Goldfinch 145
House Sparrow X

Avalon Seawatch November 30, 2010

A fairly slow day today at the seawatch. However, if it weren't for Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons, it would have been very slow. These two species accounted for more than one half of the total migrants counted.

Today's highlights were 10 Northern Shovelers, 32 White-winged Scoters, 1 adult Great Cormorant, and 1 Razorbill.

The count for the season today passed over the 750,000 mark!

An eBird list of species detected follows, with counted migrants in bold:

5,017 migrants today.

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/30/10
Number of species: 36

Brant 6
American Black Duck 1
Northern Shoveler 10
Green-winged Teal 1
Greater Scaup 4
Lesser Scaup 4
Common Eider 8
Surf Scoter 981
White-winged Scoter 32
Black Scoter 469
Surf/Black Scoter 10
Long-tailed Duck 5
Red-breasted Merganser 104
Red-throated Loon 1448
Common Loon 4
Northern Gannet 1761
Double-crested Cormorant 6
Great Cormorant 1
Ruddy Turnstone 5
Sanderling 10
Purple Sandpiper 7
Dunlin 20
Bonaparte's Gull 13
Laughing Gull 101
Ring-billed Gull 37
Herring Gull 9
Great Black-backed Gull X
Razorbill 1
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 30
Song Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Northern Cardinal 1
House Sparrow 10

Avalon Seawatch November 29, 2010

A very nice day at the seawatch today! Northern Gannets (1,433) and Red-throated Loons (2,841) put in another good showing, and scoters were moving in numbers.

There were a bunch of highlights today. An impressive number of White-winged Scoters (424) went by, 31 Common Eiders, and 7 Horned Grebes. A Red-necked Grebe flew past in the late morning, and a Razorbill went by (right down the bar!) in the day's final hour.

An eBird list of species detected follows, with counted migrants in bold:

13,733 migrants today.

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/29/10
Number of species: 40

Brant 9
Wood Duck 1
American Wigeon 4
Northern Pintail 4
Green-winged Teal 3
Greater Scaup 1
Common Eider 31
Surf Scoter 3098
White-winged Scoter 424
Black Scoter 5147
Surf/Black Scoter 50
Long-tailed Duck 10
Red-breasted Merganser 38
Red-throated Loon 2841
Common Loon 6
Horned Grebe 7
Red-necked Grebe 1
Northern Gannet 2841
Double-crested Cormorant 38
Turkey Vulture 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Black-bellied Plover 17
American Oystercatcher 1
Ruddy Turnstone 5
Sanderling 200
Purple Sandpiper 12
Dunlin 10
Bonaparte's Gull 8
Laughing Gull 30
Ring-billed Gull 127
Herring Gull 9
Great Black-backed Gull X
Razorbill 1
Rock Pigeon 20
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 50
Song Sparrow 1
House Finch 2
House Sparrow 20

Monarch Monitoring Project: Summary of a GREAT Season

I am a bit tardy here, but I still wanted to give a summary and shout out to the Fall 2010 Monarch migration!! Basically, it was a great season--one I was honored to be a part of.

This was a BIG year!! I was surely kept busy, tagging 3290 Monarchs during the season. Only 31% were female and the other 69% were males. And more than half of these Monarchs were tagged during the first three weeks of the season up to the big flight on September 19th. During the census, we counted 6939 Monarchs which averaged to 168.58 Monarchs/Hour. Wowsers.

Andy Davis put together a preliminary graph comparing ALL of MMP census data. 2010 is definitely up there, averaging ~40 Monarchs/Census but the numbers would suggest 2010 couldn’t quite beat the records from 1999. Regardless of what the data says, 2010 was still an incredible season. It is impossible to forget standing in a snow globe of black and orange winged creatures in Cape May, watching thousands, maybe even millions of Monarchs cross the bay on a beautiful day in September. Here are some pictures I took to remind you and get you excited about next year!

Look at all those wonderful people checking out the Monarchs roosting in the trees. Is that the Hawk Watch counter I see? The Monarchs caught everyone’s attention this season!

Monarchs enjoyed the Eastern Red Cedars.

In fact, they roosted just about anywhere at night. But it wasn't too cold for them; they aren't snuggled up next to each other for warmth.

Monarchs even made it on the white board of exciting birds at the Hawk Watch platform.

Monarchs zoomed across the dunes, not paying attention to people standing and watching. They were focused on one thing: crossing that bay.

Yep, those are all Monarchs, dotting the sky.

Monarchs (and Buckeyes, too!) were dripping from flowers along the Red Trail in the Cape May Point State Park.

Hawk Watch Monday November 29, 2010

Well, the next-to-last day of the official 2010 Hawk Count came and went without huge numbers or any unusual birds, but it was a pleasant day on the platform nonetheless, which is really not something to sneeze at come late November. Early in the day, there was a lot of this around:

Frost! The first real frost of the season hit Cape May last night, and the entire platform was covered with a thin film of it this morning.

. The flight was mostly very high, and mostly Vultures, but two Merlins, two Peregrine Falcons (1 adult and 1 juvenile), and one Broad-winged Hawk (!) helped add some spice to the raptor platter. Meanwhile, by far the coolest avian happening today (although not for one of those animals involved) took place while I was watching two Cave Swallows and two juvenile Barn Swallows fly around the far side of Bunker Pond. All of a sudden one of the Cave Swallows was plucked up by a Sharp-shinned Hawk which seemed to materialize in my field of view from out of nowhere. In addition, there was an excellent-for-the-date-and-weather morning flight, over 1,500 American Robins and hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds, Brown-headed Cowbirds, and American Goldfinches passed by in the first couple of hours after sunrise. Here are a couple of photos from some fun Passerine moments at the watch today:

This Red-breasted Nuthatch has been hanging out around the Hawkwatch Platform for quite a while now, and it's quite an enjoyable bird to watch in action.

These two Baltimore Orioles flew in from well to the East today and landed right in the Cedars where they briefly sunned themselves before flying off (I didn't see them go very far, so they may still be hanging around).

Anyway, tomorrow is the LAST day of CMBO's Hawkcount (sponsored by Leica) for the 2010 season, so if you haven't made your way down to the platform yet (or even if you have for that matter) tomorrow's your last day to do that while having guaranteed company!



Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 29, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 14 345 521
Turkey Vulture 64 1546 2636
Osprey 2 46 4576
Bald Eagle 0 97 506
Northern Harrier 2 754 2385
Sharp-shinned Hawk 34 2151 19958
Cooper's Hawk 5 421 4106
Northern Goshawk 0 24 26
Red-shouldered Hawk 5 329 443
Broad-winged Hawk 1 19 1226
Red-tailed Hawk 21 1225 1807
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 0 90 5651
Merlin 2 79 2252
Peregrine Falcon 2 46 1415
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 152 7192 47537
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter: Doug Gochfeld

Observers:

Visitors:
Garland, Crewe, Glazer, Parsons, Breslow.


Weather:
Calm wind, then going light NE and staying light but shifting around to the
SSE by the end of the day.

Raptor Observations:
Birds were mostly extremely high. Local Adult Bald Eagle(s).

Non-raptor Observations:
25+ Cave Swallows in view at once, but the number of them dropped
throughout the day; hopefully that means many made it over to Delaware and
will continue south. 1,500+ American Robins, 20+ American Pipits, Purple
Finch, Pine Siskin, Palm Warbler, Greater Yellowlegs, several hundred
Northern Gannet.

Predictions:
Strong SE Wind and clouds with precipitation moving in in the afternoon.
Today may have been the last day of the season with any countable
raptors...but come down for the Grand Finale anyway!



Location: Cape Island--CMPSP--Hawkwatch Platform (CMBO hawkwatch)
Observation date: 11/29/10
Number of species: 67

Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon X
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Northern Pintail X
Green-winged Teal X
Ring-necked Duck X
Surf Scoter X
Black Scoter X
Hooded Merganser 17
Ruddy Duck X
Red-throated Loon 25
Common Loon 1
Northern Gannet 750
Double-crested Cormorant 50
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 20
Turkey Vulture 85
Osprey 2
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 34
Cooper's Hawk 5
Red-shouldered Hawk 5
Broad-winged Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 21
Merlin 2
Peregrine Falcon 2
American Coot X
Killdeer 2
Greater Yellowlegs 1
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 25
Blue Jay 2
American Crow X
Tree Swallow X
Barn Swallow 2
Cave Swallow 30
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 1500
Northern Mockingbird 4
European Starling X
American Pipit 20
Cedar Waxwing 25
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 4
Palm Warbler 1
Song Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird X
Purple Finch 2
House Finch X
Pine Siskin 3
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X

Avalon Seawatch November 28, 2010

A nice day today at the seawatch. Much less windy than yesterday, and as such was more pleasant. More birds were migrating as well, which is always a nice bonus. Loads of Canada Geese were moving first thing this morning, along with Ring-billed Gulls. A fairly steady movement of Northern Gannets, Red-throated Loons, and scoters throughout the day produced a nice count for these species when the day was through.

Today's highlights were 19 Tundra Swans, 37 Long-tailed Ducks, and 4 Horned Grebes.

An eBird list of species detected follows, with counted migrants in bold:

13,072 migrants today.

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/28/10
Number of species: 49

Snow Goose 1
Brant 6
Canada Goose 2803
Tundra Swan 19
Wood Duck 4
American Wigeon 11
American Black Duck 1
Mallard 4
Northern Pintail 2
Green-winged Teal 3
Greater Scaup 12
Lesser Scaup 3
Common Eider 2
Surf Scoter 1986
White-winged Scoter 21
Black Scoter 1329
Surf/Black Scoter 240
Long-tailed Duck 37
Bufflehead 4
Hooded Merganser 7
Red-breasted Merganser 13
Red-throated Loon 2812
Common Loon 1
Horned Grebe 4
Northern Gannet 2068
Double-crested Cormorant 307
Turkey Vulture 12
Bald Eagle 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Black-bellied Plover 3
American Oystercatcher 3
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Sanderling 6
Purple Sandpiper 22
Dunlin 300
Bonaparte's Gull 95
Laughing Gull 67
Ring-billed Gull 807
Herring Gull 90
Great Black-backed Gull 1
Rock Pigeon 20
Mourning Dove 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 50
blackbird sp. 100
House Finch 2
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 20

Hawk Watch Sunday November 28, 2010

It was a day of sunshine, Northwest winds, and migrating birds. The morning was filled with line after line of Canada Geese moving both offshore and inland. We even had 2 flocks of Snow Geese (one containing 51 birds) and 1 small flock of Tundra Swans. We also had a flyover Dickcissel first thing this morning as well.

The raptor flight was decent for late November with the first migrant of the day an adult male Northern Harrier (swoon). Later, the sky was filled with multiple kettles of Turkey and Black Vultures with various other raptors mixed in such as Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, Peregrine Falcons (2 adults), Northern Harriers, and a few accipiters. It seems that today might have been the last good raptor flight for the 2010 season as the next two 2 days look quite grim weather-wise.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 28, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 20 331 507
Turkey Vulture 70 1482 2572
Osprey 1 44 4574
Bald Eagle 8 97 506
Northern Harrier 13 752 2383
Sharp-shinned Hawk 40 2117 19924
Cooper's Hawk 15 416 4101
Northern Goshawk 1 24 26
Red-shouldered Hawk 19 324 438
Broad-winged Hawk 0 18 1225
Red-tailed Hawk 39 1204 1786
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 0 90 5651
Merlin 1 77 2250
Peregrine Falcon 2 44 1413
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 229 7040 47385
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter: Melissa Roach

Observers:

Weather:
Sunny skies with light NNW/N winds the entire day.

Raptor Observations:
A fairly good day for late November with lots of vultures moving and decent
numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and Bald Eagles.

Non-raptor Observations:
1 Dickcissel flyby, lots and lots of Canada Geese moving, 65 Snow Geese, 3
Tundra Swans, 1 Belted Kingfisher

Predictions:
There will probably be a little movement early on due to the ENE, but with
the ends becoming ESE by noon, migration will most likely shut down for the
day.

Hawk Watch Saturday November 27, 2010

You can definitely tell it's the end of November. If the blustery, cold winds weren't a good enough clue, the lack of raptors on a day with West (sometimes Northwest) winds should be a dead giveaway. We ended the day with 114 migrants, but all-in-all, it was a slow day. Tomorrow's moderate Northwest winds and sunny skies should produce a good flight, just as long as there are still birds to the north of us (which there should be).

Well, with the count ending this upcoming Tuesday, tomorrow will actually be my last day counting (since I have Mondays and Tuesdays off). If the promise of hawks isn't enough to lure you out to the platform tomorrow, you should at least stop by to give me a sweet farewell :)


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 27, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 18 311 487
Turkey Vulture 33 1412 2502
Osprey 0 43 4573
Bald Eagle 3 89 498
Northern Harrier 2 739 2370
Sharp-shinned Hawk 21 2077 19884
Cooper's Hawk 7 401 4086
Northern Goshawk 0 23 25
Red-shouldered Hawk 5 305 419
Broad-winged Hawk 0 18 1225
Red-tailed Hawk 23 1165 1747
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 1 90 5651
Merlin 1 76 2249
Peregrine Falcon 0 42 1411
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 114 6811 47156
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.5 hours

Official Counter: Melissa Roach

Observers:

Weather:
Strong winds and cold temperatures today. Variable West winds and partly
cloudy skies throughout the day.

Raptor Observations:
Fairly slow today but decent numbers of Red-tailed Hawks, Sharp-shinned
Hawks, and vultures. We also had 1 each of American Kestrel and Merlin.

Non-raptor Observations:
1 Black-legged Kittiwake, 19 Tundra Swans

Predictions:
Tomorrow's clear skies and Northwest winds should bring a good number of
late season migrants.

Avalon Seawatch November 27, 2010

A windy, chilly, and rather slow day at the seawatch today. A few ducks were moving, along with Red-throated Loons (793) and some Northern Gannets (297).

Today's highlights were 14 Tundra Swans and a Red-necked Grebe that migrated past in a (small) scoter flock. Four Mute Swans were spotted this morning, an uncommon sight at the seawatch.

The local raft of ducks today included a Long-tailed Duck, Harlequin Duck, the three scoter species, 2 Common Eiders, Brant, and a Common Loon.

An eBird list of species detected follows, with counted migrants in bold:

2,511 migrants today.

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/27/10
Number of species: 49

Snow Goose 2
Brant 23
Canada Goose 12
Mute Swan 4
Tundra Swan 14
Wood Duck 1
American Black Duck 49
Mallard 1
Greater Scaup 9
Lesser Scaup 2
Common Eider 2
Harlequin Duck 1
Surf Scoter 286
White-winged Scoter 3
Black Scoter 20
Surf/Black Scoter 26
Long-tailed Duck 5
Bufflehead 9
Hooded Merganser 2
Red-breasted Merganser 18
Ruddy Duck 12
Red-throated Loon 793
Common Loon 12
Red-necked Grebe 1
Northern Gannet 297
Double-crested Cormorant 82
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 9
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 1
Cooper's Hawk 1
Black-bellied Plover 7
American Oystercatcher 5
Ruddy Turnstone 9
Sanderling 10
Purple Sandpiper 9
Dunlin 15
Bonaparte's Gull 74
Laughing Gull 72
Ring-billed Gull 270
Herring Gull 373
Great Black-backed Gull 3
Rock Pigeon 25
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
European Starling 100
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
blackbird sp. 100
House Finch 3
American Goldfinch 1
House Sparrow 15

Hawk Watch Friday November 26, 2010

Well, it was another slow day on the platform with only 16 migrating raptors. The dreary weather has kept migration at a crawl. Luckily, there were still some good birds to be had today including a minimum of 6 Cave Swallows (some of which flew only a few feet away from our heads!), 19 Snow Geese, and 104 Tundra Swans. The Tundra Swans were actually the favorite part my day. It was late in the afternoon (almost time to pack it in), when I picked up 2 separate flocks of Tundras off in the distance. Eventually, the 2 flocks merged creating a sweet flock of 86 Tundra Swans with 2 Snow Geese mixed in. It gets even better though because the impressive flock flew directly over the platform!


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 26, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 293 469
Turkey Vulture 0 1379 2469
Osprey 0 43 4573
Bald Eagle 0 86 495
Northern Harrier 2 737 2368
Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 2056 19863
Cooper's Hawk 0 394 4079
Northern Goshawk 0 23 25
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 300 414
Broad-winged Hawk 0 18 1225
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1142 1724
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 0 89 5650
Merlin 1 75 2248
Peregrine Falcon 0 42 1411
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 16 6697 47042
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter: Melissa Roach

Observers:

Weather:
Overcast skies with scattered showers throughout most of the day.
Southwest winds eventually becoming NNW by the end of the day.

Raptor Observations:
Another slow day with only 16 migrants dominated by Sharp-shinned Hawks.

Non-raptor Observations:
a minimum of 6 Cave Swallows, 19 Snow Geese, 104 Tundra Swans

Predictions:
Tomorrow looks more promising with clear skies and strong West wind.

Avalon Seawatch November 26, 2010

Today was a great day at the seawatch! Not a huge number of migrants, but nice diversity and some uncommon birds made a great day.

Red-throated Loons and a few Northern Gannets were moving early along with gulls, but then this movement quieted down rather quickly. At the end of the day after the scattered rain had passed, a few groups of Snow Geese, Canada Geese, and Tundra Swans were migrating. The male Harlequin Duck that Doug had fly in yesterday was still sitting with the local scoter flock this morning. A dolphin was present for the third day in a row.

The real highlights today were 3 Parasitic Jaegers, 5 Razorbills, and an adult Little Gull! The Razorbills were moving throughout the day with 3 singles and 2 together. Hopefully this is just the beginning of a great season for them. The Little Gull spotted by Doug Gochfeld migrated south by itself at the very end of the day.

Non-waterbird highlight was an immature Northern Goshawk that moved over the town in the afternoon.

An eBird list of species detected follows, with counted migrants in bold:

4,056 migrants today.

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/26/10
Number of species: 45

Snow Goose 230
Brant 9
Canada Goose 17
Tundra Swan 54
American Black Duck 42
Mallard 4
Northern Pintail 4
Greater Scaup 36
Lesser Scaup 33
Common Eider 26
Harlequin Duck 1
Surf Scoter 472
White-winged Scoter 30
Black Scoter 727
Surf/Black Scoter 20
Long-tailed Duck 14
Red-breasted Merganser 13
Red-throated Loon 1598
Common Loon 22
Northern Gannet 215
Double-crested Cormorant 24
Northern Harrier 1
Northern Goshawk 1
Black-bellied Plover 2
American Oystercatcher 2
Ruddy Turnstone 5
Sanderling 15
Purple Sandpiper 30
Dunlin 200
Bonaparte's Gull 60
Little Gull 1
Laughing Gull 142
Ring-billed Gull 152
Herring Gull 57
Great Black-backed Gull 3
Parasitic Jaeger 3
Razorbill 5
Rock Pigeon 20
Mourning Dove 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 60
Song Sparrow 2
White-throated Sparrow 1
Dark-eyed Junco 1
House Sparrow 10

Sea Watch Thursday November 25, 2010

The Thursday flight at Avalon was an extremely enjoyable one. Between both the excellent diversity and numbers, there was something (or more) for everyone. The character of the flight was very interesting in that there was a distinct dichotomy between the morning and the afternoon. The first half of the day saw large numbers of Northern Gannets hauling ass southbound, along with a good Dabbling Duck (for the date) and Aythya (including a drake Redhead in a small group of Scaup) flight.
The name of the game in the afternoon, however, was Gulls. Gulls, Gulls, and more Gulls. Ring-billed Gulls, Laughing Gulls, and Bonaparte's Gulls were moving in great numbers, and an adult Black-headed Gull added some foreign spice to the bouquet. 3 Parasitic Jaegers also passed by (two adult/sub-adults, and one juvenile), including two in quick succession during the afternoon Gull flight.

The Seawatch is most definitely cooking, and Steve's report from Friday will be more proof of that, so keep an eye out for it!

Total Individuals Counted: 21,119

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/25/10
Notes: Overcast all day, scattered showers in middle of the day. Light and
variable winds.
Number of species: 59

Snow Goose 42
Brant 2
Canada Goose 22
American Black Duck 83
Mallard 42
Northern Shoveler 19
Northern Pintail 8
dabbling duck sp. 5
Redhead 1
Ring-necked Duck 51
Greater Scaup 120
Lesser Scaup 31
Greater/Lesser Scaup 9
Aythya sp. 43
Common Eider 11
Harlequin Duck 1
Surf Scoter 1436
White-winged Scoter 69
Black Scoter 1433
Surf/Black Scoter 799
scoter sp. 1308
Long-tailed Duck 11
Bufflehead 1
Common Goldeneye 2
Hooded Merganser 17
Red-breasted Merganser 153
duck sp. 77
Red-throated Loon 3167
Common Loon 5
Red-necked Grebe 2
Northern Gannet 8784
Double-crested Cormorant 400
Great Cormorant 1
Great Blue Heron 6

Semipalmated Plover 7
Killdeer 1
American Oystercatcher 14
Ruddy Turnstone 2
Sanderling 12
Purple Sandpiper 16
Dunlin 200
Bonaparte's Gull 458
Black-headed Gull 1
Laughing Gull 717
Ring-billed Gull 1513
Herring Gull 250
Great Black-backed Gull 13
Forster's Tern 3
Parasitic Jaeger 3

Rock Pigeon X
American Crow X
Cave Swallow 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Red-winged Blackbird X
House Finch 2
Pine Siskin 2
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X

Hawk Watch Thursday November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Apparently, the hawks took the day off like most people because it was really slow today. Our grand total was 8 raptors for the day (only 2 during the last 5 and a half hours). Tomorrow doesn't look too promising either with more rain and strong SW winds early on.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 25, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 293 469
Turkey Vulture 0 1379 2469
Osprey 0 43 4573
Bald Eagle 0 86 495
Northern Harrier 1 735 2366
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 2043 19850
Cooper's Hawk 2 394 4079
Northern Goshawk 1 23 25
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 300 414
Broad-winged Hawk 0 18 1225
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1142 1724
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 0 89 5650
Merlin 1 74 2247
Peregrine Falcon 0 42 1411
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 8 6681 47026
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 7.75 hours

Official Counter: Melissa Roach

Observers:

Weather:
Calm NNE winds early on became ESE by the end of the day. We had showers
(sometimes heavy) through most of the morning and then overcast skies the
rest of the day.

Raptor Observations:
Very slow today with only 8 migrants.

Non-raptor Observations:
Cave Swallows, Belted Kingfisher, Red-throated Loons, Northern Gannets,
American Pipits

Predictions:
Tomorrow isn't looking too great for migrants either with strong SW winds
becoming West around 11am but showers forecasted for the entire day.

Sea Watch Wednesday November 24, 2010

It wasn't an extremely overwhelming flight at Avalon today, but there were migrants moving all day. Part of the reason for some birds going undetected was the strength of the NW winds. There were birds at and well beyond the limit of conjecture, notably Scoters, Red-throated Loons, and Cormorants. Red-throated Loons moved in large numbers for the first hour after sunrise but settled down into a rate of a bit over 100/hour for the middle of the day before picking up again late with over 1,000 passing in the last two hours (and some were still flying south as it became too dark to see). Other movers of note were Common Eider, which put on a nice showing of 23 migrants, Herring and Ring-billed Gulls (especially early, Ring-billeds especially seem to move in numbers after temperature drops), and Great Egret (16 individuals in 2 separate groups late in the afternoon, a notablenumber for late November). Two other sweet highlights were two Common Goldeneye winging by relatively close during the second hour, and a smallish Parasitic Jaeger harassing a Ring-billed Gull until it dropped its food. On the non-avian front, at least one Dolphin (presumably, and apparently, a Bottlenose) was hanging around the inlet for a few hours, at times coming very close to the 7th street parking lot where the count takes place.

Finally out of nowhere, and in the thick of the late Red-throated Loon push, Bonaparte's Gulls made an extemporaneous strong movement very late in the day, and if not for the falling light and distance of the birds there would have been a good opportunity to peruse them for non-BOGUs. Alas, there's always tomorrow for that, because at Avalon you really never know what's going to happen (especially with variable light NE-SE winds and a chance of showers for a bit, as is forecast for tomorrow).

Total individuals counted: 7,142

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/24/10
Number of species: 55

Brant (Atlantic) 6
Canada Goose 4
Wood Duck 3
Gadwall 3
American Black Duck 43
Mallard 11
Northern Shoveler 1
Green-winged Teal 22
dabbling duck sp. 22
Greater Scaup 3
Common Eider 23
Surf Scoter 418
White-winged Scoter 13
Black Scoter 787
Surf/Black Scoter 177
scoter sp. 254
Long-tailed Duck 8
Bufflehead 4
Common Goldeneye 2
Red-breasted Merganser 25
duck sp. 72
Red-throated Loon 2807
Common Loon 6
Northern Gannet 902
Double-crested Cormorant 103
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 16

Turkey Vulture 6
Bald Eagle 1
Cooper's Hawk 3
Merlin 1
Black-bellied Plover 7
American Oystercatcher 8
Red Knot 2
Sanderling X
Purple Sandpiper 1
Dunlin X
Bonaparte's Gull 228
Laughing Gull 7
Ring-billed Gull 371
Herring Gull 775
Great Black-backed Gull 18
Forster's Tern 2
Royal Tern 2
Parasitic Jaeger 1

Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren X
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 1
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
warbler sp. 1
Song Sparrow 1
White-throated Sparrow 2
Red-winged Blackbird 4
Boat-tailed Grackle 1
House Finch 2
House Sparrow X

Hawk Watch Wednesday November 24, 2010

Today's weather was drastically different from the past two days. Instead of warm temperatures and South winds, we had cold and brisk Northwest winds. Not exactly the most pleasant conditions to be standing on a raised platform by the ocean. Thankfully, however, we had birds today!

The raptor movement was quite good for late November with good numbers of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks (even 2 Broad-winged Hawks), but vultures (mostly Turkey Vultures) vastly outnumbered the other migrants. We added another 2 Northern Goshawks to our season total, and had another pair of Peregrine Falcons bickering with each other as they came in off the water.

But let's not forget the impressive Cave Swallow show! I can't say how many Cave Swallows were actually on the point today, but I know it was a good amount. Not only were they the most dominant swallow species by far, you literally couldn't scan the sky without finding at least one Cave. It was absolutely spectacular. At one point, there were 22 in one scan! It was a veritable Cave Swallowpalooza!!!


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 24, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 27 293 469
Turkey Vulture 154 1379 2469
Osprey 1 43 4573
Bald Eagle 6 86 495
Northern Harrier 6 734 2365
Sharp-shinned Hawk 34 2040 19847
Cooper's Hawk 8 392 4077
Northern Goshawk 2 22 24
Red-shouldered Hawk 28 300 414
Broad-winged Hawk 2 18 1225
Red-tailed Hawk 70 1142 1724
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 2 89 5650
Merlin 0 73 2246
Peregrine Falcon 2 42 1411
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 342 6673 47018
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter: Melissa Roach

Observers:

Weather:
Moderate (sometimes strong gusts) NW to N winds the entire day with mostly
clear skies.

Raptor Observations:
Good movement for late November with lots of vultures (mostly Turkey) and
Red-tailed Hawks. We also had 2 each of Northern Goshawk, American
Kestrel, and Peregrine Falcon.

Non-raptor Observations:
Northern Gannets, ~140 Snow Geese flying very high, lots of Cave Swallow
sightings (the dominant swallow by far)

Predictions:
Light NNE winds becoming East by noon with showers developing sometime in
the late morning. The bad weather will probably put a stop to migration.

Avalon Seawatch November 23, 2010

Today was a pretty slow day at the seawatch. It started off sunny with clouds building throughout the day. It was also quite warm! Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons were once again moving early and by the end of the day were virtually the only species migrating.

Highlights included a flock of 4 Horned Grebes and 7 White-winged Scoters.

An eBird list of species detected follows, with counted migrants in bold:

5,129 migrants today.

American Black Duck 3
Greater Scaup 1
Lesser Scaup 6
Surf Scoter 327
White-winged Scoter 7
Black Scoter 314
Surf/Black Scoter 90
Red-breasted Merganser 31
Red-throated Loon 1858
Horned Grebe 4
Northern Gannet 2133
Double-crested Cormorant 1
Northern Harrier 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Ruddy Turnstone 4
Sanderling 12
Purple Sandpiper 5
Dunlin 10
Bonaparte's Gull 77
Laughing Gull 63
Ring-billed Gull 44
Herring Gull 58
Great Black-backed Gull 2
Royal Tern 4
Rock Pigeon 9
Mourning Dove 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 100
American Pipit 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
House Finch 1
Pine Siskin 1
American Goldfinch 5
House Sparrow 10

Hawk Watch Tuesday November 23, 2010

It was an interesting day at the Hawkwatch in terms of weather, if nothing else. The sky started off clear and the winds were out of the SSW making it quite warm. The winds slowly shifted to the west and died down a bit, and there was a brief time in the middle of the day where the winds were west and the sky was still clear. This small time period accounted for over 80% of the raptors counted today. Of course this window of raptor movement closed rather abruptly. While the wind continued to shift to a more favorable direction (it finished out the day coming out of the NW), the sky clouded over and migration stopped dead.

The non-raptor "highlights" should indicate how slow of a day it was: 3 Cave Swallows, 4 Barn Swallows, a Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, 4 Greater Yellowlegs. There were also a Monarch Butterfly and a Cloudless Sulphur while it was still sunny and warm.

Strong NW winds and a clear sky tomorrow could mean some raptors, although there is a lot of inclement weather around us, so raptors from farther away may be blocked from moving towards us.



Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 23, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 10 266 442
Turkey Vulture 35 1225 2315
Osprey 0 42 4572
Bald Eagle 1 80 489
Northern Harrier 4 728 2359
Sharp-shinned Hawk 14 2006 19813
Cooper's Hawk 4 384 4069
Northern Goshawk 0 20 22
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 272 386
Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 1223
Red-tailed Hawk 5 1072 1654
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 1 87 5648
Merlin 1 73 2246
Peregrine Falcon 1 40 1409
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 76 6331 46676
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter: Doug Gochfeld

Observers:

Weather:
SSW Winds and clear skies early, giving way gradually to NW winds and 100%
cloud cover.

Raptor Observations:
Not much.

Non-raptor Observations:
Not much. 3 Cave Swallows, 4 Barn Swallows, 4 Greater Yellowlegs, decent
morning movement of American Goldfinches considering the SW winds.

Predictions:
Strong NW Winds and clear skies. Melissa will show you raptors.



Location: Cape Island--CMPSP--Hawkwatch Platform (CMBO hawkwatch)
Observation date: 11/23/10
Notes: SW winds and sunny early, shifting W and eventually NW and clouding
over 100%.
Number of species: 58

Snow Goose 2
Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon X
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Northern Pintail X
Green-winged Teal X
Surf Scoter X
Black Scoter X
Hooded Merganser 7
Red-throated Loon 25
Common Loon 2
Pied-billed Grebe X
Great Blue Heron 3
Great Egret 1
Black Vulture 10
Turkey Vulture 35
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 14
Cooper's Hawk 4
Red-tailed Hawk 5
American Kestrel 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
Greater Yellowlegs 4
Pectoral Sandpiper 1
Dunlin 1
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Great Black-backed Gull X
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
American Crow X
Tree Swallow 40
Barn Swallow 4
Cave Swallow 3
Carolina Chickadee X
Carolina Wren 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
Cedar Waxwing 45
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) X
Palm Warbler 1
Savannah Sparrow X
Song Sparrow X
White-throated Sparrow X
Northern Cardinal X
Red-winged Blackbird X
Brown-headed Cowbird 10
House Finch 15
American Goldfinch 300
House Sparrow X

Avalon Seawatch November 22, 2010

Today was a decent day at the seawatch. It started off strong, with a bit of an early aftershock of Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets after yesterday's big movement. Over 1100 of each were counted in the first hour, but it slowed from there.

Today's highlights included an immature Iceland Gull, 17 Gadwall, 64 White-winged Scoters, and 1 Parasitic Jaeger.

An eBird list of species detected follows, with counted migrants in bold:

9,705 migrants today.

Location: Avalon Seawatch
Observation date: 11/22/10
Number of species: 38

Gadwall 17
American Black Duck 1
Green-winged Teal 234
Ring-necked Duck 3
Greater Scaup 7
Lesser Scaup 22
Common Eider 5
Surf Scoter 1628
White-winged Scoter 64
Black Scoter 1650
Surf/Black Scoter 40
Long-tailed Duck 2
Red-breasted Merganser 85
Red-throated Loon 2834
Common Loon 1
Northern Gannet 2886
Double-crested Cormorant 4
Turkey Vulture 4
Sanderling 10
Purple Sandpiper 7
Dunlin 70
Bonaparte's Gull 26
Laughing Gull 92
Ring-billed Gull 77
Herring Gull 14
Iceland Gull 1
Great Black-backed Gull 4
Royal Tern 2
Parasitic Jaeger 1
Rock Pigeon 30
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 1
Northern Mockingbird 1
European Starling 100
Song Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 1
Boat-tailed Grackle 5
Pine Siskin 1
House Sparrow 20

Hawk Watch Monday November 22, 2010

Molasses. Snails. Tortoises. Sloths. Mo Vaughn. These are all things that would be comparably slow to today's hawk flight. There was a grand total of one Buteo seen all day, that being a Red-tailed Hawk way out at the limit of conjecture, and only one migrant Northern Harrier was detected (a juvenile missing P7 on its left wing). Breaking up the raptorless monotony was a single juvenile Northern Goshawk that doggedly went after a Sharp-shinned Hawk before giving up and heading across Delaware Bay, arriving on the other side at Cape Henlopen State Park Hawkwatch 32 minutes later.

Luckily the early morning, which was the time period most devoid of raptors, featured a truly prodigious movement of waterbirds offshore so that I was able to direct any platform visitors looking for birds to the spectacle over the Ocean. This movement was highlighted by Northern Gannets, and Red-throated Loons, although Scoters and Gulls, notably Laughing and Ring-billed, were moving in good numbers as well.

This adult female Northern Harrier has been hunting over Bunker Pond consistently over the last several days, and defending the area against any other passing Northern Harriers, of which there have not been many recently.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 22, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 4 256 432
Turkey Vulture 11 1190 2280
Osprey 1 42 4572
Bald Eagle 0 79 488
Northern Harrier 1 724 2355
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15 1992 19799
Cooper's Hawk 3 380 4065
Northern Goshawk 1 20 22
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 272 386
Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 1223
Red-tailed Hawk 1 1067 1649
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 19 27
American Kestrel 0 86 5647
Merlin 1 72 2245
Peregrine Falcon 1 39 1408
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0

Total: 39 6255 46600
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter: Doug Gochfeld

Observers:

Weather:
S/SSW Winds, mostly clear skies

Raptor Observations:
A juvenile Northern Goshawk going after a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Adult female Northern Harrier hanging around all day.

Non-raptor Observations:
Very strong movement of Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons early in
the day, 2 Cave Swallows, Wilson's Snipe, Least Sandpiper, Pine Siskins.

Predictions:
SSW Winds AT 10+ MPH, Slow for raptors once again


Location: Cape Island--CMPSP--Hawkwatch Platform (CMBO hawkwatch)
Observation date: 11/22/10
Notes: S/SSW Winds, mostly clear skies.
Number of species: 64

Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon X
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Northern Pintail X
Green-winged Teal X
Ring-necked Duck X
Surf Scoter X
Black Scoter X
Bufflehead 2
Hooded Merganser 9
Ruddy Duck X
Red-throated Loon 600
Common Loon 2
Pied-billed Grebe X
Northern Gannet 2500
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 1
Black Vulture 4
Turkey Vulture 15
Osprey 1
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15
Cooper's Hawk 3
Northern Goshawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
American Coot X
Least Sandpiper 1
Wilson's Snipe 1
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 State Park & Meadows Beach, all nearly adults
Great Black-backed Gull X
Royal Tern 1
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) X
Tree Swallow 18
Cave Swallow 2
Carolina Chickadee 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch X
Carolina Wren X
American Robin X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
American Pipit 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 10
Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich) 1 State Park Beach/Dunes
Song Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) X
Red-winged Blackbird X
House Finch X
Pine Siskin 2
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X