Hawkwatch - Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Today was a day of fast-paced raptor migration that was seemingly endless. Gusty northwest winds took hold overnight and prevailed through the entire day. From a lavender and orange sunrise through the golden-pink colors of late afternoon, it was a memorable day of Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels galore. Aiming one’s binoculars to the north provided rivers of Sharp-shinned Hawks that went on for hours. This is where the bulk of the migrating raptors were seen. Among the masses of Sharp-shinned Hawks in that direction were movements of fluttery-winged American Kestrels topped with a few canopy-shearing Merlins. To the east were distant kettles of sharpies and kestrels, bounding in the wind gusts while gathering over downtown Cape May. These dense clusters of raptors would eventually make their way to the northeastern viewing limits of the hawkwatching platform. To the south are the sand dunes, where small falcons notoriously zip by with stealth and effortless maneuverability. Lines of up to 17 American Kestrels were seen at one time, making their way around the hawkwatch following this sand dune-lined flight path. Some but not all of them flew along the backside of the lighthouse. In addition to the raptors being seen from all level directions, flight lines of sharpies and kestrels were also seen overhead too, with many of them coming from the downtown area. It was a spectacle of chaotic migration, and it was incredible to count and witness.

A female American Kestrel flies by with those slappy banana peel-like wingbeats.


It’s hard to describe the thrill of counting these birds. Like other hawkwatches, the Cape May Hawkwatch is essentially a migratory “toll booth” where the counter identifies and counts all of the migrating raptors. A day like today keeps you on your toes as you try to savor (or count) every raptor that moves through. Thank goodness for those sport clickers! They really help tally the birds up fast, without the worry of counting the flow of raptors in one’s head as mixed kettles pass on by. You scan one portion of the horizon, then another direction, followed by another direction. Being at Cape May, you scan over your shoulder to check for those falcons barely squeaking by over the dunes, then you scan overhead. Then you do it all over again, all day long. Part of the excitement from today was the magnitude of raptors flying through, and part of the excitement was due to the speed at which these birds were seen flying by.

Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk


Today’s raptor total came to 3,850 raptors, of which consisted mostly of Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels. The intensity of the flight made some milestones over recent years of the Cape May Hawkwatch.  The 1,056 American Kestrels observed produced the highest single day total of this species since 2005. The 2,682 Sharp-shinned Hawks seen produced the single highest day total since 1998.

Black Skimmer, skimming for food on Bunker Pond.

A total of 3 Wood Storks were seen today!

Today's totals.



Back to back days of northwest winds are in the forecast. There should be good flights of raptors in the days to come. See you at the hawkwatch!

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