View from the Field

Avalon Seawatch - 22 Decmeber 2001

2011-12-25T14:18:00.002-05:00

The last day of the Seawatch was slow overall, but had some excitement. It all started at about 0740, when a Black guillemot flew down the channel at an unbelievably close range and kept going south pass the 8th street jetty. Then a little later in the morning, an adult male King Eider turned up in the Common Eider flock and was seen through the end of the day, often at very close range. Other noteworthy birds were a handful of Razorbills, three Red-necked Grebes, and a couple of Black-legged Kittiwake. Nothing like going out with a bang!

Canada Goose - 25

Wood Duck - 1

Lesser Scaup - 1

King Eider - 1

Surf Scoter - 78

White-winged Scoter - 4

Black Scoter - 75

dark-winged scoter - 18

unknown scoter - 50

Long-tailed Duck - 21

Common Goldeneye - 2

Red-breasted Merganser - 18

Red-throated Loon - 364

Common Loon - 4

Red-necked Grebe - 3

Northern Gannet - 144

Double-crested Cormorant - 1

Great blue Heron - 1

Bonaparte's Gull - 26

Ring-billed Gull - 11

Herring Gull - 79

Great Black-backed gull - 12

Black-legged Kittiwake - 2

Forster's Tern - 1

Razorbill - 5

Black Guillemot - 1

Total - 948

Avalon Seawatch - 21 Decmeber 2001

2011-12-25T14:04:00.003-05:00

The seawatch was rather slow with rain in the morning and late afternoon. This is not uncommon for late December, as things tend to slow down. The highlight was a young Brown Pelican midday.

Canada Goose - 5

American Black Duck - 3

Surf Scoter - 102

White-winged Scoter - 4

Black Scoter - 18

dark-winged scoter - 11

Long-tailed Duck - 14

Red-breasted Merganser - 26

Red-throated Loon - 48

Common Loon - 2

Northern Gannet - 91

Brown Pelican - 1

Bonaparte's Gull -41

Ring-billed Gull - 11

Herring Gull - 13

Great Black-backed Gull - 4

Total - 394

Avalon Seawatch - December 20, 2011

2011-12-20T19:26:00.003-05:00

My time at the Seawatch ended with pleasant weather and a respectable late-season flight today. A couple lingering Forster's Terns and a few Common Goldeneye complemented a small early morning surge of Red-throated Loons, which just don't seem to stop moving.

This seems a fitting time to thank the many people who supplied assistance to this year's Seawatch season. Whether it was help with counting on the big flights, or supplying food and coffee, or just keeping me company on the slow days, it was all appreciated very much. Thank you.

However, the season isn't quite over yet! Tom Magarian will wrap things up tomorrow and Thursday, so make sure to stop by and get your last dose of seawatching for 2011. If nothing else, go check out the Common Eider flock, which has grown to over 50 birds and is providing great and close looks from the seawall.

Canada Goose - 41
American Black Duck - 12
Surf Scoter - 145
White-winged Scoter - 7
Black Scoter - 226
dark-winged scoter - 109
scoter, sp. - 81
Long-tailed Duck - 57
Bufflehead - 8
Common Goldeneye - 4
Hooded Merganser - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 11
Red-throated Loon - 865
Common Loon - 2
Northern Gannet - 94
Bonaparte's Gull - 55
Ring-billed Gull - 107
Forster's Tern - 2

(Total = 1,828)

Avalon Seawatch - December 19, 2011

2011-12-19T19:33:00.002-05:00

A generally slow day was punctuated by a few highlights at Avalon, among which were an Iceland Gull, two Humpback Whale spouts, and a pair of Red-necked Grebes. Duck diversity was fair, and included Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser and a hybrid Mallard/Black Duck.

The Seawatch ends on Thursday, but tomorrow will be my last day at the end of 7th Street. Here's hoping to a great last day!

Snow Goose - 1
Canada Goose - 1
American Black Duck - 61
Mallard X Black Duck hybrid - 1
Lesser Scaup - 4
Surf Scoter - 285
White-winged Scoter - 6
Black Scoter- 251
dark-winged scoter - 73
scoter, sp. - 17
Long-tailed Duck - 25
Bufflehead - 1
Common Goldeneye - 1
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 28
Red-throated Loon - 65
Common Loon - 2
Horned Grebe - 1
Red-necked Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 183
Double-crested Cormorant - 3
Bonaparte's Gull - 49
Ring-billed Gull - 47
Herring Gull - 18
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
large alcid, sp. - 4

(Total = 1,132)

Avalon Seawatch - December 18, 2011

2011-12-18T19:47:00.000-05:00

It finally felt like December in Avalon today, with temps struggling to reach the mid-30s and a stiff north wind all day. A goose flight that had started the night before spilled over into the morning hours, and included over 1,000 Snow Geese, several hundred Canada Geese and a Cackling Goose. Another Razorbill passed by during the first hour of the day, followed a bit later by two Black-legged Kittiwakes. An appreciable movement of Ring-billed Gulls developed late in the day.

The Seawatch is also included in the Cape May Christmas Bird Count, so today was the only day of the season in which "all" birds were tallied. Thanks go to Kevin Karlson for his assistance with the CBC portion of today's effort.

Snow Goose - 1,067
Brant - 51
Cackling Goose - 1
Canada Goose - 728
American Black Duck - 111
Mallard - 12
Greater Scaup - 1
Common Eider - 1
Surf Scoter - 208
White-winged Scoter - 10
Black Scoter - 153
dark-winged scoter - 237
scoter, sp. - 106
Long-tailed Duck - 22
Hooded Merganser - 8
Horned Grebe - 3
Northern Gannet - 385
Double-crested Cormorant - 72
Great Egret - 9
Bonaparte's Gull - 32
Ring-billed Gull - 520
Herring Gull - 93
Black-legged Kittiwake - 2
Razorbill - 1

(Total = 4,181)

Avalon Seawatch - December 16, 2011

2011-12-16T22:26:00.003-05:00

A strong early morning push of Red-throated Loons quickly faded to a steady trickle, but was enough to encompass a large majority of today's flight past Avalon. The day's highlight was the Common Tern that flew past with two Forster's Terns shortly after noon. This is likely one of the latest ever recorded in New Jersey, though perhaps it isn't a total shock given that inshore water temperatures are still near 50 degrees!

Other headliners included six more Razorbills (and two more alcids too distant to ID), two Black-legged Kittiwakes, and a Red-necked Grebe just before dusk. All of these also make for great "count week" birds for this Sunday's Cape May Christmas Bird Count, and hopefully we'll snag a few on the count day itself.

Snow Goose - 34
Canada Goose - 2
American Black Duck - 4
Surf Scoter - 97
Black Scoter - 83
dark-winged scoter - 133
scoter, sp. - 17
Long-tailed Duck - 26
Red-breasted Merganser - 30
Red-throated Loon - 2,325
Red-necked Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 358
Double-crested Cormorant - 2
Laughing Gull - 2
Bonaparte's Gull - 37
Ring-billed Gull - 75
Herring Gull - 3
Black-legged Kittiwake - 2
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 9
Razorbill - 6
large alcid, sp. - 2

(Total = 3,257)

Avalon Seawatch - 15 December 2011

2011-12-16T11:39:00.002-05:00

This was one of the slowest recently as hardly anything was moving. Gannets and Red-throated Loons were again the majority.

Surf Scoter - 122

White-winged Scoter - 3

Black scoter - 97

dark-winged scoter - 3

Long-tailed Duck - 12

Red-breasted Merganser - 4

Red-throated Loon - 125

Common Loon - 1

Northern Gannet - 416

Double-crested Cormorant - 2

Great Cormorant - 1

Bonaparte's Gull - 1

Ring-billed Gull - 10

Herring Gull -14

Great Black-backed Gull - 9

Total - 823

Avalon Seawatch - 14 December 2011

2011-12-16T10:19:00.002-05:00

Another slow steady flight at the seawatch. Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons were the bulk of the flight. Scoters made a small push as well.

Gadwall - 6

American Black Duck - 6

Surf Scoter - 408

White-winged Scoter - 31

Black Scoter - 357

dark-winged scoter - 173

Long-tailed Duck - 5

Red-breasted Merganser - 8

Red-throated Loon - 228

Common Loon - 3

Northern Gannet - 679

Double-crested Cormorant - 16

Great Cormorant - 2

Bonaparte's Gull - 34

Ring-billed Gull - 123

Herring Gull - 10

Great Black-backed Gull - 2

Forster's Tern - 7

Total - 2098

Avalon Seawatch - December 12, 2011

2011-12-12T18:11:00.005-05:00

[Today's Seawatch quiz bird; answer provided under the day's totals. Photo by Sam Galick.]

Light north to northeast winds and hazy sunshine presided over another decent late-season flight past Avalon. Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets provided the steadiest activity, particularly during the first hour after sunrise. Smaller numbers of scoters, including a nice proportion of White-wingeds, were also fairly steady throughout.

The day was also filled with some surprises, including an adult Black-headed Gull that made a brief appearance at 9:40am, and a pair of Canvasbacks that were among a flock of Black Scoters. However, top prize goes to a/the Humpback Whale that made several appearances between the 6-buoy and the 8th Street jetty during the late-morning.

[Humpback Whale near the 8th Street jetty late this morning. Photo by Sam Galick.]

The whale was relatively close, as can be seen in the photo above, and was occasionally engaged in flipper-slapping when it surfaced. It was a great show, and hopefully we'll have more sightings before the season ends.

Brant - 9
American Wigeon - 2
American Black Duck - 24
Green-winged Teal - 35
Canvasback - 2
Greater Scaup - 22
Lesser Scaup - 54
Common Eider - 22
Surf Scoter - 433
White-winged Scoter - 82
Black Scoter - 799
dark-winged scoter - 302
scoter, sp. - 253
Long-tailed Duck - 43
Bufflehead - 7
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Red-throated Loon - 1,078
Common Loon - 5
Northern Gannet - 1,441
Double-crested Cormorant - 43
Great Cormorant - 8
Laughing Gull - 1
Bonaparte's Gull - 111
Black-headed Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 185
Herring Gull - 84

(Total = 5,046)

[Quiz answer: Common Eider! Upwards of 30 Common Eiders collected
along the seawall over the course of the day, providing great
looks and photo opportunities. Photo by Sam Galick.]

Avalon Seawatch - December 11, 2011

2011-12-11T17:39:00.003-05:00

Today was a tale of two halves at the Seawatch. A slow and chilly morning transitioned into a busy and (slightly) warmer afternoon, which produced a decent late-season showing of scoters and yet another good flight of Red-throated Loons. The Razorbill streak continues, courtesy of a trio that passed by early in the morning, and Common Eiders were on the move again this morning.

Brant - 7
Canada Goose - 56
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 108
Mallard - 3
Northern Shoveler - 12
Green-winged Teal - 20
Lesser Scaup - 5
Common Eider - 29
Surf Scoter - 745
White-winged Scoter - 28
Black Scoter - 1,981
dark-winged scoter - 234
scoter, sp. - 1,582
Long-tailed Duck - 40
Bufflehead - 1
Common Goldeneye - 1
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 7
Red-throated Loon - 1,704
Common Loon - 2
Horned Grebe - 6
Northern Gannet - 313
Double-crested Cormorant - 186
Great Cormorant - 3
Great Blue Heron - 5
Laughing Gull - 3
Bonaparte's Gull - 48
Ring-billed Gull - 429
Herring Gull - 191
Great Black-backed Gull - 7
Razorbill - 3

(Total = 7,765)

Avalon Seawatch - December 10, 2011

2011-12-10T18:13:00.005-05:00

[These Common Eiders were part of a flock of 11 that landed in front of the
seawall this morning. A total of 52 were tallied today. Photo by Tom Reed.]

It was a fun day at the Seawatch, with a steady movement of birds and a few surprises. Red-throated Loons returned to four-digit territory, with noticeable pulses streaming through early and late. Common Eiders also put in a strong showing, including a flock of 22 that contained ten adult males. The first couple hours of the day produced the best birds, frontlined by an adult Little Gull that was in amongst a group of five Bonaparte's Gulls, and a continuation of the Razorbill influx.

Brant - 22
Canada Goose - 17
Gadwall - 2
American Black Duck - 7
Mallard - 2
Lesser Scaup - 11
scaup, sp. - 19
Common Eider - 52 (highest count this season)
Surf Scoter - 173
White-winged Scoter - 43
Black Scoter - 811
dark-winged scoter - 282
scoter, sp. - 88
Long-tailed Duck - 57
Bufflehead - 7
Red-breasted Merganser - 32
Red-throated Loon - 1,537
Common Loon - 6
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 474
Double-crested Cormorant - 44
Great Blue Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 2
Bonaparte's Gull - 23
Little Gull - 1 (adult, southbound with small flock of BOGU at 8:30am)
Ring-billed Gull - 243
Herring Gull - 45
Razorbill - 7 (all during first two hours of day)
large alcid, sp. - 3

(Total = 4,012)

Avalon Seawatch - December 9, 2011

2011-12-10T18:03:00.003-05:00

Friday featured south winds and a relatively slow flight at Avalon, highlighted by five more Razorbills during the morning hours. Small numbers of the primary late-season species trickled through over the course of the day.

American Black Duck - 1
Green-winged Teal - 5
Greater Scaup - 34
Lesser Scaup - 53
Surf Scoter - 350
White-winged Scoter - 31
Black Scoter - 630
dark-winged scoter - 9
scoter, sp. - 9
Long-tailed Duck - 107
Bufflehead - 15
Red-breasted Merganser - 41
Red-throated Loon - 830
Common Loon - 11
Horned Grebe - 15
Northern Gannet - 418
Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Laughing Gull - 13
Bonaparte's Gull - 48
Ring-billed Gull - 72
Herring Gull - 51
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Razorbill - 5
large alcid, sp. - 1

(Total = 2,756)

Avalon Seawatch - 8 December 2011

2011-12-09T10:59:00.002-05:00

The seawatch had a steady push of Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons. There was a lone immature Brown Pelican that headed south late in the day. This is getting rather late for this species. There no sightings of whales, with was rather unfortenate, as a couple of people came hoping to see one.

Canada Goose - 30

American Wigeon - 3

American Black Duck - 2

Green-winged Teal - 12

scaup sp. - 1

Surf Scoter - 30

White-winged Scoter - 15

Black Scoter - 27

unidentified scoter - 32

Long-tailed Duck - 57

Hooded Merganser - 3

Red-breasted Merganser - 5

Red-throated Loon - 756

Common Loon - 5

Northern Gannet - 2491

Brown Pelican - 1

Laughing Gull - 1

Boanparte's Gull - 24

Ring-billed Gull - 377

Herring Gull - 28

Great Black-backed Gull - 10

Forster's Tern - 156

Total - 4066

Avalon Seawatch - 7 December 2011

2011-12-07T18:12:00.002-05:00

The seawatch today was rather slow overall. It started out good, but quickly faded. Northern Gannet were the only thing flying in any numbers. A Harlequin Duck and a flock of 10 American Wigeon were nice in the morning.

The biggest highlight today was watching Humpback Whales feeding all day just the other side of the bar. There were at least two. They were bubble cloud feeding on small fish, possibly Sandlance. There was a constant flock of Bonaparte's Gulls, a couple of Laughing Gulls, and Forster's Terns taking advantage of the easy pickings. Red-throated loons were also in the fray as well.

American Wigeon - 10

Harlequin Duck - 1

Surf Scoter - 18

White-winged Scoter - 3

Black Scoter - 34

Long-tailed Duck - 2

Red-breasted Merganser - 7

Red-throated Loon - 355

Common Loon - 1

Northern Gannet - 1049

Laughing Gull - 12

Bonaparte's Gull - 136

Ring-billed Gull - 3

Great Black backed Gull - 7

Forster's Tern - 145

Total - 1783

Avalon Seawatch - December 6, 2011

2011-12-06T17:04:00.004-05:00

It was a strange day at the seawatch, with an underwhelming flight that included a few surprises. The flight started strong, with over 1,100 birds during the first hour, but then quickly dropped to under 150 birds during the second hour. This pace continued for the rest of the day, with an average of about 50 birds an hour for the afternoon.

However, there were still highlights, headlined by a surprising 10 Razorbills. Most passed by in the morning, but a closer individual was picked out by Steve Glynn during the latter portion of the day. Two more Parasitic Jaegers are certainly notable for December 6, and an additional two were seen flying north during the afternoon. Also seen flying north was a single Brown Pelican, the first I've seen in about a month, and always a notable bird in December.

Tomorrow is my day to sleep in, and that's a good thing, as it looks like there's a lot of rain in store. If you're feeling kind, consider bringing Tom Magarian some warm soup or coffee. Maybe you'll even see a Razorbill while you're there.

Northern Pintail - 2
Surf Scoter - 121
White-winged Scoter - 3
Black Scoter - 141
Long-tailed Duck - 4
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Red-throated Loon - 515
Common Loon - 3
Northern Gannet - 837
Laughing Gull - 11
Bonaparte's Gull - 55
Ring-billed Gull - 8
Herring Gull - 8
Parasitic Jaeger - 2 (Late. Both light-morphs; one adult, one imm.)
Razorbill - 10 (Notable count. Record daily count is 19, set in 2004. Season total for RAZO now 24)

(Total = 1,721)

Avalon Seawatch - December 5, 2011

2011-12-05T17:44:00.003-05:00

[Sunrise from the north end of Avalon this morning. Photo by Tom Reed.]

Today's flight past the seawatch was quite modest, and was actually one of the lightest I've seen since early-October. However, there were still plenty of interesting things to see. Among the day's goodies were five Razorbills, three Parasitic Jaegers and three Canvasbacks. A small whale might've been the coolest sighting of the day, seen briefly this evening on two occasions when it surfaced just beyond the bar. I didn't get a good enough look to identify it, but it appeared to be about 15' long and was dark gray in color.

In other news, Red-throated Loons finally dropped below the 1,000-mark today, ending an impressive streak of four digit tallies that lasted for 18 days. Loon totals for those past 18 days piled up to a remarkable 73,857 individuals, representing 91% of the entire season's total. Amazingly, the previous 18 days also produced a higher RTLO total than any other entire season in Seawatch history. That's a lot of loons!

Tomorrow will finally bring an end to the freakishly springlike conditions of late, with rain showers and a westerly(?) breeze in the offing. We'll see what surprises await.

Surf Scoter - 357
White-winged Scoter - 13
Black Scoter - 254
dark-winged scoter - 36
Long-tailed Duck - 13
Red-breasted Merganser - 10
Red-throated Loon - 827
Common Loon - 2
Horned Grebe - 3
Northern Gannet - 742
Double-crested Cormorant - 4
Laughing Gull - 22
Bonaparte's Gull - 209
Ring-billed Gull - 39
Herring Gull - 20
Great Black-backed Gull - 10
Forster's Tern - 6
Parasitic Jaeger - 3
Razorbill - 5

(Total = 2,578)

Avalon Seawatch - December 4, 2011

2011-12-04T17:42:00.004-05:00

Our recent string of nice weather continued today, with remarkably pleasant conditions for early December. Sunny skies, high temps over 60 degrees and a slack breeze were the name of the game. As might be expected, the flight suffered a bit due to the still conditions, but it was still a very enjoyable day.

Red-throated Loons (what else?) were again the dominant species today, with decent showings for both of the dark-winged scoters, though Gannets were noticeably absent for the most part. Gulls were again well represented, with the season's first Iceland Gull being a highlight. A late-morning Razorbill was the ninth recorded this season.

[This Iceland Gull was found sitting on the water in front of the seawall before flying over toward the gull roost at the south end of Sea Isle City. Photo by Tom Reed.]

Conditions look somewhat similar for tomorrow, and it will be interesting to see if the flight is also similar to today's.

Brant - 31
American Black Duck - 3
Green-winged Teal - 11
Greater Scaup - 3
Surf Scoter - 1,264
White-winged Scoter - 50
Black Scoter - 1,814
dark-winged scoter - 327
scoter, sp. - 19
Long-tailed Duck - 23
Red-breasted Merganser - 43
Red-throated Loon - 2,220
Common Loon - 3
Horned Grebe - 6
Northern Gannet - 442
Double-crested Cormorant - 12
Laughing Gull - 15
Bonaparte's Gull - 375
Ring-billed Gull - 126
Herring Gull - 50
Iceland Gull - 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 3
Great Black-backed Gull - 9
Razorbill - 1

(Total = 6,851)

Avalon Seawatch - December 3, 2011

2011-12-03T22:18:00.003-05:00

Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets were again the main attraction at the Seawatch today, with a small but steady movement of gulls in the mix as well. It was an enjoyable day, with birds moving throughout, though lacking the rarities of the day before.

Brant - 68
Canada Goose - 20
American Black Duck - 62
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 46
Surf Scoter - 603
White-winged Scoter - 73
Black Scoter - 849
dark-winged scoter - 549
scoter, sp. - 75
Long-tailed Duck - 30
Hooded Merganser - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 9
Red-throated Loon - 3,978
Common Loon - 8
Northern Gannet - 1,104
Double-crested Cormorant - 132
Great Cormorant - 4
Laughing Gull - 4
Bonaparte's Gull - 127
Ring-billed Gull - 330
Herring Gull - 95
Great Black-backed Gull - 9

(Total = 8,179)

Avalon Seawatch - December 2, 2011

2011-12-03T22:05:00.003-05:00

Good numbers, good diversity and a new season record were all had at the Seawatch on Friday. A strong flight of Red-throated Loons provided the most consistent action throughout the day, and a big push during the evening propelled us to a new single-season record for the species. Now at a little over 74,000, it'll be fun to see just how many more pass by during the watch's final couple of weeks.

It was also a great day for some of the Seawatch's most desired birds. King Eider, Red-necked Grebe, Harlequin Duck and Razorbill were all seen, in addition to a northbound Parasitic Jaeger. Scoters put in a good showing for December, and 100+ White-wingeds are always nice to see.

Brant - 83
Canada Goose - 21
American Black Duck - 68
Mallard - 6
Green-winged Teal - 76
Ring-necked Duck - 1
King Eider - 1
Common Eider - 3
Harlequin Duck - 1
Surf Scoter - 1,149
White-winged Scoter - 111
Black Scoter - 1,785
dark-winged scoter - 343
scoter, sp. - 794
Long-tailed Duck - 40
Bufflehead - 2
Hooded Merganser - 9
Red-breasted Merganser - 66
Red-throated Loon - 3,178
Common Loon - 5
Horned Grebe - 12
Red-necked Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 499
Double-crested Cormorant - 341
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 2
Laughing Gull - 48
Bonaparte's Gull - 71
Ring-billed Gull - 398
Herring Gull - 22
Great Black-backed Gull - 3
Forster's Tern - 6
Razorbill - 1

(Total = 9,148)

Avalon Seawatch - 1 December 2011

2011-12-02T10:45:00.002-05:00

The day was very similar to yesterday. Mostly, Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets. However, Ring-billed Gulls were moving in decent numbers and late in the day there was a push Bonaparte's Gulls. Three Great Egrets in the last hours were also a treat.

Canada Goose - 1

Brant - 130

American Black Duck - 3

Lesser Scaup - 1

Common Eider - 3

Surf Scoter - 121

Black Scoter - 262

dark-winged scoter - 40

Long-tailed Duck - 7

Bufflehead - 2

Hooded Merganser - 4

Red-breasted Merganser - 30

Red-throated Loon - 2401

Common Loon - 2

Horned Grebe - 1

Northern Gannet - 1047

Double-crested Cormorant - 431

Great Blue Heron - 1

Great Egret - 3

Laughing Gull - 3

Bonaparte's Gull - 64

Ring-billed Gull - 356

Herring Gull - 27

Great Black-backed Gull - 5

Forster's Tern - 12

Total - 4957

Avalon Seawatch - 30 November 2011

2011-11-30T19:52:00.003-05:00

The seawatch was good for two species today. Northern Gannet and Red-throated Loon. Other interesting species were 20 Snow Buntings and five Tri-colored Herons and three Snowy Egrets that were flushed up out of the marsh by a Bald Eagle.

American Black Duck - 2

Surf Scoter - 102

White-winged Scoter - 4

Black Scoter - 246

dark-winged scoter - 21

Long-tailed Duck - 15

Red-breasted Merganser - 3

Red-throated Loon - 1823

Common Loon - 9

Northern Gannet - 3470

Double-crested Cormorant - 12

Laughing Gull - 3

Bonaparte's Gull - 5

Herring Gull - 15

Great Black-backed Gull - 10

Forster's Tern - 8

Royal Tern - 4

Total - 5752

Hawk Watch Wednesday November 30, 2011

2011-11-30T19:00:00.000-05:00

And that's the ballgame! The last day of the Hawk Watch was actually pretty good. The sun was shining for most of the day, I counted over 60 birds, and there was plenty of good company.

It's true that the count this fall was quite a bit lower than last year's, and the platform didn't see any mega rarities but I'm still leaving the upper deck with a happy heart. Sure, we didn't get a gos this year (total bummer) but we had a great season for Swainson's Hawks! Yes, the weather gods were NOT on our side this season (so much South wind and not enough Northwest), but it was relatively mild (I never even pulled out my sleeping bag!). We still had a solid number of migrants this year and lots of other birds to keep visitors entertained. I feel so lucky to have been one small part of this fall season at Cape May, and I would like to thank everyone who came out to enjoy the birds and pay me a visit. The season would be nothing if it weren't for your smiling and helpful faces (no matter how many cool birds were around!). Thanks again for yet another great fall in good ol Cape May :D


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 30, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                7             31             80
Turkey Vulture              20            240            648
Osprey                       0             20           2629
Bald Eagle                   3             53            425
Northern Harrier             2            187            823
Sharp-shinned Hawk          19            617          15136
Cooper's Hawk                5            119           2929
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1            135            264
Broad-winged Hawk            0              5            991
Red-tailed Hawk              7            275            555
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             27           5251
Merlin                       1             10           1602
Peregrine Falcon             0             25           1083
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      65           1745          32428
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end   time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:       

Weather:
Moderate to heavy Southwest then West winds throughout the day with mostly
clear skies becoming dark and overcast around 1.

Raptor Observations:
A pretty decent day for the end of November dominated by vultures and
Sharp-shins.

Non-raptor Observations:


Predictions:
No predictions because the count is DONEZO!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Cape May Hawk Watch - 29 November 2011

2011-11-30T18:45:00.000-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 29, 2011
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 24 73
Turkey Vulture 0 220 628
Osprey 0 20 2629
Bald Eagle 0 50 422
Northern Harrier 1 186 822
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 603 15122
Cooper's Hawk 1 116 2926
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 134 263
Broad-winged Hawk 0 5 991
Red-tailed Hawk 0 268 548
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 6
American Kestrel 0 27 5251
Merlin 0 9 1601
Peregrine Falcon 0 25 1083
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 6
Total: 4 1688 32371

Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 14:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Moderate SE winds and lots of rain.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Cape May Hawk Watch - 28 November 2011

2011-11-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 28, 2011
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 24 73
Turkey Vulture 0 220 628
Osprey 0 20 2629
Bald Eagle 0 50 422
Northern Harrier 0 185 821
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 601 15120
Cooper's Hawk 1 115 2925
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 134 263
Broad-winged Hawk 0 5 991
Red-tailed Hawk 0 268 548
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 6
American Kestrel 0 27 5251
Merlin 0 9 1601
Peregrine Falcon 0 25 1083
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 6
Total: 4 1684 32367

Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Mostly cloudy all day with light to moderate south winds.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 29, 2011

2011-11-29T19:32:00.005-05:00

[Red-throated Loons against the dawn sky at Avalon this morning. Photo by Tom Reed.]

After several strong flights, today ended up being rather quiet at the Seawatch. A mixed bag of weather seemed to hamper today's flight, with rain, fog, mist, shifting winds and even occasional breaks of sunshine all combining to make for curious flying (and viewing) conditions. Red-throated Loons produced a 1,000+ total for a remarkable 13th day in a row, and we now sit about 7,000 birds shy of the single-season record for the species.

Northern Gannets were really the only other species moving in noticeable numbers today, with scoters again having a weak day. A few gulls winged past early on, highlighted by two close Black-legged Kittiwakes. The clearing front may bring more dabbling ducks, geese and gulls tomorrow and/or Thursday.

American Black Duck - 2
Northern Pintail - 2
Surf Scoter - 636
White-winged Scoter - 1
Black Scoter - 193
dark-winged scoter - 59
Long-tailed Duck - 10
Bufflehead - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 8
Red-throated Loon - 1,030
Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 703
Double-crested Cormorant - 2
Laughing Gull - 17
Bonaparte's Gull - 24
Ring-billed Gull - 35
Herring Gull - 27
Great Black-backed Gull - 9
Black-legged Kittiwake - 2
Forster's Tern - 9

(Total = 2,771)

Avalon Seawatch - November 28, 2011

2011-11-28T20:32:00.002-05:00

I sound like a broken record, but indeed, the Seawatch once again enjoyed a nice flight in nice weather today. How nice was it? A record high temperature was tied at the Atlantic City Airport (69 degrees), and even at Avalon's north end it was still downright balmy.

As for birds, a big morning movement of Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons was notable, and it ended up being our biggest total to date for the former. There was actually not much else on the move today, with one hour's scoter tally totaling a whopping six birds.

Common Eiders continue to trickle through, with three more today. Other goodies included a flock of seven American Wigeon, a dark-morph Parasitic Jaeger, and an adult Lesser Black-backed Gull.

Gerry & Chris Dewaghe were of great assistance during the early portion of the day, which included a first hour of over 5,000 birds. Big thanks go to them for their help today, and on numerous other days this season.

American Wigeon - 7
American Black Duck - 5
Greater Scaup - 3
scaup, sp. - 1
Common Eider - 3
Surf Scoter - 338
White-winged Scoter - 9
Black Scoter - 296
dark-winged scoter - 9
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Bufflehead - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 31
Red-throated Loon - 2,897
Common Loon - 8
Northern Gannet - 7,522
Double-crested Cormorant - 10
Laughing Gull - 60
Bonaparte's Gull - 40
Ring-billed Gull - 101
Herring Gull - 128
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 46
Forster's Tern - 34
Parasitic Jaeger - 1

(Total = 11,554)

Avalon Seawatch - November 27, 2011

2011-11-27T21:09:00.005-05:00

[One of the many Northern Gannets feeding close
to the 7th Street seawall today. Photo by Sam Galick.]

Another great weather day brought another decent flight past the Avalon Seawatch. Certainly the day's highlight was the large number of Northern Gannets, which were at times on the move, and were at other times feeding and milling about. It made counting them a challenge, but the spectacle itself was very enjoyable. Otherwise there was much of the standard seawatch fare, with plenty of scoters and loons again passing through, along with a solid late season movement of Laughing Gulls.

[Common Eiders have become a daily sight at the Seawatch over the past week, with some occasional good looks at birds sitting on the water. Photo by Sam Galick.]

Observant readers of this blog will also notice that today's total was exactly 200 birds less than yesterday's count, and indeed, the past two day's totals for each species are also very similar across the board.

American Black Duck - 27
Green-winged Teal - 26
Greater Scaup - 4
Lesser Scaup - 5
Common Eider - 6
Surf Scoter - 1,284
White-winged Scoter - 61
Black Scoter - 1,586
dark-winged scoter - 57
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Bufflehead - 4
Red-breasted Merganser - 119
Red-throated Loon - 1,786
Common Loon - 11
Horned Grebe - 14
Northern Gannet - 5,333
Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Laughing Gull - 351
Bonaparte's Gull - 44
Ring-billed Gull - 41
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
Forster's Tern - 14

(Total = 10,779)

Hawk Watch Sunday November 27, 2011

2011-11-27T16:17:00.002-05:00

Thank God it's Friday! Well, MY Friday at least, especially since it was dreadfully slow today. I'll be taking it easy for the next couple of days but I'll be back Wednesday to count the very last day of the season. Come on stop so I can give everyone a proper farewell :)


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 27, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             24             73
Turkey Vulture               0            220            628
Osprey                       0             20           2629
Bald Eagle                   0             50            422
Northern Harrier             1            185            821
Sharp-shinned Hawk          10            598          15117
Cooper's Hawk                4            114           2924
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1            134            263
Broad-winged Hawk            0              5            991
Red-tailed Hawk              4            268            548
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             27           5251
Merlin                       0              9           1601
Peregrine Falcon             1             25           1083
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      21           1680          32363
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Moderate and variable South winds with partly cloudy skies.

Raptor Observations:
Very slow and practically dead in the afternoon.

Non-raptor Observations:
1 Common Gallinule, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 12 Lesser Scaup, 1 Ring-necked
Duck, 72 American Coots, 4 Hooded Mergansers, 11 Red-breasted Mergansers
(over the ocean), 2 Blue-winged Teal, 2 Bufflehead
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 26, 2011

2011-11-26T19:22:00.002-05:00

It's pretty hard to complain when you can count 10,000 birds on a 65 degree day in late November- and that's exactly what we did at the Seawatch today. Another good flight of Red-throated Loons included hourly counts of over 600 at times, while peak hourly tallies for Northern Gannet surpassed 900 individuals. Species highlights included the season's second Canvasback, a Lesser Black-backed Gull, and 26 Common Eiders. Thanks to Tom Magarian for his assistance with the count this afternoon.

Brant - 4
American Wigeon - 1
American Black Duck - 46
Mallard - 2
Northern Pintail - 7
Green-winged Teal - 9
Canvasback - 1
Ring-necked Duck - 1
Greater Scaup - 6
Lesser Scaup - 3
scaup, sp. - 1
Common Eider - 26
Surf Scoter - 800
White-winged Scoter - 23
Black Scoter - 1,919
dark-winged scoter - 115
Long-tailed Duck - 33
Bufflehead - 4
Hooded Merganser - 7
Red-breasted Merganser - 18
Red-throated Loon - 3,364
Common Loon - 12
Horned Grebe - 9
Northern Gannet - 4,076
Double-crested Cormorant - 17
Great Cormorant - 2
Laughing Gull - 251
Bonaparte's Gull - 3
Ring-billed Gull - 166
Herring Gull - 16
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 9
Forster's Tern - 24
Parasitic Jaeger - 3

(Total = 10,979)

Hawk Watch Saturday November 26, 2011

2011-11-26T17:53:00.002-05:00

The Hawk Watch is starting to wind down with only 4 more days left..even though it felt like October today with warmer weather. So if you still haven't quite gotten your raptor fix yet, you still have a few more days to come visit the counter on the platform.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 26, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             24             73
Turkey Vulture               0            220            628
Osprey                       1             20           2629
Bald Eagle                   1             50            422
Northern Harrier             9            184            820
Sharp-shinned Hawk          17            588          15107
Cooper's Hawk                4            110           2920
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          7            133            262
Broad-winged Hawk            0              5            991
Red-tailed Hawk             18            264            544
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             27           5251
Merlin                       0              9           1601
Peregrine Falcon             0             24           1082
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      57           1659          32342
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Light to almost nonexistent West to South-southwest winds with partly
cloudy skies. Quite warm.

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:
1 Barn Swallow with 13 Tree Swallows, 7 Hooded Mergansers on the pond
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 25, 2011

2011-11-25T21:24:00.003-05:00

A warm day with southwest winds produced a modest flight at Avalon, highlighted by a slow but steady stream of Red-throated Loons throughout the day, along with a fine selection of waterfowl. Four Black-legged Kittiwakes, including two southbound adults, were all seen during the morning, and Common Eiders continue to become more regular.

[Northern Shovelers are uncommon migrants at the Seawatch. This flock was a treat, particularly in favorable evening light. Photo by Sam Galick.]

Brant - 9
Canada Goose - 30
Wood Duck - 1
American Wigeon - 14
American Black Duck - 91
Mallard - 42
American Black Duck x Mallard hybrid - 1
Northern Shoveler - 22
Northern Pintail - 14
Green-winged Teal - 14
Ring-necked Duck - 1
Greater Scaup - 14
Lesser Scaup - 2
scaup, sp. - 1
Common Eider - 17
Surf Scoter - 815
White-winged Scoter - 15
Black Scoter - 1,355
dark-winged scoter - 366
scoter, sp. - 179
Long-tailed Duck - 29
Bufflehead - 4
Hooded Merganser - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 64
Red-throated Loon - 2,639
Common Loon - 10
Horned Grebe - 20
Northern Gannet - 508
Double-crested Cormorant - 132
Great Cormorant - 4
Laughing Gull - 40
Bonaparte's Gull - 5
Ring-billed Gull - 221
Herring Gull - 74
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 4
Great Black-backed Gull - 3
Black-legged Kittiwake - 2
Forster's Tern - 38

(Total = 6,811)

Avalon Seawatch - 24 November 2011

2011-11-25T19:47:00.002-05:00

The seawatch was very similar to the day before. A steady slow movement all day. The morning brought the season's first Black-legged Kittiwake. A nice adult at that! And, two American Woodcock came in off the water late in the day.

Snow Goose - 2

Canada Goose - 4

Brant - 14

Tundra Swan - 10

Gadwall - 13

American Wigeon - 1

American Black Duck - 111

Mallard - 2

Northern Pintail - 10

Green-winged Teal - 62

Common Eider - 13

Surf Scoter - 861

White-winged Scoter - 11

Black Scoter - 2176

dark-winged scoter - 440

unidentified scoter -40

Long-tailed Duck - 17

Bufflehead - 1

Hooded Merganser - 3

Red-breasted Merganser - 45

Red-throated Loon - 2419

Common Loon - 11

Horned Grebe - 1

Northern Gannet - 1049

Double-crested Cormorant - 1339

Great Cormorant - 1

Laughing Gull - 43

Bonaparte's Gull - 6

Ring-billed Gull - 136

Herring Gull - 52

Great Black-backed Gull - 5

Black-legged Kittiwake - 1

Forster's Tern - 2

Total - 8901

Hawk Watch Friday November 25, 2011

2011-11-25T18:59:00.002-05:00

I hope everyone had a relaxing, fun, and food-filled Thanksgiving yesterday! My Thanksgiving day was spent at the platform, and I was very thankful for the great movement of birds moving through yesterday. Today was quite a bit slower; a more typical late-November flight was seen with limited activity between 10 and 1.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 25, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             24             73
Turkey Vulture               0            220            628
Osprey                       2             19           2628
Bald Eagle                   3             49            421
Northern Harrier             8            175            811
Sharp-shinned Hawk          21            571          15090
Cooper's Hawk               10            106           2916
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          7            126            255
Broad-winged Hawk            0              5            991
Red-tailed Hawk             19            246            526
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             27           5251
Merlin                       0              9           1601
Peregrine Falcon             0             24           1082
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      70           1602          32285
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Light, variable West winds becoming mostly Southwest by the end of the day
with clear skies (just some wispy clouds at the end).

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:
2 male Eurasian Wigeons, 1 male Redhead, 3 Cave Swallow sightings, 2
Bufflehead
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Thursday November 24, 2011

2011-11-25T18:58:00.001-05:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 24, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture               12             24             73
Turkey Vulture              85            220            628
Osprey                       0             17           2626
Bald Eagle                   4             46            418
Northern Harrier            20            167            803
Sharp-shinned Hawk          63            550          15069
Cooper's Hawk               21             96           2906
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk         54            119            248
Broad-winged Hawk            1              5            991
Red-tailed Hawk             58            227            507
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             27           5251
Merlin                       0              9           1601
Peregrine Falcon             1             24           1082
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                     319           1532          32215
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 
Total observation time: 7.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Clear skies with North winds becoming Northwest.

Raptor Observations:
A very good late-November late with over 300 birds counted dominated by
Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and Sharp-shinned Hawks.  

Non-raptor Observations:

========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - 23 November 2011

2011-11-25T12:17:00.002-05:00

Not a bad day overall. Nothing like the prior two days. Rain in the morning with ESE winds shifting to NW by mid day. There have up to four Common Eiders hanging out by the jetties, including on adult male. Also, all three scoters and one Great Cormorant have been hanging out as well.

Snow Goose - 20

Brant - 20

Wood Duck - 1

Gadwall - 1

American Wigeon - 1

American Black Duck - 75

Mallard - 33

Northern Pintail - 6

Greater Scaup - 1

Lesser Scaup - 4

Common Eider - 32

Surf Scoter - 906

White-winged Scoter - 24

Black Scoter - 1866

dark-winged scoter - 151

Long-tailed Duck - 24

Bufflehead - 7

Red-breasted Merganser - 118

Red-throated Loon - 2645

Common Loon - 4

Horned Grebe - 1

Northern Gannet - 1482

Double-crested Cormorant - 321

Great Cormorant - 3

Great Blue Heron - 2

Laughing Gull - 369

Bonaparte's Gull - 12

Ring-billed Gull - 56

Herring Gull - 130

Great black-backed Gull - 21

Forster's Tern - 12

Total - 8348

Hawk Watch November 23, 2011

2011-11-23T18:59:00.001-05:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 23, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             12             61
Turkey Vulture               0            135            543
Osprey                       0             17           2626
Bald Eagle                   0             42            414
Northern Harrier             2            147            783
Sharp-shinned Hawk           4            487          15006
Cooper's Hawk                1             75           2885
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             65            194
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              0            169            449
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             27           5251
Merlin                       0              9           1601
Peregrine Falcon             1             23           1081
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                       9           1213          31896
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 08:45:00 
Observation end   time: 14:15:00 
Total observation time: 5.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Rain and thunderstorms delayed the count this morning.  During the count
period, we saw overcast skies but South winds turning to the Northwest as
the front passed...which also brought more rain showers in the afternoon
which ended the count early.

Raptor Observations:
Slow day.

Non-raptor Observations:

========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 22, 2011

2011-11-22T22:34:00.001-05:00

"Some spillover of the loon flight might be in evidence tomorrow morning, though I can't imagine it'll even compare to what happened today."

Those were the words I used to quasi-predict today's flight at the Seawatch. I was wrong.

Today brought an even stronger flight to Avalon. Red-throated Loons were again the main course, but were also joined by nearly 30,000 scoter and big numbers of various other species. Loons started early, and reached a peak of over 3,100 in a single hour during the middle of the day. Unfortunately, the flight shut down about an hour before sundown, possibly due in part to a steady, soaking rain that took hold around 2pm.

Most big flights usually have at least one highlight bird, and today was no different- though it didn't feature a single species. An interesting hybrid gull, most likely a Black-headed X Ring-billed, flew past during the late-morning. Expect photos of it to appear on either this blog or on View From the Cape in the near future.

The totals below are once again thanks in large part to a dedicated group of folks who volunteered to help out today. Huge thanks go to Clay Sutton (who I left out yesterday, but devoted many hours over the past two days), Pat Sutton, Gerry & Chris Dewaghe, Tom Johnson, Melissa Roach, Michael O'Brien, Kevin Karlson, and Scott Whittle.

Brant - 3
Wood Duck - 3
American Wigeon - 31
American Black Duck - 67
Mallard - 13
Northern Shoveler - 4
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 433
Redhead - 9
Ring-necked Duck - 1
Greater Scaup - 43
Lesser Scaup - 63
Common Eider - 27
Surf Scoter - 13,633
White-winged Scoter - 251
Black Scoter - 13,515
dark-winged scoter - 2,237
scoter, sp. - 64
Long-tailed Duck - 14
Bufflehead - 23
Hooded Merganser - 14
Red-breasted Merganser - 1,213
Red-throated Loon - 15,787
Common Loon - 59
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 1,340
Double-crested Cormorant - 12
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 142
Bonaparte's Gull - 516
Ring-billed Gull - 89
Herring Gull - 65
Royal Tern - 3
Parasitic Jaeger - 1

(Total = 49,728)

Cape May Hawk Watch - 22 November 2011

2011-11-22T20:23:00.003-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 22, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	12	61
Turkey Vulture	1	135	543
Osprey	0	17	2626
Bald Eagle	0	42	414
Northern Harrier	0	145	781
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2	483	15002
Cooper's Hawk	0	74	2884
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	64	193
Broad-winged Hawk	0	4	990
Red-tailed Hawk	0	169	449
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	1	6
American Kestrel	0	27	5251
Merlin	0	9	1601
Peregrine Falcon	2	22	1080
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	6
Total:	5	1204	31887

Observation start time:	07:00:00
Observation end time:	14:00:00
Total observation time:	7 hours
Official Counter	Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Moderate ESE winds all day. Overcast with periods of rain.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Cape May Hawk Watch - 21 November 2011

2011-11-22T20:23:00.001-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 21, 2011
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 12 61
Turkey Vulture 16 134 542
Osprey 0 17 2626
Bald Eagle 0 42 414
Northern Harrier 5 145 781
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 481 15000
Cooper's Hawk 2 74 2884
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 64 193
Broad-winged Hawk 0 4 990
Red-tailed Hawk 1 169 449
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 6
American Kestrel 1 27 5251
Merlin 1 9 1601
Peregrine Falcon 0 20 1078
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 6
Total: 31 1199 31882

Observation start time: 08:45:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 6.25 hours
Official Counter Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Rain early in the morning delayed the start. Overcast with ENE winds.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 21, 2011

2011-11-21T19:32:00.008-05:00

Upon arriving at the Seawatch this morning, I was presented with quarter-mile visibility, steady light rain and flat-calm seas. This wouldn't last long. By 9:30am, the rain moved offshore and a freshening northerly breeze quickly shooed away the fog. By 9:45am, high flocks of Red-throated Loons seemingly appeared from nowhere, and then all hell broke loose.

What would follow was something nobody could have predicted. The next seven hours each contained over 2,000 Red-throated Loons on the move, totaling 16,851 by day's end- a new single-day Seawatch record. Interestingly, the previous mark (11,214) was set just last year, and on the same date.

[A very, very, very small sample of what today's flight looked like. Photo by Sam Galick.]

Loons were everywhere over the seascape. Sometimes in tiered groups that spanned hundreds of feet vertically; sometimes in clustered lines, low over the bar; sometimes streaming high above or even behind us! On several occasions, it was possible to see hundreds of Red-throated Loons in the air at once.

And while loons stole the show today, there were other stories. About 10,000 total scoter were notable for the date, as were over 2,000 Double-crested Cormorants. Ring-billed and Herring Gulls were obviously moving during the afternoon, complementing a couple big pushes of Northern Gannets. The sky was absolutely packed with birds for several hours, showcasing autumn waterbird migration at its finest.

Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, today's effort was only made possible by the numerous people who stopped by to lend a hand. There was absolutely no way I could've counted everything on my own. Big, big, big thanks go to Ashley Green, Tony Leukering, Gail Dwyer, Glen Davis, Mike Crewe, Gerry & Chris Dewaghe, Tom Johnson and Melissa Roach for their assistance.

Some spillover of the loon flight might be in evidence tomorrow morning, though I can't imagine it'll even compare to what happened today. But who knows?

Brant - 4

Canada Goose - 7
Wood Duck - 2

American Wigeon - 5

American Black Duck - 59

Mallard - 4

Northern Pintail - 8

Green-winged Teal - 34

Ring-necked Duck - 2

Greater Scaup - 9

Lesser Scaup - 26

scaup, sp. - 13

Common Eider - 1

Surf Scoter - 6,042

White-winged Scoter - 56

Black Scoter - 3,396

dark-winged scoter - 903

Long-tailed Duck - 38

Bufflehead - 46

Hooded Merganser - 7

Red-breasted Merganser - 54

Red-throated Loon - 16,851

Common Loon - 81

Horned Grebe - 4

Northern Gannet - 2,824

Double-crested Cormorant - 2,399

Great Cormorant - 6

Great Blue Heron - 41

Laughing Gull - 46

Bonaparte's Gull - 42

Ring-billed Gull - 808

Herring Gull - 131

Great Black-backed Gull - 6

Forster's Tern - 16

Royal Tern - 17

Parasitic Jaeger - 2

(Total = 34,185)

Hawk Watch Sunday November 20, 2011

2011-11-21T10:48:00.005-05:00

Well, it was an even slower raptor day with only 36 birds counted. The morning held the majority of the movement with a fair number of Sharp-shinned Hawks while the afternoon basically shut down and was quite slow. As I mentioned earlier, one of the best things about Cape May is that there is always something to look at...even when the hawks aren't flying.

Yellow-rumped Warblers aren't the only warbler species still around the point. There are still a few Blackpoll Warblers (and other species) fueling up on tasty treats.

Bunker Pond has its fair share of waterfowl at the moment including a group of 11 Lesser Scaup that showed up on Wednesday.

Birds do the darndest things. I captured this Pied-billed Grebe in an unfamiliar pose as it was vigorously taking a bath.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 20, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             12             61
Turkey Vulture               0            118            526
Osprey                       0             17           2626
Bald Eagle                   0             42            414
Northern Harrier             6            140            776
Sharp-shinned Hawk          24            476          14995
Cooper's Hawk                2             72           2882
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             64            193
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              2            168            448
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             26           5250
Merlin                       0              8           1600
Peregrine Falcon             1             20           1078
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      36           1168          31851
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Moderate Southwest winds for much of the day with West-southwest winds for
the last 3 hours.  Mostly cloudy skies.

Raptor Observations:
A slow day overall but a fair number of Sharp-shins in the morning and a
late Peregrine.

Non-raptor Observations:
6 Tundra Swans in the morning, 1 Belted Kingfisher
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 20, 2011

2011-11-20T21:31:00.003-05:00

A strong early morning rush of birds past Avalon didn't last long, but was enjoyable, particularly given the number of Red-throated Loons involved. Our consecutive-day Razorbill streak was halted at four, but we did add six Common Eiders today, highlighting a rather slim haul of waterfowl. A more "classic" seawatch weather day, in the form of rain showers and an ocean breeze, is anticipated for tomorrow. We'll see how it unfolds.

Brant - 6
Wood Duck - 1
American Wigeon - 6
American Black Duck - 6
Northern Pintail - 8
Green-winged Teal - 31
Ring-necked Duck - 8
Greater Scaup - 22
Lesser Scaup - 27
scaup, sp. - 11
Common Eider - 6
Surf Scoter - 1,234
White-winged Scoter - 14
Black Scoter - 521
dark-winged scoter - 36
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Bufflehead - 22
Hooded Merganser - 14
Red-breasted Merganser - 56
Red-throated Loon - 3,615
Common Loon - 22
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 64
Double-crested Cormorant - 45
Great Blue Heron - 2
Bonaparte's Gull - 67
Laughing Gull - 90
Ring-billed Gull - 33
Herring Gull - 2
Forster's Tern - 28
Royal Tern - 1

(Total = 6,003)

Hawk Watch Saturday November 19, 2011

2011-11-19T20:19:00.005-05:00

It was a slower day at the hawk watch due to the Southwest winds, but there is always something to look at here in Cape May.

This Eastern Phoebe kept me company on a cold, rainy morning Nov. 17th.

One of the 3 Cave Swallows seen today. This particular individual has an obvious missing primary on the right wing.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 19, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             12             61
Turkey Vulture               0            118            526
Osprey                       1             17           2626
Bald Eagle                   0             42            414
Northern Harrier            13            134            770
Sharp-shinned Hawk          26            452          14971
Cooper's Hawk                5             70           2880
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             63            192
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk             11            166            446
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              6
American Kestrel             0             26           5250
Merlin                       1              8           1600
Peregrine Falcon             0             19           1077
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      60           1132          31815
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end   time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:       

Weather:
Light to moderate Southwest winds and partly cloudy skies.

Raptor Observations:
1 late Osprey and Merlin with good looks at Northern Harriers.

Non-raptor Observations:
21 Killdeer, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3 Cave Swallows
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Friday November 18, 2011

2011-11-19T19:15:00.005-05:00

Finally a good day in November!! Well, good for hawks at least. There have already been numerous days with impressive passerine movement so it was nice to have to hawks to finally count.

Immature Red-tailed Hawk that gave visitors on the platform a nice long look.

Clearly these adult male Northern Harriers don't want to travel together.

One of my absolute favorite raptors, an adult male Northern Harrier.

[All photos by Melissa Roach]


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 18, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                8             12             61
Turkey Vulture              76            118            526
Osprey                       0             16           2625
Bald Eagle                  13             42            414
Northern Harrier            36            121            757
Sharp-shinned Hawk          65            426          14945
Cooper's Hawk                4             65           2875
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk         19             60            189
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk             23            155            435
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 1              1              6
American Kestrel             2             26           5250
Merlin                       0              7           1599
Peregrine Falcon             0             19           1077
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                     247           1072          31755
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Breezy variable Northwest winds the entire day with clear skies.

Raptor Observations:
Finally a good push in November with over 200 birds counted.  

Non-raptor Observations:
8 American Pipits, 8 Brant, 11 Mute Swans, 9 Tundra Swans, 12 Rusty
Blackbirds, 11 Lesser Scaup on the pond, 2 Bufflehead, 1 Barn Swallow, 1
Bank Swallow, 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 1 Cave Swallow, ~60 Tree
Swallows, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 19, 2011

2011-11-19T18:15:00.002-05:00

It was a fantastic day at the 7th Street seawall, with over 18,000 migrants tallied. Red-throated Loons performed well throughout the day, particularly early and late. A river of Northern Gannets during the mid-morning was quite the sight, and nearly continuous scoter flocks were fun to pick through, as many contained other species of ducks, Horned Grebes and on one occasion, a Razorbill.

Brant - 10
Wood Duck - 23
American Wigeon - 7
American Black Duck - 62
Mallard - 6
Northern Shoveler - 38
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 777
Ring-necked Duck - 135
Greater Scaup - 43
Lesser Scaup - 119
scaup, sp. - 56
Surf Scoter - 3,742
White-winged Scoter - 49
Black Scoter - 4,049
dark-winged scoter - 801
scoter, sp. - 172
Long-tailed Duck - 29
Bufflehead - 73
Common Goldeneye - 1
Hooded Merganser - 8
Red-breasted Merganser - 247
Ruddy Duck - 3
Red-throated Loon - 3,390
Common Loon - 14
Horned Grebe - 80
Northern Gannet - 3,992
Double-crested Cormorant - 528
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 6
Laughing Gull - 56
Bonaparte's Gull - 31
Ring-billed Gull - 80
Herring Gull - 8
Forster's Tern - 34
Royal Tern - 4
Razorbill - 3

(Total = 18,694)

Avalon Seawatch - November 18, 2011

2011-11-18T21:30:00.002-05:00

The return of blue skies and west winds coincided with a very nice flight past Avalon today. Quality and quantity were both enjoyed, with scarcities like Razorbill, King Eider (two) and Red-necked Grebe combining with four-digit tallies for six species.

Brant - 219
Canada Goose - 19
Wood Duck - 63
Gadwall - 12
American Wigeon - 12
American Black Duck - 92
Mallard - 13
Green-winged Teal - 61
Ring-necked Duck - 23
Greater Scaup - 16
Lesser Scaup - 6
scaup, sp. - 21
King Eider - 2 (both females)
Common Eider - 1
Surf Scoter - 1,064
Black Scoter - 1,745
dark-winged scoter - 587
scoter, sp. - 1,227
Long-tailed Duck - 32
Bufflehead - 175
Common Goldeneye - 14
Hooded Merganser - 7
Red-breasted Merganser - 37
Red-throated Loon - 2,791
Common Loon - 17
Horned Grebe - 7
Red-necked Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 2,583
Double-crested Cormorant - 2,426
Great Cormorant - 6
Great Blue Heron - 1
Great Egret - 15
Laughing Gull - 13
Bonaparte's Gull - 5
Ring-billed Gull - 1,399
Herring Gull - 31
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
Forster's Tern - 43
Royal Tern - 2
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Razorbill - 1

(Total = 14,854)

Avalon Seawatch - 17 November 2011

2011-11-18T12:00:00.002-05:00

Even more rain and much colder weather made for a rather bitter day. However, the birds put on a halfway decent show. A distant Razorbill flew south early in the day, and there were good numbers of White-winged Scoters, and Parasitic Jaegers. A flock of 12 Tundra Swans was a nice treat. And again, nasty weather proves to be productive.

Brant - 94

Tundra Swan - 12

Wood Duck - 1

Gadwall - 1

American Black Duck - 8

Mallard - 1

Green-winged Teal - 2

Greater Scaup - 7

Lesser Scaup - 5

scaup sp - 9

Surf Scoter - 914

White-winged Scoter - 35

Black Scoter - 1875

dark-winged scoter - 488

Long-tailed Duck - 27

Bufflehead - 101

Red-breasted Merganser - 80

Red-throated Loon - 1043

Common Loon - 10

Northern Gannet - 1608

Double-crested Cormorant - 1462

Great Cormorant - 1

Great Blue Heron - 6

Laughing Gull - 223

Bonaparte's Gull - 22

Ring-billed Gull - 77

Herring Gull - 37

Great Black-backed Gull - 7

Forster's Tern - 160

Royal Tern - 17

Parasitic Jaeger - 9

Razorbill - 1

Total - 8343

Avalon Seawatch - 16 November 2011

2011-11-18T11:26:00.004-05:00

Even though there was rain most of the day, the birds birds still flew. In the morning before the heaviest rain started a female King Eider flew past with a male Long-tailed Duck, giving an excellent view. Then about a half hour later two Razorbills flew past and gave an absolutely crippling look! At the end of the day a mixed flock of terns and gulls provided a Black-headed Gull to the tally. So, if you want to brave a rainy day at the Seawatch, it can be very rewarding.

Mallard - 2

Northern Pintail - 1

Green-winged Teal - 3

Greater Scaup - 5

King Eider - 1

Surf Scoter - 507

White-winged Scoter - 9

Black Scoter - 1066

dark-winged scoter - 84

Long-tailed Duck - 3

Red-breasted Merganser - 28

Ruddy Duck - 2

Red-throated Loon - 143

Common Loon - 5

Horned Grebe - 1

Northern Gannet - 1268

Laughing Gull - 84

Bonaparte's Gull - 92

Black-headed Gull - 1

Ring-billed Gull - 32

Herring Gull - 22

Great Black-backed Gull - 27

Forster's Tern - 74

Royal Tern - 3

Razorbill - 2

Total - 3465

Hawk Watch Thursday November 17, 2011

2011-11-17T20:35:00.003-05:00

It was another day of rain and brisk winds. Fortunately, the winds were coming from the North-northwest so I had a few raptors in between the bouts of rain. The true spectacle was the absolutely amazing songbird movement in the morning. The sky was littered with American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, Red-winged Blackbirds, Cedar Waxwings, American Pipits, and who knows what else. There's no telling what tomorrow's winds will bring our way. I would suggest getting out there and birding!

We're still seeing Bald Eagles almost daily even though some of them are the local residents but it's always a nice treat.

There are still reports of Snow Buntings on the state park beach. We had a flock of 12 fly up the dune this afternoon.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              4             53
Turkey Vulture               0             42            450
Osprey                       1             16           2625
Bald Eagle                   2             29            401
Northern Harrier             6             85            721
Sharp-shinned Hawk          10            361          14880
Cooper's Hawk                0             61           2871
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             41            170
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              0            132            412
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             4             24           5248
Merlin                       0              7           1599
Peregrine Falcon             1             19           1077
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      24            825          31508
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Another day filled with rain but very few raptors.  Much of the morning was
spent under the pavillion to avoid the rain.

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:
11 Killdeer, 1 Ruddy Turnstone, 1 Eastern Phoebe, 1 Snowy Egret, 1 Cattle
Egret, 1 Bufflehead, 1 Lesser Scaup, 8 Wilson's Snipe, 11 Snow Geese, 36
Tundra Swans, 12 Snow Buntings

Predictions:
The rain has finally cleared so hopefully tomorrow will bring a late
November push of birds!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Wednesday November 16, 2011

2011-11-17T20:32:00.001-05:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 16, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              4             53
Turkey Vulture               0             42            450
Osprey                       0             15           2624
Bald Eagle                   0             27            399
Northern Harrier             0             79            715
Sharp-shinned Hawk           3            351          14870
Cooper's Hawk                0             61           2871
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             41            170
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              0            132            412
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             0             20           5244
Merlin                       0              7           1599
Peregrine Falcon             0             18           1076
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                       3            801          31484
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 14:00:00 
Total observation time: 7.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
The day started with light rain off and on but by 11:30, the rain was heavy
and persistent so I took a break and came back at 12:45 when the rain
stopped.  Unfortunately, the rain picked up again even worse than before
around 2 so the count ended early.

Raptor Observations:
Lousy.

Non-raptor Observations:
4 Tundra Swans, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 110 American Coots, 13 Ruddy
Ducks, 15 Lesser Scaup
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Cape May Hawk Watch - 15 November 2011

2011-11-16T18:58:00.000-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 15, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	4	53
Turkey Vulture	0	42	450
Osprey	0	15	2624
Bald Eagle	0	27	399
Northern Harrier	5	79	715
Sharp-shinned Hawk	7	348	14867
Cooper's Hawk	0	61	2871
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	41	170
Broad-winged Hawk	0	4	990
Red-tailed Hawk	0	132	412
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	5
American Kestrel	3	20	5244
Merlin	0	7	1599
Peregrine Falcon	0	18	1076
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	6
Total:	15	798	31481

Observation start time:	06:45:00
Observation end time:	15:00:00
Total observation time:	8.25 hours
Official Counter	Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Light westerly winds, with overcast skies. Ending with a light steady drizzle.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Cape May Hawk Watch - 14 November 2011

2011-11-16T18:57:00.000-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2011
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 0 4 53
Turkey Vulture 1 42 450
Osprey 1 15 2624
Bald Eagle 0 27 399
Northern Harrier 2 74 710
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15 341 14860
Cooper's Hawk 0 61 2871
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 41 170
Broad-winged Hawk 0 4 990
Red-tailed Hawk 0 132 412
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 5
American Kestrel 0 17 5241
Merlin 1 7 1599
Peregrine Falcon 1 18 1076
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 6
Total: 21 783 31466

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 14:45:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Mostly cloudy, breaking up by the end of the day. Moderate to light SW winds.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 15, 2011

2011-11-15T21:52:00.003-05:00

The recent theme of mild weather and few birds continued at Avalon today. Red-throated Loons put in a decent showing during the early morning, while Northern Gannets made a brief push during the afternoon. The day's highlights were an American Coot that was seen swimming past, and a flock of 43 Snow Geese which included an abnormally high 41 "blue" geese.

Snow Goose - 43
Brant - 1
Canada Goose - 7
American Wigeon - 3
American Black Duck - 4
Greater Scaup - 4
Lesser Scaup - 37
Surf Scoter - 393
White-winged Scoter - 11
Black Scoter - 821
dark-winged scoter - 52
Long-tailed Duck - 8
Bufflehead - 4
Red-breasted Merganser - 6
Red-throated Loon - 982
Common Loon - 36
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 1,281
Double-crested Cormorant - 100
American Coot - 1
Laughing Gull - 135
Bonaparte's Gull - 59
Ring-billed Gull - 133
Herring Gull - 13
Great Black-backed Gull - 9
Forster's Tern - 31
Royal Tern - 8

(Total = 4,184)

Avalon Seawatch - November 14, 2011

2011-11-14T21:45:00.003-05:00

Blue-winged Teal - 1
Northern Pintail - 8
Greater Scaup - 43
Lesser Scaup - 20
scaup, sp. - 7
Surf Scoter - 454
White-winged Scoter - 15
Black Scoter - 915
Long-tailed Duck - 5
Bufflehead - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 25
Red-throated Loon - 614
Common Loon - 86
Honed Grebe - 10
Northern Gannet - 18
Double-crested Cormorant - 73
Great Blue Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 43
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 35
Herring Gull - 5
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Forster's Tern - 21
Royal Tern - 6

(Total = 2,413)

Hawk Watch Sunday November 13, 2011

2011-11-14T17:06:00.003-05:00

It has most certainly been a slow November but there are still treats and treasures to find throughout Cape May Point.

Even though it's mid-November and the vast majority of Osprey have left, there are still a couple of youngsters hanging around the point hunting the ponds.

Tundra Swans are just starting to migrate through in decent numbers. Many of the ponds here look like the perfect resting spot except for the aggressive Mute Swans that usually chase the other native swans off. This particular Tundra Swan has managed to win over the Mute Swans currently on one of the plover ponds along the dune trail and has been present for the past 3 days.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 13, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              4             53
Turkey Vulture               0             41            449
Osprey                       0             14           2623
Bald Eagle                   1             27            399
Northern Harrier             4             72            708
Sharp-shinned Hawk           4            326          14845
Cooper's Hawk                0             61           2871
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             41            170
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              0            132            412
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             0             17           5241
Merlin                       0              6           1598
Peregrine Falcon             0             17           1075
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                       9            762          31445
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end   time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:       

Weather:
Moderate South-southwest winds for most of the day becoming South near the
end.  Mostly sunny skies becoming overcast later in the day.

Raptor Observations:
Slow day.

Non-raptor Observations:
6 American Pipits, 2 Golden-crowned Kinglets, 180 American Coots, 4
Wilson's Snipe, 1 flyover Dickcissel, 3 Bufflehead on the pond, at least 2
Common Gallinule on the pond
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 13, 2011

2011-11-13T21:53:00.002-05:00

There wasn't too much moving past the Seawatch on Sunday. The flight reached an early peak during the first couple hours, then gradually faded to almost nothing by day's end. Bird of the day was a female Redhead that passed by during the 9:00 hour.

Snow Goose - 6
Brant - 1
Wood Duck - 1
American Wigeon - 9
American Black Duck - 6
Northern Pintail - 6
Green-winged Teal - 3
Redhead - 1
Ring-necked Duck - 23
Greater Scaup - 52
Lesser Scaup - 82
scaup, sp. - 21
Surf Scoter - 206
White-winged Scoter - 44
Black Scoter - 1,969
Long-tailed Duck - 18
Bufflehead - 65
Common Goldeneye - 1
Hooded Merganser - 12
Red-breasted Merganser - 37
Red-throated Loon - 1,154
Common Loon - 53
Horned Grebe - 26
Northern Gannet - 46
Double-crested Cormorant - 5
Laughing Gull - 44
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 11
Herring Gull - 3
Great Black-backed Gull - 10
Forster's Tern - 16
Royal Tern - 12
Parasitic Jaeger - 1

(Total = 3,064)

Avalon Seawatch - November 12, 2011

2011-11-12T21:13:00.003-05:00

A surprisingly strong and diverse duck flight was the story today at Avalon, with 23 species of waterfowl tallied on a day with a strong breeze out of the south/southwest. Bufflehead and Ring-necked Duck were particularly notable, while increasing numbers of Long-tailed Ducks and two more Common Goldeneye were signs of things to come. Three Red-necked Grebes were also noteworthy, including one individual that spent some time sitting on the water this afternoon before continuing on its way.

Snow Goose - 42
Brant - 30
Canada Goose - 27
Wood Duck - 148
Gadwall - 15
American Wigeon - 14
American Black Duck - 146
Mallard - 26
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Northern Shoveler - 22
Northern Pintail - 47
Green-winged Teal - 930
Ring-necked Duck - 151
Greater Scaup - 235
Lesser Scaup - 37
scaup, sp. - 66
aythya, sp. - 24
Surf Scoter - 257
White-winged Scoter - 18
Black Scoter - 488
dark-winged scoter - 128
Long-tailed Duck - 82
Bufflehead - 505
Common Goldeneye - 2
Hooded Merganser - 9
Red-breasted Merganser - 37
Red-throated Loon - 244
Common Loon - 31
Horned Grebe - 24
Red-necked Grebe - 3
Northern Gannet - 1,030
Double-crested Cormorant - 195
Great Blue Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 31
Bonaparte's Gull - 53
Ring-billed Gull - 20
Herring Gull - 28
Great Black-backed Gull - 14
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 76
Royal Tern - 9
Parasitic Jaeger - 2

(Total = 5,256)

Hawk Watch Saturday November 12, 2011

2011-11-12T18:55:00.002-05:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 12, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              4             53
Turkey Vulture               0             19            427
Osprey                       0             14           2623
Bald Eagle                   2             26            398
Northern Harrier            11             68            704
Sharp-shinned Hawk          12            322          14841
Cooper's Hawk                0             61           2871
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             41            170
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              1            132            412
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             1             17           5241
Merlin                       1              6           1598
Peregrine Falcon             0             17           1075
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      29            731          31414
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Strong to moderate South/South-southwest winds throughout the day with
clear blue skies.

Raptor Observations:
A slow day but good looks at Bald Eagles and Northern Harriers (four
interacting with each other at the same time).

Non-raptor Observations:
17 Brant, 26 Bonaparte's Gull, 2 Rusty Blackbird, 6 Wilson's Snipe, 1
Bufflehead
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Friday November 11, 2011

2011-11-12T18:51:00.001-05:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              4             53
Turkey Vulture               0             19            427
Osprey                       0             14           2623
Bald Eagle                   3             24            396
Northern Harrier            16             57            693
Sharp-shinned Hawk          11            310          14829
Cooper's Hawk                2             61           2871
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             40            169
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              6            131            411
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             6             16           5240
Merlin                       1              5           1597
Peregrine Falcon             0             17           1075
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      48            702          31385
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Crazy windy the entire day (25-35 mph Northwest then West winds) with
partly cloudy skies.

Raptor Observations:
A decent day but not as good as anticipated.

Non-raptor Observations:
6 Tundra Swans, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers, 1 Common Gallinule
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - 10 November 2011

2011-11-11T22:12:00.002-05:00

The heavy fog really was hinderence, as it took away about half of the day. However when it lifted birds were moving.

American Black Duck - 1

Surf Scoter - 254

White-winged Scoter - 1

Black Scoter - 222

dark winged scoter - 145

Red-breasted Merganser - 2

Red-throated Loon - 41

Common Loon - 1

Northern Gannet - 548

Double-crestd Cormorant - 271

Laughing Gull - 7

Ring-billed Gull - 10

Herring Gull - 1

Great black-backed Gull - 8

Forster's Tern - 30

Royal Tern - 17

Total - 1558

Avalon Seawatch - November 11, 2011

2011-11-11T20:35:00.002-05:00

Today was pretty remarkable at Avalon, and not just because it was 11/11/11. Even though the flight was quite meager in terms of quantity, it was memorable in terms of quality. The day's unquestionable highlight was a California Gull that flew by with a small flock of Ring-billed Gulls, shortly after 11am. More detailed notes about the observation are included below; unfortunately I was unable to obtain a photo.

The day's other red-letter bird was an adult Little Gull that passed by with 38 Bonaparte's Gulls during the evening. This individual the first (and maybe only) of the season. Also making their first appearances of the season today were Tundra Swan and Canvasback.

Otherwise, there were only occasional small groups of scoters and Red-throated Loons throughout the day. Gulls, particularly Ring-billed, put in a good showing today. Royal Terns were obviously moving during the afternoon, and an evening push of Northern Gannets was also enjoyable.

Brant - 40
Canada Goose - 3
Tundra Swan - 15
Wood Duck - 49
American Wigeon - 3
American Black Duck - 27
Mallard - 3
Green-winged Teal - 15
Canvasback - 1
Greater Scaup - 9
Surf Scoter - 608
White-winged Scoter - 2
Black Scoter - 365
dark-winged scoter - 156
Long-tailed Duck - 19
Bufflehead - 36
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 11
Red-throated Loon - 198
Common Loon - 16
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 929
Double-crested Cormorant - 699
Great Cormorant - 3
Great Egret - 30
Laughing Gull - 51
Bonaparte's Gull - 53
Little Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 601
California Gull - 1 (~11am, flying south just beyond west edge of seawall with 7 Ring-billed Gulls. Slightly larger than accompanying gulls; slim build and long-winged. Most likely a 2nd-cycle individual. Adult-like grayish tone to the mantle and scapulars. Pale, perhaps pinkish-yellow bill with black tip; some streaking around head. Textured appearance to coverts. Outer primaries dark, contrasting with pale region within inner primaries. Extensive black on outer tail region, with some speckling transitioning to a white base of tail)
Herring Gull - 73
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Forster's Tern - 106
Royal Tern - 57

(Total = 4,206)

Avalon Seawatch - 9 November 2011

2011-11-10T18:26:00.002-05:00

The day had slow but steady movement of birds, with 18 White-winged Scoter, a Northern Shoveller, and a flock of 4 Horned Grebes being the standouts.

Brant - 3

Wood Duck - 7

Northern Shoveller - 1

Green-winged Teal -36

Greater Scaup - 4

Lesser Scaup - 2

Surf Scoter - 1407

White-winged Scoter - 18

Black Scoter - 2490

dark-winged scoter - 100

Red-breasted Merganser - 4

Red-throated Loon - 170

Common Loon - 10

Horned Grebe - 4

Northern Gannet - 1040

Double-crested Cormorant - 599

Laughing Gull - 7

Ring-billed Gull - 5

Herring Gull - 9

Great Black-backed Gull - 10

Forster's Tern - 116

Royal Tern - 16

Total - 6058

Hawk Watch - Tuesday 8 November 2011

2011-11-10T18:19:00.001-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 08, 2011
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 4 4 53
Turkey Vulture 19 19 427
Osprey 4 14 2623
Bald Eagle 0 20 392
Northern Harrier 14 38 674
Sharp-shinned Hawk 31 284 14803
Cooper's Hawk 6 55 2865
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 36 165
Broad-winged Hawk 0 4 990
Red-tailed Hawk 12 121 401
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 5
American Kestrel 2 10 5234
Merlin 0 4 1596
Peregrine Falcon 0 16 1074
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 6
Total: 92 625 31308

Observation start time: 06:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Clear and sunny, with light NW winds all day.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Monday - 7 November 2011

2011-11-10T18:18:00.001-05:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 07, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	0	49
Turkey Vulture	0	0	408
Osprey	0	10	2619
Bald Eagle	0	20	392
Northern Harrier	1	24	660
Sharp-shinned Hawk	4	253	14772
Cooper's Hawk	0	49	2859
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	36	165
Broad-winged Hawk	0	4	990
Red-tailed Hawk	4	109	389
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	5
American Kestrel	0	8	5232
Merlin	0	4	1596
Peregrine Falcon	0	16	1074
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	6
Total:	9	533	31216

Observation start time:	06:30:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	9.5 hours
Official Counter	Tom Magarian
Observers:	Vince Elia

Weather:

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Thursday November 10, 2011

2011-11-10T17:50:00.002-05:00

Today was more like a fog watch than a hawk watch. The point was blanketed in heavy fog for almost the entire day. In fact, the fog only lifted for about an hour in the afternoon...when it rained. That being the case, there were the occassional things to look at. I mentioned in an earlier post about a Cooper's Hawk drowning an American Coot and dubbed him as the new Cooter. For those of you who aren't quite familiar with last year's happenings, I'll get you up to date. Last year, we had an adult Great Black-backed Gull picking off the American Coots on Bunker Pond. It only took a few meals for him to get the nickname Cooter. Well, it appears that Cooter passed on his genes to a new generation as we witnessed a young Great Black-backed Gull try to make a snack out of an American Coot today. Even though the gull latched onto the coot's breast twice (and shake it around!), the coot managed to escape...which is not usually the case.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 10, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       0             10           2619
Bald Eagle                   0             21            393
Northern Harrier             0             26            662
Sharp-shinned Hawk           0            264          14783
Cooper's Hawk                0             53           2863
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             37            166
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              0            109            389
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             0              8           5232
Merlin                       0              4           1596
Peregrine Falcon             1             17           1075
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                       1            553          31236
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 
Total observation time: 8.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Fog, fog, fog, rain...then more fog.  

Raptor Observations:
Only one countable bird today: a molting adult Peregrine.

Non-raptor Observations:
176 American Coots, 16 Mute Swans, 5 American Pipits, 1 Red-breasted
Nuthatch, 1 Common Gallinule, 4 Swamp Sparrows, 2 Wilson's Snipe, 2
Blackpoll Warblers, 1 Brown Thrasher, 1 Royal Tern, 27 Forster's Terns, 1
Sanderling, 1 Blue-winged Teal

Predictions:
Hopefully tomorrow's West winds and clear skies will bring some raptors our
way.  
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Wednesday November 9, 2011

2011-11-09T19:23:00.000-05:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 09, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       0             10           2619
Bald Eagle                   1             21            393
Northern Harrier             3             26            662
Sharp-shinned Hawk          15            264          14783
Cooper's Hawk                4             53           2863
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             37            166
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              4            109            389
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             0              8           5232
Merlin                       0              4           1596
Peregrine Falcon             0             16           1074
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      28            552          31235
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Heavy fog blanketed the point in the morning but burned off in about 45
minutes.  We had very light winds for the first hour or so that soon became
East turning to Southeast and picking up slightly in intensity.  

Raptor Observations:
Quite the slow day but a spurt of activity around 10:30.  

Non-raptor Observations:
2 Wilson's Snipe, 3 Common Gallinule, 1 Belted Kingfisher, 1 Brown
Thrasher, 3 Dark-eyed Junco, 9 Wood Duck, 1 Red-breasted Nuthatch, 1 Hooded
Merganser, 5 Parasitic Jaeger, 1 Blue-winged Teal, 2 Blackpoll Warbler
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - Season Totals

2011-11-09T10:07:00.005-05:00

Included below are season totals for the Avalon Seawatch, current as of November 8. Single-day high counts and their dates are also included. An asterisk represents a new single-day record.

Species	Season Total	Single-day High Count	Date of High Count
Snow Goose	22	9	October 7
Brant	2,486	487	October 28
“Black” Brant	1		October 23
Cackling Goose	1		October 31
Canada Goose	350	115	October 25
Wood Duck	793	181	October 26
Gadwall	68	36*	October 17
American Wigeon	134	48	October 26
American Black Duck	1109	233	October 31
Mallard	67	26	October 26
Blue-winged Teal	17	3	October 7
Northern Shoveler	32	9	October 21
Northern Pintail	1,164	200	October 10
Green-winged Teal	4,499	1,329	October 26
Redhead	5	4	November 2
Ring-necked Duck	49	34	October 31
Greater Scaup	252	99	November 5
Lesser Scaup	110	26	November 5
scaup, sp.	88	17	November 5
Common Eider	14	7	October 31
Surf Scoter	107,340	19,405	October 28
White-winged Scoter	362	117	November 5
Black Scoter	87,345	21,710	October 28
dark-winged scoter	35,611	14,727	October 28
scoter, sp.	7,741	5,510	October 28
Long-tailed Duck	32	11	November 5
Bufflehead	17	9	November 6
Common Goldeneye	1		November 8
Hooded Merganser	6	3	October 31
Red-breasted Merganser	161	45	November 6
Ruddy Duck	54	21*	October 31
Red-throated Loon	3,858	1,154	November 6
Common Loon	1,613	238	October 30
Horned Grebe	116	28	October 26
Red-necked Grebe	3	2	October 26
Northern Gannet	21,054	6,177	November 7
Brown Pelican	445	45	October 18
Double-crested Cormorant	140,465	13,957	October 23
Great Cormorant	24	3	October 26
American Bittern	1		October 22
Great Blue Heron	1,117	194	October 26
Great Egret	672	378*	October 21
Snowy Egret	385	147	October 21
Little Blue Heron	27	14	October 1
Tricolored Heron	37	26	October 1
Cattle Egret	1		November 3
Green Heron	2	1	October 4, 22
Black-crowned Night-Heron	60	39	October 22
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	16	15*	October 26
Glossy Ibis	63	54*	October 1
American Coot	1		October 18
Laughing Gull	15,460	3,287	October 17
Bonaparte’s Gull	78	28	October 30
Ring-billed Gull	1,222	458	October 30
Herring Gull	1,225	189	October 6
Lesser Black-backed Gull	14	4	September 28
Great Black-backed Gull	1,666	190	October 2
Caspian Tern	23	7	September 28
Black Tern	1		October 24
Common Tern	306	61	September 28
Forster’s Tern	2,766	413	October 16
Royal Tern	1,707	117	October 14
Sandwich Tern	1		October 4
Black Skimmer	42	12	October 9
Parasitic Jaeger	121	37*	October 14

Totals	444,643	72,657	October 28

Avalon Seawatch - November 8, 2011

2011-11-08T21:53:00.000-05:00

It was a tranquil day at Avalon, with near-record warmth and clear skies making for a beautiful "Indian Summer" day. The flight was light, as might be expected given the conditions, but there was still plenty to see. An adult Black-headed Gull flew by with a couple Bonaparte's Gulls during the morning, just after the season's first Common Goldeneye winged past. Three Lesser Black-backed Gulls were nice, and the day ended with a small push of scoters and Red-throated Loons.

Brant - 3
Canada Goose - 1
Wood Duck - 15
Gadwall - 11
American Black Duck - 9
Green-winged Teal - 2
Ring-necked Duck - 6
scaup, sp. - 4
Common Eider - 1
Surf Scoter - 1,205
White-winged Scoter - 28
Black Scoter - 3,387
dark-winged scoter - 24
Long-tailed Duck - 7
Bufflehead - 3
Common Goldeneye - 1
Red-throated Loon - 505
Common Loon - 16
Horned Grebe - 15
Northern Gannet - 237
Double-crested Cormorant - 372
Laughing Gull - 89
Bonaparte's Gull - 23
Black-headed Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 50
Herring Gull - 9
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 3
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Forster's Tern - 98
Royal Tern - 14

(Total = 6,145)

Avalon Seawatch - November 7, 2011

2011-11-07T21:20:00.000-05:00

Highlights from the Seawatch today included the season's first appreciable flight of Northern Gannets and a Red-necked Grebe. Most of the flight passed by during the AM hours; the afternoon was particularly slow.

American Black Duck - 16
Mallard - 3
Green-winged Teal - 12
Lesser Scaup - 9
Surf Scoter - 1,291
White-winged Scoter - 7
Black Scoter - 2,409
dark-winged scoter - 44
Long-tailed Duck - 4
Bufflehead - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Red-throated Loon - 360
Common Loon - 29
Horned Grebe - 7
Red-necked Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 6,177
Double-crested Cormorant - 199
Laughing Gull - 117
Bonaparte's Gull - 8
Ring-billed Gull - 39
Herring Gull - 22
Great Black-backed Gull - 10
Forster's Tern - 50
Royal Tern - 23
Parasitic Jaeger - 2

(Total = 10,843)

Avalon Seawatch - November 6, 2011

2011-11-06T22:37:00.002-05:00

We traded birds for weather at the Seawatch today. While the flight was considerably smaller than it was yesterday (but still good!), the weather was also far nicer- with light winds and mild temps making for a much more pleasant viewing experience. Red-throated Loons put in their first 1,000+ showing of the season, complementing a steady trickle of scoters from dawn to dusk.

Brant - 81
Wood Duck - 3
American Black Duck - 69
Mallard - 3
Northern Pintail - 11
Green-winged Teal - 330
Greater Scaup - 17
Lesser Scaup - 4
scaup, sp. - 6
aythya, sp. - 12
Surf Scoter - 2,031
White-winged Scoter - 49
Black Scoter - 6,879
dark-winged scoter - 1,052
scoter, sp. - 162
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Bufflehead - 9
Red-breasted Merganser - 45
Ruddy Duck - 13
Red-throated Loon - 1,154
Common Loon - 17
Horned Grebe - 24
Northern Gannet - 225
Double-crested Cormorant - 1,437
Laughing Gull - 10
Bonaparte's Gull - 3
Ring-billed Gull - 62
Herring Gull - 26
Great Black-backed Gull - 4
Forster's Tern - 2
Royal Tern - 10
Parasitic Jaeger - 3

(Total = 13,755)

Hawk Watch Sunday November 6, 2011

2011-11-06T20:17:00.001-05:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 06, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       0             10           2619
Bald Eagle                   0             20            392
Northern Harrier             2             23            659
Sharp-shinned Hawk          19            249          14768
Cooper's Hawk                4             49           2859
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             36            165
Broad-winged Hawk            0              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk              3            105            385
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             0              8           5232
Merlin                       1              4           1596
Peregrine Falcon             2             16           1074
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      31            524          31207
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:30:00 
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 
Total observation time: 8.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Light and sometimes quite variable winds throughout the day but the first
half of the day saw North-northeast winds.  We had overcast skies until the
last two hours of the count when it became partly cloudy.

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:
2 male Hooded Mergansers on the pond, 7 Common Loons, 1 Savannah Sparrow, 1
Pine Siskin
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Saturday November 5, 2011

2011-11-05T19:59:00.002-04:00

Wow, it was a brisk and blustery day on the platform. And since I handle the cold weather so well (ha!), I had a fun day watching and counting the decent raptor movement. Although there weren't a ton of birds out, we did have a few treats scattered throughout the day. Red-tailed Hawks put on a nice showing with over 40 counted. We also had a lingering American Kestrel and Broad-winged Hawk move through. Other highlights included my first Greater Scaup and Snow Bunting of the season both flying right over Bunker Pond. I also witnessed another first early this morning when an immature Cooper's Hawk landed on an unexpected American Coot and drowned it! It then pulled its meal onto shore and hopefully got a full meal out of it. Apparently, there's a new Cooter in town....and he means business.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 05, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       0             10           2619
Bald Eagle                   6             20            392
Northern Harrier             6             21            657
Sharp-shinned Hawk          40            230          14749
Cooper's Hawk               12             45           2855
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          9             36            165
Broad-winged Hawk            1              4            990
Red-tailed Hawk             44            102            382
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             1              8           5232
Merlin                       0              3           1595
Peregrine Falcon             2             14           1072
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                     121            493          31176
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:30:00 
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 
Total observation time: 8.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Strong and very gusty Northeast winds all day with completely clear skies. 
Also, it was REALLY cold, and I hated it.

Raptor Observations:
A good movement of Red-tailed Hawks and a late Broad-winged Hawk.

Non-raptor Observations:
1 Greater Scaup, 1 Snow Bunting, 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 2 Common Loons, 1
Short-eared Owl, 2 Rusty Blackbirds, 6 Wood Ducks, 1 Sanderling

Predictions:
East-northeast winds will begin the day but will continue to turn to the
Southeast by the afternoon...therfore, I am not expecting very much
movement.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 5, 2011

2011-11-05T19:43:00.002-04:00

It was another big scoter day at Avalon, though many were quite distant at times. Of the 45,000 birds tallied, nearly 40,000 were scoter. Otherwise there actually wasn't much else of note, but there were plenty of scaup and Green-winged Teal mixed in with the continuous scoter flocks.

Brant - 325
Wood Duck - 9
American Wigeon - 3
American Black Duck - 221
Northern Pintail - 32
Green-winged Teal - 536
Greater Scaup - 99
Lesser Scaup - 26
scaup, sp. - 17
Surf Scoter - 15,406
White-winged Scoter - 117
Black Scoter - 15,585
dark-winged scoter - 7,178
scoter, sp. - 1,756
Long-tailed Duck - 11
Bufflehead - 2
Hooded Merganser - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 40
Red-throated Loon - 246
Common Loon - 10
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 99
Double-crested Cormorant - 3,644
Laughing Gull - 4
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 63
Herring Gull - 18
Forster's Tern - 30
Royal Tern - 1

(Total = 45,482)

Hawk Watch Friday November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T20:25:00.001-04:00

A slow, chilly start to the day but things heated up slightly in the afternoon (both in temperature and raptor activity).


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 04, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       0             10           2619
Bald Eagle                   5             14            386
Northern Harrier             5             15            651
Sharp-shinned Hawk          54            190          14709
Cooper's Hawk               10             33           2843
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          9             27            156
Broad-winged Hawk            0              3            989
Red-tailed Hawk             13             58            338
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             3              7           5231
Merlin                       0              3           1595
Peregrine Falcon             5             12           1070
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                     104            372          31055
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:30:00 
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 
Total observation time: 8.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
The day started with very light North winds but soon picked up in intensity
and turned to the North-northeast for the vast majority of the day.  We
also had overcast skies and limited visibility until the last 2 hours of
the count.

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:
1 Common Loon, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers, 1 Lincoln's Sparrow, 12 Eastern
Bluebirds, 1 Eurasion Wigeon, 1 Belted Kingfisher

Predictions:
Tomorrow could be ok with moderate to strong Northeast winds and no cloud
coverage.  There is the possibility of some movement but with no clouds,
birds will probably get really high up.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T19:52:00.002-04:00

Today was a bit slower at Avalon, with a stiffening northerly breeze and gradually clearing skies throughout the day. Scoters made up the majority of the day's tally, with 39 White-winged Scoters accounting for the season's highest total to date (there'll be more to come). The afternoon flight was a bit more entertaining than the morning's, so perhaps it'll spill over into tomorrow.

Brant - 7
Wood Duck - 1
American Black Duck - 38
Mallard - 7
Northern Pintail - 13
Green-winged Teal - 46
Greater Scaup - 8
scaup, sp. - 4
Surf Scoter - 2,867
White-winged Scoter - 39
Black Scoter - 1,064
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 3
Red-throated Loon - 173
Common Loon - 33
Horned Grebe - 5
Northern Gannet - 449
Double-crested Cormorant - 623
Great Cormorant - 2
Laughing Gull - 19
Bonaparte's Gull - 3
Ring-billed Gull - 25
Forster's Tern - 2
Royal Tern - 14
Parasitic Jaeger - 3

(Total = 7,485)

Hawk Watch Thursday November 3, 2011

2011-11-03T21:29:00.000-04:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 03, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       0             10           2619
Bald Eagle                   1              9            381
Northern Harrier             1             10            646
Sharp-shinned Hawk          27            136          14655
Cooper's Hawk                1             23           2833
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             18            147
Broad-winged Hawk            0              3            989
Red-tailed Hawk              5             45            325
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             2              4           5228
Merlin                       0              3           1595
Peregrine Falcon             2              7           1065
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      39            268          30951
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:30:00 
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 
Total observation time: 8.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Light to moderate Southwest winds first thing in the morning that made
their way around to the South-southeast for the last 3 hours of the day. 
Partly cloudy skies all day but limited visibility due to some haze in the
air.

Raptor Observations:
Slow movement today with little diversity.

Non-raptor Observations:
2 Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 2 Wilson's Snipe, 1 Bonaparte's Gull on
the pond, 1 Palm Warbler by the platform, 1 Horned Lark flyover, lots of
American Pipits and American Robins in morning flight, 1 Chipping Sparrow,
1 Dickcissel flyover, 1 Glossy Ibis, 3 Blue-winged Teal, 1 Lincoln's
Sparrow still feeding at the base of the platform, 1 Red-throated Loon, 2
Parasitic Jaegers

Predictions:
Tomorrow could be interesting with light North winds first thing in the
morning but then stronger North-northeast winds for the remainder of the
day.  We'll see what happens.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Wednesday November 2, 2011

2011-11-02T19:29:00.002-04:00

Well, it is clear to me that that month of November has arrived. It's significantly colder (why, yes, I am wearing 3 pant layers these days) and most raptor activity occurs from late morning to just after midday now. Buteos (Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks) have replaced falcons. Osprey numbers are dwindling. It is, however, rarity month!! In fact, we were treated to a very nice rarity today: a White-winged Dove zipped right over the platform and proceeded to land in a scrub about 50 ft from the platform providing awesome scope views. Who knows what other goodies will show up throughout the month.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       9             10           2619
Bald Eagle                   8              8            380
Northern Harrier             6              9            645
Sharp-shinned Hawk          76            109          14628
Cooper's Hawk               13             22           2832
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk         14             18            147
Broad-winged Hawk            3              3            989
Red-tailed Hawk             27             40            320
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             1              2           5226
Merlin                       1              3           1595
Peregrine Falcon             4              5           1063
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                     162            229          30912
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:30:00 
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 
Total observation time: 8.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Light North then Northeast winds until noon then the winds suddenly
switched to South-southwest for the remaining 3 hours.  Not a cloud the
entire day.

Raptor Observations:
A fairly good movement midday but with very little wind and no clouds,
birds got very high very fast.  

Non-raptor Observations:
1 White-winged Dove flew right over the platform then perched in nearby
bush, 2 Parasitic Jaegers, 1 Red-throated Loon, 10 Brant, 1 Red-breasted
Nuthatch, 2 Eurasion Wigeons continuing on the pond, Lincoln's Sparrow

Predictions:
Tomorrow holds very little promise with Southwest winds called for all day
long.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - November 1, 2011

2011-11-01T19:23:00.000-04:00

The first day of November featured a fair morning flight that fizzled later in the day. Diversity paled in comparison to the Halloween flight, with scoters and cormorants making up a large portion of all birds counted.

Brant - 26
Wood Duck - 9
American Black Duck - 3
Northern Pintail - 1
Green-winged Teal - 128
scaup, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 2,085
White-winged Scoter - 9
Black Scoter - 3,717
dark-winged scoter - 1,290
Red-breasted Merganser - 11
Red-throated Loon - 174
Common Loon - 3
Northern Gannet - 200
Brown Pelican - 4
Double-crested Cormorant - 2,635
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 2
Laughing Gull - 8
Ring-billed Gull - 32
Herring Gull - 4
Common Tern - 2
Royal Tern - 3
Parasitic Jaeger - 1

(Total = 10,350)

Hawk Watch Tuesday November 1, 2011

2011-11-01T18:23:00.001-04:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             49
Turkey Vulture               0              0            408
Osprey                       1              1           2610
Bald Eagle                   0              0            372
Northern Harrier             3              3            639
Sharp-shinned Hawk          33             33          14552
Cooper's Hawk                9              9           2819
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          4              4            133
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0            986
Red-tailed Hawk             13             13            293
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              5
American Kestrel             1              1           5225
Merlin                       2              2           1594
Peregrine Falcon             1              1           1059
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              0              6

Total:                      67             67          30750
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Tom Magarian

Observers:        Vince Elia

Weather:
Moderate to strong East-northeast winds throughout the day with partly
cloudly skies.

Raptor Observations:
A slower day with only 67 migrants with almost half of them being
Sharp-shins.

Non-raptor Observations:

========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Monday October 31, 2011

2011-11-01T18:22:00.000-04:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 31, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             34             49
Turkey Vulture               0            387            408
Osprey                       0           1262           2609
Bald Eagle                   2            247            372
Northern Harrier             3            465            636
Sharp-shinned Hawk          13          10848          14519
Cooper's Hawk                0           2326           2810
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0            120            129
Broad-winged Hawk            0            907            986
Red-tailed Hawk              0            237            280
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              5              5
American Kestrel             0           3014           5224
Merlin                       1            834           1592
Peregrine Falcon             1            529           1058
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              4              6

Total:                      20          21219          30683
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Magarian

Observers:        Vince Elia

Weather:
East winds and partly cloudy skies all day.

Raptor Observations:
A very slow day with a spurt of movement in the morning and just a few
birds throughout the rest of the day.

Non-raptor Observations:

========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Sunday October 30, 2011

2011-11-01T18:18:00.001-04:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             34             49
Turkey Vulture              25            387            408
Osprey                      21           1262           2609
Bald Eagle                   9            245            370
Northern Harrier            18            462            633
Sharp-shinned Hawk         192          10835          14506
Cooper's Hawk               29           2326           2810
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk         50            120            129
Broad-winged Hawk            1            907            986
Red-tailed Hawk             41            237            280
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 2              5              5
American Kestrel             7           3014           5224
Merlin                      12            833           1591
Peregrine Falcon             2            528           1057
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              4              6

Total:                     409          21199          30663
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Variable Northwest winds throughout the day with clear skies.

Raptor Observations:
A good late October movement with our first good push of Red-shouldered
Hawks.  We were also treated to 2 immature Golden Eagles, one of which
drifted very close to the platform.

Non-raptor Observations:
The first Cave Swallow of the season!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Saturday October 29, 2011

2011-11-01T15:03:00.001-04:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 29, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             34             49
Turkey Vulture               0            362            383
Osprey                       0           1241           2588
Bald Eagle                   0            236            361
Northern Harrier             0            444            615
Sharp-shinned Hawk           0          10643          14314
Cooper's Hawk                0           2297           2781
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             70             79
Broad-winged Hawk            0            906            985
Red-tailed Hawk              0            196            239
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              3              3
American Kestrel             0           3007           5217
Merlin                       2            821           1579
Peregrine Falcon             3            526           1055
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              4              6

Total:                       5          20790          30254
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 13:30:00 
Observation end   time: 15:00:00 
Total observation time: 1.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
The day was almost a complete washout except for a brief window in the
afternoon when the rain halted for about an hour and a half.

Raptor Observations:
Horrible weather across the East coast put most birds down for the day
except for a handful of falcons.

Non-raptor Observations:
Short-eared Owl
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - October 31, 2011

2011-10-31T19:09:00.000-04:00

Halloween brought a treat of a flight to the Seawatch. Dabbling ducks came through in good numbers during the morning, while a close-to-shore scoter flight during the afternoon was a highlight for the several visitors who lucked into seeing the spectacle. Other goodies included a Cackling Goose that was traveling south with a mixed flock of ducks, a mid-morning Tricolored Heron that was migrating low over the ocean, and a rather high tally of 21 Ruddy Ducks.

Brant - 35
Canada Goose - 1
Cackling Goose - 1
Wood Duck - 136
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 233
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Northern Shoveler - 4
Northern Pintail - 47
Green-winged Teal - 783
Ring-necked Duck - 34
Greater Scaup - 62
Lesser Scaup - 17
scaup, sp. - 10
Common Eider - 7
Surf Scoter - 7,343
White-winged Scoter - 16
Black Scoter - 8,745
dark-winged scoter - 781
scoter, sp. - 18
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Hooded Merganser - 3
Red-breasted Merganser - 6
Ruddy Duck - 21
Red-throated Loon - 331
Common Loon - 102
Horned Grebe - 10
Northern Gannet - 504
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 5,546
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 21
Tricolored Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 83
Bonaparte's Gull - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 32
Forster's Tern - 42
Royal Tern - 29

(Total = 25,016)

Avalon Seawatch - October 30, 2011

2011-10-30T23:03:00.003-04:00

There was a steady stream of migrants throughout the day at the Seawatch, with fair diversity and nice weather to boot. Scoters were numerous, particularly in the morning, while gannets and loons persisted for the entirety. Common Loon was particularly common; a season high of 238 was recorded, including two groups that contained over 20 individuals.

Some entertaining birds included a single Glossy Ibis that was mixed in with a flock of cormorants, a lone Lesser Black-backed Gull, and a handful of late-moving Common Terns. Other sights included a flyover Snow Bunting that added some flavor to a brief midday lull, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that was found by Josh Nemeth as it flew in from the ocean during the morning.

Brant - 91
Canada Goose - 46
Wood Duck - 21
American Black Duck - 62
Green-winged Teal - 68
Greater Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 4
aythya, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 3,898
White-winged Scoter - 9
Black Scoter - 2,596
dark-winged scoter - 2,274
scoter, sp. - 51
Red-breasted Merganser - 9
Red-throated Loon - 141
Common Loon - 238
Northern Gannet - 1,378
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,696
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 88
Great Egret - 90
Snowy Egret - 5
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 10
Glossy Ibis - 1
Laughing Gull - 228
Bonaparte's Gull - 28
Ring-billed Gull - 458
Herring Gull - 153
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Common Tern - 4
Forster's Tern - 10
Royal Tern - 63
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
jaeger, sp. - 1

(Total = 20,742)

Hawk Watch Friday October 28, 2011

2011-10-29T16:25:00.002-04:00

It was a really fun day at the platform with a good movement of birds and diversity. Sharp-shined Hawks dominated the count but we also saw a smattering of other species such as a flyover immature Golden Eagle, another dark morph Swainson's Hawk (this one missing an outer primary) and great views of a Short-eared Owl trying to evade harassing crows.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 28, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             34             49
Turkey Vulture              30            362            383
Osprey                      11           1241           2588
Bald Eagle                   3            236            361
Northern Harrier            10            444            615
Sharp-shinned Hawk         276          10643          14314
Cooper's Hawk               40           2297           2781
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk         11             70             79
Broad-winged Hawk            0            906            985
Red-tailed Hawk             24            196            239
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 1              3              3
American Kestrel             5           3007           5217
Merlin                       0            819           1577
Peregrine Falcon             5            523           1052
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              1              4              6

Total:                     417          20785          30249
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 15:30:00 
Total observation time: 9.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Strong North then Northeast winds throughout the day with mostly cloudy
(eventually overcast) skies.  Crappy visibility.

Raptor Observations:
A good movement of birds for the first part of the day with good diversity.
 We had lots of Sharp-shins, good numbers of Turkey Vultures, Cooper's
Hawks, and a smattering of other species (ie. American Kestrels,
Peregrines, 1 Golden Eagle, 1 dark morph Swainson's Hawk  missing an outer
primary so I believe it to be a different one than before).

Non-raptor Observations:
1 Short-eared Owl
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - October 28, 2011

2011-10-28T21:59:00.002-04:00

It was a big day, if not the big day at the Seawatch. Over 70,000 birds poured past the north end of Avalon, including about 62,000 scoters. In fact it was a daylong scoter fest, highlighted by a single hour that featured over 10,000 birds. Other notables included decent showings from Northern Gannet and Red-throated Loon, and a fine flock of 13 American Golden-Plovers that passed by late in the afternoon.

Special thanks go to Gail Dwyer, Tom Johnson, Doug Gochfeld, Cameron Cox, Richard Crossley and Sam Galick for stopping by during the day to help count, bring food, or otherwise offer support. Double-special thanks go to Tony Leukering, who was present for most of the day and assisted in counting several species throughout.

Tomorrow's forecast calls for nor'easter-like conditions, with heavy rain and winds gusting to 45-50mph at times. It'll be an interesting day to watch the sea; wish me luck.

Brant - 487
Canada Goose - 6
Wood Duck - 28
Gadwall - 1
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 34
Mallard - 12
Northern Shoveler - 2
Northern Pintail - 28
Green-winged Teal - 304
Ring-necked Duck - 9
Greater Scaup - 1
Lesser Scaup - 10
scaup, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 19,405
White-winged Scoter - 18
Black Scoter - 21,710
dark-winged scoter - 14,727
scoter, sp. - 5,510
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 19
Red-throated Loon - 260
Common Loon - 50
Northern Gannet - 1,661
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,229
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 5
Great Egret - 2
Laughing Gull - 47
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 51
Royal Tern - 29
Parasitic Jaeger - 1

(Total = 72,679)

Morning Flight - 28 October 2011

2011-10-28T14:49:00.002-04:00

It was a pretty good flight day, but mostly American Robins and Yellow-rumped Warblers. The flight died about an hour and a half after sunrise, with the first hour being the busiest. One brown Creeper was a surpise, and four Rusty Blackbirds were a standout.

Avalon Seawatch - 27 October 2011

2011-10-28T14:34:00.002-04:00

The seawatch was decent with a good flow of surf scoter and gannets for the day. Highlights were 2 Brown Pelicans, a Ruddy Duck, and a Parasitic Jaeger. The most amazing sight of the day was seeing a Yellow-billed Cuckoo perching on the rocks of the seawall in front of us at about 3:30, which obviously just reached land! Then about a half hour later, Clay Sutton picked up another in flight over the bar, headed west and we watched it fly all the way in to the Townsend's Inlet beach!

Brant - 12

Wood Duck - 52

American Wigeon - 6

American Black Duck - 103

Mallard - 4

Northern Pintail - 54

Green-winged Teal - 117

puddle duck spp - 10

Ring-necked Duck - 3

Greater Scaup - 1

Lesser Scaup - 7

Surf Scoter - 11545

Black Scoter - 249

Red-breasted Merganser - 1

Ruddy Duck - 1

Red-throated Loon - 23

Common Loon - 44

Northern Gannet - 1712

Brown Pelican - 2

Double-crested Cormorant - 2058

Great Blue Heron - 25

Great Egret - 5

Laughing Gull - 119

Bonaparte's Gull - 2

Ring-billed Gull - 16

Herring Gull - 57

Great Black-backed Gull - 95

Caspian Tern - 1

Common Tern - 16

Forster's Tern - 81

Royal Tern - 43

Parasitic Jaeger - 1

Total - 16465

Hawk Watch Thursday October 27, 2011

2011-10-27T20:40:00.001-04:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 27, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             34             49
Turkey Vulture               0            332            353
Osprey                       5           1230           2577
Bald Eagle                   0            233            358
Northern Harrier            12            434            605
Sharp-shinned Hawk          62          10367          14038
Cooper's Hawk                1           2257           2741
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             59             68
Broad-winged Hawk            0            906            985
Red-tailed Hawk              0            172            215
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              2              2
American Kestrel             7           3002           5212
Merlin                       4            819           1577
Peregrine Falcon             0            518           1047
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              3              5

Total:                      91          20368          29832
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Light Southwest winds all day with overcast skies and scattered rain
throughout.

Raptor Observations:
A mostly slow day dominated by Sharp-shins.

Non-raptor Observations:
10 Wilson's Snipe, 1 Brown Pelican, 5 Parasitic Jaegers
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawk Watch Tuesday October 25, 2011

2011-10-27T20:38:00.002-04:00


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             34             49
Turkey Vulture               0            332            353
Osprey                       2           1210           2557
Bald Eagle                   2            230            355
Northern Harrier            29            401            572
Sharp-shinned Hawk         756          10154          13825
Cooper's Hawk              114           2240           2724
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             58             67
Broad-winged Hawk            1            906            985
Red-tailed Hawk              8            171            214
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              2              2
American Kestrel            94           2917           5127
Merlin                      78            804           1562
Peregrine Falcon             2            517           1046
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              1              3              5

Total:                    1088          19979          29443
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Magarian

Observers:        Vince Elia

Weather:
Moderate to strong Northwest winds and no cloud cover throughout the day.

Raptor Observations:
A great movement of birds for late October with over 1000 counted.

Non-raptor Observations:

========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

2011-10-26T21:50:00.001-04:00

A pretty good movement of birds for the first part of the day but things basically shut down by the afternoon.


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             34             49
Turkey Vulture               0            332            353
Osprey                      15           1223           2570
Bald Eagle                   3            231            356
Northern Harrier            21            393            564
Sharp-shinned Hawk         151           9549          13220
Cooper's Hawk               16           2142           2626
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             58             67
Broad-winged Hawk            0            905            984
Red-tailed Hawk              1            164            207
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              2              2
American Kestrel            78           2901           5111
Merlin                      11            737           1495
Peregrine Falcon             1            516           1045
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              0
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Swainson's Hawk              0              2              4

Total:                     298          19189          28653
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
Southwest winds all day that began quite strong but eventually calmed down
by noon.  We had mostly clear skies in the morning that turned to overcast
skies for the later half of the day.

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:
3 Wilson's Snipe, 3 Eurasian Collared-doves, 6 Great Blue Herons, 2 Chimney
Swifts, 2 Cliff Swallows, 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 1 Ring-necked
Duck
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

26 October 2011 - Morning Flight

2011-10-26T19:51:00.004-04:00

Morning flight today was great! Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Robins were flying west and then hooking north along the Delaware Bay; additionally, there was a southbound movement of Yellow-rumps early in the morning. An almost all white Eastern Phoebe gave us a quick startle - the bird was almost totally white except for a bit of gray in the face. Species highlights came from Red-headed Woodpecker, Rusty Blackbird, Eastern Bluebird, and Purple Finch.

American Robins are a late fall fixture in the morning skies above Cape May.

Rusty Blackbirds are fairly uncommon migrants in Cape May, but a perusal of the blackbirds during October and November mornings can often reveal a moderate number of this declining boreal breeder. The elongated, club-tipped tail, slim belly, and deep chest (best viewed in profile and not really visible in the above photo) are all good field marks for Rusty Blackbird.

Full eBird list for the day is below:

Canada Goose 40
Wood Duck 15
Mallard 4
Common Loon 1
Northern Gannet 5
Double-crested Cormorant 110
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 3
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 105
Cooper's Hawk 14
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 30
Merlin 5
Killdeer 25
Sanderling 1
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 1 - probably LBDO - flyby
Laughing Gull 50
Herring Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Forster's Tern 12
Royal Tern 2
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 4
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 8
Tree Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 2
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 1
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 30
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 3200
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 90
American Pipit 4
Cedar Waxwing 165
Northern Parula 4
Blackpoll Warbler 20
Palm Warbler 17
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2250
warbler sp. 8
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 26
Field Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 16
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco 8
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 220
Eastern Meadowlark 10
Rusty Blackbird 3
Purple Finch 8
House Finch 10

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Avalon Seawatch - October 25, 2011

2011-10-26T00:18:00.002-04:00

Today was a bit quieter at the Seawatch, though Northern Gannets put on a good show during the morning hours and the evening again saw a small flight of egrets. In between there were a number of Common Loons, the season's first Bufflehead, and for the first time in many days- not a single Brown Pelican.

Brant - 30
Canada Goose - 115
Wood Duck - 2
American Wigeon - 6
American Black Duck - 18
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 28
Surf Scoter - 1,040
White-winged Scoter - 3
Black Scoter - 115
dark-winged scoter - 239
Bufflehead - 1
Red-throated Loon - 30
Common Loon - 165
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 2,247
Double-crested Cormorant - 3,624
Great Blue Heron - 29
Great Egret - 49
Snowy Egret - 15
Laughing Gull - 439
Ring-billed Gull - 87
Herring Gull - 2
Great Black-backed Gull - 20
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 43
Royal Tern - 38
Parasitic Jaeger - 3

(Total = 8,403)

25 October 2011 - Morning Flight

2011-10-25T12:36:00.005-04:00

Despite the northwest wind and clear skies last night, there was no large influx of songbird migrants to Cape May. Radar was relatively quiet last night, and there was a corresponding lack of morning flight at Higbee Beach. 200 Yellow-rumped Warblers and about 100 American Robins made up the bulk of today's flight. Noteworthy was a small southbound stream of Ring-billed Gulls, one of the first obvious gull movements I've actually seen from the dike this fall. A full list of species is found below - species counted as part of the morning flight project are found in bold.

Eastern Meadowlarks continue to be a welcome daily sight at the Higbee Dike.

Yellow-rumped Warblers make up the great bulk of warbler migrants in Cape May at this late date, but...

... there is still definitely some diversity around - in addition to still-abundant warblers like Blackpoll and Palm, Black-throated Green Warblers are still trickling through, though at a rate of perhaps 1 per day at the Higbee Beach dike.

Brant (Atlantic) 1
Canada Goose 15
Surf Scoter 7
Black Scoter 1
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 120
Bald Eagle 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 35
Cooper's Hawk 7
Merlin 1
White-rumped Sandpiper 2
Laughing Gull 40
Ring-billed Gull 25 influx heading south
Herring Gull 2
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 10
Royal Tern 1
Rock Pigeon 35
Mourning Dove 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 4
American Robin 110
European Starling 75
Cedar Waxwing 12
Blackpoll Warbler 13
Yellow-rumped Warbler 220
warbler sp. 4
Eastern Towhee 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
Swamp Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 40
Rusty Blackbird 1

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)

Avalon Seawatch - October 24, 2011

2011-10-24T20:37:00.002-04:00

Sizable flocks of cormorants and scoters continued for a third day at Avalon, and were joined by a continuous trickle of Northern Gannets during the afternoon. The Gannets in particular were crowd-pleasers, as quite a few passed by at close range and in favorable late day light. Other highlights included a nice push of Wood Ducks, our 100th Parasitic Jaeger of the season, and a rather late Black Tern that passed by in the evening.

Totals:
Brant - 108
Wood Duck - 102
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 3
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 175
Greater Scaup - 8
Lesser Scaup - 7
Surf Scoter - 3,426
White-winged Scoter - 11
Black Scoter - 1,661
dark-winged scoter - 96
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Red-throated Loon - 48
Common Loon - 82
Horned Grebe - 5
Northern Gannet - 681
Brown Pelican - 17
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,677
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 56
Laughing Gull - 269
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 10
Herring Gull - 2
Black Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 89
Royal Tern - 14
Parasitic Jaeger - 1

(Total = 15,561)

Cape May Hawk Watch - 24 October 2011

2011-10-24T19:04:00.000-04:00

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2011
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
Black Vulture 3 34 49
Turkey Vulture 32 332 353
Osprey 10 1208 2555
Bald Eagle 6 228 353
Northern Harrier 9 372 543
Sharp-shinned Hawk 202 9398 13069
Cooper's Hawk 135 2126 2610
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 57 66
Broad-winged Hawk 4 905 984
Red-tailed Hawk 12 163 206
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 5 2823 5033
Merlin 10 726 1484
Peregrine Falcon 8 515 1044
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 2 4
Total: 439 18891 28355

Observation start time: 06:15:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.75 hours
Official Counter Tom Magarian
Observers:

Weather:
Light SSE winds all day with high thin clouds.

Raptor Observations:

Non-raptor Observations:

Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Avalon Seawatch - October 23, 2011

2011-10-23T21:32:00.002-04:00

Peak season has certainly arrived at the Seawatch, as evidenced again by today's flight. Double-crested Cormorants and Surf Scoters ruled the day, while Wood Duck and Common Loon put in respectable showings, and our first "flocks" of Red-throated Loons also arrived. An early Long-tailed Duck was an afternoon highlight, and a strong late-day scoter flight made for a great show as many large flocks passed by close to the seawall. The Bird of the Day Award goes to the "Black" Brant that flew by at close range with a flock of its pale-bellied cousins late in the morning. It was the second record of this subspecies from the seawatch.

Totals:
Brant - 385
"Black" Brant - 1
Canada Goose - 33
Wood Duck - 83
American Black Duck - 20
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 55
Greater Scaup - 11
Lesser Scaup - 1
Surf Scoter - 7,569
White-winged Scoter - 18
Black Scoter - 2,304
dark-winged scoter - 1,029
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Red-throated Loon - 27
Common Loon - 122
Horned Grebe - 3
Northern Gannet - 74
Brown Pelican - 40
Double-crested Cormorant - 13,957
Great Blue Heron - 34
Great Egret - 1
Laughing Gull - 504
Ring-billed Gull - 16
Herring Gull - 33
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 10
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 18
Royal Tern - 2
Parasitic Jaeger - 1

(Total = 26,359)

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 29, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	24	73
Turkey Vulture	0	220	628
Osprey	0	20	2629
Bald Eagle	0	50	422
Northern Harrier	1	186	822
Sharp-shinned Hawk	2	603	15122
Cooper's Hawk	1	116	2926
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	134	263
Broad-winged Hawk	0	5	991
Red-tailed Hawk	0	268	548
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	1	6
American Kestrel	0	27	5251
Merlin	0	9	1601
Peregrine Falcon	0	25	1083
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	6
Total:	4	1688	32371

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 28, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	24	73
Turkey Vulture	0	220	628
Osprey	0	20	2629
Bald Eagle	0	50	422
Northern Harrier	0	185	821
Sharp-shinned Hawk	3	601	15120
Cooper's Hawk	1	115	2925
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	134	263
Broad-winged Hawk	0	5	991
Red-tailed Hawk	0	268	548
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	1	6
American Kestrel	0	27	5251
Merlin	0	9	1601
Peregrine Falcon	0	25	1083
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	6
Total:	4	1684	32367

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	0	4	53
Turkey Vulture	1	42	450
Osprey	1	15	2624
Bald Eagle	0	27	399
Northern Harrier	2	74	710
Sharp-shinned Hawk	15	341	14860
Cooper's Hawk	0	61	2871
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	41	170
Broad-winged Hawk	0	4	990
Red-tailed Hawk	0	132	412
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	5
American Kestrel	0	17	5241
Merlin	1	7	1599
Peregrine Falcon	1	18	1076
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	6
Total:	21	783	31466

Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 08, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	4	4	53
Turkey Vulture	19	19	427
Osprey	4	14	2623
Bald Eagle	0	20	392
Northern Harrier	14	38	674
Sharp-shinned Hawk	31	284	14803
Cooper's Hawk	6	55	2865
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	0	36	165
Broad-winged Hawk	0	4	990
Red-tailed Hawk	12	121	401
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	0	5
American Kestrel	2	10	5234
Merlin	0	4	1596
Peregrine Falcon	0	16	1074
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	0	6
Total:	92	625	31308

Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2011
Species	Day's Count	Month Total	Season Total
Black Vulture	3	34	49
Turkey Vulture	32	332	353
Osprey	10	1208	2555
Bald Eagle	6	228	353
Northern Harrier	9	372	543
Sharp-shinned Hawk	202	9398	13069
Cooper's Hawk	135	2126	2610
Northern Goshawk	0	0	0
Red-shouldered Hawk	3	57	66
Broad-winged Hawk	4	905	984
Red-tailed Hawk	12	163	206
Rough-legged Hawk	0	0	0
Golden Eagle	0	2	2
American Kestrel	5	2823	5033
Merlin	10	726	1484
Peregrine Falcon	8	515	1044
Unknown Accipiter	0	0	0
Unknown Buteo	0	0	0
Unknown Falcon	0	0	0
Unknown Eagle	0	0	0
Unknown Raptor	0	0	0
Swainson's Hawk	0	2	4
Total:	439	18891	28355

Observation start time:	06:15:00
Observation end time:	16:00:00
Total observation time:	9.75 hours
Official Counter	Tom Magarian
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