Sea Watch Count 10/31/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 61
Common Loon - 35
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 2783
Great Cormorant - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 1117
Great Blue Heron - 1
Brant - 20
Wood Duck - 2
American Wigeon - 19
American Black Duck - 37
Mallard - 5
Northern Pintail - 31
Green-winged Teal - 55
Ring-necked Duck - 24
Greater Scaup - 65
Lesser Scaup - 29
Common Eider - 1
Long-tailed Duck - 5
Black Scoter - 2335
Surf Scoter - 3596
White-winged Scoter - 18
unidentified scoter - 126
Bufflehead - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 9
Parasitic Jaeger - 2
Laughing Gull - 75
Ring-billed Gull - 2
Herring Gull - 48
Great Black-backed Gull - 36
Forster's Tern - 108
Royal Tern - 28
Brown Pelican - 7
American Oystercatcher - 41
Ruddy Duck - 2
American Woodcock - 1

TOTAL - 10728

Hawk Watch Count 10/31/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 52 52
Turkey Vulture 0 589 589
Osprey 0 926 1592
Bald Eagle 1 124 207
Northern Harrier 6 541 859

Sharp-shinned Hawk 22 6905 11890
Cooper's Hawk 9 1578 2361
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 105 106

Broad-winged Hawk 0 408 559
Red-tailed Hawk 3 276 349
Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1
Golden Eagle 0 3 4

American Kestrel 2 1226 4558
Merlin 2 747 1308
Peregrine Falcon 3 1102 1295
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 51 14584 25732
------------------------------------------------------------

Sea Watch Count 10/30/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 126
Common Loon - 58
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 721
Great Cormorant - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 4812
Brant - 23
American Wigeon - 1
American Black Duck - 35
Northern Pintail - 26
Green-winged Teal - 202
Ring-necked Duck - 8
Greater Scaup - 29
Lesser Scaup - 17
scaup, sp. - 7
Common Eider - 1
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Black Scoter - 4293
Surf Scoter - 1646
White-winged Scoter - 8
dark-winged scoter - 2671
Bufflehead - 30
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 93
Ring-billed Gull - 36
Herring Gull - 22
Great Black-backed Gull - 7
Forster's Tern - 287
Royal Tern - 14
Common Tern - 2

TOTAL - 15185

Hawk Watch Count 10/30/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 7 52 52
Turkey Vulture 65 589 589
Osprey 6 926 1592
Bald Eagle 0 123 206
Northern Harrier 23 535 853

Sharp-shinned Hawk 106 6883 11868
Cooper's Hawk 61 1569 2352
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 11 102 103

Broad-winged Hawk 1 408 559
Red-tailed Hawk 49 273 346
Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1
Golden Eagle 0 3 4

American Kestrel 0 1224 4556
Merlin 7 745 1306
Peregrine Falcon 3 1099 1292
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 339 14533 25681
------------------------------------------------------------

Sea Watch Count 10/29/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 41
Common Loon - 25
Northern Gannet - 267
Great Cormorant - 14
Double-crested Cormorant - 16580
Great Blue Heron - 11
Brant - 3
Canada Goose - 37
Wood Duck - 12
American Wigeon - 6
American Black Duck - 102
Mallard - 15
Northern Pintail - 19
Green-winged Teal - 280
Ring-necked Duck - 6
Greater Scaup - 25
Lesser Scaup - 46
scaup, sp. - 16
Common Eider - 3
Long-tailed Duck - 10
Black Scoter - 6411
Surf Scoter - 2810
White-winged Scoter - 8
dark-winged scoter - 3286
Common Goldeneye - 13
Hooded Merganser - 2
Red-breasted Merganser - 15
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 63
Bonaparte's Gull - 2
Herring Gull - 5
Great Black-backed Gull - 4
Royal Tern - 18
King Eider - 2

TOTAL - 30158

Hawk Watch Count 10/29/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 45 45
Turkey Vulture 39 524 524
Osprey 3 920 1586
Bald Eagle 5 123 206
Northern Harrier 25 512 830

Sharp-shinned Hawk 221 6777 11762
Cooper's Hawk 81 1508 2291
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 24 91 92

Broad-winged Hawk 6 407 558
Red-tailed Hawk 65 224 297
Rough-legged Hawk 1 1 1
Golden Eagle 1 3 4

American Kestrel 3 1224 4556
Merlin 3 738 1299
Peregrine Falcon 2 1096 1289
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 479 14194 25342
------------------------------------------------------------

Sea Watch Count 10/28/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 3
Common Loon - 51
Northern Gannet - 395
Double-crested Cormorant - 14846
Great Blue Heron - 24
Great Egret - 91
Snowy Egret - 14
Brant - 367
Canada Goose - 6
Wood Duck - 18
American Wigeon - 1
American Black Duck - 94
Mallard - 8
Northern Pintail - 105
Green-winged Teal - 129
Ring-necked Duck - 1
Greater Scaup - 1
Lesser Scaup - 15
Long-tailed Duck - 4
Black Scoter - 3360
Surf Scoter - 3671
White-winged Scoter - 2
unidentified scoter - 4080
Bufflehead - 17
Hooded Merganser - 5
Parasitic Jaeger - 3
Laughing Gull - 259
Ring-billed Gull - 38
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Forster's Tern - 208
Royal Tern - 20
Monarch - 10
Brown Pelican - 1
American Oystercatcher - 7
Black-crowned Night Heron - 42
Yellow-crowned Night Heron - 2

TOTAL - 27894

Hawk Watch Count 10/28/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 10 45 45
Turkey Vulture 169 485 485
Osprey 17 917 1583
Bald Eagle 19 118 201
Northern Harrier 40 487 805

Sharp-shinned Hawk 1403 6556 11541
Cooper's Hawk 180 1427 2210
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 25 67 68

Broad-winged Hawk 24 401 552
Red-tailed Hawk 88 159 232
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 2 2 3

American Kestrel 34 1221 4553
Merlin 28 735 1296
Peregrine Falcon 5 1094 1287
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 2044 13715 24863
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/28/07

Morning Flight: 15-20 NNW wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 1
Northern Flicker- 194
Eastern Phoebe- 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet- 22
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 3
Kinglet sp.- 1
American Robin- 3969
Cedar Waxwing- 5
Northern Parula- 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 3811
Palm Warbler- 20
Blackpoll Warbler- 1
Warbler sp.- 2427
Chipping Sparrow- 11
Savannah Sparrow- 6
Dark-eyed Junco- 4
Inidgo Bunting- 1
Eastern Meadowlark- 6
Rusty Blackbird- 23
Purple Finch- 13
Pine Siskin- 2
Eastern Bluebird- 4
Total Birds: 10,531

Sea Watch Count 10/27/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 4
Common Loon - 16
Northern Gannet - 430
Great Cormorant - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 7004
Snow Goose - 12
Brant - 16
American Black Duck - 18
Northern Pintail - 20
Green-winged Teal - 6
Greater Scaup - 2
Lesser Scaup - 13
Common Eider - 3
Black Scoter - 5481
Surf Scoter - 8231
White-winged Scoter - 4
dark-winged scoter - 150
unidentified scoter - 860
Bufflehead - 10
Red-breasted Merganser - 9
Parasitic Jaeger - 3
Laughing Gull - 77
Ring-billed Gull - 7
Herring Gull - 38
Great Black-backed Gull - 35
Forster's Tern - 1441
Royal Tern - 12
Monarch - 19
Brown Pelican - 4
Aythya, sp. - 13
Common Tern - 2
MALL/ABDU Integrade - 1

TOTAL - 23924

Hawk Watch Count 10/27/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 35 35
Turkey Vulture 0 316 316
Osprey 10 900 1566
Bald Eagle 1 99 182
Northern Harrier 5 447 765

Sharp-shinned Hawk 40 5153 10138
Cooper's Hawk 6 1247 2030
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 42 43

Broad-winged Hawk 0 377 528
Red-tailed Hawk 2 71 144
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 6 1187 4519
Merlin 12 707 1268
Peregrine Falcon 11 1089 1282
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 95 11671 22819
------------------------------------------------------------

Monarch Monitoring Project 10/26/07

This past week showed the sharp decline in local monarch numbers expected for this time of year, as cold weather is coming. Monarch butterflies cannot survive long in cold weather, as their only adaptation for surviving the winter in North America is migrating away from it. We sometimes forget that Monarchs are, in reality, a tropical species with its closest kin found in the Caribbean.
Rain made life difficult for the migrants late in the week, although winds may have also helped some cross the Delaware Bay south. Monarchs rarely fly in rain and rarely if ever fly at night. Rain storms could pummel them to the ground or into the sea, so Monarchs appear to be well adapted to judge the weather and fly accordingly.

Census Totals: Monarchs per hour
10-20: 47.37
10-21: 102.63
10-22: 233.68
10-23: 100.50
10-24: 64.86
10-25: 3.33
10-26: 1.71
Monarchs per hour Week 8: 64.13
Monarchs per hour cumulative: 82.90

With only one week remaining, we can safely report that it was a very good year for Monarchs in Cape May. Hopefully, this winter will be favorable for them as the spend the winter in the mountains of Mexico.

Sea Watch Count 10/26/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 27
Common Loon - 80
Northern Gannet - 277
Great Cormorant - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 44
Brant - 21
Canada Goose - 1
American Wigeon - 25
American Black Duck - 23
Mallard - 1
Northern Pintail - 33
Green-winged Teal - 742
Ring-necked Duck - 11
Greater Scaup - 67
Common Eider - 2
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Black Scoter - 74998
Surf Scoter - 66587
White-winged Scoter - 22
unidentified scoter - 14455
Bufflehead - 19
Hooded Merganser - 16
Red-breasted Merganser - 54
Laughing Gull - 985
Ring-billed Gull - 30
Herring Gull - 34
Great Black-backed Gull - 58
Forster's Tern - 33
Royal Tern - 37
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Aythya, sp. - 5
American Oystercatcher - 3
Ruddy Duck - 2
Marbled Godwit - 1

TOTAL - 158699

Hawk Watch Count 10/26/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 35 35
Turkey Vulture 0 316 316
Osprey 3 890 1556
Bald Eagle 0 98 181
Northern Harrier 1 442 760

Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 5113 10098
Cooper's Hawk 0 1241 2024
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 40 41

Broad-winged Hawk 0 377 528
Red-tailed Hawk 0 69 142
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 4 1181 4513
Merlin 6 695 1256
Peregrine Falcon 2 1078 1271
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 17 11576 22724
------------------------------------------------------------

Sea Watch Count 10/25/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 13
Common Loon - 60
Northern Gannet - 282
Double-crested Cormorant - 1617
Wood Duck - 2
American Wigeon - 9
American Black Duck - 3
Mallard - 1
Northern Pintail - 1
Green-winged Teal - 95
Ring-necked Duck - 11
Greater Scaup - 15
Lesser Scaup - 57
Common Eider - 2
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Black Scoter - 13482
Surf Scoter - 24132
White-winged Scoter - 18
unidentified scoter - 398
Bufflehead - 6
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 715
Ring-billed Gull - 7
Herring Gull - 11
Great Black-backed Gull - 63
Royal Tern - 15
Aythya, sp. - 9
American Oystercatcher - 39
Canvasback - 2

TOTAL - 41069

Hawk Watch Count 10/25/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 35 35
Turkey Vulture 0 316 316
Osprey 0 887 1553
Bald Eagle 0 98 181
Northern Harrier 1 441 759

Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 5112 10097
Cooper's Hawk 0 1241 2024
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 40 41

Broad-winged Hawk 0 377 528
Red-tailed Hawk 0 69 142
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 2 1177 4509
Merlin 2 689 1250
Peregrine Falcon 1 1076 1269
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 6 11559 22707
------------------------------------------------------------

Sea Watch Count 10/24/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 10
Northern Gannet - 561
Double-crested Cormorant - 4918
Great Blue Heron - 13
American Wigeon - 17
American Black Duck - 1
Northern Pintail - 65
Green-winged Teal - 32
Common Eider - 1
Black Scoter - 500
Surf Scoter - 371
White-winged Scoter - 5
Parasitic Jaeger - 2
Laughing Gull - 396
Ring-billed Gull - 7
Herring Gull - 11
Great Black-backed Gull - 44
Forster's Tern - 275
Royal Tern - 41
Monarch - 9
American Oystercatcher - 22

TOTAL - 7292

Hawk Watch Count 10/24/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 35 35
Turkey Vulture 12 316 316
Osprey 4 887 1553
Bald Eagle 3 98 181
Northern Harrier 12 440 758

Sharp-shinned Hawk 28 5112 10097
Cooper's Hawk 16 1241 2024
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 40 41

Broad-winged Hawk 8 377 528
Red-tailed Hawk 1 69 142
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 5 1175 4507
Merlin 4 687 1248
Peregrine Falcon 12 1075 1268
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 105 11553 22701
------------------------------------------------------------

Sea Watch Count 10/23/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 4
Northern Gannet - 183
Great Cormorant - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 81
Northern Pintail - 18
Greater Scaup - 2
Lesser Scaup - 3
Black Scoter - 129
Surf Scoter - 32
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Parasitic Jaeger - 3
Laughing Gull - 284
Great Black-backed Gull - 55
Forster's Tern - 625
Royal Tern - 296
Brown Pelican - 3
Caspian Tern - 1
Ruddy Duck - 9
American Golden-Plover - 21

TOTAL - 1752

Hawk Watch Count 10/23/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 35 35
Turkey Vulture 0 304 304
Osprey 2 883 1549
Bald Eagle 0 95 178
Northern Harrier 1 428 746

Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 5084 10069
Cooper's Hawk 4 1225 2008
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 40 41

Broad-winged Hawk 0 369 520
Red-tailed Hawk 0 68 141
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 1 1170 4502
Merlin 1 683 1244
Peregrine Falcon 2 1063 1256
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 24 11448 22596
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/23/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 SSE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 1
Northern Flicker- 15
Eastern Phoebe- 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 1
American Robin- 568
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 632
Prairie Warbler- 1
Palm Warbler- 2
Blackpoll Warbler- 2
Warbler Sp.- 391
Dark-eyed Junco- 1
Eastern Meadowlark- 9

Total Birds: 1624

Sea Watch Count 10/22/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 11
Northern Gannet - 311
Double-crested Cormorant - 1587
Brant - 5
Wood Duck - 1
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 4
Greater Scaup -2
Black Scoter - 574
Surf Scoter - 159
White-winged Scoter - 8
Red-breasted Merganser - 3
Parasitic Jaeger - 10
Laughing Gull - 497
Ring-billed Gull - 2
Herring Gull - 4
Great Black-backed Gull - 41
Forster's Tern - 455
Royal Tern - 199
Brown Pelican - 4
Common Tern - 1
Caspian Tern - 1
Ruddy Duck - 10
Killdeer - 1

TOTAL - 3892

Hawk Watch Count 10/22/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 35 35
Turkey Vulture 0 304 304
Osprey 3 881 1547
Bald Eagle 0 95 178
Northern Harrier 10 427 745

Sharp-shinned Hawk 94 5071 10056
Cooper's Hawk 28 1221 2004
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 40 41

Broad-winged Hawk 8 369 520
Red-tailed Hawk 1 68 141
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 11 1169 4501
Merlin 1 682 1243
Peregrine Falcon 2 1061 1254
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 160 11424 22572
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/22/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 S wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Northern Flicker- 21
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet- 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 1
American Robin- 215
American Pipit- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 2615
Black and White Warbler- 1
Warbler sp.- 620
Eastern Meadowlark- 145
Purple Finch- 2

Total Birds: 3384

Sea Watch Count 10/21/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 3
Common Loon - 53
Northern Gannet - 324
Great Cormorant - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 5767
Great Blue Heron - 2
Brant - 27
Canada Goose - 14
Wood Duck - 12
Gadwall - 4
American Wigeon - 3
American Black Duck - 5
Mallard - 4
Northern Pintail - 15
Green-winged Teal - 80
Ring-necked Duck - 10
Greater Scaup -4
Lesser Scaup - 9
scaup, sp. - 9
Black Scoter - 331
Surf Scoter - 277
dark-winged scoter - 120
Red-breasted Merganser - 4
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 4658
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 29
Herring Gull - 57
Great Black-backed Gull - 28
Forster's Tern - 536
Royal Tern - 24
Brown Pelican - 9
dabbler, sp. - 18
Aythya, sp. - 10
American Oystercatcher - 19
Ruddy Duck - 4
Marbled Godwit - 18

TOTAL - 12490

Hawk Watch Count 10/21/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 3 35 35
Turkey Vulture 53 304 304
Osprey 27 878 1544
Bald Eagle 10 95 178
Northern Harrier 16 417 735

Sharp-shinned Hawk 426 4977 9962
Cooper's Hawk 104 1193 1976
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 16 38 39

Broad-winged Hawk 34 361 512
Red-tailed Hawk 9 67 140
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 12 1158 4490
Merlin 13 681 1242
Peregrine Falcon 11 1059 1252
Swainson's Hawk 1 1 1
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 735 11264 22412
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/21/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 1
Northern Flicker- 72
Eastern Phoebe- 51
Eastern Kingbird- 1
Red-eyed Vireo- 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 76
Golden-crowned Kinglet- 13
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 42
American Robin- 559
Northern Mockingbird- 1
American Pipit- 3
Cedar Waxwing- 25
Tennessee Warbler- 2
Nashville Warbler- 1
Northern Parula- 4
Magnolia Warbler- 2
Cape May Warbler- 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 10,305
Black-throated Green Warbler- 3
Palm Warbler- 93
Bay-breasted Warbler- 1
Blackpoll Warbler- 37
Black and White Warbler- 4
Warbler sp.- 1973
Scarlet Tanager- 1
Chipping Sparrow- 1422
Savannah Sparrow- 39
Dark-eyed Junco- 47
Dickcissel- 1
Bobolink- 1
Eastern Meadowlark- 34
Baltimore Oriole- 4
Purple Finch- 83
Pine Siskin- 11
Blue-headed Vireo- 8
White-breasted Nuthatch- 7
Western Kingbird- 3
Clay-colored Sparrow- 6

Total Birds: 14944

Sea Watch Count 10/20/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 9
Northern Gannet - 721
Great Cormorant - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 2151
Great Blue Heron - 2
Brant - 26
Canada Goose - 28
American Wigeon - 4
American Black Duck - 5
Mallard - 1
Ring-necked Duck - 4
Greater Scaup - 2
Black Scoter - 907
Surf Scoter - 671
dark-winged scoter - 174
Parasitic Jaeger - 2
Laughing Gull - 708
Ring-billed Gull - 9
Herring Gull - 41
Great Black-backed Gull - 40
Forster's Tern - 546
Royal Tern - 9
Brown Pelican - 18
dabbler, sp. - 3
American Oystercatcher - 65
Common Tern - 1
Caspian Tern - 1

TOTAL - 6150

Hawk Watch Count 10/20/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 8 32 32
Turkey Vulture 44 251 251
Osprey 15 851 1517
Bald Eagle 6 85 168
Northern Harrier 18 401 719

Sharp-shinned Hawk 590 4551 9536
Cooper's Hawk 202 1809 1872
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 5 22 23

Broad-winged Hawk 9 327 478
Red-tailed Hawk 2 58 131
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 168 1146 4478
Merlin 101 668 1229
Peregrine Falcon 10 1048 1241
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 1178 10529 21677
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/20/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Northern Flicker- 1
American Robin- 57
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 132
Blackpoll Warbler- 5
Scarlet Tanager- 1
Chipping Sparrow- 4
Savannah Sparrow- 3
Dickcissel- 1
Eastern Meadowlark- 7

Total Birds: 211

Monarch Monitoring Project 10/19/07

This past weekend saw the biggest push of Monarchs this season. A cold front Friday evening brought butterflies to Cape May and created conditions for huge roosts. See Monarch Update 10/16/07 for more details.
The season is nearly at an end, with only one full week of Monarch censuses left. However, this week showed that there are many Monarchs still around.

Census Totals: Monarchs per hour
10-13: 345.26
10-14: 860.00
10-15: 174.74
10-16: 83.68
10-17: 56.92
10-18: 26.67
10-19: 6.67
Monarchs per hour Week 7: 231.77
Monarchs per hour cumulative: 248.25

If conditions remain good (and unseasonably warm, as they have been), migration may continue into November. Regardless, The Monarch Monitoring Project will be part of the Bird Show this coming weekend. Look for our programs on the schedule, as well as many others.

Sea Watch Count 10/19/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 2
Northern Gannet - 1432
Double-crested Cormorant - 1
Black Scoter - 142
Surf Scoter - 481
Parasitic Jaeger - 2
Laughing Gull - 5787
Ring-billed Gull - 26
Herring Gull - 110
Great Black-backed Gull - 18
Forster's Tern - 844
Royal Tern - 43

TOTAL - 8888

Hawk Watch Count 10/19/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 24
Turkey Vulture 0 207 207
Osprey 1 836 1502
Bald Eagle 0 79 162
Northern Harrier 0 383 701

Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 3961 8946
Cooper's Hawk 1 887 1670
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 17 18

Broad-winged Hawk 0 318 469
Red-tailed Hawk 0 56 129
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 0 978 4310
Merlin 3 567 1128
Peregrine Falcon 3 1038 1231
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 12 9351 20499
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/19/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 SSE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Chris Brown

Northern Flicker- 3
American Robin- 66
American Pipit- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 115
Palm Warbler- 5
Eastern Meadowlark- 4

Total Birds: 194

Sea Watch Count 10/18/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 4
Common Loon - 26
Northern Gannet - 879
Great Cormorant - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 1611
Great Egret - 1
American Black Duck - 1
Green-winged Teal - 7
Lesser Scaup - 6
Black Scoter - 419
Surf Scoter - 2338
Parasitic Jaeger - 14
Laughing Gull - 3983
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 10
Herring Gull - 36
Forster's Tern - 252
Royal Tern - 22
Monarch - 3
Brown Pelican - 33
Common Tern - 1

TOTAL - 9645

Hawk Watch Count 10/18/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 24
Turkey Vulture 0 207 207
Osprey 0 835 1501
Bald Eagle 0 79 162
Northern Harrier 5 383 701

Sharp-shinned Hawk 76 3957 8942
Cooper's Hawk 18 886 1669
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 17 18

Broad-winged Hawk 0 318 469
Red-tailed Hawk 0 56 129
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 4 978 4310
Merlin 4 564 1125
Peregrine Falcon 15 1035 1228
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 124 9339 20487
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/18/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 SSE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Red-bellied Woodpecker- 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 2
Northern Flicker- 26
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 3
American Robin- 145
American Pipit- 2
Northern Parula- 1
Cape May Warbler- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 1018
Blackpoll Warbler- 4
Black and White Warbler- 1
Savannah Sparrow- 3
Bobolink- 2
Purple Finch- 1
Pine Siskin- 1

Total Birds: 1212

Sea Watch Count 10/17/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 5
Common Loon - 10
Northern Gannet - 172
Great Cormorant - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 1263
Great Blue Heron - 1
Great Egret - 1
Wood Duck - 6
American Wigeon - 35
American Black Duck - 20
Mallard- 2
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 673
Greater Scaup - 1
Lesser Scaup - 4
Black Scoter - 1057
Surf Scoter - 2578
White-winged Scoter - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 7
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 5426
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 16
Herring Gull - 16
Great Black-backed Gull - 5
Forster's Tern - 409
Royal Tern - 11
Brown Pelican - 31
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1

TOTAL - 11756

Hawk Watch Count 10/17/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 24
Turkey Vulture 0 207 207
Osprey 7 835 1501
Bald Eagle 4 79 162
Northern Harrier 3 378 696

Sharp-shinned Hawk 148 3881 8866
Cooper's Hawk 11 868 1651
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 15 16

Broad-winged Hawk 2 318 469
Red-tailed Hawk 2 56 129
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 2 974 4306
Merlin 9 560 1121
Peregrine Falcon 37 1020 1213
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 228 9215 20363
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/17/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 S wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 2
Northern Flicker- 5
American Robin- 116
Yellow Warbler- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 1173
Blackpoll Warbler- 2
Indigo Bunting- 1
Red-headed Woodpecker- 1
Western Kingbird- 1

Total Birds: 1302

Monarch Update 10/16/07


This past weekend brought the largest numbers of Monarchs through Cape May this fall. A cold front caused Monarchs to accumulate all throughout Cape May County, especially along the coast. As Monarchs waited for conditions to change, they feasted on the seaside goldenrod, which is just coming out of full bloom (photo to the left).

Stone Harbor Point had huge roosts of Monarchs in the red cedar groves, especially Saturday night. Several thousand could be observed (photo to the right).

Cape Ave. on Cape May Point also had several large roosts. One in particular stayed put for over two days straight, at it's largest having well over 2,000 Monarchs. Below is a video of Monarchs preparing to roost for the evening.





This phenomenon was short lived and by Monday shifting winds gave Monarchs the chance to leave, we assume southward across the Delaware Bay. The exodus occurred not long after sunrise. Monarchs are usually the first butterflies to rise because of their physiology and sun-seeking behavior.
Monarchs still remain in the area, but this weekend may have been the last big push we see.

Sea Watch Count 10/16/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 9
Common Loon - 41
Northern Gannet - 113
Great Cormorant - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 7854
Great Blue Heron - 71
Brant - 37
Canada Goose - 118
Wood Duck - 30
Gadwall - 1
American Wigeon - 16
American Black Duck - 68
Mallard- 5
Northern Pintail - 55
Green-winged Teal - 257
Ring-necked Duck - 2
Greater Scaup - 19
Lesser Scaup - 22
scaup, sp. - 7
Common Eider - 4
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Black Scoter - 294
Surf Scoter - 1684
dark-winged scoter - 63
Red-breasted Merganser - 3
Parasitic Jaeger - 2
Laughing Gull - 481
Bonaparte's Gull - 6
Ring-billed Gull - 26
Herring Gull - 50
Great Black-backed Gull - 55
Black-legged Kittiwake - 1
Forster's Tern - 221
Royal Tern - 76
Monarch - 40
Brown Pelican - 30
Common Tern - 3
Harlequin Duck - 2
Cackling Goose - 1

TOTAL - 11730

Hawk Watch Count 10/16/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 24
Turkey Vulture 0 207 207
Osprey 16 828 1494
Bald Eagle 5 75 158
Northern Harrier 21 375 693

Sharp-shinned Hawk 234 3733 8718
Cooper's Hawk 81 857 1640
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 4 12 13

Broad-winged Hawk 25 316 467
Red-tailed Hawk 9 54 127
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 3 972 4304
Merlin 8 551 1112
Peregrine Falcon 26 983 1176
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 432 8987 20135
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/16/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Red-bellied Woodpecker- 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Northern Flicker- 28
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 42
Golden-crowned Kinglet- 5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 2
American Robin- 136
American Pipit- 7
Cedar Waxwing- 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 2197
Blackpoll Warbler- 3
Warbler sp.- 2990
Scarlet Tanager- 1
Chipping Sparrow- 2
Savannah Sparrow- 2
Indigo Bunting- 2
Eastern Meadowlark- 18
Baltimore Oriole- 1
Purple Finch- 21
Pine Siskin- 9
Fox Sparrow- 1
Red-headed Woodpecker- 1
White-breasted Nuthatch- 1

Total Birds: 5493

Sea Watch Count 10/15/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 8
Common Loon - 16
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 29
Great Cormorant - 4
Double-crested Cormorant - 5291
Great Blue Heron - 8
Snowy Egret - 40
Canada Goose - 60
Wood Duck - 6
Gadwall - 4
American Wigeon - 1
American Black Duck - 19
Northern Pintail - 12
Green-winged Teal - 204
Lesser Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 5
Black Scoter - 433
Surf Scoter - 545
dark-winged scoter - 92
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 769
Bonaparte's Gull - 3
Ring-billed Gull - 103
Herring Gull - 328
Forster's Tern - 686
Royal Tern - 20
Brown Pelican - 27
dabbler, sp. - 8
Aythya, sp. - 16
Caspian Tern - 9

TOTAL - 8753

Hawk Watch Count 10/15/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 3 24 24
Turkey Vulture 24 207 207
Osprey 11 812 1478
Bald Eagle 4 70 153
Northern Harrier 9 354 672

Sharp-shinned Hawk 168 3499 8484
Cooper's Hawk 65 776 1559
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 8 9

Broad-winged Hawk 32 291 442
Red-tailed Hawk 12 45 118
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 2 969 4301
Merlin 6 543 1104
Peregrine Falcon 5 957 1150
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 343 8555 19703
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/15/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 NE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 1
Northern Flicker- 23
Red-eyed Vireo- 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 40
American Robin- 166
American Pipit- 10
Cedar Waxwing- 36
Northern Parula- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 860
Palm Warbler- 25
Blackpoll Warbler- 14
Warbler sp.- 3680
Savannah Sparrow- 1
Dark-eyed Junco- 2
Blue Grosbeak- 1
Indigo Bunting- 10
Dickcissel- 3
Bobolink- 2
Rusty Blackbird- 2
Eastern Meadowlark- 10
Purple Finch- 64
Pine Siskin- 9

Total Birds: 4942

Sea Watch Count 10/14/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 3
Common Loon - 40
Northern Gannet - 141
Great Cormorant - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 4128
Great Blue Heron - 37
Great Egret - 2
Brant - 37
American Wigeon - 1
American Black Duck - 25
Mallard - 2
Northern Pintail - 6
Green-winged Teal - 6
Black Scoter - 342
Surf Scoter - 158
White-winged Scoter - 10
unidentified scoter - 7
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 4820
Ring-billed Gull - 24
Herring Gull - 457
Great Black-backed Gull - 36
Forster's Tern - 691
Royal Tern - 8
Monarch - 431
Brown Pelican - 10
American Oystercatcher - 120
Belted Kingfisher - 1

TOTAL - 11115

Hawk Watch Count 10/14/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 21 21
Turkey Vulture 0 183 183
Osprey 14 801 1467
Bald Eagle 10 66 149
Northern Harrier 44 345 663

Sharp-shinned Hawk 601 3331 8316
Cooper's Hawk 129 711 1494
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 4 6 7

Broad-winged Hawk 9 259 410
Red-tailed Hawk 13 33 106
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 12 967 4299
Merlin 16 537 1098
Peregrine Falcon 6 952 1145
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 858 8212 19360
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/14/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Northern Flicker- 48
Eastern Phoebe- 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 63
Golden-crowned Kinglet- 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 8
American Robin- 1507
Cedar Waxwing- 14
Northern Parula- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 3264
Black-throated Green Warbler- 1
Palm Warbler- 186
Blackpoll Warbler- 5
Warbler sp.- 1757
Scarlet Tanager- 4
Indigo Bunting- 9
Bobolink- 1
Eastern Meadowlark- 5
Pine Siskin- 7

Total Birds: 6883

Sea Watch Count 10/13/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 7
Common Loon - 33
Northern Gannet - 116
Great Cormorant - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 5917
Great Blue Heron - 44
Brant - 638
Canada Goose - 501
Wood Duck - 46
American Wigeon - 1
American Black Duck - 22
Mallard - 3
Northern Pintail - 10
Green-winged Teal - 61
Black Scoter - 103
Surf Scoter - 89
dark-winged scoter - 10
unidentified scoter - 11
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Laughing Gull - 391
Ring-billed Gull - 28
Herring Gull - 766
Great Black-backed Gull - 95
Forster's Tern - 157
Royal Tern - 25
Monarch - 4047
Brown Pelican - 14
American Oystercatcher - 90
Belted Kingfisher - 2

TOTAL - 9184

Hawk Watch Count 10/13/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 6 21 21
Turkey Vulture 52 183 183
Osprey 49 787 1453
Bald Eagle 5 56 139
Northern Harrier 46 301 619

Sharp-shinned Hawk 443 2730 7715
Cooper's Hawk 76 582 1365
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 2 3

Broad-winged Hawk 9 250 401
Red-tailed Hawk 8 20 93
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 28 955 4287
Merlin 23 521 1082
Peregrine Falcon 6 946 1139
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 752 7354 18502
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/13/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Northern Flicker- 42
Eastern Phoebe- 1
Red-eyed Vireo- 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 55
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 1
American Robin- 135
American Pipit- 7
Cedar Waxwing- 20
Nashville Warbler- 2
Northern Parula- 6
Cape May Warbler- 8
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 15
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 2254
Black-throated Green Warbler- 2
Palm Warbler- 318
Blackpoll Warbler- 18
American Redstart- 2
Warbler sp.- 4715
Scarlet Tanager- 3
Savannah Sparrow- 3
Dark-eyed Junco- 1
Indigo Bunting- 10
Dickcissel- 2
Bobolink- 7
Eastern Meadowlark- 10
Purple Finch- 31
Pine Siskin- 3
Clay-colored Sparrow- 1

Total Birds: 7674

Monarch Monitoring Project 10/12/07

Stagnant weather patterns have not allowed many Monarchs to come to Cape May this past week. Hopefully the cold front this weekend will change this.
Unusually warm conditions have promoted one last rush of breeding. Caterpillars can be seen at the Cape May Bird Observatory Northwood Center.
The Monarch weighing program has been going well. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday each week, project members collect 20 male and 20 female Monarchs, weigh them, and apply a colored tag (a different color each day: Monday, Wednesday, Friday). Project members then try to track down these individuals again and re-weigh them. The Point is to determine whether or not these butterflies are gaining much weight while in Cape May. So far, the results seem to suggest that they very much are.

Census Totals: Monarchs per hour
10-6: 16.27
10-7: 40.68
10-8: 52.80
10-9: 78.00
10-10: 32.00
10-11: 4.29
10-12: 46.07
Monarchs per hour Week 6: 38.55
Monarchs per hour cumulative: 60.34

Below is some video of a Monarch caterpillar at a garden in Cape May Point. Normally, Caterpillars don't leave their milkweed hostplant. However, a "mature" caterpillar will leave to find a location to become a chrysalis, often well hidden and hard to find. The nickname for this is a "walkabout".

Sea Watch Count 10/12/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 3
Common Loon - 36
Northern Gannet - 63
Double-crested Cormorant - 3414
Great Blue Heron - 118
Great Egret - 314
Snowy Egret - 275
Snow Goose - 35
Brant - 1122
Canada Goose - 307
Wood Duck - 1
American Black Duck - 163
Mallard - 9
Northern Pintail - 11
Green-winged Teal - 17
Black Scoter - 1
Surf Scoter - 5
Red-breasted Merganser - 2
Laughing Gull - 157
Ring-billed Gull - 4
Herring Gull - 40
Great Black-backed Gull - 15
Forster's Tern - 114
Royal Tern - 18
Monarch - 153
Little Blue Heron - 5
duck, sp. - 6
American Oystercatcher - 16
Common Tern - 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 20
Tricolored Heron - 2
American Golden-Plover - 1

TOTAL - 6295

Hawk Watch Count 10/12/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 11 15 15
Turkey Vulture 21 131 131
Osprey 171 738 1404
Bald Eagle 7 51 134
Northern Harrier 25 255 573

Sharp-shinned Hawk 445 2287 7272
Cooper's Hawk 64 506 1289
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 2

Broad-winged Hawk 3 241 392
Red-tailed Hawk 2 12 85
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 435 927 4259
Merlin 179 498 1059
Peregrine Falcon 24 940 1133
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 1387 6602 17750
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/12/07

Morning Flight: 40-45 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Yellow-rumped Warbler- 1
Blackpoll Warbler- 3

Total Birds: 4

Sea Watch Count 10/11/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 87
Double-crested Cormorant - 1077
Great Blue Heron - 9
Brant - 16
Green-winged Teal - 1
Black Scoter - 51
Surf Scoter - 60
unidentified scoter - 8
Laughing Gull - 651
Ring-billed Gull - 1
Herring Gull - 100
Great Black-backed Gull - 31
Forster's Tern - 123
Royal Tern - 4
Monarch - 157
Greater Yellowlegs - 3

TOTAL - 2224

Hawk Watch Count 10/11/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 4 4
Turkey Vulture 0 110 110
Osprey 5 567 1233
Bald Eagle 7 44 127
Northern Harrier 19 230 548

Sharp-shinned Hawk 46 1842 6827
Cooper's Hawk 8 442 1225
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 2

Broad-winged Hawk 0 238 389
Red-tailed Hawk 0 10 83
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 12 492 3824
Merlin 52 319 880
Peregrine Falcon 80 916 1109
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 229 5215 16363
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/11/07

Morning Flight: 10-15 E wind, cloudy conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Northern Parula- 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 6
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 12
Palm Warbler- 3
Blackpoll Warbler- 1
Warbler sp.- 101
Indigo Bunting- 7
Bobolink- 1
Eastern Meadowlark- 7

Total Birds: 139

Sea Watch Count 10/10/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 21
Northern Gannet - 111
Double-crested Cormorant - 5532
Great Blue Heron - 14
Great Egret - 1
Snowy Egret - 7
Brant - 22
American Wigeon - 7
American Black Duck - 1
Green-winged Teal - 11
Common Eider - 1
Black Scoter - 376
Surf Scoter - 520
White-winged Scoter - 1
dark-winged Scoter - 90
unidentified scoter - 190
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Parasitic Jaeger - 4
Laughing Gull - 674
Ring-billed Gull - 32
Herring Gull - 221
Great Black-backed Gull - 76
Forster's Tern - 369
Royal Tern - 15
Monarch - 12
Brown Pelican - 3
American Oystercatcher - 7
Common Tern - 2
Northern Shoveler - 3

TOTAL - 8312

Hawk Watch Count 10/10/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 4 4
Turkey Vulture 0 110 110
Osprey 34 562 1128
Bald Eagle 5 37 120
Northern Harrier 13 211 529

Sharp-shinned Hawk 91 1796 6781
Cooper's Hawk 38 434 1217
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 2

Broad-winged Hawk 25 238 389
Red-tailed Hawk 0 10 83
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 9 480 3812
Merlin 62 267 828
Peregrine Falcon 192 836 1029
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 469 4986 16134
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/10/07

Morning Flight: 10-15 NW wind, rainy conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 3
Northern Parula- 4
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 11
Palm Warbler- 4
"Baypoll" Warbler- 1
Warbler sp.- 1
Indigo Bunting- 7
Purple Finch- 1

Total Birds: 36

Sea Watch Count 10/9/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 4
Common Loon - 18
Northern Gannet - 30
Double-crested Cormorant - 2649
Great Blue Heron - 25
Snow Goose - 4
Brant - 26
Wood Duck - 1
American Black Duck - 10
Northern Pintail - 20
Green-winged Teal - 67
Greater Scaup - 4
Lesser Scaup - 1
scaup, sp. - 19
Black Scoter - 1811
Surf Scoter - 1643
White-winged Scoter - 1
dark-winged Scoter - 548
Laughing Gull - 177
Great Black-backed Gull - 30
Forster's Tern - 97
Royal Tern - 9
Monarch - 111
Brown Pelican - 3
Blue-winged Teal - 1

TOTAL - 7198

Hawk Watch Count 10/9/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 2 4 4
Turkey Vulture 88 110 110
Osprey 156 528 1194
Bald Eagle 9 32 115
Northern Harrier 34 198 516

Sharp-shinned Hawk 436 1705 6690
Cooper's Hawk 133 396 1179
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 2

Broad-winged Hawk 115 213 364
Red-tailed Hawk 2 10 83
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 86 471 3803
Merlin 20 205 766
Peregrine Falcon 221 644 837
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 1302 4517 15665
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/9/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Red-bellied Woodpecker- 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 3
Northern Flicker- 16
Eastern Phoebe- 2
Red-eyed Vireo- 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 19
Golden Crowned Kinglet- 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 2
American Robin- 17
Cedar Waxwing- 2
Northern Parula- 13
Yellow Warbler- 1
Magnolia Warbler- 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 374
Palm Warbler- 67
Blackpoll Warbler- 9
Bay-breasted Warbler- 1
"Baypoll" Warbler- 6
Black and White Warbler- 5
Northern Waterthrush- 3
Warbler sp.- 272
Scarlet Tanager- 1
Chipping Sparrow- 2
Savannah Sparrow- 10
Dark-eyed Junco- 1
Indigo Bunting- 21
Bobolink- 7
Eastern Meadowlark- 5

Total Birds: 867

Sea Watch Count 10/8/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Red-throated Loon - 2
Common Loon - 7
Northern Gannet - 25
Double-crested Cormorant - 1590
Great Blue Heron - 7
Great Egret - 8
Snowy Egret - 2
Snow Goose - 11
Brant - 26
Canada Goose - 31
Wood Duck - 1
American Wigeon - 16
American Black Duck - 4
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 423
Greater Scaup - 1
Black Scoter - 1199
Surf Scoter - 757
White-winged Scoter - 4
dark-winged Scoter - 53
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 83
Forster's Tern - 121
Royal Tern - 15
Brown Pelican - 9
Blue-winged Teal - 5

TOTAL - 4405

Hawk Watch Count 10/8/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 2 2 2
Turkey Vulture 22 22 22
Osprey 65 372 1038
Bald Eagle 4 23 106
Northern Harrier 16 164 482

Sharp-shinned Hawk 143 1269 6254
Cooper's Hawk 34 263 1046
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 2

Broad-winged Hawk 62 98 249
Red-tailed Hawk 1 8 81
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 41 385 3717
Merlin 18 185 746
Peregrine Falcon 68 423 616
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 476 3215 14363
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/8/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 S wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 10
Northern Flicker- 18
Eastern Phoebe- 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 5
Golden Crowned Kinglet- 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 24
American Robin- 6
American Pipit- 6
Cedar Waxwing- 13
Northern Parula- 4
Magnolia Warbler- 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 10
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 216
Palm Warbler- 12
Blackpoll Warbler- 4
"Baypoll" Warbler- 1
Black and White Warbler- 1
American Redstart- 1
Warbler sp.- 347
Scarlet Tanager- 10
Indigo Bunting- 18
Bobolink- 2
Eastern Meadowlark- 1
Yellow-billed Cuckoo- 1

Total Birds: 713

Sea Watch Count 10/7/07

Counter: Ken Behrens

Common Loon - 5
Northern Gannet - 56
Double-crested Cormorant - 5172
Great Blue Heron - 19
Great Egret - 1
Brant - 15
Wood Duck - 3
American Wigeon - 11
American Black Duck - 2
Northern Pintail - 7
Green-winged Teal - 9
Black Scoter - 146
Surf Scoter - 104
Parasitic Jaeger - 4
Laughing Gull - 260
Forster's Tern - 264
Monarch - 190
Aythya, sp. - 21
American Oystercatcher - 12
Common Tern - 1
Black Skimmer - 40

TOTAL - 6152

Hawk Watch Count 10/7/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 131 307 973
Bald Eagle 11 19 102
Northern Harrier 101 148 466

Sharp-shinned Hawk 681 1126 6111
Cooper's Hawk 116 229 1012
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 1 2

Broad-winged Hawk 26 36 187
Red-tailed Hawk 3 7 80
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 281 344 3676
Merlin 115 167 728
Peregrine Falcon 136 355 548
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 1602 2739 13887
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/7/07

Morning Flight: Strong 15-20 W wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Red-bellied Woodpecker- 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker- 1
Northern Flicker- 16
Eastern Wood-Pewee- 1
Eastern Phoebe- 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet- 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- 4
American Robin- 34
Cedar Waxwing- 1
Northern Parula- 33
Magnolia Warbler- 3
Cape May Warbler- 6
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 15
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 77
Black-throated Green Warbler- 4
Pine Warbler- 1
Palm Warbler- 9
Blackpoll Warbler- 26
"Baypoll" Warbler- 2
Black and White Warbler- 5
American Redstart- 3
Northern Waterthrush- 5
Connecticut Warbler- 1
Warbler sp.- 253
Chipping Sparrow- 3
Savannah Sparrow- 2
Blue Grosbeak- 1
Indigo Bunting- 8
Bobolink- 16
Clay-colored Sparrow- 1

Total Birds: 537

Sea Watch Count 10/6/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Northern Gannet - 28
Double-crested Cormorant - 59
Canada Goose - 3
Wood Duck - 1
American Black Duck - 1
Green-winged Teal - 5
Black Scoter - 4
Surf Scoter - 20
Bufflehead - 3
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Forster's Tern - 390
Monarch - 19
Brown Pelican - 12
Marbled Godwit - 6
Belted Kingfisher - 1

TOTAL - 534

Hawk Watch Count 10/6/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 31 176 842
Bald Eagle 2 8 91
Northern Harrier 11 47 365

Sharp-shinned Hawk 127 445 5430
Cooper's Hawk 32 113 896
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 1

Broad-winged Hawk 2 10 161
Red-tailed Hawk 2 4 77
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 15 63 3395
Merlin 6 52 613
Peregrine Falcon 48 219 412
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 276 1137 12285
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/6/07

Morning Flight: 0 wind, foggy conditions
Counter: Sam Galick


Total Birds: 0

Monarch Monitoring Project 10/05/07

A cold front on the 29th brought huge numbers of Monarchs to Cape May. Gardens on Cape May Point were flooded with Monarchs. Warm conditions did not promote much large roosting, however. The phenomenon was short lived, though. Winds shifted and Monarchs left our shores, we assume to go south to their ultimate destination.
Unusually warm conditions have created a boon for insects of all kinds. Monarchs are breeding much more than usual, it seems, with caterpillars still feasting upon milkweed patches. Fall butterflies are still abundant and huge numbers of migrating dragonflies have been seen near the hawk watch.

Census Totals: Monarchs per hour
9-29: 196.72
9-30: 77.00
10-1: 57.89
10-2: 28.00
10-3: 10.34
10-4: 54.55
10-5: 30.53
Monarchs per hour for Week 5: 66.03
Mean Monarchs per hour cumulative: 64.70

The 29th of September was the annual Harbor Fair and Monarch Festival at the Nature Center of Cape May. It went splendidly and our thanks goes out to everyone who helped it be so. Visit the Cape May Bird Observatory and the Nature Center of Cape May for information on other programs and events.

Sea Watch Count 10/5/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 51
Double-crested Cormorant - 93
Great Blue Heron - 5
American Black Duck - 9
Northern Pintail - 1
Green-winged Teal - 28
Black Scoter - 6
Surf Scoter - 15
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 70
Great Black-backed Gull - 4
Forster's Tern - 365
Royal Tern - 3
Brown Pelican - 9
American Oystercatcher - 6
Common Tern - 11
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 2

TOTAL - 680

Hawk Watch Count 10/5/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0

Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 60 145 811
Bald Eagle 3 6 89
Northern Harrier 12 36 354

Sharp-shinned Hawk 118 318 5303
Cooper's Hawk 28 81 864
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 1

Broad-winged Hawk 3 8 159
Red-tailed Hawk 2 2 75
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 13 48 3380
Merlin 16 46 607
Peregrine Falcon 53 171 364
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 308 861 12009
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Morning Flight Count 10/5/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 NE wind, patchy fog conditions
Counter: Chris Brown

Northern Flicker- 6
American Robin- 2
Northern Parula- 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 8
Palm Warbler- 1
Bay-breasted Warbler- 1
Blackpoll Warbler- 6
"Baypoll" Warbler- 11
Black and White Warbler- 1
American Redstart- 1
Northern Waterthrush- 16
Warbler sp.- 76
Indigo Bunting- 3
Downy Woodpecker- 1

Total Birds: 134

Sea Watch Count 10/4/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Northern Gannet - 18
Double-crested Cormorant - 9
Green-winged Teal - 1
Black Scoter - 3
Surf Scoter - 1
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Laughing Gull - 41
Forster's Tern - 87
Monarch - 2
Brown Pelican - 34

TOTAL - 195

Hawk Watch Count 10/4/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0

Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 4 85 751
Bald Eagle 1 3 86
Northern Harrier 2 24 342

Sharp-shinned Hawk 20 200 5185
Cooper's Hawk 6 53 836
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 1

Broad-winged Hawk 1 5 156
Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 73
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 6 35 3367
Merlin 4 30 591
Peregrine Falcon 9 118 311
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 53 553 11701
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/4/07

Morning Flight: 0 wind, foggy conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Total Birds: 0

Sea Watch Count 10/3/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Northern Gannet - 8
Double-crested Cormorant - 33
Parasitic Jaeger - 4
Forster's Tern - 236
Brown Pelican - 6

TOTAL - 287

Hawk Watch Count 10/3/07

Counter: Chris Brown

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0

Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 29 81 747
Bald Eagle 1 2 85
Northern Harrier 7 22 340

Sharp-shinned Hawk 107 180 5165
Cooper's Hawk 27 47 830
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 1

Broad-winged Hawk 4 4 155
Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 73
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 17 29 3361
Merlin 13 26 587
Peregrine Falcon 45 109 302
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 250 500 11648
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/3/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 SSE wind, overcast conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Northern Flicker- 1
Palm Warbler- 1
Blackpoll Warbler- 1

Total Birds: 3

Sea Watch Count 10/2/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 9
Northern Gannet - 39
Great Cormorant - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 662
Great Blue Heron - 4
Black Scoter - 75
Surf Scoter - 67
Parasitic Jaeger - 14
Laughing Gull - 60
Herring Gull - 14
Forster's Tern - 181
Royal Tern - 9
Brown Pelican - 74
Common Tern - 8

TOTAL - 1218

Hawk Watch Count 10/2/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0

Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 28 52 718
Bald Eagle 1 1 84
Northern Harrier 9 15 333

Sharp-shinned Hawk 29 73 5058
Cooper's Hawk 9 20 803
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 1

Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 151
Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 73
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 7 12 3344
Merlin 9 13 574
Peregrine Falcon 53 64 257
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 145 250 11398
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/2/07

Morning Flight: 0-5 E wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Northern Flicker- 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 2
American Robin- 3
Palm Warbler- 4
Northern Waterthrush- 1
Warbler sp.- 12
Savannah Sparrow- 1

Total Birds: 27

Sea Watch Count 10/1/07

Counter: Ken Behrens


Common Loon - 2
Northern Gannet - 57
Double-crested Cormorant - 914
Great Blue Heron - 6
Green-winged Teal - 34
Black Scoter - 709
Surf Scoter - 333
Parasitic Jaeger - 5
Laughing Gull - 83
Herring Gull - 27
Glossy Ibis - 3
Spotted Sandpiper - 1

TOTAL - 2174

Hawk Watch Count 10/1/07

Counter: Jessie Barry

Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0

Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 24 24 690
Bald Eagle 0 0 83
Northern Harrier 6 6 324

Sharp-shinned Hawk 44 44 5029
Cooper's Hawk 11 11 794
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 1

Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 151
Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 73
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1

American Kestrel 5 5 3337
Merlin 4 4 565
Peregrine Falcon 11 11 204
Unknown 0 0 1

Total: 105 105 11253
------------------------------------------------------------

Morning Flight Count 10/1/07

Morning Flight: 5-10 SE wind, foggy conditions
Counter: Sam Galick

Red-bellied Woodpecker- 1
Northern Flicker- 62
Eastern Wood-Pewee- 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch- 22
American Robin- 4
Northern Parula- 21
Yellow Warbler- 1
Magnolia Warbler- 3
Cape May Warbler- 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 8
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 3
Black-throated Green Warbler- 4
Palm Warbler- 31
Blackpoll Warbler- 25
"Baypoll" Warbler- 2
Black and White Warbler- 5
American Redstart- 13
Northern Waterthrush- 4
Warbler sp.- 107
Scarlet Tanager- 1
Indigo Bunting- 3
Bobolink- 10

Total Birds: 333