Hawk Watch Friday September 3, 2010

With Hurricane Earl passing through today, it was decided by the higher authorities that all counts be cancelled for the day to ensure our safety. Thinking very little of my safety, I went to the Hawk Watch anyway. I just couldn't resist the urge to see if anything was moving. Turns out, they weren't. I scanned for 2 and a half hours and only counted 5 birds, which all occurred within the same hour. On the bright side of things, there were a few treats to be seen at the State Park. The 4 Black-bellied Whistling Ducks reappeared from behind the cedars (heading towards Bunker Pond) then turning to head to the Meadows. Doug Gochfeld spotted a Marbled Godwit that flew almost directly over the platform giving an excellent view. A Black Tern and the 2 Sandwich Terns were also seen from the dune crossover. Tomorrow's forecast looks promising for a good push of raptors.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 03, 2010
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0             14             14
Osprey                       2             59             59
Bald Eagle                   0              3              3
Northern Harrier             1             14             14
Sharp-shinned Hawk           1             17             17
Cooper's Hawk                1              7              7
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              0              0
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0              0
Red-tailed Hawk              0              1              1
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             0             43             43
Merlin                       0              2              2
Peregrine Falcon             0              1              1
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

Total:                       5            161            161
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 07:45:00
Observation end   time: 10:15:00
Total observation time: 2.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:

Weather:
Strong North winds; cloudy with rain

Non-raptor Observations:  Black-belled Whistling Duck, Marbled Godwit, Sandwich Tern, Black Tern