Hawk Watch Saturday September 4, 2010

"Hey, look, it's an Osprey." I should have counted the number of times that phrase was said today since it seemed to be happening quite a bit. With the West winds throughout the day, it turned out to be a steady movement of Osprey and American Kestrel until late afternoon when the activity started to die down. While some birds tended to stay further out, there were some exceptional views to be had at the platform. Also of note, are the first few Broad-winged Hawks of the season. Keep your fingers crossed for a good Broad-winged push this fall!

Tomorrow's forecast is looking very similar to today: steady (but lighter) West winds throughout the day.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 04, 2010
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0             14             14
Osprey                     119            178            178
Bald Eagle                   3              6              6
Northern Harrier             5             19             19
Sharp-shinned Hawk           4             21             21
Cooper's Hawk                1              8              8
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              0              0
Broad-winged Hawk            3              3              3
Red-tailed Hawk              0              1              1
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            89            132            132
Merlin                       1              3              3
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:                     225            386            386
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Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end   time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:

Weather:
Strong West winds throughout the day with clear skies.

Raptor Observations:
Good flight of Osprey and American Kestrel.

Non-raptor Observations:
Black-bellied Whistling Duck; Marbled Godwit; Wilson's Snipe