It finally happened: the first big movement of migrating raptors. With yesterday's cold front passing through and bringing those awesome NW winds, it turned out to be a great day on the Hawk Watch platform. There were solid numbers of Osprey, Northern Harrier, and Merlin. The stars of the show, however, were the American Kestrels (471 of them to be exact). The steady stream of kestrels was a sight for sore eyes, and it was so exciting to see a line of 3, 4, or 5 coming off the beach and making their way across Bunker Pond. Now, I know some of you older birders might remember a time when 471 kestrels wasn't such a big deal, a time when an impressive kestrel flight included several thousand migrants. Well, times are tough for the little guys, and I'd say that 471 kestrels in one day is pretty darn good.
Merlins also had a decent push today, and most gave outrageous views as they zipped past the platform. We had Merlins chasing kestrels. We had Merlins chasing shorebirds. We had Merlins chasing a Broad-winged Hawk. Did I mention we had Merlins?
In other news, we also had 2 Stilt Sandpipers, 1 Brown Pelican, 1 Common Nighthawk, 250+ Cliff Swallows (wow!), 3 Ibis, and....drum roll please....1 Red Phalarope (holy cow!!). The phalarope, found by Pete Dunne, was a flyby right over the platform and definitely stirred up some excitement. Pictures will be coming soon so stay posted.
Tomorrow is looking to be just as good as today as the NW winds persist all through tonight and tomorrow. So if you couldn't make it out for today's flight, you get a second chance tomorrow. Hope to see you there!
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 09, 2010
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 22 22
Osprey 160 486 486
Bald Eagle 9 33 33
Northern Harrier 16 40 40
Sharp-shinned Hawk 14 45 45
Cooper's Hawk 17 46 46
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 7 10 10
Red-tailed Hawk 10 20 20
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 471 667 667
Merlin 31 39 39
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 2
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: 735 1410 1410
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Observation start time: 05:30:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 11 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Strong NW winds all day; clear skies in the morning turning to cloudy after
noon.
Raptor Observations:
Good push of Osprey and strong numbers of American Kestrel.
Non-raptor Observations:
Red Phalarope, Ibis, Common Nighthawk, Brown Pelican, Cliff Swallows, Stilt
Sandpipers
Predictions:
NW winds all tonight and all day tomorrow should result in another good
flight.
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