The wait is finally over. September 1st has arrived, and you know what that means...time to count some raptors! The 2010 Hawk Watch officially started bright and early this morning, with an American Kestrel starring as the first migrant this fall.
The platform was full of excitement, smiles, and even hugs for a multitude of reasons. First off, it's a brand new fall and with that, a (mostly) brand new crew of seasonal employees. After getting some insightful instruction from Don, the new Interpretive Naturalists were up and running (and doing a great job I might add). Then, of course, there are the returners, like myself, who are simply excited to be back for another fall season. Not only for the impressive birding, but also the amazing community here. It's a great feeling knowing that you're welcomed back, especially from some of the best birders/naturalists around!
It doesn't get much better than that, unless, of course, the hawks are moving. So I guess it must have been my lucky day because, not only was the platform in high spirits, but there was a respectable number of 141 raptors as well. Not too shabby for the first day.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 01, 2010
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 14 14 14
Osprey 53 53 53
Bald Eagle 2 2 2
Northern Harrier 12 12 12
Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 11 11
Cooper's Hawk 4 4 4
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 1 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 43 43 43
Merlin 1 1 1
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
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: 141 141 141
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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
Weather:
Northwest winds early on, then gradually turning south. Clear, blue sky
with no cloud cover.
Raptor Observations:
Good movement of Osprey and American Kestrel.
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