Exceedingly visible migration - 22 Oct

If you weren't inspired by the migration in Cape May today, it is time to hang up those binoculars. I caught the heavy morning flight of passerines at the Cape May Point State Park hawkwatch platform and ended up staying all day. The hawk flight was spectacular, with tons of low, in-your-face accipiters and falcons and a prize Golden Eagle to boot. Species highlights aside from the raptors (check Melissa's post for details) included Cave Swallow (early), 5+ Cliff Swallows, Hudsonian Godwit, Red-headed Woodpecker, 3 Vesper Sparrows, the continuing Eurasian Wigeon (Lighthouse Pond), and a mind-blowing flight of robins, sparrows, blackbirds, and finches. Gettin' by with a little help from my friends, I compiled counts or estimates of all species seen at the hawkwatch today - 111 species! Some photos from the day and the full species list follow.

Bird of the day? Sharp-shinned Hawks were EVERYWHERE!

Wood Ducks (hundreds moved during the first few hours)

Little Blue Heron juvenile at sunrise.

Hudsonian Godwit flying in off the ocean.

American Kestrel.

Male Northern Harrier.

Cliff Swallow (left) and Cave Swallow (center and right) - composite image.

Adult (probably female) Cooper's Hawk.

Vesper Sparrow in flight.

American Bittern on Bunker Pond.





Location: Cape May Point SP
Observation date: 10/22/10
Number of species: 111

Canada Goose 460
Mute Swan 4
Wood Duck 260
Gadwall 80
Eurasian Wigeon 1
American Wigeon 140
American Black Duck 2
Mallard 22
Blue-winged Teal 2
Northern Shoveler 8
Northern Pintail 10
Green-winged Teal 35
Ring-necked Duck 6
Surf Scoter 45
Black Scoter 350
Surf/Black Scoter 200
Ruddy Duck 32
Pied-billed Grebe 3
Northern Gannet 24
Double-crested Cormorant 80
American Bittern 1
Great Blue Heron 2
Great Egret 5
Little Blue Heron 1
Cattle Egret 3
Black Vulture 5
Turkey Vulture 64
Osprey 17
Bald Eagle 21
Northern Harrier 49
Sharp-shinned Hawk 731
Cooper's Hawk 82
Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Broad-winged Hawk 12
Red-tailed Hawk 37
Golden Eagle 1
American Kestrel 234
Merlin 62
Peregrine Falcon 15
Sora 1
American Coot 4
Killdeer 55
Greater Yellowlegs 3
Lesser Yellowlegs 4
Hudsonian Godwit 1
Sanderling 1
Least Sandpiper 1
Pectoral Sandpiper 15
Dunlin 2
Wilson's Snipe 1
Laughing Gull 4
Ring-billed Gull 30
Herring Gull 10
Great Black-backed Gull 35
Royal Tern 8
Black Skimmer 400
Rock Pigeon 25
Mourning Dove 40
Chimney Swift 1
Belted Kingfisher 1
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 16
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 3
American Crow 8
Fish Crow 22
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Tree Swallow 12000
Barn Swallow 4
Cliff Swallow 5
Cave Swallow 1
Carolina Chickadee 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet 6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 8500
Gray Catbird 1
Northern Mockingbird 2
European Starling 35
American Pipit 40
Cedar Waxwing 55
Nashville Warbler 1
Northern Parula 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 3420
Palm Warbler 18
Blackpoll Warbler 4
Common Yellowthroat 1
Chipping Sparrow 340
Field Sparrow 1
Vesper Sparrow 3
Savannah Sparrow 16
Song Sparrow 10
Swamp Sparrow 8
White-throated Sparrow 4
White-crowned Sparrow 6
Dark-eyed Junco 2
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 9400
Eastern Meadowlark 10
Rusty Blackbird 9
Common Grackle 28
Boat-tailed Grackle 4
Brown-headed Cowbird 60
Purple Finch 75
House Finch 1150
Pine Siskin 230
American Goldfinch 850
House Sparrow 45

This report was generated automatically by eBird v2(http://ebird.org)