More raptors...
There is a reason this bird is on the Cape May Bird Observatory's logo. The Peregrine Falcon is awesome. Its migration is now in full swing at Cape May, with today marking the highest count of the season so far. While any day with falcons is a great day, how do you even begin to describe a day with over a hundred Peregrines? I'll share photos in a separate post, but at least 3 of the adult-type birds today were in active wing molt, which seems to be unusual for individuals on migration (though fair numbers of American Kestrels and Merlins are still molting).
In the inland northeast and upper midwest, southbound Broad-winged Hawk migration tends to peak in mid-September with top counts in Texas and eastern Mexico following a few weeks later. Vaguely similar to the western Swainson's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk is a long distance migrant that avoids long water crossings if at all possible, leading to huge counts at waterside chokepoints like Lake Erie Metropark (Michigan), Corpus Christi (Texas), and various sites in Veracruz, Mexico. Cape May isn't exactly an ideal place for such a hydrophobic species to end up, and even though 9 October isn't by any means late, Broad-wings often end up lingering here on the peninsula a bit later than at inland sites. Today at the Point, kettles of this fine little Buteo were visible all day long.
Cooper's Hawks have recently increased here at Land's End after being numerically dominated by their smaller relatives earlier in autumn. These days, a scan of the sky will occasionally reveal even more Cooper's than Sharp-shinned Hawks, a sight that would have been rather surprising here even just 25 years ago. Today, Cooper's Hawks were absolutely ubiquitous, with scores of lanky, round-tailed juveniles coursing through the dunes and sending fear into the hearts of legions of Myrtle and Palm Warblers.
There is a reason this bird is on the Cape May Bird Observatory's logo. The Peregrine Falcon is awesome. Its migration is now in full swing at Cape May, with today marking the highest count of the season so far. While any day with falcons is a great day, how do you even begin to describe a day with over a hundred Peregrines? I'll share photos in a separate post, but at least 3 of the adult-type birds today were in active wing molt, which seems to be unusual for individuals on migration (though fair numbers of American Kestrels and Merlins are still molting).
In the inland northeast and upper midwest, southbound Broad-winged Hawk migration tends to peak in mid-September with top counts in Texas and eastern Mexico following a few weeks later. Vaguely similar to the western Swainson's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk is a long distance migrant that avoids long water crossings if at all possible, leading to huge counts at waterside chokepoints like Lake Erie Metropark (Michigan), Corpus Christi (Texas), and various sites in Veracruz, Mexico. Cape May isn't exactly an ideal place for such a hydrophobic species to end up, and even though 9 October isn't by any means late, Broad-wings often end up lingering here on the peninsula a bit later than at inland sites. Today at the Point, kettles of this fine little Buteo were visible all day long.
Cooper's Hawks have recently increased here at Land's End after being numerically dominated by their smaller relatives earlier in autumn. These days, a scan of the sky will occasionally reveal even more Cooper's than Sharp-shinned Hawks, a sight that would have been rather surprising here even just 25 years ago. Today, Cooper's Hawks were absolutely ubiquitous, with scores of lanky, round-tailed juveniles coursing through the dunes and sending fear into the hearts of legions of Myrtle and Palm Warblers.
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