Hawk Watch Monday November 22, 2010

Molasses. Snails. Tortoises. Sloths. Mo Vaughn. These are all things that would be comparably slow to today's hawk flight. There was a grand total of one Buteo seen all day, that being a Red-tailed Hawk way out at the limit of conjecture, and only one migrant Northern Harrier was detected (a juvenile missing P7 on its left wing). Breaking up the raptorless monotony was a single juvenile Northern Goshawk that doggedly went after a Sharp-shinned Hawk before giving up and heading across Delaware Bay, arriving on the other side at Cape Henlopen State Park Hawkwatch 32 minutes later.

Luckily the early morning, which was the time period most devoid of raptors, featured a truly prodigious movement of waterbirds offshore so that I was able to direct any platform visitors looking for birds to the spectacle over the Ocean. This movement was highlighted by Northern Gannets, and Red-throated Loons, although Scoters and Gulls, notably Laughing and Ring-billed, were moving in good numbers as well.

This adult female Northern Harrier has been hunting over Bunker Pond consistently over the last several days, and defending the area against any other passing Northern Harriers, of which there have not been many recently.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 22, 2010
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                4            256            432
Turkey Vulture              11           1190           2280
Osprey                       1             42           4572
Bald Eagle                   0             79            488
Northern Harrier             1            724           2355
Sharp-shinned Hawk          15           1992          19799
Cooper's Hawk                3            380           4065
Northern Goshawk             1             20             22
Red-shouldered Hawk          0            272            386
Broad-winged Hawk            0             16           1223
Red-tailed Hawk              1           1067           1649
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0             19             27
American Kestrel             0             86           5647
Merlin                       1             72           2245
Peregrine Falcon             1             39           1408
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              1              2
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0

Total:                      39           6255          46600
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Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end   time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter:        Doug Gochfeld

Observers:      

Weather:
S/SSW Winds, mostly clear skies

Raptor Observations:
A juvenile Northern Goshawk going after a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Adult female Northern Harrier hanging around all day.

Non-raptor Observations:
Very strong movement of Northern Gannets and Red-throated Loons early in
the day, 2 Cave Swallows, Wilson's Snipe, Least Sandpiper, Pine Siskins.

Predictions:
SSW Winds  AT  10+ MPH, Slow for raptors once again

Location: Cape Island--CMPSP--Hawkwatch Platform (CMBO hawkwatch)
Observation date: 11/22/10
Notes: S/SSW Winds, mostly clear skies.
Number of species: 64

Canada Goose X
Mute Swan X
Gadwall X
American Wigeon X
American Black Duck X
Mallard X
Northern Shoveler X
Northern Pintail X
Green-winged Teal X
Ring-necked Duck X
Surf Scoter X
Black Scoter X
Bufflehead 2
Hooded Merganser 9
Ruddy Duck X
Red-throated Loon 600
Common Loon 2
Pied-billed Grebe X
Northern Gannet 2500
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Cormorant 2
Great Blue Heron 5
Great Egret 1
Black Vulture 4
Turkey Vulture 15
Osprey 1
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15
Cooper's Hawk 3
Northern Goshawk 1
Red-tailed Hawk 1
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
American Coot X
Least Sandpiper 1
Wilson's Snipe 1
Bonaparte's Gull 1
Laughing Gull X
Ring-billed Gull X
Herring Gull X
Lesser Black-backed Gull 3 State Park & Meadows Beach, all nearly adults
Great Black-backed Gull X
Royal Tern 1
Rock Pigeon X
Mourning Dove X
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) X
Tree Swallow 18
Cave Swallow 2
Carolina Chickadee 5
Red-breasted Nuthatch X
Carolina Wren X
American Robin X
Northern Mockingbird X
European Starling X
American Pipit 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 10
Savannah Sparrow (Ipswich) 1 State Park Beach/Dunes
Song Sparrow X
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) X
Red-winged Blackbird X
House Finch X
Pine Siskin 2
American Goldfinch X
House Sparrow X