Hawk Watch Sunday September 25, 2011

After many, many days of cruddy skies and Southerly winds, we finally had a decent hawk flight today...surprisingly. Even though there were overcast skies, dense fog, and essentially no wind, the raptors were on the move today! In the span from 10 to 2, we had 479 migrants. Even though most birds were quite high (sometimes disappearing in the fog/clouds), we had some good looks at Osprey, Bald Eagles, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, and all three falcon species. With the winds picking up from the Southeast in the afternoon, activity died down considerably but most visitors to the platform were able to (finally) see some fall migration.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 25, 2011
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              9              9
Turkey Vulture               0             11             11
Osprey                      89            976            976
Bald Eagle                   5            107            107
Northern Harrier            14            135            135
Sharp-shinned Hawk         303           1978           1978
Cooper's Hawk               45            290            290
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1              7              7
Broad-winged Hawk            2             34             34
Red-tailed Hawk              2             41             41
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           141           1039           1039
Merlin                      39            438            438
Peregrine Falcon            21            146            146
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
Swainson's Hawk              0              1              1

Total:                     662           5212           5212
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Observation start time: 05:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.25 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Observers:        

Weather:
The day began with very light Northeast winds but most of the morning
consisted of practically nonexistent winds.  Finally around noon, an
actually East wind developed that eventually turned to the Southeast for
the last hour.  There was poor visibility for almost the entire day with
overcast skies and a moderate fog that encircled the platform for much of
the count.

Raptor Observations:
Finally a good day of movement dominated by Sharp-shinned Hawks, American
Kestrels, and Osprey.

Non-raptor Observations:

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Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/