Yes, the 2011 count is off to quite the slow start for migrating hawks, but can you blame them? South winds haven't dominated the past 5 days; I wouldn't waste my energy either (at least not so early in the season). Even though there aren't many hawks to be seen, the platform is still the amazing place that I left a few short months ago. It is full of smiling faces, new experiences, and even happy reunions for some. Yes, I am back for yet another fall at Cape May. I'm sorry, but you can't get rid of me that easily. This may be my fourth fall here, but it is still just as exciting as the first one, and I am so incredibly happy to be welcomed back once again.
I'm not the only returning member from last year though. Tiffany Kersten is also working again this fall as the George Myers Naturalist and has been busy teaching the new Hawk Watch Interpretive Naturalists the tricks of the trade. The new faces this year are Kathy and Lauren, and I must say, are doing a fabulous job already. Make sure to stop by and say hello if you haven't already. The crew is awesome this year!
Well, as stated earlier, there haven't been many hawks the past few days but there are still plenty of other birds to look at. An early season songbird treat showed up September 4th as a nice Clay-colored Sparrow fed in the tall grass around the platform. And there is certainly no shortage of swallows or terns right now, and the platform is a great place to sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.
I would also like to apologize for the delay of blog postings. I promise to get back into the swing of things and get the posts out on a daily basis (ok, MOSTLY daily basis). I hope you enjoy them and get a feel for what is happening here from day to day. Happy fall!
This Clay-colored Sparrow was an exceptional treat on a day when virtually no hawks were moving through as it foraged with an Indigo Bunting just a few feet away from the platform (photo by Tom Johnson).
There have been at least 3 Gull-billed Terns foraging over Bunker Pond the past few days snatching up dragonflies at the water's edge, and have fittingly been nicknamed Dragonslayers (courtesy of Tom Johnson) (photo by Tom Johnson).
In case you haven't heard, Swarovski is the new Hawk Watch sponsor this year. They have provided the platform with some amazing optics that are free for anyone to try so stop by and check them out.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 01, 2011
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 14 14 14
Bald Eagle 0 0 0
Northern Harrier 1 1 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0
Cooper's Hawk 1 1 1
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 1 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 0
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 3 3 3
Merlin 1 1 1
Peregrine Falcon 1 1 1
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: 23 23 23
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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:
Clear skies for much of the day becoming mostly cloudy by late afternoon. Very light North winds in the morning becoming light East winds by late morning which persisted for the remainder of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Fairly slow day dominated by a few Osprey with a smattering of other species throughout the day.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 02, 2011
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 2 16 16
Bald Eagle 1 1 1
Northern Harrier 2 3 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0
Cooper's Hawk 2 3 3
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 4 4 4
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 0 3 3
Merlin 3 4 4
Peregrine Falcon 2 3 3
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: 16 39 39
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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:
East winds dominated with partly cloudy skies.
Raptor Observations:
Few migrants today with little diversity.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 03, 2011
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 10 26 26
Bald Eagle 0 1 1
Northern Harrier 0 3 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0
Cooper's Hawk 0 3 3
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 0 4 4
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 1 4 4
Merlin 1 5 5
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3
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: 12 51 51
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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:
Varying South winds throughout the entire day with mostly clear skies.
Raptor Observations:
Another slow day with very little diversity. The few migrants counted were mostly Osprey.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 04, 2011
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 2 28 28
Bald Eagle 0 1 1
Northern Harrier 0 3 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0
Cooper's Hawk 1 4 4
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 0 4 4
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 0 4 4
Merlin 0 5 5
Peregrine Falcon 1 4 4
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: 4 55 55
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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:
Another day of South winds.
Raptor Observations:
Extremely slow day with only 4 migrants. Highlight of the day was an immature Peregrine eating a snack on a perch and then heading out over the bay.
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