Halloween brought a treat of a flight to the Seawatch. Dabbling ducks came through in good numbers during the morning, while a close-to-shore scoter flight during the afternoon was a highlight for the several visitors who lucked into seeing the spectacle. Other goodies included a Cackling Goose that was traveling south with a mixed flock of ducks, a mid-morning Tricolored Heron that was migrating low over the ocean, and a rather high tally of 21 Ruddy Ducks.
Brant - 35
Canada Goose - 1
Cackling Goose - 1
Wood Duck - 136
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 233
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Northern Shoveler - 4
Northern Pintail - 47
Green-winged Teal - 783
Ring-necked Duck - 34
Greater Scaup - 62
Lesser Scaup - 17
scaup, sp. - 10
Common Eider - 7
Surf Scoter - 7,343
White-winged Scoter - 16
Black Scoter - 8,745
dark-winged scoter - 781
scoter, sp. - 18
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Hooded Merganser - 3
Red-breasted Merganser - 6
Ruddy Duck - 21
Red-throated Loon - 331
Common Loon - 102
Horned Grebe - 10
Northern Gannet - 504
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 5,546
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 21
Tricolored Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 83
Bonaparte's Gull - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 32
Forster's Tern - 42
Royal Tern - 29
(Total = 25,016)
Avalon Seawatch - October 30, 2011
There was a steady stream of migrants throughout the day at the Seawatch, with fair diversity and nice weather to boot. Scoters were numerous, particularly in the morning, while gannets and loons persisted for the entirety. Common Loon was particularly common; a season high of 238 was recorded, including two groups that contained over 20 individuals.
Some entertaining birds included a single Glossy Ibis that was mixed in with a flock of cormorants, a lone Lesser Black-backed Gull, and a handful of late-moving Common Terns. Other sights included a flyover Snow Bunting that added some flavor to a brief midday lull, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that was found by Josh Nemeth as it flew in from the ocean during the morning.
Brant - 91
Canada Goose - 46
Wood Duck - 21
American Black Duck - 62
Green-winged Teal - 68
Greater Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 4
aythya, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 3,898
White-winged Scoter - 9
Black Scoter - 2,596
dark-winged scoter - 2,274
scoter, sp. - 51
Red-breasted Merganser - 9
Red-throated Loon - 141
Common Loon - 238
Northern Gannet - 1,378
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,696
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 88
Great Egret - 90
Snowy Egret - 5
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 10
Glossy Ibis - 1
Laughing Gull - 228
Bonaparte's Gull - 28
Ring-billed Gull - 458
Herring Gull - 153
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Common Tern - 4
Forster's Tern - 10
Royal Tern - 63
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
jaeger, sp. - 1
(Total = 20,742)
Some entertaining birds included a single Glossy Ibis that was mixed in with a flock of cormorants, a lone Lesser Black-backed Gull, and a handful of late-moving Common Terns. Other sights included a flyover Snow Bunting that added some flavor to a brief midday lull, and a Yellow-billed Cuckoo that was found by Josh Nemeth as it flew in from the ocean during the morning.
Brant - 91
Canada Goose - 46
Wood Duck - 21
American Black Duck - 62
Green-winged Teal - 68
Greater Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 4
aythya, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 3,898
White-winged Scoter - 9
Black Scoter - 2,596
dark-winged scoter - 2,274
scoter, sp. - 51
Red-breasted Merganser - 9
Red-throated Loon - 141
Common Loon - 238
Northern Gannet - 1,378
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,696
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 88
Great Egret - 90
Snowy Egret - 5
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 10
Glossy Ibis - 1
Laughing Gull - 228
Bonaparte's Gull - 28
Ring-billed Gull - 458
Herring Gull - 153
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Common Tern - 4
Forster's Tern - 10
Royal Tern - 63
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
jaeger, sp. - 1
(Total = 20,742)
Hawk Watch Friday October 28, 2011
It was a really fun day at the platform with a good movement of birds and diversity. Sharp-shined Hawks dominated the count but we also saw a smattering of other species such as a flyover immature Golden Eagle, another dark morph Swainson's Hawk (this one missing an outer primary) and great views of a Short-eared Owl trying to evade harassing crows.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 28, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 34 49
Turkey Vulture 30 362 383
Osprey 11 1241 2588
Bald Eagle 3 236 361
Northern Harrier 10 444 615
Sharp-shinned Hawk 276 10643 14314
Cooper's Hawk 40 2297 2781
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 11 70 79
Broad-winged Hawk 0 906 985
Red-tailed Hawk 24 196 239
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 1 3 3
American Kestrel 5 3007 5217
Merlin 0 819 1577
Peregrine Falcon 5 523 1052
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 1 4 6
Total: 417 20785 30249
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:15:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Strong North then Northeast winds throughout the day with mostly cloudy
(eventually overcast) skies. Crappy visibility.
Raptor Observations:
A good movement of birds for the first part of the day with good diversity.
We had lots of Sharp-shins, good numbers of Turkey Vultures, Cooper's
Hawks, and a smattering of other species (ie. American Kestrels,
Peregrines, 1 Golden Eagle, 1 dark morph Swainson's Hawk missing an outer
primary so I believe it to be a different one than before).
Non-raptor Observations:
1 Short-eared Owl
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Avalon Seawatch - October 28, 2011
It was a big day, if not the big day at the Seawatch. Over 70,000 birds poured past the north end of Avalon, including about 62,000 scoters. In fact it was a daylong scoter fest, highlighted by a single hour that featured over 10,000 birds. Other notables included decent showings from Northern Gannet and Red-throated Loon, and a fine flock of 13 American Golden-Plovers that passed by late in the afternoon.
Special thanks go to Gail Dwyer, Tom Johnson, Doug Gochfeld, Cameron Cox, Richard Crossley and Sam Galick for stopping by during the day to help count, bring food, or otherwise offer support. Double-special thanks go to Tony Leukering, who was present for most of the day and assisted in counting several species throughout.
Tomorrow's forecast calls for nor'easter-like conditions, with heavy rain and winds gusting to 45-50mph at times. It'll be an interesting day to watch the sea; wish me luck.
Brant - 487
Canada Goose - 6
Wood Duck - 28
Gadwall - 1
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 34
Mallard - 12
Northern Shoveler - 2
Northern Pintail - 28
Green-winged Teal - 304
Ring-necked Duck - 9
Greater Scaup - 1
Lesser Scaup - 10
scaup, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 19,405
White-winged Scoter - 18
Black Scoter - 21,710
dark-winged scoter - 14,727
scoter, sp. - 5,510
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 19
Red-throated Loon - 260
Common Loon - 50
Northern Gannet - 1,661
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,229
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 5
Great Egret - 2
Laughing Gull - 47
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 51
Royal Tern - 29
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 72,679)
Special thanks go to Gail Dwyer, Tom Johnson, Doug Gochfeld, Cameron Cox, Richard Crossley and Sam Galick for stopping by during the day to help count, bring food, or otherwise offer support. Double-special thanks go to Tony Leukering, who was present for most of the day and assisted in counting several species throughout.
Tomorrow's forecast calls for nor'easter-like conditions, with heavy rain and winds gusting to 45-50mph at times. It'll be an interesting day to watch the sea; wish me luck.
Brant - 487
Canada Goose - 6
Wood Duck - 28
Gadwall - 1
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 34
Mallard - 12
Northern Shoveler - 2
Northern Pintail - 28
Green-winged Teal - 304
Ring-necked Duck - 9
Greater Scaup - 1
Lesser Scaup - 10
scaup, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 19,405
White-winged Scoter - 18
Black Scoter - 21,710
dark-winged scoter - 14,727
scoter, sp. - 5,510
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 19
Red-throated Loon - 260
Common Loon - 50
Northern Gannet - 1,661
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,229
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 5
Great Egret - 2
Laughing Gull - 47
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 51
Royal Tern - 29
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 72,679)
Morning Flight - 28 October 2011
It was a pretty good flight day, but mostly American Robins and Yellow-rumped Warblers. The flight died about an hour and a half after sunrise, with the first hour being the busiest. One brown Creeper was a surpise, and four Rusty Blackbirds were a standout.
Avalon Seawatch - 27 October 2011
The seawatch was decent with a good flow of surf scoter and gannets for the day. Highlights were 2 Brown Pelicans, a Ruddy Duck, and a Parasitic Jaeger. The most amazing sight of the day was seeing a Yellow-billed Cuckoo perching on the rocks of the seawall in front of us at about 3:30, which obviously just reached land! Then about a half hour later, Clay Sutton picked up another in flight over the bar, headed west and we watched it fly all the way in to the Townsend's Inlet beach!
Brant - 12
Wood Duck - 52
American Wigeon - 6
American Black Duck - 103
Mallard - 4
Northern Pintail - 54
Green-winged Teal - 117
puddle duck spp - 10
Ring-necked Duck - 3
Greater Scaup - 1
Lesser Scaup - 7
Surf Scoter - 11545
Black Scoter - 249
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Ruddy Duck - 1
Red-throated Loon - 23
Common Loon - 44
Northern Gannet - 1712
Brown Pelican - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 2058
Great Blue Heron - 25
Great Egret - 5
Laughing Gull - 119
Bonaparte's Gull - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 16
Herring Gull - 57
Great Black-backed Gull - 95
Caspian Tern - 1
Common Tern - 16
Forster's Tern - 81
Royal Tern - 43
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Total - 16465
Hawk Watch Thursday October 27, 2011
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 27, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 34 49
Turkey Vulture 0 332 353
Osprey 5 1230 2577
Bald Eagle 0 233 358
Northern Harrier 12 434 605
Sharp-shinned Hawk 62 10367 14038
Cooper's Hawk 1 2257 2741
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 59 68
Broad-winged Hawk 0 906 985
Red-tailed Hawk 0 172 215
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 7 3002 5212
Merlin 4 819 1577
Peregrine Falcon 0 518 1047
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 3 5
Total: 91 20368 29832
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:15:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.75 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Light Southwest winds all day with overcast skies and scattered rain
throughout.
Raptor Observations:
A mostly slow day dominated by Sharp-shins.
Non-raptor Observations:
10 Wilson's Snipe, 1 Brown Pelican, 5 Parasitic Jaegers
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Hawk Watch Tuesday October 25, 2011
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 34 49
Turkey Vulture 0 332 353
Osprey 2 1210 2557
Bald Eagle 2 230 355
Northern Harrier 29 401 572
Sharp-shinned Hawk 756 10154 13825
Cooper's Hawk 114 2240 2724
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 58 67
Broad-winged Hawk 1 906 985
Red-tailed Hawk 8 171 214
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 94 2917 5127
Merlin 78 804 1562
Peregrine Falcon 2 517 1046
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 1 3 5
Total: 1088 19979 29443
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Tom Magarian
Observers: Vince Elia
Weather:
Moderate to strong Northwest winds and no cloud cover throughout the day.
Raptor Observations:
A great movement of birds for late October with over 1000 counted.
Non-raptor Observations:
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
A pretty good movement of birds for the first part of the day but things basically shut down by the afternoon.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 34 49
Turkey Vulture 0 332 353
Osprey 15 1223 2570
Bald Eagle 3 231 356
Northern Harrier 21 393 564
Sharp-shinned Hawk 151 9549 13220
Cooper's Hawk 16 2142 2626
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 58 67
Broad-winged Hawk 0 905 984
Red-tailed Hawk 1 164 207
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 78 2901 5111
Merlin 11 737 1495
Peregrine Falcon 1 516 1045
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 2 4
Total: 298 19189 28653
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:15:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.75 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Southwest winds all day that began quite strong but eventually calmed down
by noon. We had mostly clear skies in the morning that turned to overcast
skies for the later half of the day.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
3 Wilson's Snipe, 3 Eurasian Collared-doves, 6 Great Blue Herons, 2 Chimney
Swifts, 2 Cliff Swallows, 1 Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 1 Ring-necked
Duck
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
26 October 2011 - Morning Flight
Morning flight today was great! Lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Robins were flying west and then hooking north along the Delaware Bay; additionally, there was a southbound movement of Yellow-rumps early in the morning. An almost all white Eastern Phoebe gave us a quick startle - the bird was almost totally white except for a bit of gray in the face. Species highlights came from Red-headed Woodpecker, Rusty Blackbird, Eastern Bluebird, and Purple Finch.
American Robins are a late fall fixture in the morning skies above Cape May.
Rusty Blackbirds are fairly uncommon migrants in Cape May, but a perusal of the blackbirds during October and November mornings can often reveal a moderate number of this declining boreal breeder. The elongated, club-tipped tail, slim belly, and deep chest (best viewed in profile and not really visible in the above photo) are all good field marks for Rusty Blackbird.
Full eBird list for the day is below:
Canada Goose 40
Wood Duck 15
Mallard 4
Common Loon 1
Northern Gannet 5
Double-crested Cormorant 110
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 3
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 105
Cooper's Hawk 14
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 30
Merlin 5
Killdeer 25
Sanderling 1
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 1 - probably LBDO - flyby
Laughing Gull 50
Herring Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Forster's Tern 12
Royal Tern 2
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 4
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 8
Tree Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 2
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 1
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 30
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 3200
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 90
American Pipit 4
Cedar Waxwing 165
Northern Parula 4
Blackpoll Warbler 20
Palm Warbler 17
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2250
warbler sp. 8
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 26
Field Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 16
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco 8
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 220
Eastern Meadowlark 10
Rusty Blackbird 3
Purple Finch 8
House Finch 10
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
American Robins are a late fall fixture in the morning skies above Cape May.
Rusty Blackbirds are fairly uncommon migrants in Cape May, but a perusal of the blackbirds during October and November mornings can often reveal a moderate number of this declining boreal breeder. The elongated, club-tipped tail, slim belly, and deep chest (best viewed in profile and not really visible in the above photo) are all good field marks for Rusty Blackbird.Full eBird list for the day is below:
Canada Goose 40
Wood Duck 15
Mallard 4
Common Loon 1
Northern Gannet 5
Double-crested Cormorant 110
Turkey Vulture 5
Osprey 3
Bald Eagle 2
Northern Harrier 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 105
Cooper's Hawk 14
Red-tailed Hawk 1
American Kestrel 30
Merlin 5
Killdeer 25
Sanderling 1
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher 1 - probably LBDO - flyby
Laughing Gull 50
Herring Gull 3
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Forster's Tern 12
Royal Tern 2
Rock Pigeon 10
Mourning Dove 4
Red-headed Woodpecker 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 3
Downy Woodpecker 1
Eastern Phoebe 3
Blue Jay 4
American Crow 8
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 8
Tree Swallow 10
Carolina Chickadee 2
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 1
Winter Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 30
Eastern Bluebird 4
American Robin 3200
Brown Thrasher 1
European Starling 90
American Pipit 4
Cedar Waxwing 165
Northern Parula 4
Blackpoll Warbler 20
Palm Warbler 17
Yellow-rumped Warbler 2250
warbler sp. 8
Eastern Towhee 1
Chipping Sparrow 26
Field Sparrow 1
Savannah Sparrow 16
Song Sparrow 4
White-throated Sparrow 12
Dark-eyed Junco 8
Northern Cardinal 1
Red-winged Blackbird 220
Eastern Meadowlark 10
Rusty Blackbird 3
Purple Finch 8
House Finch 10
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Avalon Seawatch - October 25, 2011
Today was a bit quieter at the Seawatch, though Northern Gannets put on a good show during the morning hours and the evening again saw a small flight of egrets. In between there were a number of Common Loons, the season's first Bufflehead, and for the first time in many days- not a single Brown Pelican.
Brant - 30
Canada Goose - 115
Wood Duck - 2
American Wigeon - 6
American Black Duck - 18
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 28
Surf Scoter - 1,040
White-winged Scoter - 3
Black Scoter - 115
dark-winged scoter - 239
Bufflehead - 1
Red-throated Loon - 30
Common Loon - 165
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 2,247
Double-crested Cormorant - 3,624
Great Blue Heron - 29
Great Egret - 49
Snowy Egret - 15
Laughing Gull - 439
Ring-billed Gull - 87
Herring Gull - 2
Great Black-backed Gull - 20
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 43
Royal Tern - 38
Parasitic Jaeger - 3
(Total = 8,403)
Brant - 30
Canada Goose - 115
Wood Duck - 2
American Wigeon - 6
American Black Duck - 18
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 28
Surf Scoter - 1,040
White-winged Scoter - 3
Black Scoter - 115
dark-winged scoter - 239
Bufflehead - 1
Red-throated Loon - 30
Common Loon - 165
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 2,247
Double-crested Cormorant - 3,624
Great Blue Heron - 29
Great Egret - 49
Snowy Egret - 15
Laughing Gull - 439
Ring-billed Gull - 87
Herring Gull - 2
Great Black-backed Gull - 20
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 43
Royal Tern - 38
Parasitic Jaeger - 3
(Total = 8,403)
25 October 2011 - Morning Flight
Despite the northwest wind and clear skies last night, there was no large influx of songbird migrants to Cape May. Radar was relatively quiet last night, and there was a corresponding lack of morning flight at Higbee Beach. 200 Yellow-rumped Warblers and about 100 American Robins made up the bulk of today's flight. Noteworthy was a small southbound stream of Ring-billed Gulls, one of the first obvious gull movements I've actually seen from the dike this fall. A full list of species is found below - species counted as part of the morning flight project are found in bold.
Eastern Meadowlarks continue to be a welcome daily sight at the Higbee Dike.
Yellow-rumped Warblers make up the great bulk of warbler migrants in Cape May at this late date, but...
... there is still definitely some diversity around - in addition to still-abundant warblers like Blackpoll and Palm, Black-throated Green Warblers are still trickling through, though at a rate of perhaps 1 per day at the Higbee Beach dike.
Brant (Atlantic) 1
Canada Goose 15
Surf Scoter 7
Black Scoter 1
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 120
Bald Eagle 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 35
Cooper's Hawk 7
Merlin 1
White-rumped Sandpiper 2
Laughing Gull 40
Ring-billed Gull 25 influx heading south
Herring Gull 2
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 10
Royal Tern 1
Rock Pigeon 35
Mourning Dove 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 4
American Robin 110
European Starling 75
Cedar Waxwing 12
Blackpoll Warbler 13
Yellow-rumped Warbler 220
warbler sp. 4
Eastern Towhee 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
Swamp Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 40
Rusty Blackbird 1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Eastern Meadowlarks continue to be a welcome daily sight at the Higbee Dike.
Yellow-rumped Warblers make up the great bulk of warbler migrants in Cape May at this late date, but...
... there is still definitely some diversity around - in addition to still-abundant warblers like Blackpoll and Palm, Black-throated Green Warblers are still trickling through, though at a rate of perhaps 1 per day at the Higbee Beach dike.Brant (Atlantic) 1
Canada Goose 15
Surf Scoter 7
Black Scoter 1
Common Loon 1
Double-crested Cormorant 120
Bald Eagle 4
Sharp-shinned Hawk 35
Cooper's Hawk 7
Merlin 1
White-rumped Sandpiper 2
Laughing Gull 40
Ring-billed Gull 25 influx heading south
Herring Gull 2
Great Black-backed Gull 15
Common Tern 1
Forster's Tern 10
Royal Tern 1
Rock Pigeon 35
Mourning Dove 2
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker 3
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 2
American Crow 4
Carolina Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
Brown Creeper 1
Carolina Wren 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet 4
American Robin 110
European Starling 75
Cedar Waxwing 12
Blackpoll Warbler 13
Yellow-rumped Warbler 220
warbler sp. 4
Eastern Towhee 1
Savannah Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 4
Swamp Sparrow 3
White-throated Sparrow 2
Dark-eyed Junco 4
Northern Cardinal 2
Red-winged Blackbird 40
Rusty Blackbird 1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (http://ebird.org)
Avalon Seawatch - October 24, 2011
Sizable flocks of cormorants and scoters continued for a third day at Avalon, and were joined by a continuous trickle of Northern Gannets during the afternoon. The Gannets in particular were crowd-pleasers, as quite a few passed by at close range and in favorable late day light. Other highlights included a nice push of Wood Ducks, our 100th Parasitic Jaeger of the season, and a rather late Black Tern that passed by in the evening.
Totals:
Brant - 108
Wood Duck - 102
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 3
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 175
Greater Scaup - 8
Lesser Scaup - 7
Surf Scoter - 3,426
White-winged Scoter - 11
Black Scoter - 1,661
dark-winged scoter - 96
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Red-throated Loon - 48
Common Loon - 82
Horned Grebe - 5
Northern Gannet - 681
Brown Pelican - 17
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,677
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 56
Laughing Gull - 269
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 10
Herring Gull - 2
Black Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 89
Royal Tern - 14
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 15,561)
Totals:
Brant - 108
Wood Duck - 102
American Wigeon - 5
American Black Duck - 3
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 175
Greater Scaup - 8
Lesser Scaup - 7
Surf Scoter - 3,426
White-winged Scoter - 11
Black Scoter - 1,661
dark-winged scoter - 96
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Red-throated Loon - 48
Common Loon - 82
Horned Grebe - 5
Northern Gannet - 681
Brown Pelican - 17
Double-crested Cormorant - 8,677
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 56
Laughing Gull - 269
Bonaparte's Gull - 1
Ring-billed Gull - 10
Herring Gull - 2
Black Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 89
Royal Tern - 14
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 15,561)
Cape May Hawk Watch - 24 October 2011
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Weather:
Light SSE winds all day with high thin clouds.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2011 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 3 | 34 | 49 |
| Turkey Vulture | 32 | 332 | 353 |
| Osprey | 10 | 1208 | 2555 |
| Bald Eagle | 6 | 228 | 353 |
| Northern Harrier | 9 | 372 | 543 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 202 | 9398 | 13069 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 135 | 2126 | 2610 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 3 | 57 | 66 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 4 | 905 | 984 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 12 | 163 | 206 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| American Kestrel | 5 | 2823 | 5033 |
| Merlin | 10 | 726 | 1484 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 8 | 515 | 1044 |
| 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 | 2 | 4 |
| Total: | 439 | 18891 | 28355 |
| Observation start time: | 06:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 9.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Tom Magarian |
| Observers: |
Weather:
Light SSE winds all day with high thin clouds.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Avalon Seawatch - October 23, 2011
Peak season has certainly arrived at the Seawatch, as evidenced again by today's flight. Double-crested Cormorants and Surf Scoters ruled the day, while Wood Duck and Common Loon put in respectable showings, and our first "flocks" of Red-throated Loons also arrived. An early Long-tailed Duck was an afternoon highlight, and a strong late-day scoter flight made for a great show as many large flocks passed by close to the seawall. The Bird of the Day Award goes to the "Black" Brant that flew by at close range with a flock of its pale-bellied cousins late in the morning. It was the second record of this subspecies from the seawatch.
Totals:
Brant - 385
"Black" Brant - 1
Canada Goose - 33
Wood Duck - 83
American Black Duck - 20
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 55
Greater Scaup - 11
Lesser Scaup - 1
Surf Scoter - 7,569
White-winged Scoter - 18
Black Scoter - 2,304
dark-winged scoter - 1,029
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Red-throated Loon - 27
Common Loon - 122
Horned Grebe - 3
Northern Gannet - 74
Brown Pelican - 40
Double-crested Cormorant - 13,957
Great Blue Heron - 34
Great Egret - 1
Laughing Gull - 504
Ring-billed Gull - 16
Herring Gull - 33
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 10
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 18
Royal Tern - 2
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 26,359)
Totals:
Brant - 385
"Black" Brant - 1
Canada Goose - 33
Wood Duck - 83
American Black Duck - 20
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 55
Greater Scaup - 11
Lesser Scaup - 1
Surf Scoter - 7,569
White-winged Scoter - 18
Black Scoter - 2,304
dark-winged scoter - 1,029
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Red-throated Loon - 27
Common Loon - 122
Horned Grebe - 3
Northern Gannet - 74
Brown Pelican - 40
Double-crested Cormorant - 13,957
Great Blue Heron - 34
Great Egret - 1
Laughing Gull - 504
Ring-billed Gull - 16
Herring Gull - 33
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 10
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 18
Royal Tern - 2
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 26,359)
Hawk Watch Sunday October 23, 2011
It was another light Northwest wind today with mostly clear skies so again, birds got up really high in the sky fairly early in the day. We were treated to quite a few surprises throughout the day including good views of buteos, large kettles of vultures, and lots of accipiters moving through. One of the most surprising things I've ever seen on the platform occured sometime in the afternoon when a Hoary Bat flew in off the ocean and landed on a visitor's leg! The visitor wasn't even aware what had happened until quite a few people told him to stand still because a bat had just chosen his hip as a perch. Don't fret though because the man and the bat escaped unharmed.
I guess I would land just about anywhere, too, if I had been flying over the ocean for much of the day. This Hoary Bat created quite the stir on the platform today (photo by Tiffany Kersten).
I guess I would land just about anywhere, too, if I had been flying over the ocean for much of the day. This Hoary Bat created quite the stir on the platform today (photo by Tiffany Kersten).
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 2 31 46
Turkey Vulture 30 300 321
Osprey 7 1198 2545
Bald Eagle 19 222 347
Northern Harrier 18 363 534
Sharp-shinned Hawk 417 9196 12867
Cooper's Hawk 141 1991 2475
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 16 54 63
Broad-winged Hawk 11 901 980
Red-tailed Hawk 40 151 194
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 8 2818 5028
Merlin 7 716 1474
Peregrine Falcon 10 507 1036
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 2 4
Total: 726 18452 27916
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Mostly clear skies today with light North-northwest winds all day.
Raptor Observations:
A good steady flight today dominated by accipiters (especially
Sharp-shins). We also had a decent push of Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey
Vultures.
Non-raptor Observations:
A hoary bat flew in off the ocean and proceeded to land on a visitor's
leg!! No, I'm not kidding.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
22-23 October 2011 - Morning Flight
Saturday and Sunday were wonderful days to be outside in Cape May, with birds everywhere! Morning flight this weekend was the best of the season, with over 15,000 Yellow-rumped Warblers on Saturday and upwards of 10,000 American Robins on both days as well. While these aren't record numbers, they are very solid flights that are very welcome here after a relatively slow autumn for songbird morning flight. Interesting songbird events during morning flight at Higbee this weekend included 10+ Blue-headed Vireo on Saturday morning, 30 Brown Creepers on Saturday, 3 late Connecticut Warblers, and a nice sprinkling of Eastern Meadowlarks, Rusty Blackbirds, Purple Finches, and American Pipits.
Avalon Seawatch - October 22, 2011
Saturday featured the season's best flight to date, comprised primarily of Surf Scoter, Double-crested Cormorant and Northern Gannet. Two Bonaparte's Gulls were firsts for the season, and dusk brought a few uncommon Seawatch sightings in the form of 39 Black-crowned Night-Herons, an American Bittern and a Green Heron- all taking off for points south. Hopefully we'll enjoy another nice flight tomorrow.
Totals:
Brant - 300
Wood Duck - 38
American Wigeon - 4
American Black Duck - 17
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Northern Pintail - 18
Green-winged Teal - 50
scaup, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 2,735
Black Scoter - 356
dark-winged scoter - 294
Red-breasted Merganser - 5
Red-throated Loon - 9
Common Loon - 70
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 930
Brown Pelican - 27
Double-crested Cormorant - 11,057
Great Cormorant - 1
American Bittern - 1
Great Blue Heron - 15
Great Egret - 37
Snowy Egret - 1
Green Heron - 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 39
Laughing Gull - 335
Bonaparte's Gull - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 8
Great Black-backed Gull - 44
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 35
Royal Tern - 27
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 16,467)
Totals:
Brant - 300
Wood Duck - 38
American Wigeon - 4
American Black Duck - 17
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Northern Pintail - 18
Green-winged Teal - 50
scaup, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 2,735
Black Scoter - 356
dark-winged scoter - 294
Red-breasted Merganser - 5
Red-throated Loon - 9
Common Loon - 70
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 930
Brown Pelican - 27
Double-crested Cormorant - 11,057
Great Cormorant - 1
American Bittern - 1
Great Blue Heron - 15
Great Egret - 37
Snowy Egret - 1
Green Heron - 1
Black-crowned Night-Heron - 39
Laughing Gull - 335
Bonaparte's Gull - 2
Ring-billed Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 8
Great Black-backed Gull - 44
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 35
Royal Tern - 27
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
(Total = 16,467)
Hawk Watch Saturday October 22, 2011
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 29 44
Turkey Vulture 0 270 291
Osprey 8 1191 2538
Bald Eagle 11 203 328
Northern Harrier 21 345 516
Sharp-shinned Hawk 491 8779 12450
Cooper's Hawk 92 1850 2334
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 8 38 47
Broad-winged Hawk 6 890 969
Red-tailed Hawk 23 111 154
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 18 2810 5020
Merlin 27 709 1467
Peregrine Falcon 5 497 1026
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 2 4
Total: 710 17726 27190
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Light (occasionaly moderate gusts) Northwest winds for much of the day
later becoming North-northwest after noon with basically zero cloud
coverage until the last hour of the count.
Raptor Observations:
An awesome movement of birds early on but with light winds and clear skies,
birds got really high really fast. We did see the dark morph Swainson's
Hawk again in the late morning and suspect it might have actually moved on
now.
Non-raptor Observations:
500+ Chimney Swifts; 2 Eurasian Wigeon; 2 Cape May Warblers; 1 Pine
Warbler; 35 Blackpoll Warblers; lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern
Meadowlarks, Red-winged Blackbirds, and Tree Swallows; 3 Cliff Swallows; 50
Northern Rough-winged Swallows; 34 Boat-tailed Grackles
Predictions:
Looks like it will be very similar to today's weather with light
Northwest/North-northwest winds and clear skies. I would expect a good
movement of low raptors in the morning but by late morning, I would imagine
that birds will be very high in the sky again.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Hawk Watch Friday October 21, 2011
A very fun and exciting day on the platform filled with migrating raptors, shorebirds, Chimney Swifts, and many more! The dark morph Swainson's Hawk in the afternoon was a wonderful treat that many people got to see since it stuck around for almost an hour (and is most likely still hanging around the point; it was last seen perched in the first field at Hidden Valley where I suspect it roosted).
I would anticipate an even BETTER day tomorrow with light Northwest winds forecasted for the entire day.
I would anticipate an even BETTER day tomorrow with light Northwest winds forecasted for the entire day.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 29 44
Turkey Vulture 0 270 291
Osprey 20 1183 2530
Bald Eagle 15 192 317
Northern Harrier 6 324 495
Sharp-shinned Hawk 453 8288 11959
Cooper's Hawk 62 1758 2242
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 30 39
Broad-winged Hawk 0 884 963
Red-tailed Hawk 0 88 131
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 54 2792 5002
Merlin 28 682 1440
Peregrine Falcon 7 492 1021
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 1 2 4
Total: 649 17016 26480
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
The day began with moderate to strong West-southwest winds that soon turned
West and eventually became Northwest for much of the day. Mostly clear
skies with some clouds developing in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
A great flight for mid to late October with lots of Sharp-shins and
Cooper's Hawks, Bald Eagles, and decent numbers of Kestrels. Highlight of
the day was a dark morph Swainson's Hawk found in the afternoon that
drifted very close to the platform and provided some great views for
visitors.
Non-raptor Observations:
Predictions:
It should be good....really good.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Avalon Seawatch - October 21, 2011
Friday featured action at the beginning and end of the day, headlined by oodles of cormorants early, along with an excellent evening flight of egrets and herons. The photo below probably sums up the day best.
[This mixed flock of Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons and Little Blue Herons made for a colorful yet small portion of the nearly 600 herons and egrets that passed by
the Seawatch today. Photo by Sam Galick; click to enlarge.]
Totals:
Brant - 85
Wood Duck - 1
American Black Duck - 14
Northern Shoveler - 9
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 8
Greater Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 2
Surf Scoter - 102
Black Scoter - 187
dark-winged scoter - 24
Common Loon - 64
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 284 (174 over the first two hours)
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 3,739
Great Blue Heron - 44
Great Egret - 378 (New seawatch single-day record. A substantial flight of egrets started shortly before 2pm and continued through sundown.)
Snowy Egret - 147
Little Blue Heron - 13
Tricolored Heron - 10
Laughing Gull - 234
Ring-billed Gull - 12
Herring Gull - 9
Great Black-backed Gull - 117
Forster's Tern - 11
Royal Tern - 63
Parasitic Jaeger - 5
(Total = 5,571)
[This mixed flock of Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons and Little Blue Herons made for a colorful yet small portion of the nearly 600 herons and egrets that passed bythe Seawatch today. Photo by Sam Galick; click to enlarge.]
Totals:
Brant - 85
Wood Duck - 1
American Black Duck - 14
Northern Shoveler - 9
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 8
Greater Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 2
Surf Scoter - 102
Black Scoter - 187
dark-winged scoter - 24
Common Loon - 64
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 284 (174 over the first two hours)
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 3,739
Great Blue Heron - 44
Great Egret - 378 (New seawatch single-day record. A substantial flight of egrets started shortly before 2pm and continued through sundown.)
Snowy Egret - 147
Little Blue Heron - 13
Tricolored Heron - 10
Laughing Gull - 234
Ring-billed Gull - 12
Herring Gull - 9
Great Black-backed Gull - 117
Forster's Tern - 11
Royal Tern - 63
Parasitic Jaeger - 5
(Total = 5,571)
Morning Flight - 21 October 2011
The morning flight was almost non-existent today. There were a few Blackpoll and Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Red-Eyed Vireo, and a Meadow Lark. Hopefully the change in weather over the next couple of days will set up a good movement for Sunday.
Avalon Seawatch - 20 October 2011
The seawatch was rather slow again. This seems to be the trend the past few days, as scoter and cormorants have been lacking. The highlights were singles of, Brown Pelican, Parastic Jaeger, White-winged Scoter, Common Eider, and adult Lesser Black-backed Gull. Northern Gannets put in their best showing of the season so far.
Wood Duck - 1
Gadwall - 2
American Black Duck - 3
Mallard - 3
puddle duck Sp. - 2
Common Eider - 1
Surf Scoter - 2
White-winged Scoter - 1
Black Scoter - 6
Common Loon - 3
Northern Gannet - 716
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 186
Laughing Gull - 77
Herring Gull - 32
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 113
Forster's Tern - 362
Royal Tern - 104
Parasitic Jaeger - 1
Total - 1617
Hawk Watch Thursday October 20, 2011
Ok, that's enough wind for now. I appreciate the nice partly cloudy skies, but come on, Southwest winds blowing over 25 mph ALL day? That's just too much...for me AND the raptors. Even though the wind was howling all day at the platform, we still saw a decent number of birds making their way past. Not too terribly surprising (given the intensity of the wind), Peregrines were the dominant migrant today.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 29 44
Turkey Vulture 0 270 291
Osprey 19 1163 2510
Bald Eagle 2 177 302
Northern Harrier 2 318 489
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15 7835 11506
Cooper's Hawk 3 1696 2180
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 27 36
Broad-winged Hawk 0 884 963
Red-tailed Hawk 0 88 131
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 8 2738 4948
Merlin 7 654 1412
Peregrine Falcon 23 485 1014
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 3
Total: 79 16367 25831
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:45:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Strong, strong, STRONG South-southwest winds all day today with partly
cloudy skies.
Raptor Observations:
A decent amount of birds moving even though the winds were crazy.
Non-raptor Observations:
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
20 October 2011 - Morning Flight
Morning flight was nonexistent this morning in heavy south-southwest winds; however, there are still birds around Cape May. The highlight at the dike this morning was a Seaside Sparrow that two of us watched right up on top of the dike just before sunrise. After a few hours of not seeing any birds engaged in redirected morning flight, I headed over to Cape May Point State Park, where there are lots of birds on pretty much any given day. Highlights there over the last two days of relatively slow hawk migration have included: 3 Eurasian Collared-Doves, 2 Eurasian Wigeon, multiple Parasitic Jaegers, Hudsonian Godwits, Chimney Swifts, and lots more!
This Northern Pintail is one of MANY ducks using the freshwater system between Cape May Point and the Meadows (TNC Migratory Bird Refuge) right now.
This Northern Pintail is one of MANY ducks using the freshwater system between Cape May Point and the Meadows (TNC Migratory Bird Refuge) right now.
Avalon Seawatch - 19 October 2011
The seawatch today was very slow. Between the rain and fog, plus a lack of birds, it made for a long day. The highlights were 7 Brown Pelicans, 3 Parasitic Jaegers, and a White-winged Scoter and Northern Shoveler that were traveling together.
Northern Shoveler - 1
scaup sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 69
White-winged Scoter - 1
Black Scoter - 26
Common Loon - 1
Northern Gannet - 6
Brown Pelican - 7
Double-crested Cormorant -2
Great Cormorant - 1
Laughing Gull - 187
Ring-billed Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 36
Great Black-backed Gull - 58
Caspian Tern - 4
Forster's Tern - 6
Royal Tern - 37
Parasitic Jaeger - 3
Total - 451
Hawk watch Tuesday - October 18th 2011
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Hawk Watch Monday - October 17th 2011
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Weather:
Light NW winds shifting to SW late in the day. Mostly cloudy in the morning, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 17, 2011 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 5 | 29 | 44 |
| Turkey Vulture | 80 | 210 | 231 |
| Osprey | 44 | 1125 | 2472 |
| Bald Eagle | 12 | 171 | 296 |
| Northern Harrier | 41 | 305 | 476 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1184 | 7330 | 11001 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 187 | 1562 | 2046 |
| Northern Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 3 | 24 | 33 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 19 | 864 | 943 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 16 | 79 | 122 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| American Kestrel | 50 | 2721 | 4931 |
| Merlin | 36 | 642 | 1400 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 28 | 445 | 974 |
| 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 | 3 |
| Total: | 1705 | 15509 | 24973 |
| Observation start time: | 06:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 10 hours |
| Official Counter | Tom Magarian |
| Observers: |
Weather:
Light NW winds shifting to SW late in the day. Mostly cloudy in the morning, becoming partly cloudy in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
Report submitted by Tom Magarian ()
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at: http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Hawk Watch Wednesday October 19, 2011
Poor weather throughout the day made for a poor day of hawk counting with only 13 birds tallied. Thankfully, I had a few devoted birders to keep me company in between the bouts of rain.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 39
Turkey Vulture 0 130 151
Osprey 1 1082 2429
Bald Eagle 1 160 285
Northern Harrier 2 266 437
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 6148 9819
Cooper's Hawk 1 1376 1860
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 21 30
Broad-winged Hawk 0 845 924
Red-tailed Hawk 0 63 106
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 1
American Kestrel 0 2671 4881
Merlin 3 609 1367
Peregrine Falcon 3 420 949
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 3
Total: 13 13817 23281
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
The count was delayed a couple of hours today due to steady rainfall this
morning. We continued to see scattered showers throughout the day along
with moderate to heavy fog, variable East winds, and overcast skies.
Raptor Observations:
Quite the slow day with only 13 countable birds.
Non-raptor Observations:
8 Hudsonian Godwits, 8 Chimney Swifts, 30 Wilson's Snipe, 10 Pectoral
Sandpipers, 2 White-rumped Sandpipers, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, 1
Eurasian Wigeon, 1 Lesser Black-backed Gull, 2 Parasitic Jaegers, 3
Eurasian Collared-doves, 8 Great Blue Herons
Predictions:
Tomorrow's forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and very gusty winds from
the South-southwest.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Avalon Seawatch - October 18, 2011
Tuesday was yet another nice day at Avalon. However, there weren't a ton of birds on the move for the most part. The scoter drought continued for a sixth day, though I did see 3 White-winged Scoters moving north during the afternoon. The day's highlight was undoubtedly the American Coot that flew in and landed near the 8th Street jetty shortly after noon. A tally of 100 Great Blue Herons was nice, and Brown Pelicans put in their strongest showing of the season (45).
Totals:
Canada Goose - 10
Wood Duck - 21
Gadwall - 5
American Black Duck - 10
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 13
Lesser Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 9
aythya, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 70
Black Scoter - 41
dark-winged scoter - 14
Red-throated Loon - 2
Common Loon - 39
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 36
Brown Pelican - 45
Double-crested Cormorant - 1,866
Great Blue Heron - 100
Great Egret - 19
American Coot - 1 (ninth seawatch record)
Laughing Gull - 708
Ring-billed Gull - 17
Herring Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 12
Forster's Tern - 11
Royal Tern - 2
(Total = 3,079)
Totals:
Canada Goose - 10
Wood Duck - 21
Gadwall - 5
American Black Duck - 10
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 13
Lesser Scaup - 5
scaup, sp. - 9
aythya, sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 70
Black Scoter - 41
dark-winged scoter - 14
Red-throated Loon - 2
Common Loon - 39
Horned Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 36
Brown Pelican - 45
Double-crested Cormorant - 1,866
Great Blue Heron - 100
Great Egret - 19
American Coot - 1 (ninth seawatch record)
Laughing Gull - 708
Ring-billed Gull - 17
Herring Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 12
Forster's Tern - 11
Royal Tern - 2
(Total = 3,079)
18 October 2011 - Morning Flight
Today's morning flight was very nice. There was a steady procession of Yellow-rumped Warblers (600) and American Robins (500+), with some nice variety thrown in. Plenty of Blackpoll Warblers and a couple of close Black-throated Green Warblers and Northern Parulas provided some good warbler diversity, while Eastern Meadowlarks and a close Pine Siskin added a bit more sizzle. I'll post some photos from the morning later on (there was some very nice light!).
Avalon Seawatch - October 17, 2011
[Four Brown Pelicans taking the rare "inland route" past the Seawatch this morning. Photo by Doug Gochfeld; click to enlarge.]
It was a beautiful day at the Seawatch, and the flight wasn't half bad either. A strong early morning push of Laughing Gulls was gradually replaced by a small but steady procession of Double-crested Cormorants during the middle of the day. A total of 36 Gadwall was surprising, and represents a new single-day Seawatch record. Other highlights included an early morning flock of 7 Ruddy Ducks, one Lesser Black-backed Gull and four more Parasitic Jaegers. Special thanks go to Doug Gochfeld for his help with the count early this morning.
Totals:
Brant - 19
Canada Goose - 1
Gadwall - 36
Blue-winged Teal - 2
Northern Pintail - 10
Green-winged Teal - 12
Greater Scaup - 1
aythya, sp - 9
Surf Scoter - 27
dark-winged scoter - 16
Ruddy Duck - 7
Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 50
loon, sp - 1
Horned Grebe - 6
Northern Gannet - 112
Brown Pelican - 18
Double-crested Cormorant - 1,505
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 51
Great Egret - 3
Laughing Gull - 3,287
Ring-billed Gull - 34
Herring Gull - 17
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 18
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 23
Royal Tern - 39
Parasitic Jaeger - 4
(Total = 5,316)
Avalon Seawatch - October 16, 2011
Sunday was a mirror image of Saturday, minus the gusty west wind. Clear skies again presided over a generally lackluster flight, though it was not quite as painful as the day before. The season's first Horned Grebes were nice, as were a flock of 13 Gadwall (an uncommon migrant at Avalon) and six more Parasitic Jaegers. Laughing Gulls represented well, and Forster's Terns put in their best showing to date. Other "good" birds included a fly-by Red-headed Woodpecker and two American Avocets that were found by Sam Galick from the Townsend's Inlet bridge (not viewable from the seawatch).
Totals:
Canada Goose - 2
Wood Duck - 13
Gadwall - 13
American Wigeon - 26
American Black Duck - 6
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 3
Surf Scoter - 19
dark-winged scoter - 21
scoter sp - 6
Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 21
Horned Grebe - 7
Northern Gannet - 75
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 436
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 808
Ring-billed Gull - 13
Herring Gull - 3
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 17
Forster's Tern - 413
Royal Tern - 73
Parasitic Jaeger - 6
(Total = 1,997)
Totals:
Canada Goose - 2
Wood Duck - 13
Gadwall - 13
American Wigeon - 26
American Black Duck - 6
Northern Pintail - 4
Green-winged Teal - 3
Surf Scoter - 19
dark-winged scoter - 21
scoter sp - 6
Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 21
Horned Grebe - 7
Northern Gannet - 75
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 436
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 808
Ring-billed Gull - 13
Herring Gull - 3
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 17
Forster's Tern - 413
Royal Tern - 73
Parasitic Jaeger - 6
(Total = 1,997)
Hawk Watch Sunday October 16, 2011
A beautiful autumn day filled with migrating raptors. It doesn't get much better than that :)
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 39
Turkey Vulture 0 130 151
Osprey 39 1081 2428
Bald Eagle 15 159 284
Northern Harrier 10 264 435
Sharp-shinned Hawk 384 6146 9817
Cooper's Hawk 40 1375 1859
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 21 30
Broad-winged Hawk 1 845 924
Red-tailed Hawk 1 63 106
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 1
American Kestrel 174 2671 4881
Merlin 38 606 1364
Peregrine Falcon 15 417 946
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 3
Total: 717 13804 23268
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers: Tom Johnson, Vince Elia
Weather:
Much less wind today with minimal cloud coverage. The day started with
West winds, that turned sligtly North for about 2 hours, then back to West,
and eventually Southwest for the last 2 hours of the day.
Raptor Observations:
A very good day on the platform with over 700 birds counted. Sharp-shins
were the dominant species by far, but American Kestrels put on a nice late
push.
Non-raptor Observations:
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Hawk Watch Saturday October 15, 2011
Two words: very. windy.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 39
Turkey Vulture 0 130 151
Osprey 17 1042 2389
Bald Eagle 3 144 269
Northern Harrier 0 254 425
Sharp-shinned Hawk 59 5762 9433
Cooper's Hawk 11 1335 1819
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 21 30
Broad-winged Hawk 0 844 923
Red-tailed Hawk 0 62 105
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 1
American Kestrel 48 2497 4707
Merlin 27 568 1326
Peregrine Falcon 15 402 931
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 3
Total: 180 13087 22551
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
The day started off with clear skies and Southwest winds that shifted
slightly more West. Unfortunately, the winds were VERY strong all day.
Even though there was a decent movement of raptors going on, I wouldn't be
surprised if a lot of them went undetected because they were staying below
the treeline due to the crazy wind.
Raptor Observations:
Non-raptor Observations:
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Hawk Watch Friday October 14, 2011
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 14, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 39
Turkey Vulture 0 130 151
Osprey 5 1025 2372
Bald Eagle 1 141 266
Northern Harrier 1 254 425
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 5703 9374
Cooper's Hawk 0 1324 1808
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 21 30
Broad-winged Hawk 0 844 923
Red-tailed Hawk 0 62 105
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 1
American Kestrel 1 2449 4659
Merlin 3 541 1299
Peregrine Falcon 16 387 916
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 3
Total: 27 12907 22371
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
Variable South winds with scattered showers, wind, and heavy rain near the
end of the count.
Raptor Observations:
A slow day with just a smattering of birds moving through.
Non-raptor Observations:
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
16 October 2011 - Morning Flight
With strong west winds laying down the phragmites at Higbee Beach this morning, the songbird flight was sparse, low, and fast. About 100 Yellow-rumped Warblers and 25 Blackpoll Warblers flew out, along with smaller numbers of other species. Species highlights included Rusty Blackbird, Dickcissel, and Ovenbird (getting late).
Eastern Meadowlarks can be seen at Higbee now pretty much every day in small numbers.
Eastern Meadowlarks can be seen at Higbee now pretty much every day in small numbers.
Avalon Seawatch - October 15, 2011
A strong wind out of the west seemed to shut down most migration over sea on Saturday. A decent variety of dabbling ducks and the season's first Hooded Mergansers somehwat made up for the lack of volume.
Totals:
Snow Goose - 7
Brant - 3
Wood Duck - 14
American Wigeon - 15
American Black Duck - 37
Northern Shoveler - 5
Northern Pintail - 39
dabbling duck, sp. - 12
Green-winged Teal - 6
Greater Scaup - 1
Surf Scoter - 8
dark-winged scoter - 8
Hooded Merganser - 11
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Common Loon - 6
Northern Gannet - 87
Brown Pelican - 18
Double-crested Cormorant - 183
Laughing Gull - 144
Ring-billed Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 8
Forster's Tern - 14
Royal Tern - 68
(Total = 701)
Totals:
Snow Goose - 7
Brant - 3
Wood Duck - 14
American Wigeon - 15
American Black Duck - 37
Northern Shoveler - 5
Northern Pintail - 39
dabbling duck, sp. - 12
Green-winged Teal - 6
Greater Scaup - 1
Surf Scoter - 8
dark-winged scoter - 8
Hooded Merganser - 11
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Common Loon - 6
Northern Gannet - 87
Brown Pelican - 18
Double-crested Cormorant - 183
Laughing Gull - 144
Ring-billed Gull - 5
Herring Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 8
Forster's Tern - 14
Royal Tern - 68
(Total = 701)
Avalon Seawatch - October 14, 2011
Friday was extremely interesting at Avalon. A slow day overall was offset by a record-breaking flight of 37 Parasitic Jaegers; 27 during the morning alone. Other notables included a single Blue-winged Teal and the largest (yet) Northern Gannet flight of the young season.
Totals:
Brant - 25
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Surf Scoter - 54
Black Scoter - 8
Red-throated Loon - 2
Common Loon - 11
Northern Gannet - 307
Brown Pelican - 5
Double-crested Cormorant - 37
Laughing Gull - 457
Ring-billed Gull - 1
Herring Gull - 5
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 25
Royal Tern - 117
Black Skimmer - 1
Parasitic Jaeger - 37
(Total = 1,997)
Totals:
Brant - 25
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Surf Scoter - 54
Black Scoter - 8
Red-throated Loon - 2
Common Loon - 11
Northern Gannet - 307
Brown Pelican - 5
Double-crested Cormorant - 37
Laughing Gull - 457
Ring-billed Gull - 1
Herring Gull - 5
Great Black-backed Gull - 2
Common Tern - 2
Forster's Tern - 25
Royal Tern - 117
Black Skimmer - 1
Parasitic Jaeger - 37
(Total = 1,997)
Morning Flight - 14 October 2011
The morning flight was extremely slow this morning. There were a handful of Yellow-rumped Warblers and the one highlight being a single Cape May Warbler. Hopefully the change in weather this weekend will push birds back in to New Jersey and they will pass through the Point!
Seawatch
The seawatch has been good the last couple of days. The number of cormorants in the morning were decent, but overall it has still been slow.
10/12/2011
American Black Duck - 3
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 3
Surf Scoter - 747
White-winged Scoter - 1
Black Scoter - 343
dark winged scoter - 160
Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 35
Northern Gannet - 27
Brown Pelican - 9
Double-crested Cormorant - 1978
Laughing Gull - 619
Ring-billed Gull - 48
Herring Gull - 74
Great Black-backed Gull - 60
Royal Tern - 34
Parasitic Jaeger - 5
Total -2368
10/13/2011
Northern Pintail - 1
Surf Scoter - 89
Black Scoter - 27
dark winged scoter - 11
Red-throated Loon - 1
Common Loon - 25
Northern Gannet - 163
Brown Pelican - 38
Double-crested Cormorant - 4905
Laughing Gull - 489
Ring-billed Gull - 17
Herring Gull - 41
Great Black-backed Gull - 76
Caspian Tern - 1
Common Tern - 3
Forster's Tern - 12
Royal Tern - 107
Parasitic Jaeger - 14
Total - 6008
Hawk Watch Thursday October 13, 2011
A very, very, VERY slow day at the platform. As the point was blanketed in fog for the entire morning, we had virtually no raptor movement. The few visitors that did venture out had a fairly good chance of seeing a Merlin or Peregrine in the state park, but these birds were not on the move today; they were simply picking off some of the songbirds that were present.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 39
Turkey Vulture 0 130 151
Osprey 1 1020 2367
Bald Eagle 0 140 265
Northern Harrier 0 253 424
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 5703 9374
Cooper's Hawk 0 1324 1808
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 21 30
Broad-winged Hawk 0 844 923
Red-tailed Hawk 0 62 105
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 1
American Kestrel 0 2448 4658
Merlin 0 538 1296
Peregrine Falcon 0 371 900
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 3
Total: 1 12880 22344
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
The point was blanketed in heavy fog the entire morning. When the fog
finally eased up around 11:30 EST there was still light mist and poor
visibility the remainder of the day (except for the last half hour when the
sun finally came out, and we saw blue sky). There was a light to moderate
East wind for most of the day that eventually turned Southeast for the last
3 hours.
Raptor Observations:
Can you say slow? We only had 1 migrant today...a lone Osprey that powered
overhead.
Non-raptor Observations:
1 Chimney Swift, 1 Cattle Egret, 5 Common Loon, ~2000 Double-crested
Cormorant, 1 Common Eider, 1 Pine Warbler, 1 Prairie Warbler, ~50
Yellow-rumped Warbler, 2 White-crowned Sparrow, 2 Song Sparrow, 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet, 1 Caspian Tern, 6 Royal Tern, ~200 Tree Swallow, 1
Cliff Swallow, 1 Palm Warbler, 1 Eastern Phoebe, 1 Common Yellowthroat, 2
Forster's Tern, 1 Parasitic Jaeger, 4 Pied-billed Grebe, 1 Greater
Yellowlegs
Predictions:
It looks like tomorrow is going to be yet another slow day with South winds
and a chance of thunderstorms throughout the day.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/
Hawk Watch Wednesday October 12, 2011
It was quite the slow day with overcast skies, scattered showers, and strong East-northeast winds. Even though I only counted 25 migrants, the day wasn't a total bust since there were a few Merlins and Peregrines foraging pretty much the entire day. They helped keep me awake.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2011
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 24 39
Turkey Vulture 0 130 151
Osprey 6 1019 2366
Bald Eagle 1 140 265
Northern Harrier 2 253 424
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 5703 9374
Cooper's Hawk 1 1324 1808
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 21 30
Broad-winged Hawk 0 844 923
Red-tailed Hawk 0 62 105
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 1
American Kestrel 0 2448 4658
Merlin 6 538 1296
Peregrine Falcon 9 371 900
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 3
Total: 25 12879 22343
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
Observers:
Weather:
The count was delayed by 30 minutes due to heavy rain this morning, and
moderate to light rain continued until about 7:30 (STD). The rest of the
day saw East-northeast (eventually turning straight East for the last two
hours) and overcast skies.
Raptor Observations:
A very slow day for migrants but we were treatly to foraging Merlins and
Peregrines periodically throughout the day and an immature Red-tailed Hawk
that perched just feet away from the platform.
Non-raptor Observations:
4 Parasitic Jaegers, 4 Wilson's Snipe, 2 White-crowned Sparrows, 1
Orange-crowned Warbler, 3 Common Loons, 50 Royal Terns, 60 Forster's Terns,
4 Common Terns, 3 Pied-billed Grebes, 9 Northern Pintail, 1 Eurasian
Wigeon, 1 Cattle Egret, 1 Chimney Swift
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks even worse than today as the wind is supposed to shift to
the Southeast. Bad news for us.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Melissa Roach (roach.mc1@gmail.com)
Cape May Hawkwatch information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/