Cape May Hawk Watch - 28/29/30 October 2012

No counts were conducted on these days due to Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy.

Cape May Hawk Watch - 27 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 27, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             50             61
Turkey Vulture               0            305            362
Osprey                       6           1136           2706
Bald Eagle                   0            122            267
Northern Harrier             2            604            886
Sharp-shinned Hawk          35          11316          13950
Cooper's Hawk                2           2313           2828
Northern Goshawk             0              3              4
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             58             61
Broad-winged Hawk            0            450            666
Red-tailed Hawk              0            294            321
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             5           2647           5327
Merlin                       2           1189           1784
Peregrine Falcon             1            824           1137
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              2

Total:                      53          21312          30362
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        Alyssia Church, Cameron Rutt, Erin Lehnert, Libby Errickson

Weather:
Overcast, raw, winds from the ENE/NE at 10-20mph throughout. 

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:


Predictions:
Washout. 

Due to Superstorm Sandy, Saturday ended up being the last day of the 2012
season with the rest of our seasonal staff. Many, many thanks to each of
them for their assistance during the past two months:

Alyssia Church - George Myers Field Naturalist
Libby Errickson - Hawk Watch Interpretive Naturalist
Erin Lehnert - Hawk Watch Interpretive Naturalist
Cameron Rutt - Morning Flight primary counter 

Mourning Flight - 28-31 October 2012

In a very anticlimatic end to the season, Hurricane Sandy prematurely truncated the count, making 10/27 the final count day of 2012.  With the trajectory of this massive storm system, its projected wind and rainfall, as well as its severe flooding potential, the remaining count days were scraped, even though the dredge spoils at Higbee Beach are one of the highest perches around. 

Stay tuned, though, for some number-crunching and analyses in the aftermath of the 2012 Morning Flight season.  

Morning Flight - 27 October 2012

With East winds picking up in advance of Hurricane Sandy, today's morning flight was sparsely attended.  However, nothing seems to deter the robins (1312), which were aloft and moving about, heading both north (counted) and south (not counted).  The highlight of the morning was a single Blue-headed Vireo and Field Sparrow, both rare species detected taking part in morning flight here.    

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4
American Robin - 1312
American Pipit - 2
Cedar Waxwing - 104
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 113
Palm Warbler - 3
Blackpoll Warbler - 1
Field Sparrow - 1
Eastern Meadowlark - 2
Purple Finch - 16
Pine Siskin - 7

Total = 1567

Other highlights included the first scaup sp. (5) of the fall, American Oystercatcher (1), Northern Rough-winged Swallows (3), and Barn Swallow (1).  Thanks to a tip, I walked out to the end of the south jetty at the Cape May Canal and was pleased to find three Purple Sandpipers there (among the first returnees to Cape Island this fall). 

Morning Flight - 26 October 2012

Although variety was slim, Vince Elia once again counted American Robins (3080) flying in the thousands.  Otherwise, surprisingly few Yellow-rumped Warblers were registered in northbound morning flight.   

American Robin - 3080
Cedar Waxwing - 68
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 14
Purple Finch - 1
Pine Siskin - 7

Total = 3170

Avalon Seawatch, October 20 - 26, 2012

Week 5 results:

Snow Goose  2
Brant  173
Canada Goose  164
Wood Duck  220
Gadwall  2
American Wigeon  149
American Black Duck  218
Mallard 8 Mallard/Black Duck  70
Blue-winged Teal  3
Northern Shoveler  17
Northern Pintail  38
Green-winged Teal  4027
Ring-necked Duck  5
Greater Scaup  47
Lesser Scaup  58
Scaup sp.  37
Common Eider  3
Surf Scoter  54639
White-winged Scoter  36
Black Scoter  24550
Dk-wing Scoter  7540
Scoter sp.  915
Long-tailed Duck  1
Hooded Merganser  1
Red-breasted Merganser  49
Red-throated Loon  68
Common Loon  423
Northern Gannet  10705
Brown Pelican  209
Double-crested Cormorant  44034
Great Cormorant  9
Great Blue Heron  85
Laughing Gull  1228
Bonaparte's Gull  1
Ring-billed Gull  236
Herring Gull  290
Great Black-backed Gull  56
Black-legged Kittiwake  1
Caspian Tern  3
Common Tern  3
Forster's Tern  546
Royal Tern  46
Parasitic Jaeger  12

Total 150927

Cape May Hawk Watch - 26 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             50             61
Turkey Vulture               0            305            362
Osprey                      10           1130           2700
Bald Eagle                   1            122            267
Northern Harrier            10            602            884
Sharp-shinned Hawk          96          11281          13915
Cooper's Hawk               19           2311           2826
Northern Goshawk             0              3              4
Red-shouldered Hawk          2             58             61
Broad-winged Hawk            2            450            666
Red-tailed Hawk              1            294            321
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             2           2642           5322
Merlin                       7           1187           1782
Peregrine Falcon            14            823           1136
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              2

Total:                     164          21259          30309
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Mostly sunny and mild. Winds from the east for most of the day; generally
10-15mph.

Raptor Observations:
A bit more action than yesterday, but still not much moving on east winds. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Double-crested Cormorant (11,130-- 8,000+ during first hour), "dark-winged"
scoter (3000+), Northern Gannet (500+), Common Loon (20+), Barn Swallow
(10+), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (6+), Brown Pelican (4), Pine Siskin
(170), Lesser Scaup (1)

Predictions:
Mostly cloudy and staying mild, with winds from the east at 10-15mph. A
chance for showers during the afternoon.

Cape May Hawk Watch - 25 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             50             61
Turkey Vulture               0            305            362
Osprey                       8           1120           2690
Bald Eagle                   0            121            266
Northern Harrier            12            592            874
Sharp-shinned Hawk          18          11185          13819
Cooper's Hawk                4           2292           2807
Northern Goshawk             0              3              4
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             56             59
Broad-winged Hawk            0            448            664
Red-tailed Hawk              0            293            320
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             6           2640           5320
Merlin                      10           1180           1775
Peregrine Falcon             8            809           1122
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              2

Total:                      66          21095          30145
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Cool and overcast throughout. Winds from the east at 10-20mph. 

Raptor Observations:
Slow day on east winds.

Non-raptor Observations:
An excellent waterbird flight today was highlighted by: Black/Surf Scoter
(18,740), Double-crested Cormorant (5,170) and Northern Gannet (700+). 

Also-- Pine Siskin (250+), Purple Finch (6), Parasitic Jaeger (5+), Field
Sparrow (3), Barn Swallow (11), Lesser Black-backed Gull (1), Eurasian
Collared-Dove (1)

Predictions:
Partly sunny with continuing easterly winds.

Morning Flight - 25 October 2012

Today was yet another large songbird flight (14,761), bringing to a close a week of heavy flights (I have the day off tomorrow and do not plan on counting birds!).  More than 92,000 birds have been tallied in the past five days alone, nearly equaling the season total (~95,000) through 10/20.

It was another day with lots of robins (12,365) aloft - the peak count so far this fall.  Cedar Waxwings (489) staged another good flight, adding to their record total.  However, today's highlights were birds that flew singly: a late Black-and-white Warbler (the last one seen 10/17), the first Vesper Sparrow of the year here, and a Dickcissel (only the third this month).   

Northern Flicker - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 9
Eastern Bluebird - 2
American Robin - 12,365
American Pipit - 4
Cedar Waxwing - 489
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1649
Palm Warbler - 6
Blackpoll Warbler - 5
Black-and-white Warbler - 1
warbler sp. - 28
Chipping Sparrow - 8
Savannah Sparrow - 4
Vesper Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 5
Dickcissel - 1
Eastern Meadowlark - 5
Rusty Blackbird - 8
Purple Finch - 39
Pine Siskin - 131

Total = 14,761

Other highlights included 9 flyover Common Loons, an immature male Common Eider, hundreds of northbound scoters, 1 Greater Yellowlegs, an adult light-morph Parasitic Jaeger, and 4 Barn Swallows. 

Cape May Hawk Watch - 24 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                4             50             61
Turkey Vulture              26            305            362
Osprey                      21           1112           2682
Bald Eagle                   7            121            266
Northern Harrier            50            580            862
Sharp-shinned Hawk         308          11167          13801
Cooper's Hawk               89           2288           2803
Northern Goshawk             0              3              4
Red-shouldered Hawk          6             56             59
Broad-winged Hawk           39            448            664
Red-tailed Hawk              9            293            320
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            16           2634           5314
Merlin                      23           1170           1765
Peregrine Falcon            41            801           1114
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              2

Total:                     639          21029          30079
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Mild with variable cloudiness. Winds light and variable to start, becoming
W/NW by mid-morning and staying there until suddenly shifting to E at
10-15mph for the final two hours.

Raptor Observations:
A nice little flight during the late-morning and early-afternoon, perhaps
highlighted by yet another late Peregrine movement. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Vesper Sparrow (1), Red-headed Woodpecker (1), dark-winged scoter sp.
(15,000+ -- appeared to be mainly Surf), Double-crested Cormorant (1200+),
White-crowned Sparrow (3), American Robin (4500), Pine Siskin (180),
Eastern Bluebird (40+), Common Loon (~20), Barn Swallow (4), Blackpoll
Warbler (6), Indigo Bunting (1)

Predictions:
More clouds, cooler, east wind ~10mph

Morning Flight - 24 October 2012

Slowly, the large numbers of birds have continued to recede since Sunday's (10/21) big flight (40,000+).  Yellow-rumped Warblers (534), especially, continue their precipitous decline since the 31,000+ on 10/21. 

The flight today was dominated by robins (5776), but Cedar Waxwings (1235) staged their largest single-day movement of the year.  In fact, the past five days - with hundreds of waxwings each day - have pushed the 2012 season total (8898) well past the next best year (6774 in 2005).  The Morning Flight average is only 4141, less than half of this year's count.  So we can now add Cedar Waxwings to the growing list of birds (Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Red- and White-breasted Nuthatches, and Pine Siskins) that are having gargantuan autumns in Cape May.      

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 5
Northern Flicker - 2
Brown Creeper - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 83
White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Eastern Bluebird - 2
American Robin - 5776
American Pipit - 9
Cedar Waxwing - 1235
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 534
Palm Warbler - 6
Blackpoll Warbler - 2
warbler sp. - 19
Chipping Sparrow - 5
Savannah Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 7
Eastern Meadowlark - 4
Rusty Blackbird - 6
Purple Finch - 19
Pine Siskin - 41

Total = 7763

Other highlights included an immature Great Cormorant and the largest northbound flight of House Finches (180) this year. 

Cape May Hawk Watch - 23 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             46             57
Turkey Vulture              50            279            336
Osprey                      50           1091           2661
Bald Eagle                   2            114            259
Northern Harrier            20            530            812
Sharp-shinned Hawk         143          10859          13493
Cooper's Hawk               85           2199           2714
Northern Goshawk             1              3              4
Red-shouldered Hawk          9             50             53
Broad-winged Hawk           13            409            625
Red-tailed Hawk             42            284            311
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            27           2618           5298
Merlin                      13           1147           1742
Peregrine Falcon            13            760           1073
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              2

Total:                     468          20390          29440
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Pete Dunne

Observers:        

Weather:
Mild with increasing cloudiness. Winds from the SW/WSW during the morning,
becoming S then E during the afternoon.

Raptor Observations:


Non-raptor Observations:


Predictions:
Mostly cloudy, mild, light NW winds.

Cape May Hawk Watch - 22 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             46             57
Turkey Vulture               0            229            286
Osprey                      13           1041           2611
Bald Eagle                   4            112            257
Northern Harrier            63            510            792
Sharp-shinned Hawk         708          10716          13350
Cooper's Hawk              106           2114           2629
Northern Goshawk             2              2              3
Red-shouldered Hawk          4             41             44
Broad-winged Hawk           34            396            612
Red-tailed Hawk             85            242            269
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            32           2591           5271
Merlin                      23           1134           1729
Peregrine Falcon            21            747           1060
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              2

Total:                    1095          19922          28972
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Vince Elia

Observers:        

Weather:
Sunny, mild, W/NW winds throughout.

Raptor Observations:
A good AM flight, fading during the afternoon. Both Goshawks passed by
between 10am-12pm EDT. 

Non-raptor Observations:


Predictions:
Indian Summer continues, with light SW winds.

Morning Flight - 23 October 2012

Without the barrage of Yellow-rumped Warblers today, it almost felt slow at times, despite enumerating nearly 10,000 birds.  But American Robins (7836) picked up whatever warbler slack there was; there have now been over 24,000 robins in just the past three days alone. 

The winds slackened and it warmed up nicely today, which may have accounted for the reduced numbers of northbound nuthatches, kinglets, warblers, and finches.  However, waxwings (703), sparrows, and blackbirds flew in larger numbers than days past.  In fact, this was only the second waxwing flight in excess of 500 birds since 9/24.  Chipping Sparrows (18), Dark-eyed Juncos (37), Eastern Meadowlarks (42), and Rusty Blackbirds (84) all had their largest flights of the fall.     

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 6
Northern Flicker - 58
Eastern Phoebe - 5
Blue-headed Vireo - 2
Horned Lark - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 20
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 16
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 9
kinglet sp. - 5
Eastern Bluebird - 1
American Robin - 7836
American Pipit - 31
Cedar Waxwing - 703
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Tennessee/Nashville Warbler - 1
Northern Parula - 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 908
Palm Warbler - 23
Blackpoll Warbler - 4
warbler sp. - 68
Chipping Sparrow - 18
Savannah Sparrow - 8
Dark-eyed Junco - 37
sparrow sp. - 6
Eastern Meadowlark - 42
Rusty Blackbird - 84
Purple Finch - 20
Pine Siskin - 30

Total = 9950

The highlight of the day was a juvenile Northern Goshawk that briefly showed well before diving into the woods.  Other interesting sightings included the largest concentration of Killdeer (23) this fall and the best northbound flight of Mourning Doves (97) this season.   

Morning Flight - 22 October 2012

Today was day two of back-to-back big-time flights (60,000+ in the past two days!).  Although only a third as many Yellow-rumped Warblers (10,147) flew out as yesterday, the American Robin (8751) flight picked up steam.

Otherwise, season high counts were amassed for Golden-crowned Kinglet (62) and Dark-eyed Junco (22).  The other major news was yet another good finch flight today, continuing this fall's irruptive trend.  Today's 608 Pine Siskins was their third-highest flight this year, bringing the 2012 total up to 3566, which far exceeds the next best year (800 in 2010)!        

Northern Flicker - 59
Eastern Phoebe - 3
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 70
White-breasted Nuthatch - 7
Brown Creeper - 5
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 62
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 8
kinglet sp. - 3
American Robin - 8751
American Pipit - 17
Cedar Waxwing - 221
Northern Parula - 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 10,147
Palm Warbler - 31
Blackpoll Warbler - 9
warbler sp. - 213
Chipping Sparrow - 8
Savannah Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 22
Eastern Meadowlark - 8
Rusty Blackbird - 7
Purple Finch - 40
Pine Siskin - 608

Total = 20,305

Other highlights included a amelanistic Red-winged Blackbird (almost wholly white) and a good flight of American Goldfinches (564).  Finally, compared to a large flight of House Finches (~1500 per Michael O'Brien) at the Cape May Point, only 32 were in northbound flight at Higbee Beach.   

Morning Flight - 21 October 2012

Today's flight was huge.  Yellow-rumped Warblers (31,117) and American Robins (7625) flew en masse today, filling the eastern sky for the first two hours (a combined ~24,000 in just the first hour after sunrise alone!).  In fact, more Yellow-rumped Warblers and American Robins flew today than had cumulatively flown all season.

Despite the mass exodus of birds, most observers agreed that today's clear highlight was the White-breasted Nuthatch (22) flight.  Even though Red-breasted Nuthatches (105) made a good showing, they only outnumbered White-breasted Nuthatches about 5:1.  The White-breasted Nuthatch flight was so engaging that a small cadre of observers lingered into the afternoon today in hopes of tacking on yet another bird.  But try as we might, we fell one short of the all-time Cape May record (23), tallied on 18 October 2010.  However, today's surge was enough to push the season total to 54, eclipsing the prior season record (52) set in 2010.  These two standout White-breasted Nuthatch years are leaps-and-bounds above the other Morning Flight years, which total only 38 birds during eight entire seasons.  The Birds of Cape May (Sibley 1997) states that the previous high count (13+) occurred on 30 September 1995.

Today's passage included the first triple-digit Northern Flicker (136) flight since 10/7, a good movement of Eastern Phoebes (20), ten species of warblers (!), the 3000th (!) Red-breasted Nuthatch of 2012 (season total now up to 3069), and the best Chipping Sparrow (16) flight of the season.          

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 136
Eastern Phoebe - 20
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 105
White-breasted Nuthatch - 22
Brown Creeper - 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 27
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 17
kinglet sp. - 4
American Robin - 7625
American Pipit - 3
Cedar Waxwing - 191
Tennessee Warbler - 3
Nashville Warbler - 2
Tennessee/Nashville Warbler - 4
Northern Parula - 5
Magnolia Warbler - 1
Cape May Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 31,117
Pine Warbler - 2
Palm Warbler - 33
Blackpoll Warbler - 11
Common Yellowthroat - 1
warbler sp. - 335
Chipping Sparrow - 16
Clay-colored Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 4
Eastern Meadowlark - 10
Purple Finch - 68
Pine Siskin - 271

Total = 40,044

Lastly, a huge thanks to Ramsay Koury for tabulating the Yellow-rumped Warblers on the bayshore flight line throughout the morning.  

Cape May Hawk Watch - 21 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             46             57
Turkey Vulture              42            229            286
Osprey                      16           1028           2598
Bald Eagle                   6            108            253
Northern Harrier            49            447            729
Sharp-shinned Hawk         714          10008          12642
Cooper's Hawk              195           2008           2523
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          9             37             40
Broad-winged Hawk           17            362            578
Red-tailed Hawk             24            157            184
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            46           2559           5239
Merlin                      31           1111           1706
Peregrine Falcon            24            726           1039
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              2

Total:                    1173          18827          27877
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:30:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Seasonably mild with sunny skies throughout. Winds from the W/WNW/NW all
day; 10-15mph in the morning, 5-10mph in the afternoon.

Raptor Observations:
A decent but challenging day, with many flight lines and no clouds from
start to finish. Things didn't really get rolling until mid-morning, with
accipiters being the main attraction along with a trickle of falcons-
highlighted by another 24 Peregrines. A nice Harrier flight included 5
adult males. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Red Crossbill (1- male Type 3, westbound at 12:15pm), Cattle Egret (5),
Tennessee Warbler (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (10,000+), American Robin
(7,000+), Pine Siskin (200+), Lincoln's Sparrow (1), Barn Swallow (8),
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (10+), Purple Finch (20), House Finch (125
migrants), Ring-necked Duck (1), Northern Gannet (500+), Eastern Meadowlark
(~10), Rusty Blackbird (5+) 

Predictions:
Sunny, mild, light west wind.

Cape May Hawk Watch - 20 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                4             46             57
Turkey Vulture              11            187            244
Osprey                      14           1012           2582
Bald Eagle                   4            102            247
Northern Harrier            25            398            680
Sharp-shinned Hawk         460           9294          11928
Cooper's Hawk              195           1813           2328
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             28             31
Broad-winged Hawk            4            345            561
Red-tailed Hawk              7            133            160
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            36           2513           5193
Merlin                      38           1080           1675
Peregrine Falcon            48            702           1015
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              2

Total:                     849          17654          26704
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Mild and sunny. Winds from the WSW to start, quickly shifting to W and then
NW/WNW for the afternoon hours.

Raptor Observations:
A high flight, though not in outer space, with biggest numbers during the
PM hours. A surprisingly good afternoon Peregrine flight.

Non-raptor Observations:
American Robin (~4000), Yellow-rumped Warbler (~500), Parasitic Jaeger (1),
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (10+), Pine Siskin (20), Caspian Tern (2)

Predictions:
Sunny, seasonable, winds NW 5-10

Morning Flight - 20 October 2012

Today's flight was overwhelmingly dominated by American Robins (3763), most of which flew far to the East.  After only 1469 robins all season, today's count was the first time in quadruple digits.  It was also a good later-season flight for birds that like to fly with robins, namely Cedar Waxwings (376), but six Eastern Bluebirds also joined the affair. 

Sadly, warbler diversity (four species) is slowly dwindling down to just a few species now.     

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 14
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
Northern Flicker - 3
Eastern Phoebe - 2
Horned Lark - 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 32
White-breasted Nuthatch - 2
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Eastern Bluebird - 6
American Robin - 3763
American Pipit - 2
Cedar Waxwing - 376
Northern Parula - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 318
Palm Warbler - 5
Blackpoll Warbler - 12
warbler sp. - 58
Savannah Sparrow - 3
Eastern Meadowlark - 6

Total = 4607

Other highlights included an immature Great Cormorant and a calling Rose-breasted Grosbeak from somewhere within Higbee Beach. 

Morning Flight - 19 October 2012

Although geese are not uncommon at Morning Flight, today was the season's first goose egg.  Following two really great Cape May Fridays (coincidentally, my day off), today's anti-flight snapped that much-appreciated trend.  Early morning rains conspired to limit observation time at Higbee Beach and those rain-free episodes did not offer any countable birds... 

Total = 0

Avalon Seawatch, October 13 - 19, 2012

Week 4 results:

Snow Goose  8
Brant  613
Canada Goose  52
Wood Duck  24
American Wigeon  36
American Black Duck  112
Mallard  4
Northern Pintail  210
Green-winged Teal  824
Greater Scaup  10
Lesser Scaup  4
Scaup sp.  8
Common Eider  4
Surf Scoter  14294
White-winged Scoter  12
Black Scoter  13404
Dk-wing Scoter  6149
Red-breasted Merganser  14
Red-throated Loon  27
Common Loon  105
Northern Gannet  4007
Brown Pelican  94
Double-crested Cormorant  18725
Great Cormorant  8
Great Blue Heron  19
Great Egret  53
Snowy Egret  12
Laughing Gull  3622
Ring-billed Gull  118
Herring Gull  108
Great Black-backed Gull  168
Caspian Tern  8
Common Tern  19
Forster's Tern  624
Royal Tern  155
Parasitic Jaeger  17

Total 63671

Cape May Hawk Watch - 19 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             42             53
Turkey Vulture               0            176            233
Osprey                       4            998           2568
Bald Eagle                   0             98            243
Northern Harrier             1            373            655
Sharp-shinned Hawk           7           8834          11468
Cooper's Hawk                1           1618           2133
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             25             28
Broad-winged Hawk            0            341            557
Red-tailed Hawk              0            126            153
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             1           2477           5157
Merlin                       1           1042           1637
Peregrine Falcon             6            654            967
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              2

Total:                      21          16805          25855
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.75 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
A mixed bag of weather through the day. Moderate/heavy rain to start, with
overcast conditions continuing for the morning hours. Some sun during the
afternoon, with fog (<2km visibility) increasing during the final hour of
the day. Winds 10-20mph throughout, with occasional gusts to 25+; SSE/S all
day.

Raptor Observations:
Zzzzzzzz

Non-raptor Observations:
Bobolink (1), Northern Gannet (1,273), Brown Pelican (19+), Double-crested
Cormorant (400+), Parasitic Jaeger (3), Northern Rough-winged Swallow
(10+), Red-throated Loon (2), Common Loon (6)

Predictions:
Sunny; west wind around 10mph.

Cape May Hawk Watch - 18 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 18, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             42             53
Turkey Vulture               0            176            233
Osprey                       8            994           2564
Bald Eagle                   2             98            243
Northern Harrier             5            372            654
Sharp-shinned Hawk          98           8827          11461
Cooper's Hawk               21           1617           2132
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             25             28
Broad-winged Hawk            0            341            557
Red-tailed Hawk              0            126            153
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             8           2476           5156
Merlin                       4           1041           1636
Peregrine Falcon             7            648            961
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              2

Total:                     153          16784          25834
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
A mild and clear start, with increasing wind and clouds for the afternoon.
Winds started from the SSE, shifting to SE by late-morning and ESE by
mid-afternoon. Cloud cover increased quickly during the mid-afternoon, with
overcast conditions by day's end and scattered light showers. 

Raptor Observations:
A quiet day. A handful of Peregrines and one ad. male NOHA served as
highlights. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Common Gallinule (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1,740), American Goldfinch
(230), House Finch (70+ migrants), Brown Pelican (14), Double-crested
Cormorant (2,037- clicked by AC), American Pipit (14), Yellow-bellied
Sapsucker (2), White-breasted Nuthatch (2), Parasitic Jaeger (5), Northern
Gannet (~70), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (15+)

Predictions:
Winds from the south; showers/t-storms. 

Morning Flight - 18 October 2012

Things slowed down once again as it was time to leave those long johns at home.  Like yesterday, larger numbers of birds were seen heading south with relatively few birds in northbound flight.  The highlight of the morning was a single Eastern Bluebird that called as it flew overhead, the first of the season at Morning Flight.   

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 6
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 1
Northern Flicker - 19
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
Eastern Bluebird - 1
American Robin - 127
American Pipit - 4
Cedar Waxwing - 8
Nashville Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 192
Palm Warbler - 3
Blackpoll Warbler - 4
warbler sp. - 17
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Eastern Meadowlark - 22
Purple Finch - 10
Pine Siskin - 8

Total = 429

Cape May Hawk Watch - 17 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 17, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture               19             42             53
Turkey Vulture              13            176            233
Osprey                      18            986           2556
Bald Eagle                   7             96            241
Northern Harrier            47            367            649
Sharp-shinned Hawk         487           8729          11363
Cooper's Hawk              169           1596           2111
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk         13             25             28
Broad-winged Hawk           30            341            557
Red-tailed Hawk             34            126            153
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            38           2468           5148
Merlin                       9           1037           1632
Peregrine Falcon            23            641            954
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              2

Total:                     907          16631          25681
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:30:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Seasonable and lightly overcast throughout. Winds calm to start; started
light out of the W/WNW during the late-morning and stayed there until
shifting to SSE during the late-afternoon. 

Raptor Observations:
A fair flight on light W winds, helped by a great sky. We were unable to
connect with a SWHA reported nearby during the afternoon.

Non-raptor Observations:
A very good southbound songbird flight during the first couple hours of
daylight, including: Lark Sparrow (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (25,000+),
American Robin (10,000+), Cedar Waxwing (400), Red-winged Blackbird
(1,500), Blackpoll Warbler (20+), Red-breasted Nuthatch (100+),
White-breasted Nuthatch (3), Blackpoll Warbler (20+), Black-throated Blue
Warbler (2)

Also: Cattle Egret (1), Tricolored Heron (1), Great Cormorant (2),
Double-crested Cormorant (2,000), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (12),
Chimney Swift (3)

Predictions:
Mostly sunny, warmer, SE winds. 

Cape May Hawk Watch - 16 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture               10             23             34
Turkey Vulture              35            163            220
Osprey                      30            968           2538
Bald Eagle                  18             89            234
Northern Harrier            24            320            602
Sharp-shinned Hawk         860           8242          10876
Cooper's Hawk              122           1427           1942
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             12             15
Broad-winged Hawk           11            311            527
Red-tailed Hawk             41             92            119
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           366           2430           5110
Merlin                     150           1028           1623
Peregrine Falcon            12            618            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              2

Total:                    1682          15724          24774
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 
Total observation time: 11 hours

Official Counter:        Pete Dunne

Morning Flight - 17 October 2012

Winds were light and variable this morning, and at times it was dead calm.  This lead to a large southbound flight of birds, with lots of American Robins and Yellow-rumped Warblers heading towards Cape May Point.  Michael O'Brien reported a massive flight of high Yellow-rumped Warblers heading out across the Delaware Bay.  However, at Higbee Beach, I only count the northbound flight, which was only a fraction of the magnitude of the southbound flight.  Nonetheless, today's flight was still very diverse and thoroughly enjoyable.  Aside from a major reduction in Blackpoll and Yellow-rumped Warbler numbers, today's warbler flight was oddly similar to yesterday's, with eight species seen (ten yesterday).

Woodpeckers returned today and flew in small numbers, nuthatches and kinglets made another fantastic showing, while finch numbers were significantly reduced.  My personal highlight, though, aside from a flyby Blue-headed Vireo and a late Black-and-white Warbler, was a steady trickle of Brown Creepers (12).  Not a particularly strong or confident flier, these birds pass by singly or in spaced pairs very low over the Phragmites.  Brown Creepers are not quite annual at Morning Flight (with season misses during 2003, 2007, and 2009).  Only 66 individuals have been tallied all-time (2003-2011) at Morning Flight, and the season average is just 7 birds/year.  Thus, this season's 27 Brown Creepers, second only to 38 in 2011, already comprises a great flight.            

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 8
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 3
Northern Flicker - 7
Eastern Phoebe - 5
Blue-headed Vireo - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 258
White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Brown Creeper - 12
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 41
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 5
kinglet sp. - 3
Horned Lark - 1
Catharus sp. - 1
American Robin - 87
American Pipit - 32
Cedar Waxwing - 91
Nashville Warbler - 4
Northern Parula - 4
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1040
Black-throated Green Warbler - 1
Palm Warbler - 17
Blackpoll Warbler - 23
Black-and-white Warbler - 1
warbler sp. - 148
Chipping Sparrow - 3
Savannah Sparrow - 9
Dark-eyed Junco - 7
Eastern Meadowlark - 31
Purple Finch - 5
Pine Siskin - 25

Total = 1882

Other highlights today included a single Caspian Tern.

Morning Flight - 16 October 2012

This year's second five-digit flight was overwhelmingly a one-man show: Yellow-rumped Warblers (11,889) broke 10,000 for the first time this year, flying solidly throughout the morning.  And with the exception of Blackpoll Warbler (114), which staged another impressive late-season flight, very few other warblers joined the mass exodus, despite recording ten warbler species.  I was particularly surprised by the dearth of Northern Parulas (3) and Palm Warbles (15; both species that flew in triple-digits on 10/11); perhaps the strong, gusty Northwest winds culled out these weaker fliers.  It has been an exceptional year for Blackpoll Warblers at Morning Flight, with a cumulative season total of 2374, well above the season average (1462) and the best yearly count to date.   

Interestingly, aside from a local Downy Woodpecker or two, I didn't even see another woodpecker in 4+ hours this morning.  Virtually the only other birds taking on the wind were nuthatches and finches, with another good Purple Finch (68) flight today.  

Eastern Phoebe - 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 43
White-breasted Nuthatch - 4
Brown Creeper - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
American Robin - 60
American Pipit - 8
Cedar Waxwing - 25
Tennessee Warbler - 3
Nashville Warbler - 6
Northern Parula - 3
Cape May Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 11,889
Black-throated Green Warbler - 1
Palm Warbler - 15
Blackpoll Warbler - 114
American Redstart - 1
warbler sp. - 1311
Chipping Sparrow - 2
White-throated Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Eastern Meadowlark - 3
Purple Finch - 68
Pine Siskin - 226

Total = 13,795

White-breasted Nuthatch (Photo by Doug Gochfeld)

Cape May Hawk Watch - 15 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             13             24
Turkey Vulture               0            128            185
Osprey                       2            938           2508
Bald Eagle                   0             71            216
Northern Harrier             2            296            578
Sharp-shinned Hawk           6           7382          10016
Cooper's Hawk                2           1305           1820
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              9             12
Broad-winged Hawk            0            300            516
Red-tailed Hawk              0             51             78
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             1           2064           4744
Merlin                       5            878           1473
Peregrine Falcon            13            606            919
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              2

Total:                      31          14042          23092
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 15:30:00 
Total observation time: 9.33 hours

Official Counter:        Vince Elia

Observers:        

Weather:
Mild and overcast. Winds from the SSW throughout. Some rain at the end of
the day.

Raptor Observations:
Very quiet.

Non-raptor Observations:


Predictions:
Cooler with NW winds.

Morning Flight - 15 October 2012

Northbound songbirds were few-and-far-between this morning, with a daily total reminiscent of those dog-days of summer/early fall.  Of the mere three species catalogued, the highlight was easily the first Horned Larks for me at Morning Flight (after yesterday's first of the fall for me on Cape Island).  Horned Larks are a rare flyover at Morning Flight, with an average of only four birds/year.  In fact, this species isn't even annual, with misses for all of the 2007, 2008, and 2011 seasons.

Horned Lark - 2
American Robin - 22
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 43
warbler sp. - 5

Total = 72

With so few birds to quantify, I was able to do a bit more cogitating: 

The number of Yellow-rumped Warblers has fluctuated widely over the past nine years at Morning Flight (2003 - 2011).  Season counts vary from as many as 267,000 to as few as 36,000; although the mean is 109,000 birds/year, the median is much lower (65,000).  Thus, it seems that Yellow-rumped Warblers - by far the most numerous warbler migrant at Cape May - exhibit a quasi-bimodal distribution, with either >150,000 individuals or 35-40,000 birds/year.  It remains to be seen which category, if either, 2012 will be.     

Additionally, there turned out to be a nice flight of waterbirds, including my largest southbound scoter flight of the fall:

Common Loon - 3
Black Scoter - 153
Surf Scoter - 24
Common Tern - 7
Parasitic Jaeger - 2 (both light-morph adults)

Cape May Hawk Watch - 14 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 14, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             13             24
Turkey Vulture               0            128            185
Osprey                       6            936           2506
Bald Eagle                   0             71            216
Northern Harrier             8            294            576
Sharp-shinned Hawk         121           7376          10010
Cooper's Hawk               39           1303           1818
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              9             12
Broad-winged Hawk            0            300            516
Red-tailed Hawk              0             51             78
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             7           2063           4743
Merlin                       4            873           1468
Peregrine Falcon            12            593            906
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              2

Total:                     197          14011          23061
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Seasonably mild and sunny throughout. Moderate winds from the S/SSW/SW
throughout.

Raptor Observations:
A quiet day. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Laughing Gull (6200- migrating during a two-hour window during the
afternoon), Dickcissel (1), American Goldfinch (170+), Forster's Tern
(600+), Rusty Blackbird (4), Parasitic Jaeger (2)

Predictions:
Showers, with S winds.

Morning Flight - 14 October 2012

The winds shifted so that today contained a good southerly component, effectively shutting down any sort of northbound flight.  Nonetheless, I nearly achieved one of my season goals today when a Brown Creeper attempted to land on my leg.  It decided better of it and scrambled momentarily to find purchase on my tripod before giving up, turning around completely, and heading back to the safety of legitimate vertical substrates.  Otherwise, today's highlight was a second-straight morning with a nice Eastern Meadowlark (35) flight, including a flock of 19 birds.    

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 3
Northern Flicker - 17
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 17
Brown Creeper - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 6
American Robin - 52
American Pipit - 5
Northern Parula - 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 68
Palm Warbler - 1
Blackpoll Warbler - 1
warbler sp. - 8
Chipping Sparrow - 1
Eastern Meadowlark - 35
Purple Finch - 1

Total = 219

Cape May Hawk Watch - 13 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             13             24
Turkey Vulture              29            128            185
Osprey                      20            930           2500
Bald Eagle                   5             71            216
Northern Harrier            41            286            568
Sharp-shinned Hawk         383           7255           9889
Cooper's Hawk               51           1264           1779
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          1              9             12
Broad-winged Hawk            6            300            516
Red-tailed Hawk              6             51             78
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             6           2056           4736
Merlin                       7            869           1464
Peregrine Falcon             0            581            894
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              2

Total:                     555          13814          22864
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        Alyssia Church, Vince Elia

Weather:
Sunny and cool; our coldest morning of the season to date. Winds from the N
to start, shifting to NE by mid-morning and ESE by noon. 

Raptor Observations:
An early exodus of SSHA, followed by a mainly slow day as the winds became
less favorable. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Our Big Sit effort tallied about 133 species.

Clay-colored Sparrow (1), White-winged Scoter (1), Red-throated Loon (2),
Barn Owl (1), Marsh Wren (1), Red-headed Woodpecker (1), White-breasted
Nuthatch (4+)

Predictions:
Warmer with a 10-20mph S wind

Morning Flight - 13 October 2012

Oddly, today's flight (2023 birds) ended with a virtually identical total to yesterday's (2026 birds).  However, the composition of the flight was considerably different.  For the first time this year, American Robins (637) broke triple-digits, at last announcing their arrival.  Yellow-rumped Warblers (701) flew in only modest numbers, despite the passage of a chilling cold front and north winds.  Another large flight of White-breasted Nuthatches (7) was registered, making a total of 22 for the year (already the second-highest season total, well above the average of 9).  The other highlight, aside from a nifty flight of predominantly Golden-crowned Kinglets (30), was a flock of 23 Eastern Meadowlarks (among the season high count of 32 birds).    

Yellow-billed Cuckoo - 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker - 2
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 8
Northern Flicker - 23
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 133
White-breasted Nuthatch - 7
Brown Creeper - 3
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 30
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 4
kinglet sp. - 3
American Robin - 637
American Pipit - 2
Cedar Waxwing - 80
Tennessee Warbler - 1
Northern Parula - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 701
Palm Warbler - 20
Blackpoll Warbler - 7
warbler sp. - 255
Chipping Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 2
Dark-eyed Junco - 13
Eastern Meadowlark - 32
Rusty Blackbird - 4
Purple Finch - 16
Pine Siskin - 33

Total = 2023

Morning Flight - 12 October 2012

Another relatively diverse warbler flight (10 species) featured a late American Redstart, Ovenbird, and Northern Waterthrush.  Otherwise, a large Pine Siskin flight - perhaps 1000 birds strong - was unfortunately southbound; in comparison, only a few dozen siskins were observed in northbound flight. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 2
Northern Flicker - 19
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 13
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 1
American Robin - 89
Cedar Waxwing - 80
Nashville Warbler - 3
Northern Parula - 11
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 4
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 1370
Black-throated Green Warbler - 3
Palm Warbler - 9
Blackpoll Warbler - 19
American Redstart - 1
Ovenbird - 1
Northern Waterthrush - 1
warbler sp. - 354
Indigo Bunting - 2
Rusty Blackbird - 1
Purple Finch - 3
Pine Siskin - 39

Total = 2026

Avalon Seawatch, October 6 - 12, 2012

Week 3 results:

Brant  286
Canada Goose  98
Wood Duck  11
American Wigeon  3
American Black Duck  153
Blue-winged Teal  1
Northern Pintail  854
Green-winged Teal  85
Greater Scaup  5
Common Eider  3
Surf Scoter  322
White-winged Scoter  1
Black Scoter  458
Dk-wing Scoter  347
Scoter sp.  40
Red-throated Loon  1
Common Loon  74
Northern Gannet  415
Brown Pelican  13
Double-crested Cormorant  15131
Great Cormorant  1
Great Blue Heron  155
Great Egret  62
Snowy Egret  1
Laughing Gull  2372
Ring-billed Gull  53
Herring Gull  232
Great Black-backed Gull  287
Caspian Tern  4
Common Tern  128
Forster's Tern  247
Royal Tern  37
Black Skimmer  1
Parasitic Jaeger  3

Total  21884

Cape May Hawk Watch - 12 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                8             13             24
Turkey Vulture              23             99            156
Osprey                      45            910           2480
Bald Eagle                   8             66            211
Northern Harrier            37            245            527
Sharp-shinned Hawk        1847           6872           9506
Cooper's Hawk              324           1213           1728
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              8             11
Broad-winged Hawk           37            294            510
Red-tailed Hawk              6             45             72
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel          1003           2050           4730
Merlin                     442            862           1457
Peregrine Falcon             9            581            894
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              2

Total:                    3789          13259          22309
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:45:00 
Observation end   time: 17:30:00 
Total observation time: 11.83 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Cool and sunny, with increasing clouds by evening. Winds from the SW to
start, shifting to WNW by mid-morning and holding there until evening
(ended at NNW/N). 

Raptor Observations:
A great flight, highlighted by SSHA throughout (heaviest midday/early PM)
and small falcons late. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Red Crossbill (1), Pine Siskin (1000+), Clay-colored Sparrow (1),
Dickcissel (1), Rusty Blackbird (10), Surf Scoter (2 on Bunker Pond),
Parasitic Jaeger (2), Cliff Swallow (2), Cape May Warbler (1), Ring-necked
Duck (1), Pectoral Sandpiper (18)

Predictions:
Sunny; light N wind becoming SE.

Cape May Hawk Watch - 11 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 11, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                5              5             16
Turkey Vulture              44             76            133
Osprey                      85            865           2435
Bald Eagle                  11             58            203
Northern Harrier            42            208            490
Sharp-shinned Hawk        2631           5025           7659
Cooper's Hawk              155            889           1404
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          2              8             11
Broad-winged Hawk           66            257            473
Red-tailed Hawk             17             39             66
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           146           1047           3727
Merlin                      35            420           1015
Peregrine Falcon             9            572            885
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              2

Total:                    3248           9470          18520
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:45:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.33 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Sunny throughout, with winds shifting from NNW to NW to W through the day.
Winds were around 15-20mph to start, but decreased through the day, ending
at <5mph. 

Raptor Observations:
A good flight of SSHA, largely during the morning hours. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Pine Siskin (400+), Clay-colored Sparrow (1), White-crowned Sparrow (5),
Rusty Blackbird (6), Eastern Meadowlark (6), Solitary Sandpiper (1),
Pectoral Sandpiper (5)

Predictions:
Sunny with NW winds again.

Morning Flight - 11 October 2012


Strong northwest winds this morning and a surge of Sharp-shinned Hawks did not deter the warblers.  What started as a fairly diverse warbler flight (14 species) with Blackpoll Warblers (219) predominating, gave way to a great  mid-morning passage of Yellow-rumped Warblers (4852).  This marks only the fourth time this year that Blackpoll Warblers have crested triple-digits, and the first time since 9/29 - a great flight for this relatively late date.  And like the large warbler flight on 10/9, few woodpeckers and nuthatches were aloft today.  However, the finches more than compensated with the second-largest Pine Siskin (697) flight and largest Purple Finch (78) flight of the year.  Today's Purple Finches outnumbered the sum from the rest of the fall and we've now amassed 2356 Pine Siskins for the year!

The past seven days have featured a heavy volume of birds over Higbee Beach.  In fact, since 10/5, more than 37,000 birds have been registered in morning flight!

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 4
Northern Flicker - 44
Red-eyed Vireo - 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 29
White-breasted Nuthatch - 1
Brown Creeper - 2
kinglet sp. - 2
American Robin - 37
Cedar Waxwing - 53
Tennessee Warbler - 7
Nashville Warbler - 5
Northern Parula - 101
Yellow Warbler - 1
Magnolia Warbler - 2
Cape May Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 22
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 4852
Black-throated Green Warbler - 2
Palm Warbler - 124
Blackpoll Warbler - 219
Black-and-white Warbler - 1
American Redstart - 5
Northern Waterthrush - 2
warbler sp. - 2426
Chipping Sparrow - 2
Savannah Sparrow - 10
Indigo Bunting - 8
Rusty Blackbird - 2
Purple Finch - 78
Pine Siskin - 697

Total = 8733

Other highlights included a Solitary Sandpiper, a massive flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks (perhaps 1000+), and 3 Northern Rough-winged Swallows.  A personal highlight for me was a Brown Creeper that briefly alighted on Nick Pulcinella's pant leg!

Cape May Hawk Watch - 10 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 10, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             11
Turkey Vulture               9             32             89
Osprey                      95            780           2350
Bald Eagle                   4             47            192
Northern Harrier             9            166            448
Sharp-shinned Hawk         663           2394           5028
Cooper's Hawk               80            734           1249
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          2              6              9
Broad-winged Hawk           15            191            407
Red-tailed Hawk              4             22             49
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           164            901           3581
Merlin                     102            385            980
Peregrine Falcon            70            563            876
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              2

Total:                    1217           6222          15272
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Seasonable with decreasing clouds through the day. Winds from the W at
5-10mph, increasing to 10-15mph in the afternoon. 

Raptor Observations:
An afternoon-heavy flight, featuring a steady trickle of SSHA and a light
falcon movement.

Non-raptor Observations:
Sadly, no Wheatear today.

Dickcissel (2), Clay-colored Sparrow (1), White-crowned Sparrow (7), Rusty
Blackbird (7), Solitary Sandpiper (1), Cliff Swallow (1), Lesser
Black-backed Gull (1), Parasitic Jaeger (2)

Predictions:
Sunny and cool, with a ~10mph NW wind.

Cape May Hawk Watch - 9 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 09, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             11
Turkey Vulture               0             23             80
Osprey                      61            685           2255
Bald Eagle                  13             43            188
Northern Harrier            11            157            439
Sharp-shinned Hawk         182           1731           4365
Cooper's Hawk              123            654           1169
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              4              7
Broad-winged Hawk            5            176            392
Red-tailed Hawk              6             18             45
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            82            737           3417
Merlin                      37            283            878
Peregrine Falcon            24            493            806
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              2

Total:                     544           5005          14055
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Pete Dunne

Morning Flight - 10 October 2012

Recent mornings have kept me guessing about whether or not a large flight will materialize.  Despite west winds and heavy nocturnal flight calls over Cape May Point last night, this morning's flight was relatively light compared to counts during the past week.  The highlight was the season high count for Eastern Meadowlarks (9), which included a flock of 8 birds.   

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 7
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 5
Northern Flicker - 21
Eastern Phoebe - 1
Red-eyed Vireo - 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 7
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
American Robin - 48
American Pipit - 9
Northern Parula - 11
Yellow Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 347
Palm Warbler - 33
Blackpoll Warbler - 13
warbler sp. - 69
Savannah Sparrow - 6
Indigo Bunting - 5
Eastern Meadowlark - 9
Rusty Blackbird - 3
Purple Finch - 1
Pine Siskin - 48

Total = 649

A graphical representation of Eastern Meadowlarks tallied at Morning Flight over the past decade (2003- 2012, with data incomplete for the current year).  Although a relatively short timespan in the grand scheme of things, this declining species has noticeably tailed off in just the past five years here.  The average for the first five years (2003 - 2007) of the count was 411 individuals, but dropped to an average of only 111 birds in the past four years (2008 - 2011). 

Cape May Hawk Watch - 8 October 2012


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 08, 2012
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0             11
Turkey Vulture              19             23             80
Osprey                      30            624           2194
Bald Eagle                   9             30            175
Northern Harrier            15            146            428
Sharp-shinned Hawk         196           1549           4183
Cooper's Hawk               49            531           1046
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              4              7
Broad-winged Hawk           27            171            387
Red-tailed Hawk              3             12             39
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            19            655           3335
Merlin                      10            246            841
Peregrine Falcon             4            469            782
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              1              2

Total:                     382           4461          13511
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Official Counter:        Vince Elia

Morning Flight - 9 October 2012

Today's primarily warbler flight was fast and furious.  At sunrise, birds began funneling low over the slope at a frenzied pace.  Later, the warbler flight picked up noticeable steam well to the east, where individual scans could produce up to triple-digits of distant warbler shapes (= warbler sp.).  In the end, it proved to be another good Yellow-rumped Warbler flight, with nice numbers of Northern Parulas, Black-throated Green Warblers, and Palm Warblers.  Even the Common Yellowthroats - which move, if at all, as if they were filtering through the Phragmites - made some more obviously countable movements today.  Surprisingly, though, few other birds were in the air and the paucity of woodpeckers and nuthatches was especially striking.     

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 4
Northern Flicker - 18
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 4
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 3
Brown Creeper - 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 3
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 2
kinglet sp. - 1
American Robin - 12
American Pipit - 11
Cedar Waxwing - 38
Tennessee Warbler - 3
Nashville Warbler - 4
Northern Parula - 93
Magnolia Warbler - 3
Cape May Warbler - 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 20
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 2220
Black-throated Green Warbler - 12
Palm Warbler - 163
Blackpoll Warbler - 23
Black-and-white Warbler - 14
American Redstart - 12
Common Yellowthroat - 5
warbler sp. - 2947
Chipping Sparrow - 3
Savannah Sparrow - 6
Indigo Bunting - 8
Bobolink - 9
Rusty Blackbird - 1
Purple Finch - 4
Pine Siskin - 73

Total = 5725

Other highlights included a single adult light-morph Parasitic Jaeger offshore. 

Morning Flight - 8 October 2012

It was another chilly morning (48 F) and my binoculars and metal clickers suddenly felt icy against my fingers.  Compared to the relatively lower number of Yellow-rumped Warblers (394) today, the flight featured a resurgence of Northern Parulas (70) and Blackpoll Warblers (69).  In all, 1234 individuals of 14 warbler species were recorded.  Other highlights include a late Empidonax flycatcher, three more White-breasted Nuthatches, four Brown Creepers, perhaps one of the last Connecticut Warblers, and a late Blue Grosbeak. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker - 12
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - 7
Northern Flicker - 50
Eastern Wood-Pewee - 1
Empidonax sp. - 1
Eastern Phoebe - 2
Red-eyed Vireo - 11
Red-breasted Nuthatch - 122
White-breasted Nuthatch - 3
Brown Creeper - 4
Golden-crowned Kinglet - 15
Ruby-crowned Kinglet - 9
kinglet sp. - 2
American Robin - 5
American Pipit - 1
Cedar Waxwing - 52
Tennessee Warbler - 2
Nashville Warbler - 2
Northern Parula - 70
Magnolia Warbler - 2
Cape May Warbler - 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler - 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler - 394
Black-throated Green Warbler - 3
Pine Warbler - 1
Palm Warbler - 36
Blackpoll Warbler - 69
Black-and-white Warbler - 4
American Redstart - 3
Connecticut Warbler - 1
warbler sp. - 642
Scarlet Tanager - 1
Chipping Sparrow - 1
Dark-eyed Junco - 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - 2
Blue Grosbeak - 1
Indigo Bunting - 14
Bobolink - 3
Baltimore Oriole - 1
Purple Finch - 22
Pine Siskin - 80

Total = 1666

Connecticut Warbler - Perhaps one final look for 2012.  This species is actually not as difficult to identify in flight as one might suspect, given adequate views and good light.  Connecticut Warblers are large, long, sturdy warblers with sharply bicolored underparts (the front third dark and the lower two-thirds yellow) and a short tail.  The relatively straightforward identification is helped by the fact that the very similar Mourning Warbler does not regularly engage in overhead morning flight, if at all.  In this way, Mourning Warbler is much like Common Yellowthroats, which it now shares a genus (Photo by Tom Reed).

The real highlight, though, was the late-morning appearance of a widely-reported light-morph Swainson's Hawk.  It was originally found at approximately 9:56 AM over Cape May Point and by the time it made its way due north to Higbee Beach - a distance of 1.8 miles - it was 45 minutes later.  I stayed on the bird as it appeared to cross Cape May Canal, heading northeast.   

Swainson's Hawk
Swainson's Hawk - note the bird's long, pointy, upturned, and
swept-back primaries (Photo by Cameron Rutt)