Seawatch - 31 October 2014

Observation time: 0618 - 1804
Observer: Skye Haas

Species counted:
Brant - 75
Wood Duck - 1
Gadwall - 2
American Wigeon - 14
American Black Duck - 4
Mallard - 3
Northern Pintail - 2
Green-winged Teal - 188
Ring-necked Duck - 1
Greater Scaup - 15
Lesser Scaup - 8
Scaup sp. - 19
Duck sp. 72
Common Eider - 1
Surf Scoter - 3,379
White-winged Scoter - 4
Black Scoter - 4,764
Dark-winged Scoter - 5,550
Long-tailed Duck - 3
Bufflehead - 4
Red-breasted Merganser - 12
Red-throated Loon - 63
Common Loon - 34
Northern Gannet - 878
Brown Pelican - 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 9,288
Laughing Gull - 456
Bonaparte's Gull - 19
Ring-billed Gull - 51
Great Black-backed Gull - 6
Caspian Tern - 1
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 36
Royal Tern - 13
Parasitic Jaeger - 8
Jaeger sp. - 1
Black-bellied Plover - 6
Semipalmated Plover - 4
Ruddy Turnstone -3
Dunlin - 150
Sanderling - 60
Purple Sandpiper - 1
Spotted Sandpiper - 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 2
Calidris sp. - 22

Total: 25,227

Hawkwatch - 31 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 31, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                2             99            105
Turkey Vulture              65            951           1068
Osprey                       3           1616           3785
Bald Eagle                  11            291            592
Northern Harrier            13            681            857
Sharp-shinned Hawk         205           9813          13061
Cooper's Hawk               82           2565           3419
Northern Goshawk             0              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk         20            132            139
Broad-winged Hawk            2            515            723
Red-tailed Hawk             54            369            479
Rough-legged Hawk            0              1              1
Golden Eagle                 0              6              6
American Kestrel             8           2164           4402
Merlin                       6            850           1363
Peregrine Falcon             1            648            961
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     472          20704          30970
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
On the chillier side, 40F in the morning and a high of 55F.  Mostly cloudy
skies and winds from the North 5-10 mph.

Raptor Observations:
Some kettles formed in the late morning with quite a few Red-tails,
Red-shoulders, and vultures.  Flight was quite high overhead and by the
late afternoon shut down entirely with increasing clouds.

Non-raptor Observations:
Horned Lark(3), Redhead(1) on the pond, Blue Goose(1), good number of
Eastern Bluebirds(16 in flock), and over 500 gannets feeding on the rips in
the morning.

Predictions:
Rain moving in overnight, heavy at times during the day with winds from the
North 20-25mph.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawkwatch – 30 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                9             97            103
Turkey Vulture             168            886           1003
Osprey                      12           1613           3782
Bald Eagle                  11            280            581
Northern Harrier            64            668            844
Sharp-shinned Hawk        1183           9608          12856
Cooper's Hawk              255           2483           3337
Northern Goshawk             0              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk         68            112            119
Broad-winged Hawk           19            513            721
Red-tailed Hawk            138            315            425
Rough-legged Hawk            1              1              1
Golden Eagle                 0              6              6
American Kestrel            40           2156           4394
Merlin                      18            844           1357
Peregrine Falcon            17            647            960
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                    2003          20232          30498
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Seasonable. Patchy fog during early-AM, becoming partly cloudy through the
rest of the AM and mostly clear for the PM. Winds NW/NNW 5-10mph. 

Raptor Observations:
A strong flight of accipiters throughout, particularly during the AM. Nice
movement of buteos throughout second half of AM and early PM. SY
Rough-legged Hawk passed over platform at 1333(EST) and continued s. across
water (thanks SB). 

Non-raptor Observations:
Eurasian Wigeon (4), Redhead (1), Stilt Sandpiper (3), White-rumped
Sandpiper (1), Parasitic Jaeger (5), White-winged Dove (1), Cave Swallow
(2), Barn Swallow (1), American Robin (12,000), Yellow-rumped Warbler
(3,000)

Predictions:
Mostly sunny, 58ºF, winds NE 10mph. 

Seawatch - 30 October 2014

Observation time: 0720 - 1811
Observer: Skye Haas

Species counted:
Canada Goose - 13
Brant - 39
Wood Duck - 14
Gadwall - 4
American Black Duck - 15
Northern Pintail - 27
Green-winged Teal - 57
Greater Scaup - 6
Scaup sp. - 1
Duck sp. - 158
Surf Scoter - 4,452
White-winged Scoter - 2
Black Scoter - 4,747
Dark-winged Scoter - 6,195
Bufflehead - 8
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Red-throated Loon - 132
Common Loon - 53
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 2,100
Brown Pelican - 6
Double-crested Cormorant - 13,338
Great Blue Heron - 3
Great Egret - 2
Snowy Egret - 2
Laughing Gull - 523
Bonaparte's Gull - 49
Ring-billed Gull - 81
Great Black-backed Gull - 33
Iceland Gull - 1
Forster's Tern - 124
Royal Tern - 24
Parasitic Jaeger - 4
Greater Yellowlegs - 1
American Oystercatcher - 14
Black-bellied Plover - 140
Semipalmated Plover - 4
Dunlin - 200
Sanderling - 150
Ruddy Turnstone - 8
Red Knot - 30
Spotted Sandpiper - 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 3
Calidris sp. - 40

Total: 32,807


A note from Skye:
The Avalon count was a bit frustrating today as we spent too many hours with the majority of our birds (primarily scoters and cormorants) migrating far off-shore. As is even though we ended up with a healthy total of 15,396 scoters for the day, "dark-winged" scoters were the lead totals with nearly half of all scoters falling into this catch-all grouping. The dawn radar showed quite a bit of passerine migration going on, but other then a little influx of Savannah Sparrows, few passerines were seen today. It was pretty adorable when I got on a small songbird flying in off the ocean only to realize it was a Winter Wren coming in!

Making up for the likely Thayer's Gull yesterday, a nice looking adult Iceland Gull gave enough of a good look to ensure a solid ID today. But the craziest part of the seawatch today was the last 90 minutes of the count when a huge Northern Gannet flight erupted. Of the 2100 Gannets counted today, 81% of them came during that time! Lots of gulls, terns and Red-throated Loons came by in this period too and I was hopping to stay on top of this end-of-day flight. More to come!

Savannah Sparrow. [Photo by Skye Haas.]

Seawatch - 29 October 2014

Observation time: 0615 - 1802
Observer: Skye Haas

Species counted:
Brant - 66
Gadwall - 8
American Wigeon - 12
American Black Duck - 13
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Northern Shoveler - 1
Northern Pintail - 5
Green-winged Teal - 47
Redhead - 5
Ruddy Duck - 5
Greater Scaup - 10
Lesser Scaup - 24
Surf Scoter - 7,214
White-winged Scoter - 6
Black Scoter - 2,608
Dark-winged Scoter - 1,662
Bufflehead - 4
Red-breasted Merganser - 1
Red-throated Loon - 60
Common Loon - 102
Horned Grebe - 14
Northern Gannet - 4,190
Brown Pelican - 76
Double-crested Cormorant - 2,016
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 13
Laughing Gull - 154
Bonaparte's Gull - 14
Ring-billed Gull - 37
Great Black-backed Gull - 31
Thayer's Gull/Iceland Gull - 1
Caspian Tern - 7
Forster's Tern - 178
Royal Tern - 113
Parasitic Jaeger - 8
American Oystercatcher - 23
Black-bellied Plover - 190
Semipalmated Plover - 4
Red Knot - 60
Ruddy Turnstone - 2
Sanderling - 800
Dunlin - 400
Western Sandpiper - 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 2
Purple Sandpiper - 1
Dowitcher sp. - 3

Total: 20,193


A note from Skye:
Another good Northern Gannet flight today! Just under 4200 Gannets went winging by the Seawatch, though there presence has been sparking some conversation among the long-time Avalon sea-watchers. Why so many young birds? Why so early when the water is still so warm? Is there a dearth of prey items further north sending these birds south early? And will my Gannet clicker take another day like today? I hope so, because while rare, 10,000 Gannet days have been had at Avalon before; I can only imagine what that looks like, and just maybe I'll get to find out!

Scoters started to pick up some today, but we still have a ways to go. Right now the question of what will be the "big day" is looming- Tom sez'Saturday so bring your galoshes as it is predicted to be a wet one. Another 100+ Common Loon day was good to see, and we set the season high count for Brown Pelican with 76 birds. And in the category of "if only it had made a closer pass" was an adult Thayer's/Iceland Gull that was particularly dark pigmented in the primaries. Oh well, all I can say is it was a pretty white-winged gull framed against the steely blue clouds of the cold front hitting the Atlantic. 

Northern Gannet. [Photo by Mike Kilpatrick.]

Brown Pelican. [Photo by Mike Kilpatrick.]

Hawkwatch - 29 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 29, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             88             94
Turkey Vulture              69            718            835
Osprey                      21           1601           3770
Bald Eagle                   3            269            570
Northern Harrier            23            604            780
Sharp-shinned Hawk         751           8425          11673
Cooper's Hawk               44           2228           3082
Northern Goshawk             0              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk          2             44             51
Broad-winged Hawk            0            494            702
Red-tailed Hawk              7            177            287
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              6              6
American Kestrel            94           2116           4354
Merlin                      26            826           1339
Peregrine Falcon            12            630            943
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                    1052          18229          28495
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 06:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:30:00 
Total observation time: 10.25 hours

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Mild and humid during the AM, winds SSW->SW 5-10mph. Cooler and cloudier
during the PM, winds W->NW 10-15mph. 

Raptor Observations:
Steady movement of SSHA and AMKE after winds shifted to NW during mid-PM. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Eurasian Wigeon (4), Northern Gannet (1200), Stilt Sandpiper (3),
White-rumped Sandpiper (1), Parasitic Jaeger (~20), Eurasian Collared-Dove
(1), Black-capped Chickadee (1)

Predictions:
Sunny, 58ºF, winds NNW 5-10mph. 
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawkwatch - 28 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 28, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             88             94
Turkey Vulture               0            649            766
Osprey                       6           1580           3749
Bald Eagle                   5            266            567
Northern Harrier             7            581            757
Sharp-shinned Hawk          92           7674          10922
Cooper's Hawk               34           2184           3038
Northern Goshawk             0              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             42             49
Broad-winged Hawk            2            494            702
Red-tailed Hawk              9            170            280
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              6              6
American Kestrel             6           2022           4260
Merlin                       5            800           1313
Peregrine Falcon             2            618            931
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     169          17177          27443
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
Partly cloudy skies today with winds light, less than 10mph, from the S and
SE.  Warm with temperatures reaching 73F.

Raptor Observations:
Quiet day as expected with the southerly winds.  Most birds with to the
distant north of the viewing platform.  Mainly accipiters and only a few
distant low kettles forming.

Non-raptor Observations:
A strong American Robin flight as well as Red-winged Blackbird, Starling,
Cedar Waxwing, and Blue Jays.  Other morning flight birds include American
Pipit(1), Pine Siskin(3), White-breasted Nuthatch(1), Red-breasted
Nuthatch(2), Purple finch, American Goldfinch, and Yellow-rumped Warbler. 
Pond waterfowl included: Gadwall(148), Northern Pintail(53), American
Widgeon(201), Eurasian Widgeon(4), Ring-necked Duck(4), American Coot(22),
Mallard(7), Northern Shoveler(21), Ruddy Duck(19), Pied-billed Grebe(6),
Green-winged Teal(21), and Blue-winged Teal(3) per Skye Haas.  AMERICAN
BITTERN(2) on pond. 

Predictions:
Chance of precip in the afternoon with temperatures in the mid 60's and
winds 10-15mph from the SW.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Seawatch - 28 October 2014

Observation time: 0623 - 1704
Observer: Tom Reed

Species counted:
Brant - 2
Wood Duck - 82
American Wigeon - 57
American Black Duck - 42
Mallard - 1
Mallard/American Black Duck - 1
Mallard x American Black Duck - 1
Blue-winged Teal - 1
Northern Shoveler - 9
Northern Pintail - 80
Green-winged Teal - 2,047
Ring-necked Duck - 28
Greater Scaup - 39
Lesser Scaup - 117
Scaup sp. - 44
Aythya sp. - 17
Surf Scoter - 2,716
White-winged Scoter - 6
Black Scoter - 1,366
Dark-winged Scoter - 140
Bufflehead - 21
Redhead - 26
Ruddy Duck - 3
Hooded Merganser - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 12
Red-throated Loon - 55
Common Loon - 51
Horned Grebe - 19
Northern Gannet - 2,322
Brown Pelican - 1
Double-crested Cormorant - 823
Great Blue Heron - 11
Laughing Gull - 1,745
Bonaparte's Gull - 346
Ring-billed Gull - 273
Herring Gull - 40
Little Gull - 1
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 1
Great Black-backed Gull - 79
Caspian Tern - 1
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 853
Royal Tern - 446
Black Skimmer - 1
Parasitic Jaeger - 6

Total: 13,933

Seawatch - 27 October 2014

Observation time: 0622 - 1705
Observer: Tom Reed

Species counted:
Canada Goose - 5
Brant - 54
Wood Duck - 135
American Wigeon - 1
American Black Duck - 30
Mallard - 1
Mallard/American Black Duck - 21
Northern Pintail - 3
Green-winged Teal - 64
Greater Scaup - 1
Scaup sp. - 8
Surf Scoter - 2,156
White-winged Scoter - 2
Black Scoter - 991
Dark-winged Scoter - 2,560
Ruddy Duck - 9
Long-tailed Duck - 2
Bufflehead - 39
Red-breasted Merganser - 4
Red-throated Loon - 31
Common Loon - 167
Horned Grebe - 54
Northern Gannet - 1,192
Double-crested Cormorant - 6,158
Great Cormorant - 2
Great Blue Heron - 4
Tricolored Heron - 1
Laughing Gull - 382
Bonaparte's Gull - 141
Ring-billed Gull - 494
Herring Gull - 90
Black-legged Kittiwake - 1
Forster's Tern - 68
Royal Tern - 117
Parasitic Jaeger - 7

Total: 14,995

Seawatch - 26 October 2014

Observation time: 0620 - 1820
Observer: Skye Haas

Species counted:
Canada Goose - 23
Brant - 56
Gadwall - 4
American Wigeon - 24
American Black Duck - 13
Mallard - 2
Northern Shoveler - 2
Northern Pintail - 9
Green-winged Teal - 19
Duck sp. - 57
Common Eider - 1
Eider sp. - 1
Surf Scoter - 1,334
White-winged Scoter - 2
Black Scoter - 2,076
Dark-winged Scoter - 438
Ruddy Duck - 44
Long-tailed Duck - 4
Red-throated Loon - 21
Common Loon - 151
Horned Grebe - 9
Pied-billed Grebe - 1
Northern Gannet - 2,388
Brown Pelican - 6
Double-crested Cormorant - 7,936
Great Cormorant - 6
Great Blue Heron - 43
Great Egret - 29
Laughing Gull - 367
Bonaparte's Gull - 272
Ring-billed Gull - 84
Herring Gull - 32
Great Black-backed Gull - 12
Caspian Tern - 3
Forster's Tern - 166
Royal Tern - 44
Black Skimmer - 4
Parasitic Jaeger - 2
Black-bellied Plover - 61
Semipalmated Plover - 7
American Oystercatcher - 41
Sanderling - 800
Dunlin - 150
Ruddy Turnstone - 10
Red Knot - 20
Dowitcher sp. - 2
Purple Sandpiper - 2
Semipalmated Sandpiper - 4
Calidris sp. - 32

Total: 16,814


A note from Skye:
And I thought there were a lot of Gannets yesterday! The first few hours of the seawatch today could be best described as a river of sulids over the ocean, which as I now type it, seems like some sort of zen birding koan... But anyhow, it was yet another wonderful day at Avalon as the birds were non-stop all day. And it wasn't just gannets either! Another strong Common Loon flight was recorded, and ducks continue to dribble through. A possible female King Eider flew by but was too quick for me to identify, and even though it was a just a small flock, I really enjoyed a late afternoon look at a mixed flock of Pintail, Gadwall and Wigeon; I've always really enjoyed seeing those species in a migratory watch setting. Though we have had a couple good scoter flights this month, both Tom and I speculate that there is something major brewing with the scoters as their numbers have been low so far this season, and to have two "meh" scoter days in a row in the last week of October could mean a really insane flight day in our near future! 

Another great feature to the day was a strong gull movement. It was the first real influx of Ring-billed Gulls and even a decent amount of Herring Gulls were deemed "migrants". Herring and Black-backed Gulls are two of the hardest species to tell if they are actual migrants or just meandering about the waterfront; often their inclusion on a waterbird count total depends on a judgement call on the part of the counter. We try our best but sometimes it takes a few flocks of birds going by before you catch on that there are gulls actually migrating! However, more easy to call migrants were the tight flocks of the always delightful Bonaparte's Gulls that flew by Avalon. One of my more favorite birds, I frequently think about what strange lives these creatures live- spending part of their life cycle nesting in moss-lined stick nests placed in spruce trees in the boreal forest! 

Notable due to its tardiness in migration, a Bank Swallow flew by mid-afternoon. Once again, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin and many kinglets were moving down the coastline filling the Jersey shores with the sounds of my North Woods homeland. Though migration is a perilous journey and as incredible of a life strategy it can be, not all make their destination. We were amazed and a touch horrified when Taffy Mortimer Jefferson, the Laughing Gull mascot of the this year's Seawatch snagged a Kinglet right out of the air in front of us without even opening his wings as he dozed on the seawall. Great reflexes there Taffy!

Bonaparte's Gulls. [Photo by Skye Haas.]

An odd couple - Common Eider and Pied-billed Grebe.
 [Photo by Skye Haas.]

Taffy the Laughing Gull with a mouth full of Kinglet.
[Photo by Skye Haas.]


Hawkwatch - 27 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 27, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             88             94
Turkey Vulture               0            649            766
Osprey                       5           1574           3743
Bald Eagle                  16            261            562
Northern Harrier            25            574            750
Sharp-shinned Hawk         249           7582          10830
Cooper's Hawk               96           2150           3004
Northern Goshawk             0              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk          6             41             48
Broad-winged Hawk            9            492            700
Red-tailed Hawk             50            161            271
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              6              6
American Kestrel             9           2016           4254
Merlin                       3            795           1308
Peregrine Falcon             2            616            929
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     470          17008          27274
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
Very, very clear skies today with light NW winds in the morning and W in
the afternoon.  Temperatures reaching 64F.

Raptor Observations:
A slow morning with mainly accipiters and then some really nice kettles
mid-day with lots of Red-tails.  Flight dropped off in the afternoon with
only a handful of really really high birds.

Non-raptor Observations:
Noticeable movement of Eastern Meadowlark, American Robin, Blue Jays,
Red-winged Blackbird, and Brown-headed Cowbirds in the morning.  Two V's of
Snow Geese(22 and 19) and 1 Blue Goose on the pond.  Still lots of ducks on
the pond including Eurasian Widgeon(3).  

Predictions:
Sunny, with a few clouds, and south winds 9-13 mph.  Warm temps with 74F as
a high.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawkwatch - 26 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             88             94
Turkey Vulture               0            649            766
Osprey                       9           1569           3738
Bald Eagle                   8            245            546
Northern Harrier            25            549            725
Sharp-shinned Hawk         326           7333          10581
Cooper's Hawk               59           2054           2908
Northern Goshawk             1              2              2
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             35             42
Broad-winged Hawk            3            483            691
Red-tailed Hawk             13            111            221
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              6              6
American Kestrel            72           2007           4245
Merlin                      33            792           1305
Peregrine Falcon             9            614            927
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     558          16538          26804
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
Quite breezy with winds from the NW/W between 10-15mph and gusts up to
25mph.  Very sunny skies with no cloud coverage and temperatures reaching
64F.

Raptor Observations:
Mainly sharpies with kestrels and merlins in the afternoon.  Flight was
quite distant over the treeline to the north of platform.

Non-raptor Observations:
Still lots of ducks on the pond including Eurasian Widgeon(3), Pied-billed
Grebe(2), Ring-necked Duck(3), Gadwall, American Widgeon, Northern
Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal.  Also, Tundra Swan(3) and
Blackpoll Warbler(1).

Predictions:
More sun! A bit cooler in the low 60's with winds continuing from the NW
8-14mph.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Hawkwatch - 25 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                6             88             94
Turkey Vulture              72            649            766
Osprey                      13           1560           3729
Bald Eagle                  16            237            538
Northern Harrier            48            524            700
Sharp-shinned Hawk         267           7007          10255
Cooper's Hawk               55           1995           2849
Northern Goshawk             0              1              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             35             42
Broad-winged Hawk           25            480            688
Red-tailed Hawk             25             98            208
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 1              6              6
American Kestrel            37           1935           4173
Merlin                       6            759           1272
Peregrine Falcon             8            605            918
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     580          15980          26246
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
A very pleasant day with temperatures in the high 60's.  Winds started
light from the NW and switched to W then SW in the afternoon.  Very clear
skies with no cloud coverage all day.

Raptor Observations:
A fairly high, far away flight with large kettles of turkey vultures mixed
with other raptors including accipiters, broad-wings and harriers.

Non-raptor Observations:
An impressive morning flight with huge numbers of American Robin,
Red-winged Blackbirds, and Yellow-rumped Warblers.  Other movements
included sparrows sp., thrush sp., kinglet sp., finch sp., eastern
meadowlark, and dark-eyed juncos.  Also, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher(1).

Predictions:
Sunny, mid-60's, strong northwest winds 20-30mph.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Seawatch - 25 October 2014

Observation time: 0616 – 1819
Observer: Skye Haas

Canada Goose – 25
Brant – 101
Wood Duck – 8
Northern Pintail – 8
Green-winged Teal – 67
Ring-necked Duck – 2
Greater Scaup – 6
Lesser Scaup – 3
Scaup sp. – 10
Duck sp. – 141
Common Eider – 3
Surf Scoter – 3,165
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 1,402
Dark-winged Scoter – 1,216
Long-tailed Duck – 3
Red-throated Loon – 30
Common Loon – 54
Loon sp. – 2
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 1,564
Brown Pelican – 12
Double-crested Cormorant – 10,465
Great Blue Heron – 14
Laughing Gull – 214
Bonaparte’s Gull – 19
Herring Gull – 20
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 20
Black-legged Kittiwake – 1
Caspian Tern – 2
Common Tern – 6
Forster’s Tern – 230
American Oystercatcher – 4
Royal Tern – 14
Parasitic Jaeger – 5
Black-bellied Plover – 38
Semipalmated Plover – 6
Ruddy Turnstone – 4
Greater Yellowlegs – 1
Red Knot – 18
Sanderling – 200
Dunlin – 64
Dowitcher sp. – 4
Spotted Sandpiper – 1
Purple Sandpiper – 3
White-rumped Sandpiper – 1
Semipalmated Sandpiper – 2
Calidris sp. – 1


Total: 19,185


A note from Skye:
Heya folks, Sorry to be away for so long, its been a crazy week with surprise trips to the dentist, friends in town and the 65th Autumn Birding Weekend at the Cape so I've just not been able to keep up with blogging this week. But hopefully this brief hiatus is over and lets just get down to whats been happening at Avalon lately. Early week saw some huge scoter movements- I had ten thousand scoters in 3 hours on Wednesday morning and the day before Tom recorded an amazing 36,595 scoters on the 21st! Holy moly it was impressive! Over the next few days some later season birds have made an appearance with Black-legged Kittitwake being seen the last three days in a row. Purple Sandpipers are now on the rocks in front of the seawatch as well. Passerines have been borealesque with lots of Yellow-rumps, but other North Woods goodies like Winter Wren, Rusty Blackbird, Juncos, Purple Finch and Pine Siskin have been seen the last few days. And yesterday saw what could be our big day for Common Loon with 235 counted. 

Its been a real treat this week, my good friend Max Henschell and former Whitefish Point waterbird counter alumni has been visiting and today we were treated to a heck of a Northern Gannet show. Just under 1600 were recorded; there was never a moment that these modern day pterodactyls weren't cruising by the watch. Also notable were a couple of Common Eiders, some drake Long-tailed Ducks and a good selection of gulls and terns. Non-waterbirds were also bumping and combined waterbird, raptors and passerines came to 81 species today! Also very cool yet all too brief was some unknown species of whale sighted northeast off the 8th Street Jetty. 

A list of non-waterbirds:
Black Vulture, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Norther Harrier, Bald Eagle, Rock Pigeon, Morning Dove, Tree Swallow, Northern Flicker, Peregrine Falcon, Eastern Phoebe, Tree Swallow, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Winter Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, American Pipit, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, White-throated Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Northern Cardinal, Red-winged Blackbird, Boat-tailed Grackle, House Finch, Pine Siskin, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow. 

Common Loon. [Photo by Skye Haas.]

Northern Gannet. [Photo by Skye Haas.]


Hawkwatch - 24 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                7             82             88
Turkey Vulture              35            577            694
Osprey                      19           1547           3716
Bald Eagle                  24            221            522
Northern Harrier            30            476            652
Sharp-shinned Hawk         686           6740           9988
Cooper's Hawk               88           1940           2794
Northern Goshawk             1              1              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          6             34             41
Broad-winged Hawk            5            455            663
Red-tailed Hawk              7             73            183
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              5              5
American Kestrel           153           1898           4136
Merlin                      33            753           1266
Peregrine Falcon             2            597            910
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                    1096          15400          25666
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
Mostly cloudy skies becoming partly cloudy as the day progressed.  Winds
NW/W between 10-15 mph with gusts up to 22mph.  Temperatures reaching 66F.

Raptor Observations:
Lots of sharpies all day with a good flight of harriers, bald eagles, and
kestrels as well.  First goshawk (immature) of the season.

Non-raptor Observations:
Still lots of ducks on the pond with Eurasian Widgeon(4).  More interesting
birds included:  White Pelican(1), Bonaparte's Gull(1), and Iceland
Gull(1).

Predictions:
NW winds overnight switching to West 8-15 mph. Sunny skies with
temperatures in the mid-60's.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Seawatch - 24 October 2014

Observation time: 0619 -1808
Observer: Skye Haas

Species counted:
Brant – 89
Wood Duck – 1
American Wigeon – 3
American Black Duck – 26
Northern Pintail – 10
Green-winged Teal – 60
Scaup sp. – 9
Duck sp. – 24
Surf Scoter – 508
White-winged Scoter – 2
Black Scoter – 1,871
Dark-winged Scoter – 527
Long-tailed Duck – 4
Red-throated Loon – 51
Common Loon – 231
Horned Grebe – 3
Northern Gannet – 837
Brown Pelican – 1
Double-crested Cormorant – 16,071
Great Blue Heron – 1
Great Egret – 14
Snowy Egret – 2
Laughing Gull – 560
Bonaparte’s Gull – 1
Ring-billed Gull – 108
Black Kittiwake – 1
Common Tern – 1
Forster’s Tern – 229
Royal Tern – 31
Parasitic Jaeger – 3
American Oystercatcher – 14
Black-bellied Plover – 63
Red Knot – 2

Total: 21,358

Morning Flight – 24 October 2014

A strong northwest wind greeted birds and birders at the Higbee Dike this morning. A look at the overnight radar revealed that there were likely more birds leaving Cape May than arriving, but we still enjoyed a lovely flight during the first 90 minutes of daylight. Kinglets were a definite highlight, with several Ruby-crowneds flying within inches of our faces at times.


Weather: partly sunny, winds NW 15-20mph, 55-57ºF, visibility excellent.

Morning Flight totals:
Northern Flicker – 27
Red-breasted Nuthatch – 1
Golden-crowned Kinglet – 12
Ruby-crowned Kinglet – 120
kinglet, sp. – 21
American Robin – 95
American Pipit – 20
Cedar Waxwing – 19
Northern Parula – 3
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler – 1,054
Palm Warbler – 22
Blackpoll Warbler – 1
Blackpoll/Bay-breasted Warbler – 1
Northern Waterthrush – 1
warbler, sp. – 12
Chipping Sparrow – 5
Savannah Sparrow – 1
Dark-eyed Junco – 1
Indigo Bunting – 1
Eastern Meadowlark – 12
Rusty Blackbird – 12
Purple Finch – 67
Pine Siskin – 132
House Finch – 16
American Goldfinch – 21

Hawkwatch – 23 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             75             81
Turkey Vulture             103            542            659
Osprey                      68           1528           3697
Bald Eagle                   4            197            498
Northern Harrier            27            446            622
Sharp-shinned Hawk         503           6054           9302
Cooper's Hawk               25           1852           2706
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             28             35
Broad-winged Hawk            0            450            658
Red-tailed Hawk              1             66            176
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              5              5
American Kestrel           208           1745           3983
Merlin                      69            720           1233
Peregrine Falcon            19            595            908
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                    1027          14304          24570
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        Doug Gochfeld, Steve Bauer

Weather:
Cool. Winds NW 15-25mph; mostly cloudy with AM showers; visibility
fair->good.

Raptor Observations:
A surprisingly good flight, with AMKE and SSHA moving w. along the treeline
and dunes throughout a rainy morning. Several pulses of SSHA during drier
times in the PM. Thanks to SB and DG for coverage during parts of the
late-PM. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Eurasian Wigeon (4), Black/Surf Scoter (15,000+), Killdeer (630+),
Long-billed Dowitcher (1), Stilt Sandpiper (9), Pectoral Sandpiper (29),
White-rumped Sandpiper (3), Wilson's Snipe (35+), Parasitic Jaeger (~10),
Cliff Swallow (4)

Predictions:
Sunny, 64ºF, winds NW 15-25mph. 

Morning Flight -- 23 October 2014

Even though the wind was roaring this morning, there was a light flight of Yellow-rumped Warblers at the Higbee dike. There was very little songbird activity, otherwise. Thousands of scoters streamed south out of the bay and about 150 Killdeer cycled past in flocks.


Weather and time: cloudy with intermittent light drizzle; 53 degrees F; winds NW at 23 mph; 100% cloud cover; very good visibility; 0717 sunrise; 3.25 hours.

Morning Flight Count totals:
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  4
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)  1
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)  1
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  480
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  11
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  1

Seawatch - 23 October 2014

Observation time: 0614 – 1816
Observer: Skye Haas

Species counted:
Snow Goose – 5
Brant – 196
Wood Duck – 1
Gadwall – 1
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 206
Mallard – 2
Northern Shoveler – 1
Northern Pintail – 2
Green-winged Teal – 57
Greater Scaup – 2
Lesser Scaup – 9
Duck sp. – 90
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 403
Black Scoter – 2,737
Dark-winged Scoter – 890
Scoter sp. – 93
Long-tailed Duck – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 1
Red-throated Loon – 31
Common Loon – 63
Horned Grebe – 1
Ring-necked Grebe – 1
Northern Gannet – 483
Brown Pelican – 6
Double-crested Cormorant – 13,536
Great Cormorant – 3
Great Blue Heron – 65
Laughing Gull – 684
Bonaparte’s Gull – 6
Ring-billed Gull – 37
Herring Gull – 16
Great Black-backed Gull – 56
Black Kittiwake – 1
Caspian Tern – 2
Forster’s Tern – 85
Royal Tern – 50
Parasitic Jaeger – 6
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 3
Redhead – 2
American Oystercatcher – 1
Dunlin – 26
Black-bellied Plover – 43
Red Knot – 21
Semipalmated Plover – 6
Sanderling – 500
Purple Sandpiper – 1
Ruddy Turnstone – 2
Calidris sp. – 3


Total: 20,439

Hawkwatch – 22 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                2             75             81
Turkey Vulture              52            439            556
Osprey                      25           1460           3629
Bald Eagle                   6            193            494
Northern Harrier            49            419            595
Sharp-shinned Hawk         413           5551           8799
Cooper's Hawk               88           1827           2681
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             28             35
Broad-winged Hawk            4            450            658
Red-tailed Hawk              7             65            175
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 1              5              5
American Kestrel             8           1537           3775
Merlin                      10            651           1164
Peregrine Falcon             5            576            889
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     673          13277          23543
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Tom Reed

Observers:        

Weather:
Cool and damp. Winds N 10-15mph; cloud cover >90% throughout; visibility
good->fair->poor. Rain developing during the late-PM. 

Raptor Observations:
A short-lived burst of birds during the late-AM. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Eurasian Wigeon (4), Black/Surf Scoter (10,000+), American Bittern (1),
Parasitic Jaeger (~10), Yellow-billed Cuckoo (1), Lapland Longspur (1),
Yellow-rumped Warbler (8,000). 

Predictions:
Cloudy, 59ºF, winds NW 20-30mph. 

Morning Flight -- 22 October 2014

POW! This morning's migration really knocked my socks off. There was great late diversity and moderately high numbers for the time of season. Kinglets and Chipping Sparrow stepped out to be recognized in Morning Flight today and the Yellow-rumped Warbler flight was outrageous. Other highlights included 2 Orange-crowned Warblers, Clay-colored Sparrow, and 154 Purple Finches.

Weather and time: mostly cloudy; 56 degrees F; winds NNE at 8-20 mph; 85% cloud cover; very good visibility; 0716 sunrise; 4.25 hours.

Morning Flight Count totals:
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)  2
Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)  2
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  9
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  3
Blue-headed Vireo (Vireo solitarius)  1
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  86
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  24
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)  40
kinglet sp. (Regulus sp.)  2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  28
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)  95
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  1
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  17
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  1
Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina)  1
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)  2
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  1
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  3
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)  1
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)  12
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)  7
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  253
Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)  3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  12486     12,466 north, 20 south in 4th hour
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)  1
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  517
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  336
Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida)  1
Field Sparrow (Spizella pusilla)  1
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  27
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis)  1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  60
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  2
Dickcissel (Spiza americana)  2
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  11
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  124
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)  154
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  43
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  23

Morning Flight -- 21 October 2014

 It was a quite seasonably slow day with rain interrupting the count in the second hour.

Weather and time: cloudy; 62 degrees F; winds SW at 3-5 mph; 75-95% cloud cover; excellent visibility; 0715 sunrise; 1.75 hours.

Morning Flight Count totals:
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  2
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)  1
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  2
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  5
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  6
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)  1
Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina)  1
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  1
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)  3
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  20
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  343     127 north, 216 south
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  20
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  13
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  1
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  16     south
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)  8
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  8

Morning Flight -- 20 October 2014


Today there was an intriguing flight. The first 1.5 hours after sunrise was a fairly typical flight, although maybe heavier than expected, with birds flying north. These seemed to be migrants that arrived in Cape May a few hours before dawn and then were seen engaging in the morning flight phenomenon-- following the conventional idea of what this project is all about. During the second half of the four and a quarter hour effort, the songbirds, and predominantly Yellow-rumps (as expected at this time) were seen coming in high and from the Delaware Bay, moving south. These were apparent to be two different sets of migrants in different modes of migration, specific to where they were at sunrise-- the first set having dropped down on land some time before daylight, and the second set just making landfall from the bay.


Weather and time: sun with increasing clouds; 41-58 degrees F; winds SE at 5-8 mph; 2-40% cloud cover; excellent visibility; 0714 sunrise; 4.25 hours.

Morning Flight Count totals:
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  2
Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus)  31     20 north, 11 south, maybe some of the same individuals
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)  4
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  50     some back south, thought to be the same individuals
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  10
Blue Jay (Cyanocitta cristata)  82     63 south, 19 north
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor)  2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  8
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)  9
Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis)  2
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  65     27 north, 38 south
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  29     14 north, 15 south
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  36     19 north, 17 south
Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina)  1
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  2     1 north, 1 south
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)  1
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)  2
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  43     35 north, 8 south
Pine Warbler (Setophaga pinus)  1     south
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  3049     1499 north, 1550 south
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)  1     south
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  706     690 north, 16 south
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  20
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  2
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  9
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1
Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus)  1     south
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  37
Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus)  8     1 north, 7 south
Baltimore Oriole (Icterus galbula)  1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)  53     22 north, 31 south
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)  74     60 north, 14 south
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  63     52 north, 11 south
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)  24     south

Seawatch - 22 October 2014

Observation time: 0611 – 1811
Observer: Skye Haas/Sam Galick

Species counted:
Brant – 36
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 22
Northern Pintail – 6
Green-winged Teal – 23
Ring-necked Duck – 2
Lesser Scaup – 5
Surf Scoter – 4,181
Black Scoter – 6,172
Dark-winged Scoter – 4,845
Scoter sp. – 30
Red-throated Loon – 8
Common Loon – 12
Northern Gannet – 174
Brown Pelican – 1
Double-crested Cormorant – 2,518
Laughing Gull – 228
Ring-billed Gull – 9
Forster’s Tern – 11
Royal Tern – 1
Black Skimmer – 1
Parasitic Jaeger – 8
Jaeger sp. – 1
Waterbird sp. – 40
Black-bellied Plover – 20
Semipalmated Plover – 4
Sanderling – 80
Dunlin – 25
Calidris sp. – 3

Total: 18,461


Seawatch - 21 October 2014

Observation time: 0600 - 1745
Observer: Tom Reed

Species counted:
Brant - 12
Wood Duck - 7
American Black Duck - 49
American Black Duck x Mallard - 1
Northern Pintail - 1
Green-winged Teal - 29
Greater Scaup - 2
Lesser Scaup - 6
Scaup sp. - 2
Surf Scoter - 23,270
White-winged Scoter - 11
Black Scoter - 12,913
Dark-winged Scoter - 401
Long-tailed Duck - 1
Bufflehead - 1
Red-breasted Merganser - 4
Red-throated Loon - 72
Common Loon - 60
Horned Grebe - 2
Northern Gannet - 102
Brown Pelican - 62
Double-crested Cormorant - 6,953
Great Cormorant - 1
Great Blue Heron - 4
Laughing Gull - 786
Ring-billed Gull - 46
Great Black-backed Gull - 23
Caspian Tern - 1
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 446
Royal Tern - 110
Black Skimmer - 72
Parasitic Jaeger - 10

Total: 45,461

Hawkwatch - 21 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             73             79
Turkey Vulture              25            387            504
Osprey                       6           1435           3604
Bald Eagle                   7            187            488
Northern Harrier            44            370            546
Sharp-shinned Hawk          93           5138           8386
Cooper's Hawk              125           1739           2593
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          8             25             32
Broad-winged Hawk           12            446            654
Red-tailed Hawk             15             58            168
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 2              4              4
American Kestrel             5           1529           3767
Merlin                       7            641           1154
Peregrine Falcon            21            571            884
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     370          12604          22870
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
Very nice day starting with S/SW winds 5-10mph, but switching to light W/NW
winds in the afternoon.  Skies were mostly cloudy with a few sprinkles in
the morning then clearing with very little cloud coverage in the late
afternoon.  Temperatures reaching high 60's.

Raptor Observations:
A slow morning with the S/SW winds, but as the winds decreased and changed
directions nice kettles formed with a good diversity of buteos and a good
number of coopers hawks.  Quite a few harriers and peregrines streamed on
out and 2 Golden Eagles were sighted. 

Non-raptor Observations:
Lots of diversity on the pond still with Eurasian Widgeon(4), Pied-billed
Grebe(2), American Widgeon, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, and
Green-winged Teal to name a few.

Predictions:
Rain likely with N/NE winds 10-20mph.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Seawatch - 20 October 2014

Observation time: 0614 - 1815
Observer: Tom Reed

Species counted:
Snow Goose - 18
Canada Goose - 94
Brant - 370
Wood Duck - 111
American Wigeon - 15
American Black Duck - 324
Mallard - 2
American Black Duck/Mallard - 12
American Black Duck x Mallard - 1
Northern Pintail - 138
Green-winged Teal - 1,638
Dabbler sp. - 33
Ruddy Duck - 1
Greater Scaup - 11
Lesser Scaup - 15
Scaup sp. - 4
Surf Scoter - 540
Black Scoter - 5,256
Dark-winged Scoter - 521
Long-tailed Duck - 5
Red-breasted Merganser - 4
Red-throated Loon - 64
Common Loon - 68
Horned Grebe - 4
Northern Gannet - 4
Brown Pelican - 12
Double-crested Cormorant - 14,066
Black-crowned Night Heron - 1
Great Blue Heron - 38
Laughing Gull - 760
Ring-billed Gull - 11
Lesser Black-backed Gull - 2
Common Tern - 1
Forster's Tern - 382
Royal Tern - 113
Parasitic Jaeger - 7

Total: 24,646



Hawkwatch - 20 October 2014


Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0             73             79
Turkey Vulture              15            362            479
Osprey                       2           1429           3598
Bald Eagle                   5            180            481
Northern Harrier            21            326            502
Sharp-shinned Hawk          74           5045           8293
Cooper's Hawk               47           1614           2468
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             17             24
Broad-winged Hawk            7            434            642
Red-tailed Hawk              6             43            153
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              2              2
American Kestrel             5           1524           3762
Merlin                       9            634           1147
Peregrine Falcon             7            550            863
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              4
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              1
Zone-tailed Hawk             0              0              1

Total:                     199          12234          22500
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

Official Counter:        Mary Raikes

Observers:        

Weather:
Day started a cold 36F with clear skies and no wind.  Winds were light from
the south starting around 800EST and increasing to 15mph in the afternoon
with gusts of 20+ from the south/southwest.

Raptor Observations:
An early flight of accipiters and harriers and kettles of vultures,
red-tails and broad wings, but flight shut down with the increasing
southerly winds.

Non-raptor Observations:
Noticeable numbers of American Robin, Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds,
Eastern Meadowlark, Killdeer, and Double-crested Cormorants.  Typical
waterfowl on the pond including Wood ducks(8).  Also, Yellow-headed
Blackbird(1).

Predictions:
Chance of showers in the afternoon with warmer temperatures and winds from
the southwest 5-10mph.
========================================================================
Cape May information may be found at:
http://www.njaudubon.org/Centers/CMBO/

Morning Flight -- 19 October 2014

It was a wonderful and blustery day at the dike! Yellow-rumped Warbler stole the show with 15,782 counted. The high wind speed created a spectacle of whipping and winding birds streaming by. The flight didn't really get started until 20-30 minutes past sunrise. Another major highlight was the staggering number of raptors (primarily Sharp-shinned Hawk with over 2,000 conservatively estimated) streaming north for the 6 hours of the day that the count was conducted. 

Weather and time:
 sun and clouds; 53 degrees F; winds NW at 18-28 mph; 30-60% cloud cover; very good visibility; 0712 sunrise; 6.25 hours.

Morning Flight Count totals:
Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon)  1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus varius)  1
Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)  93
Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe)  4
Red-eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceus)  1
Red-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta canadensis)  1
Golden-crowned Kinglet (Regulus satrapa)  1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula)  6
kinglet sp. (Regulus sp.)  8     
American Robin (Turdus migratorius)  1
American Pipit (Anthus rubescens)  9
Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum)  59
Northern Waterthrush (Parkesia noveboracensis)  1
Black-and-white Warbler (Mniotilta varia)  1
Tennessee Warbler (Oreothlypis peregrina)  3
Orange-crowned Warbler (Oreothlypis celata)  1
Nashville Warbler (Oreothlypis ruficapilla)  2
Oreothlypis sp. (Oreothlypis sp.)  1     
American Redstart (Setophaga ruticilla)  1
Northern Parula (Setophaga americana)  5
Magnolia Warbler (Setophaga magnolia)  2
Blackpoll Warbler (Setophaga striata)  14
Black-throated Blue Warbler (Setophaga caerulescens)  6     Filter
Palm Warbler (Setophaga palmarum)  185
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata)  15782
Black-throated Green Warbler (Setophaga virens)  2
warbler sp. (Parulinae sp.)  1741     
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina)  24
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis)  2
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)  1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (Pheucticus ludovicianus)  1
Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea)  1
Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna)  3
Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)  1
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)  6
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)  2