Observation time: 0658 – 1658
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 30
American Black Duck – 4
Green-winged Teal – 15
Redhead – 9
Greater Scaup – 3
Lesser Scaup – 17
Common Eider – 7
Surf Scoter – 1,242
White-winged Scoter – 34
Black Scoter – 3,988
Surf/Black Scoter – 182
scoter, sp. – 53
Long-tailed Duck – 21
Bufflehead – 3
Common Goldeneye – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 103
Red-throated Loon – 484
Pacific Loon – 1
Common Loon – 6
Horned Grebe – 4
Northern Gannet – 1,328
Double-crested Cormorant – 26
Great Cormorant – 2
Bonaparte's Gull – 2
Ring-billed Gull – 48
Herring Gull – 104
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 2
Great Black-backed Gull –28
Total: 7,747
Hawkwatch – 30 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 30, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 103 208 Turkey Vulture 0 1125 2193 Osprey 0 26 3811 Bald Eagle 2 80 672 Northern Harrier 3 456 1313 Sharp-shinned Hawk 28 1888 14949 Cooper's Hawk 9 467 3886 Northern Goshawk 0 6 8 Red-shouldered Hawk 6 553 692 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 22 1008 1487 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 13 19 American Kestrel 0 117 4519 Merlin 1 57 1420 Peregrine Falcon 0 39 1000 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 6 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 71 5962 36932 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.25 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Clear skies nearly all day with a few late afternoon clouds. Winds were S/SW 10-15 mph (gusts to 20) in the am, becoming lighter 5-10 mph in the afternoon. Quite pleasant temps with a high of 61F. Raptor Observations: A short-lived (10:00-12:00), distant flight of mainly sharpies and red-tails mixed with vultures over the northern treeline. Non-raptor Observations: American Bittern(2), Eurasian Wigeon(1). Predictions: Last day of count. Thanks for a great season! (Warm temps near 60F, SW winds 10-15mph becoming NW in the afternoon.)
Seawatch – 29 November 2014
"Howdy all, so sorry to be away for so long dear seawatch aficionados. I've been meaning to post an update for a while now, but my hands have become twisted claws from clutching tally clickers for hours on end in the cold. Still I have gotten it together to let you all know that not only does the count at Avalon continue, it is thriving in recent days. Thanksgiving was a fantastic day full of gannets and loons- a total of 28,000+ birds were seen that day with the pièce de résistance being an adult(ish?) Pomarine Jaeger going by that afternoon. While I feel we likely had one earlier in the season, this bird was the first one I felt sure of this fall and makes for only the second time in Seawatch history that the Jaeger sweep of all three birds has occurred. Truly delightful!
As for today, it was a wonderful day at the watch with October-like numbers of scoters passing by (albeit often at a great distance). Over 12,000 scoters of all types, including 28 White-winged Scoters, were seen today. Also notable was the smaller pied cousin of the scoter, Long-tailed Duck with a healthy 97 counted. Rounding out the "cool sea ducks" portion of the count were 13 Common Eiders passing by, both by themselves and tucked into scoter flocks. Red-throated Loons continue to pass by in robust numbers with 8,530 tallied in today. And while we had more Gannets on Thanksgiving, today's total was important as it took the season total just under a hundred thousand gannets! Considering the seasonal average is 65,000, I'm pretty pleased, as well as curious to see if the Sulid Parade keeps on going. Herring Gulls have really got rolling finally with 807 recorded as migrants with many other hundreds passing by far off shore recorded as the tragically mundane "gull spuh".Final honorable mention for bird of the day goes to the leucistic Great Blue Heron flying with two normal looking herons over Sea Isle. What made the bird particularly striking was that it still had the dark flight feathers on the wings with an off-white body, looking shockingly similar to a Wood Stork! Good times..." –– S.H.
 |
| [These Long-tailed Ducks put on a wonderful show near the seawall today. Photo by Skye Haas.] |
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| [Leucistic Great Blue Heron (at left). Photo by Skye Haas.] |
Observation time: 0649 – 1659
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Snow Goose – 49
Canada Goose – 76
Brant – 69
Wood Duck – 3
Gadwall – 5
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 143
Mallard – 8
Northern Pintail – 1
Green-winged Teal – 14
dabbling duck, sp. – 17
Ring-necked Duck – 16
Greater Scaup – 6
Lesser Scaup – 79
scaup, sp. – 38
aythya, sp. – 15
Common Eider – 13
Surf Scoter – 2,255
White-winged Scoter – 28
Black Scoter – 3,873
Surf/Black Scoter – 3,131
scoter, sp. – 3,160
Long-tailed Duck – 94
Bufflehead – 25
Common Goldeneye – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 51
duck, sp. – 206
Red-throated Loon – 8,530
Common Loon – 19
loon, sp. – 8
Horned Grebe – 20
Northern Gannet – 3,641
Double-crested Cormorant – 254
Great Cormorant – 8
Great Blue Heron – 3
Great Egret – 1
Laughing Gull – 2
Ring-billed Gull – 488
Herring Gull – 807
Great Black-backed Gull – 17
gull, sp. – 531
Forster's Tern – 2
Total: 27,708
Hawkwatch – 29 November 2014
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 29, 2014
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 103 208
Turkey Vulture 14 1125 2193
Osprey 0 26 3811
Bald Eagle 0 78 670
Northern Harrier 32 453 1310
Sharp-shinned Hawk 23 1860 14921
Cooper's Hawk 12 458 3877
Northern Goshawk 1 6 8
Red-shouldered Hawk 4 547 686
Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744
Red-tailed Hawk 14 986 1465
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1
Golden Eagle 1 13 19
American Kestrel 0 117 4519
Merlin 2 56 1419
Peregrine Falcon 0 39 1000
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 6
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 2
Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1
Total: 103 5891 36861
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:30:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: Tom Reed
Observers:
Weather:
Cool and mostly cloudy. Winds calm during AM, becoming S 5-10mph during PM.
Visibility excellent.
Raptor Observations:
Steady trickle of NOHA during AM; GOEA and NOGO at 1228.
Non-raptor Observations:
Eurasian Wigeon (2), Black/Surf Scoter (5,000+), Great Cormorant (3),
Glaucous Gull (1), Eurasian Collared-Dove (1), Short-eared Owl (1),
Orange-crowned Warbler (2), American Tree Sparrow (1), Baltimore Oriole (1)
Predictions:
Sunny; 55ºF; winds SW 15-20mph.
Seawatch – 28 November 2014
Observation time: 0655 – 1654
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Snow Goose – 99
Canada Goose – 74
Brant – 130
goose, sp. – 1
Tundra Swan – 9
America Black Duck – 64
Mallard – 7
Black Duck/Mallard – 2
Green-winged Teal – 7
scaup, sp. – 2
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 799
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 988
Surf/Black Scoter – 1,572
scoter, sp. – 275
Long-tailed Duck – 11
Hooded Merganser – 3
Red-breasted Merganser – 20
duck, sp. – 21
Red-throated Loon – 3,842
Common Loon – 14
Northern Gannet – 2,785
Double-crested Cormorant – 832
Great Cormorant – 2
Great Blue Heron – 5
Bonaparte's Gull – 1
Ring-billed Gull – 284
Herring Gull – 296
Great Black-backed Gull – 13
Total: 12,104
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Snow Goose – 99
Canada Goose – 74
Brant – 130
goose, sp. – 1
Tundra Swan – 9
America Black Duck – 64
Mallard – 7
Black Duck/Mallard – 2
Green-winged Teal – 7
scaup, sp. – 2
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 799
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 988
Surf/Black Scoter – 1,572
scoter, sp. – 275
Long-tailed Duck – 11
Hooded Merganser – 3
Red-breasted Merganser – 20
duck, sp. – 21
Red-throated Loon – 3,842
Common Loon – 14
Northern Gannet – 2,785
Double-crested Cormorant – 832
Great Cormorant – 2
Great Blue Heron – 5
Bonaparte's Gull – 1
Ring-billed Gull – 284
Herring Gull – 296
Great Black-backed Gull – 13
Total: 12,104
Hawkwatch – 28 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 28, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 12 103 208 Turkey Vulture 53 1111 2179 Osprey 1 26 3811 Bald Eagle 4 78 670 Northern Harrier 21 421 1278 Sharp-shinned Hawk 44 1837 14898 Cooper's Hawk 9 446 3865 Northern Goshawk 0 5 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 38 543 682 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 62 972 1451 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 12 18 American Kestrel 1 117 4519 Merlin 1 54 1417 Peregrine Falcon 0 39 1000 Unknown Accipiter 1 2 6 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 247 5788 36758 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Mainly clear skies all day with steady NW winds 10-15 mph with gusts up to 28 mph. Temps reaching 39F with wind chills around 30. Raptor Observations: A nice flight between 9:00 and 12:00 with quite a few red-tails, red-shoulders, and harriers over the northern tree-line. Non-raptor Observations: Lots of snow geese flocks(517) and large grackle flocks. On the pond, Eurasian Wigeon(2), American Bittern(1), and Tundra Swan(1). Predictions: Mostly cloudy with light and variable winds becoming south 10-15 mph. Temps in the upper 40's.
Seawatch – 27 November 2014
Observation time: 0653 – 1657
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 91
Wood Duck – 50
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 22
Northern Pintail – 1
Green-winged Teal – 12
Common Eider – 2
Surf Scoter – 3,059
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 5,096
Surf/Black Scoter – 3,495
scoter, sp. – 204
Long-tailed Duck – 24
Bufflehead – 4
Common Goldeneye – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 27
Red-throated Loon – 8,341
Common Loon – 51
loon, sp. – 13
Horned Grebe – 11
Northern Gannet – 6,534
Double-crested Cormorant – 685
Great Cormorant – 1
Great Blue Heron – 4
Pomarine Jaeger – 1
jaeger, sp. – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 10
Laughing Gull – 17
Ring-billed Gull – 429
Herring Gull – 164
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 15
Forster's Tern – 28
Total: 28,400
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 91
Wood Duck – 50
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 22
Northern Pintail – 1
Green-winged Teal – 12
Common Eider – 2
Surf Scoter – 3,059
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 5,096
Surf/Black Scoter – 3,495
scoter, sp. – 204
Long-tailed Duck – 24
Bufflehead – 4
Common Goldeneye – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 27
Red-throated Loon – 8,341
Common Loon – 51
loon, sp. – 13
Horned Grebe – 11
Northern Gannet – 6,534
Double-crested Cormorant – 685
Great Cormorant – 1
Great Blue Heron – 4
Pomarine Jaeger – 1
jaeger, sp. – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 10
Laughing Gull – 17
Ring-billed Gull – 429
Herring Gull – 164
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 15
Forster's Tern – 28
Total: 28,400
Hawkwatch – 27 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 27, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 13 91 196 Turkey Vulture 48 1058 2126 Osprey 1 25 3810 Bald Eagle 7 74 666 Northern Harrier 14 400 1257 Sharp-shinned Hawk 76 1793 14854 Cooper's Hawk 23 437 3856 Northern Goshawk 1 5 7 Red-shouldered Hawk 27 505 644 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 42 910 1389 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 12 18 American Kestrel 0 116 4518 Merlin 0 53 1416 Peregrine Falcon 1 39 1000 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 253 5541 36511 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours Official Counter: Tom Reed Observers: Weather: Cool and partly cloudy. Winds W/NW 5-10mph throughout; visibility excellent. Raptor Observations: A morning-heavy flight that lasted as long as the sun would allow. Soaring NOGO around 1040 was a highlight. Non-raptor Observations: Tundra Swan (5), Eurasian Wigeon (2), Redhead (1), American Pipit (210), American Goldfinch (6,135) Predictions: Mostly sunny; 39ºF; winds NW 15-25mph.
Seawatch – 26 November 2014
Observation time: 0654 – 1623
Observer: Skye Haas
Weather note: strong coastal storm; visibility 1km or less throughout.
Species counted:
American Black Duck – 1
Surf Scoter – 260
White-winged Scoter – 1
Black Scoter – 65
Surf/Black Scoter – 943
Long-tailed Duck – 1
Bufflehead – 5
Red-throated Loon – 9
Common Loon – 3
Double-crested Cormorant – 1
Great Cormorant – 1
Laughing Gull – 7
Ring-billed Gull – 58
Herring Gull – 23
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 8
Total: 1,387
Observer: Skye Haas
Weather note: strong coastal storm; visibility 1km or less throughout.
Species counted:
American Black Duck – 1
Surf Scoter – 260
White-winged Scoter – 1
Black Scoter – 65
Surf/Black Scoter – 943
Long-tailed Duck – 1
Bufflehead – 5
Red-throated Loon – 9
Common Loon – 3
Double-crested Cormorant – 1
Great Cormorant – 1
Laughing Gull – 7
Ring-billed Gull – 58
Herring Gull – 23
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 8
Total: 1,387
Hawkwatch – 26 November 2014
No count was conducted today, as a coastal storm brought steady rain throughout the observation period. Counting will resume tomorrow--Thursday, November 27.
-tr
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Seawatch – 25 November 2014
Observation time: 0638 – 1643
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Canada Goose – 3
Brant – 4
Tundra Swan – 8
American Black Duck – 33
Mallard – 4
Northern Pintail – 3
Ring-necked Duck – 3
Greater Scaup – 7
Lesser Scaup – 4
scaup, sp. – 16
aythya, sp. – 2
Surf Scoter – 2,145
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 3,293
Surf/Black Scoter – 2,324
scoter, sp. – 42
Long-tailed Duck – 9
Bufflehead – 6
Hooded Merganser – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 34
Red-throated Loon – 1,463
Common Loon – 63
Horned Grebe – 17
Red-necked Grebe – 1
Northern Gannet – 16
Double-crested Cormorant – 239
Great Blue Heron – 7
Little Blue Heron – 1
Laughing Gull – 231
Ring-billed Gull – 325
Herring Gull – 88
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 3
Great Black-backed Gull – 22
Forster's Tern – 68
Royal Tern – 3
Total: 10,429
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Canada Goose – 3
Brant – 4
Tundra Swan – 8
American Black Duck – 33
Mallard – 4
Northern Pintail – 3
Ring-necked Duck – 3
Greater Scaup – 7
Lesser Scaup – 4
scaup, sp. – 16
aythya, sp. – 2
Surf Scoter – 2,145
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 3,293
Surf/Black Scoter – 2,324
scoter, sp. – 42
Long-tailed Duck – 9
Bufflehead – 6
Hooded Merganser – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 34
Red-throated Loon – 1,463
Common Loon – 63
Horned Grebe – 17
Red-necked Grebe – 1
Northern Gannet – 16
Double-crested Cormorant – 239
Great Blue Heron – 7
Little Blue Heron – 1
Laughing Gull – 231
Ring-billed Gull – 325
Herring Gull – 88
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 3
Great Black-backed Gull – 22
Forster's Tern – 68
Royal Tern – 3
Total: 10,429
Hawkwatch – 25 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 25, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 78 183 Turkey Vulture 0 1010 2078 Osprey 0 24 3809 Bald Eagle 0 67 659 Northern Harrier 4 386 1243 Sharp-shinned Hawk 23 1717 14778 Cooper's Hawk 5 414 3833 Northern Goshawk 0 4 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 478 617 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 0 868 1347 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 12 18 American Kestrel 0 116 4518 Merlin 0 53 1416 Peregrine Falcon 0 38 999 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 32 5288 36258 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Cloudy skies all day with winds from the NW 5-10 mph, with a hint of North in the afternoon and almost calm. Temps reaching the mid 50's. Raptor Observations: Another slower day with mainly sharpies and a few harriers. Non-raptor Observations: An impressive flight this morning with large numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds, Rusty Blackbirds, Common Grackles(flock of 1,000), Cedar Waxwings, American Goldfinch, American Robin, and Eastern Bluebirds. Eastern Meadowlark(4), Greater Yellowlegs(3), Killdeer(11) and American Bittern(2) engaged in a display of sorts revealing white plumes at shoulders. Predictions: Rain, temps in the mid 40s, and winds N/NE 20-30 mph.
Seawatch – 24 November 2014
Observation time: 0637 – 1642 (visibility <0.25km until 1215)
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 10
Wood Duck – 8
Green-winged Teal – 1
Greater Scaup – 1
Lesser Scaup – 2
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 1,154
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 2,702
Surf/Black Scoter – 837
Long-tailed Duck – 7
Bufflehead – 1
Hooded Merganser – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 15
Red-throated Loon – 8
Common Loon – 6
Northern Gannet – 13
Laughing Gull – 30
Ring-billed Gull – 102
Herring Gull – 33
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 2
Great Black-backed Gull – 58
Forster's Tern – 6
Total: 5,001
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 10
Wood Duck – 8
Green-winged Teal – 1
Greater Scaup – 1
Lesser Scaup – 2
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 1,154
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 2,702
Surf/Black Scoter – 837
Long-tailed Duck – 7
Bufflehead – 1
Hooded Merganser – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 15
Red-throated Loon – 8
Common Loon – 6
Northern Gannet – 13
Laughing Gull – 30
Ring-billed Gull – 102
Herring Gull – 33
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 2
Great Black-backed Gull – 58
Forster's Tern – 6
Total: 5,001
Hawkwatch – 24 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 24, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 78 183 Turkey Vulture 0 1010 2078 Osprey 0 24 3809 Bald Eagle 0 67 659 Northern Harrier 3 382 1239 Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 1694 14755 Cooper's Hawk 1 409 3828 Northern Goshawk 0 4 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 478 617 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 1 868 1347 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 12 18 American Kestrel 0 116 4518 Merlin 0 53 1416 Peregrine Falcon 1 38 999 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 12 5256 36226 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Started count late due to heavy fog in the am. Fog finally cleared out by 11:00. Steady South winds all day 15-20mph. Raptor Observations: Very slow out there with a handful of sharpies and a few harriers showing up as the fog cleared and the sun came out. Non-raptor Observations: American Bittern(2), Eurasian Wigeon(1). Predictions: Partly sunny, high near 55F, and winds NW 5-10.
Seawatch – 23 November 2014
Observation time: 0659 – 1654
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Canada Goose – 1
Wood Duck – 1
Gadwall – 10
American Black Duck – 134
Mallard – 3
Black Duck/Mallard – 6
Northern Pintail – 7
Green-winged Teal – 29
Canvasback – 8
Greater Scaup – 14
Lesser Scaup – 37
scaup, sp. – 6
Surf Scoter – 3,112
White-winged Scoter – 18
Black Scoter – 4,275
Surf/Black Scoter – 439
Long-tailed Duck – 20
Bufflehead – 15
Hooded Merganser – 10
Red-breasted Merganser – 16
duck, sp. – 13
Red-throated Loon – 3,841
Common Loon – 47
Horned Grebe – 10
Northern Gannet – 978
Double-crested Cormorant – 367
Great Cormorant – 3
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Laughing Gull – 72
Ring-billed Gull – 413
Herring Gull – 22
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 7
Forster's Tern – 21
Total: 13,957
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Canada Goose – 1
Wood Duck – 1
Gadwall – 10
American Black Duck – 134
Mallard – 3
Black Duck/Mallard – 6
Northern Pintail – 7
Green-winged Teal – 29
Canvasback – 8
Greater Scaup – 14
Lesser Scaup – 37
scaup, sp. – 6
Surf Scoter – 3,112
White-winged Scoter – 18
Black Scoter – 4,275
Surf/Black Scoter – 439
Long-tailed Duck – 20
Bufflehead – 15
Hooded Merganser – 10
Red-breasted Merganser – 16
duck, sp. – 13
Red-throated Loon – 3,841
Common Loon – 47
Horned Grebe – 10
Northern Gannet – 978
Double-crested Cormorant – 367
Great Cormorant – 3
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Laughing Gull – 72
Ring-billed Gull – 413
Herring Gull – 22
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Great Black-backed Gull – 7
Forster's Tern – 21
Total: 13,957
Hawkwatch – 23 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 23, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 78 183 Turkey Vulture 0 1010 2078 Osprey 0 24 3809 Bald Eagle 0 67 659 Northern Harrier 6 379 1236 Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 1688 14749 Cooper's Hawk 3 408 3827 Northern Goshawk 0 4 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 478 617 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 1 867 1346 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 12 18 American Kestrel 0 116 4518 Merlin 1 53 1416 Peregrine Falcon 0 37 998 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 17 5244 36214 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Partly cloudy skies all day with winds from the S/SW 5-10 mph. Quite calm and pleasant with temps reaching 54F. Raptor Observations: Fairly empty skies out there today with a few harriers and sharpies composing most of the flight in the first hour. Non-raptor Observations: American Bitterns(2)-interacting- one chasing the other. Fox(1) and Field Sparrow(2) feeding near platform. And still plenty of ducks to be seen! Predictions: Rain overnight and showers possible in the am. South winds 20-30 mph. Warm temps in the low 60's.
Seawatch – 22 November 2014
Observation time: 0650 – 1656
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Snow Goose – 54
Canada Goose – 416
Brant – 1
Wood Duck – 5
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 253
Mallard – 34
Black Duck/Mallard – 87
Northern Shoveler – 26
Northern Pintail – 26
Green-winged Teal – 102
dabbling duck, sp. – 1
Canvasback – 4
Redhead – 16
Ring-necked Duck – 3
Greater Scaup – 28
Lesser Scaup – 62
scaup, sp. – 61
aythya, sp. – 6
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 2,135
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 2,685
Surf/Black Scoter – 2,659
scoter, sp. – 65
Long-tailed Duck – 52
Bufflehead – 95
Common Goldeneye – 2
Hooded Merganser – 54
Common Merganser – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 20
duck, sp. – 342
Red-throated Loon – 3,779
Common Loon – 83
loon, sp. – 8
Horned Grebe – 22
Northern Gannet – 1,651
Double-crested Cormorant – 1,295
Great Cormorant – 3
Great Blue Heron – 2
Great Egret – 6
Bonaparte's Gull – 2
Laughing Gull – 38
Ring-billed Gull – 1,589
Herring Gull – 38
Great Black-backed Gull – 7
Forster's Tern – 115
Total: 17,959
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Snow Goose – 54
Canada Goose – 416
Brant – 1
Wood Duck – 5
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 253
Mallard – 34
Black Duck/Mallard – 87
Northern Shoveler – 26
Northern Pintail – 26
Green-winged Teal – 102
dabbling duck, sp. – 1
Canvasback – 4
Redhead – 16
Ring-necked Duck – 3
Greater Scaup – 28
Lesser Scaup – 62
scaup, sp. – 61
aythya, sp. – 6
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 2,135
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 2,685
Surf/Black Scoter – 2,659
scoter, sp. – 65
Long-tailed Duck – 52
Bufflehead – 95
Common Goldeneye – 2
Hooded Merganser – 54
Common Merganser – 1
Red-breasted Merganser – 20
duck, sp. – 342
Red-throated Loon – 3,779
Common Loon – 83
loon, sp. – 8
Horned Grebe – 22
Northern Gannet – 1,651
Double-crested Cormorant – 1,295
Great Cormorant – 3
Great Blue Heron – 2
Great Egret – 6
Bonaparte's Gull – 2
Laughing Gull – 38
Ring-billed Gull – 1,589
Herring Gull – 38
Great Black-backed Gull – 7
Forster's Tern – 115
Total: 17,959
Hawkwatch – 22 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 22, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 10 78 183 Turkey Vulture 94 1010 2078 Osprey 0 24 3809 Bald Eagle 1 67 659 Northern Harrier 17 373 1230 Sharp-shinned Hawk 25 1682 14743 Cooper's Hawk 10 405 3824 Northern Goshawk 0 4 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 31 478 617 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 23 866 1345 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 12 18 American Kestrel 0 116 4518 Merlin 1 52 1415 Peregrine Falcon 0 37 998 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 212 5227 36197 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Quite cold overnight. Entire pond had ice until nearly 1:00pm. Very clear skies all day with winds from the SW 10-15mph. Raptor Observations: Harriers, red-tails, and red-shoulders mixed with vultures during the late morning. Fairly high and over the northern treeline. Non-raptor Observations: Pond was frozen most of the day, so far fewer ducks than usual, but quite a few sparrows were around including White-throated, Song, Swamp, Field, Fox and Dark-eyed Junco. American Bittern(1) on pond. Predictions: Sunny, temps in the mid-50's, SW winds 10-15mph.
Seawatch – 21 November 2014
Observation time: 0647 – 1655
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Snow Goose – 12
Canada Goose – 38
Brant – 74
Tundra Swan – 61
Wood Duck – 3
American Black Duck – 11
Mallard – 11
Black Duck/Mallard – 2
Green-winged Teal – 2
dabbling duck, sp. – 6
Lesser Scaup – 21
scaup, sp. – 48
Surf Scoter – 71
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 693
Surf/Black Scoter – 1,203
Long-tailed Duck – 10
Bufflehead – 106
Hooded Merganser – 10
Red-breasted Merganser – 28
duck, sp. – 40
Red-throated Loon – 486
Common Loon – 8
Horned Grebe – 12
Red-necked Grebe – 1
Northern Gannet – 269
Double-crested Cormorant – 461
Great Cormorant – 2
Great Blue Heron – 1
Great Egret – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 1
Laughing Gull – 58
Ring-billed Gull – 337
Herring Gull – 32
Great Black-backed Gull – 6
Forster's Tern – 293
Black Skimmer – 14
jaeger, sp. – 1
Total: 4,436
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Snow Goose – 12
Canada Goose – 38
Brant – 74
Tundra Swan – 61
Wood Duck – 3
American Black Duck – 11
Mallard – 11
Black Duck/Mallard – 2
Green-winged Teal – 2
dabbling duck, sp. – 6
Lesser Scaup – 21
scaup, sp. – 48
Surf Scoter – 71
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 693
Surf/Black Scoter – 1,203
Long-tailed Duck – 10
Bufflehead – 106
Hooded Merganser – 10
Red-breasted Merganser – 28
duck, sp. – 40
Red-throated Loon – 486
Common Loon – 8
Horned Grebe – 12
Red-necked Grebe – 1
Northern Gannet – 269
Double-crested Cormorant – 461
Great Cormorant – 2
Great Blue Heron – 1
Great Egret – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 1
Laughing Gull – 58
Ring-billed Gull – 337
Herring Gull – 32
Great Black-backed Gull – 6
Forster's Tern – 293
Black Skimmer – 14
jaeger, sp. – 1
Total: 4,436
Hawkwatch – 21 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 21, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 8 68 173 Turkey Vulture 55 916 1984 Osprey 0 24 3809 Bald Eagle 3 66 658 Northern Harrier 10 356 1213 Sharp-shinned Hawk 18 1657 14718 Cooper's Hawk 6 395 3814 Northern Goshawk 1 4 6 Red-shouldered Hawk 17 447 586 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 30 843 1322 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 1 12 18 American Kestrel 0 116 4518 Merlin 3 51 1414 Peregrine Falcon 2 37 998 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 154 5015 35985 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Quite cold out there with temperatures reaching 36F and NW winds from 15-20 mph, gusts up to 30 mph. Wind chills did not reach over 30F all day. Very sunny skies with excellent visibility. Raptor Observations: A pretty good mix for a slower day including harriers, red-tails and red-shoulders. Highlight being a Northern Goshawk making multiple passes by the platform and a Golden Eagle over the northern treeline. Non-raptor Observations: Snow Geese(5), Tundra Swan(7) flying over and (6) on the pond, American Bittern(2) on the pond, Eastern Bluebird(40), Purple Finch, American Pipit(9), Greater Yellowlegs(3), Wilson's Snipe(1), Tree Swallows(300). Predictions: Sunny skies, temps in the mid-40's, winds SW 10-15mph.
Seawatch – 20 November 2014
Observation time: 0641 – 1701
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 12
Tundra Swan – 12
Gadwall – 2
Northern Shoveler – 4
Green-winged Teal – 18
Redhead – 19
Ring-necked Duck – 1
Greater Scaup – 9
Lesser Scaup – 36
scaup, sp. – 13
aythya, sp. – 3
Surf Scoter – 1,153
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 1,086
Surf/Black Scoter – 43
Long-tailed Duck – 9
Bufflehead – 44
Hooded Merganser – 4
Red-breasted Merganser – 18
duck, sp. – 74
Red-throated Loon – 751
Common Loon – 28
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 1,457
Double-crested Cormorant – 43
Bonaparte's Gull – 22
Laughing Gull – 146
Ring-billed Gull – 452
Great Black-backed Gull – 2
Forster's Tern – 533
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Total: 6,002
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 12
Tundra Swan – 12
Gadwall – 2
Northern Shoveler – 4
Green-winged Teal – 18
Redhead – 19
Ring-necked Duck – 1
Greater Scaup – 9
Lesser Scaup – 36
scaup, sp. – 13
aythya, sp. – 3
Surf Scoter – 1,153
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 1,086
Surf/Black Scoter – 43
Long-tailed Duck – 9
Bufflehead – 44
Hooded Merganser – 4
Red-breasted Merganser – 18
duck, sp. – 74
Red-throated Loon – 751
Common Loon – 28
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 1,457
Double-crested Cormorant – 43
Bonaparte's Gull – 22
Laughing Gull – 146
Ring-billed Gull – 452
Great Black-backed Gull – 2
Forster's Tern – 533
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Total: 6,002
Hawkwatch – 20 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 20, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 60 165 Turkey Vulture 58 861 1929 Osprey 2 24 3809 Bald Eagle 5 63 655 Northern Harrier 10 346 1203 Sharp-shinned Hawk 29 1639 14700 Cooper's Hawk 11 389 3808 Northern Goshawk 1 3 5 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 430 569 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 26 813 1292 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 0 116 4518 Merlin 0 48 1411 Peregrine Falcon 0 35 996 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 146 4861 35831 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.25 hours Official Counter: Tom Reed Observers: Weather: Seasonably cool with variable cloudiness. Winds WSW 15-25mph during the AM, subsiding to 10mph through most of the PM. Raptor Observations: A quiet day. Non-raptor Observations: Tundra Swan (78), Eurasian Wigeon (4), Ring-billed Gull (~3,000), Evening Grosbeak (1) Predictions: Sunny, 38ºF, winds NW 15-25mph.
Seawatch – 19 November 2014
Observation time: 0641 – 1700
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 9
Tundra Swan – 96
Tundra/Trumpeter Swan – 2
Wood Duck – 15
Gadwall – 7
American Wigeon – 7
American Black Duck – 51
Mallard – 49
Black Duck/Mallard – 9
Northern Shoveler – 2
Northern Pintail – 9
Green-winged Teal – 242
dabbling duck, sp. – 13
Ring-necked Duck – 1
Lesser Scaup – 14
scaup, sp. – 17
aythya, sp. – 9
Surf Scoter – 98
White-winged Scoter – 4
Black Scoter – 181
Surf/Black Scoter – 359
Long-tailed Duck – 12
Bufflehead – 192
Hooded Merganser – 6
Red-breasted Merganser – 30
duck, sp. – 205
Red-throated Loon – 885
Common Loon – 69
Horned Grebe – 19
Northern Gannet – 1,845
Double-crested Cormorant – 543
Great Cormorant – 2
Cattle Egret – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 11
Laughing Gull – 291
Ring-billed Gull – 2,562
Herring Gull – 67
Great Black-backed Gull – 5
Forster's Tern – 88
jaeger, sp. – 1
Total: 8,028
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 9
Tundra Swan – 96
Tundra/Trumpeter Swan – 2
Wood Duck – 15
Gadwall – 7
American Wigeon – 7
American Black Duck – 51
Mallard – 49
Black Duck/Mallard – 9
Northern Shoveler – 2
Northern Pintail – 9
Green-winged Teal – 242
dabbling duck, sp. – 13
Ring-necked Duck – 1
Lesser Scaup – 14
scaup, sp. – 17
aythya, sp. – 9
Surf Scoter – 98
White-winged Scoter – 4
Black Scoter – 181
Surf/Black Scoter – 359
Long-tailed Duck – 12
Bufflehead – 192
Hooded Merganser – 6
Red-breasted Merganser – 30
duck, sp. – 205
Red-throated Loon – 885
Common Loon – 69
Horned Grebe – 19
Northern Gannet – 1,845
Double-crested Cormorant – 543
Great Cormorant – 2
Cattle Egret – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 11
Laughing Gull – 291
Ring-billed Gull – 2,562
Herring Gull – 67
Great Black-backed Gull – 5
Forster's Tern – 88
jaeger, sp. – 1
Total: 8,028
Hawkwatch – 19 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 19, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 6 60 165 Turkey Vulture 115 803 1871 Osprey 1 22 3807 Bald Eagle 5 58 650 Northern Harrier 12 336 1193 Sharp-shinned Hawk 53 1610 14671 Cooper's Hawk 18 378 3797 Northern Goshawk 1 2 4 Red-shouldered Hawk 37 426 565 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 75 787 1266 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 1 116 4518 Merlin 0 48 1411 Peregrine Falcon 2 35 996 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 326 4715 35685 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.25 hours Official Counter: Tom Reed Observers: Weather: Cold and clear. Near-record low temp at sunrise; high temp ~34ºF. Winds W->SW 10-20mph, gusts to 25mph. Visibility good throughout. Raptor Observations: A relatively light and short-lived flight during the late-AM. Non-raptor Observations: Tundra Swan (72), Eurasian Wigeon (4), Lapland Longspur (2), American Robin (10,000+), Dickcissel (1), Rusty Blackbird (30+), Common Redpoll (1) Predictions: Sunny, 45ºF, winds W 10-15mph.
Seawatch – 18 November 2014
Observation time: 0646 – 1701
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 11
Tundra Swan – 102
Wood Duck – 5
Gadwall – 15
American Black Duck – 66
Mallard – 19
Northern Shoveler – 1
Northern Pintail – 21
Green-winged Teal – 8
Redhead – 16
Ring-necked Duck – 4
Greater Scaup – 2
Lesser Scaup – 16
scaup, sp. – 7
aythya, sp. – 59
Surf Scoter – 285
Black Scoter – 340
Surf/Black Scoter – 1,082
scoter, sp. – 53
Long-tailed Duck – 3
Bufflehead – 14
Hooded Merganser – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 16
Red-throated Loon – 807
Common Loon – 26
Horned Grebe – 3
Northern Gannet – 844
Double-crested Cormorant – 361
Great Cormorant – 1
Great Blue Heron – 5
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Black-legged Kittiwake – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 24
Laughing Gull – 267
Ring-billed Gull – 1,485
Herring Gull – 152
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 7
Great Black-backed Gull – 54
Royal Tern – 3
Black Skimmer – 7
Total: 6,473
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 11
Tundra Swan – 102
Wood Duck – 5
Gadwall – 15
American Black Duck – 66
Mallard – 19
Northern Shoveler – 1
Northern Pintail – 21
Green-winged Teal – 8
Redhead – 16
Ring-necked Duck – 4
Greater Scaup – 2
Lesser Scaup – 16
scaup, sp. – 7
aythya, sp. – 59
Surf Scoter – 285
Black Scoter – 340
Surf/Black Scoter – 1,082
scoter, sp. – 53
Long-tailed Duck – 3
Bufflehead – 14
Hooded Merganser – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 16
Red-throated Loon – 807
Common Loon – 26
Horned Grebe – 3
Northern Gannet – 844
Double-crested Cormorant – 361
Great Cormorant – 1
Great Blue Heron – 5
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Black-legged Kittiwake – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 24
Laughing Gull – 267
Ring-billed Gull – 1,485
Herring Gull – 152
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 7
Great Black-backed Gull – 54
Royal Tern – 3
Black Skimmer – 7
Total: 6,473
Hawkwatch – 18 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 18, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 2 54 159 Turkey Vulture 37 688 1756 Osprey 0 21 3806 Bald Eagle 1 53 645 Northern Harrier 9 324 1181 Sharp-shinned Hawk 9 1557 14618 Cooper's Hawk 4 360 3779 Northern Goshawk 0 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 7 389 528 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 24 712 1191 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 0 115 4517 Merlin 2 48 1411 Peregrine Falcon 0 33 994 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 95 4389 35359 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: A bit chilly out there today. Very clear skies with winds from the NW then W 15-20 mph with gusts up to 32 mph. Temps only reaching 34F creating wind chills below 20F for most of the day. Raptor Observations: A very short window for the flight today with red-tails, red-shoulders, and vultures over the northern treeline. Non-raptor Observations: Pretty quiet out there. American Robin, American Goldfinch, and Red-winged Blackbird flocks. Nice sized Tree Swallow flock (400+), Forster's Terns(10), and small Ring-billed Gull movement. Predictions: Sunny with a high temp in the upper 30's. West winds 11-18 mph.
Seawatch – 17 November 2014
 | ||
| [Franklin's Gull flying past the 8th Street jetty. Photo by Tom Reed.] |
Observation time: 0625 – 1545 (count suspended at 1545 due to lightning and low visibility).
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
American Black Duck – 18
Mallard – 2
Northern Pintail – 16
Green-winged Teal – 49
Ring-necked Duck – 12
Greater Scaup – 14
Lesser Scaup – 12
scaup, sp. – 6
Surf Scoter – 626
Black Scoter – 756
Surf/Black Scoter – 456
scoter, sp. – 31
Long-tailed Duck – 5
Bufflehead – 2
Red-breasted Merganser – 3
Red-throated Loon – 1,205
Common Loon – 9
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 1,846
Double-crested Cormorant – 5
Great Blue Heron – 1
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Bonaparte's Gull – 103
Laughing Gull – 53
Franklin's Gull – 1 (first-winter, flying with 3 Ring-billed Gulls around 8am)
Ring-billed Gull – 358
Herring Gull – 100
Great Black-backed Gull – 21
Forster's Tern – 226
Royal Tern – 5
Total: 5,954
Hawkwatch – 17 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 52 157 Turkey Vulture 0 651 1719 Osprey 0 21 3806 Bald Eagle 0 52 644 Northern Harrier 1 315 1172 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 1548 14609 Cooper's Hawk 0 356 3775 Northern Goshawk 0 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 382 521 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 0 688 1167 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 0 115 4517 Merlin 0 46 1409 Peregrine Falcon 0 33 994 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 2 4294 35264 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:45:00 Observation end time: 10:30:00 Total observation time: 3.75 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Suboptimal conditions out there. Cloudy skies with low visibility early, then complete fog socked in by 10:00am. Fog was followed by strong SW/S winds and a thunderstorm with heavy rain as a front moved through. Count was ended early due to weather conditions. Raptor Observations: Nothing moving out there, except for same banded adult Coop still apparently hunting ducks on the pond. Non-raptor Observations: Not too many ducks on the pond this morning, but still good variety: Eurasian Wigeon(1), American Wigeon, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Gadwall, American Coot, Ring-necked Duck, Mallard, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead(2), and Hooded Merganser(1). Also, Pied-billed Grebe(2), American Bittern(2), and Wilson's Snipe(1). Predictions: Partly cloudy and windy. Temps much colder (in the mid 30's) with winds from the west 25-30 mph with gusts up to 43mph.
Hawkwatch – 16 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 16, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 52 157 Turkey Vulture 0 651 1719 Osprey 0 21 3806 Bald Eagle 1 52 644 Northern Harrier 13 314 1171 Sharp-shinned Hawk 22 1547 14608 Cooper's Hawk 8 356 3775 Northern Goshawk 0 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 382 521 Broad-winged Hawk 0 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 4 688 1167 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 3 115 4517 Merlin 0 46 1409 Peregrine Falcon 1 33 994 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 Unknown Buteo 0 0 0 Unknown Falcon 0 0 1 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 1 2 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 57 4292 35262 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Cloudy nearly all day with only a few brief moments of sunshine. Winds light from the SW/S in the morning and then calm in the afternoon. Temps reached 46F. Raptor Observations: Slow day with harriers and accipiters making the count; a few buteos appeared during periods of sun. Most interesting was observing a Cooper's Hawk(Adult) attempting to drown a Ruddy Duck. After a minute of actually sitting in the water, it was a failed attempt and the Ruddy a bit dazed swam away. Non-raptor Observations: Tundra Swan(6) flew over, American Bittern(3) on pond, Cave Swallow(1), Dicksisel(1) feeding with house sparrows, Lesser Black-backed Gull(1), Eurasian Wigeon(1), Wood Duck(2) and Hooded Mergansers(13) Predictions: Rain very likely. Winds South 18-23mph and temps reaching 60F.
Seawatch – 16 November 2014
"And here I thought yesterday was amazing.. It was, but today while having relatively less gannets and loons, still was host to tons of birds AND had an amazing whale show in the afternoon! The day started out right with a bang and from the moment I got there birds were gearing up. The first 20 minutes were light, but then someone flipped the switch and the Red-throated Loons and Northern Gannets just poured forth. Throw in steady pulses of scoter flocks and it kept me on the edge for a couple of hours. Thankfully Sams Wilson & Galick showed up and helped do some counting as several gull species and mixed dabbling duck/scaup flocks started getting in on the action. I do so love teasing apart mixed duck flocks and today was a great chance to do exactly that. Another feature that made me love today was the overcast lighting over the ocean- the birds were so well illuminated and features like scaup or wigeon wing stripes were really popping. Over the course of the day, another 30,000 waterbirds were tallied in- over 16K in Red-throated Loons in two days!
But yeah, it was all about the late afternoon whale show. A Humpback Whale with a calf spend a few hours feeding offshore, and wow, did it give a performance. It did a full spy-hop, rising out of the ocean to check out the fishing boats nearby before starting to feed vigorously. At times it would lunge up out of the water with it's mouth open and water pouring out like a falls. A few times it rolled side-wise and showed off its lengthy flippers! Such a beautiful animal, I feel privileged and thankful to have witnessed it for so long today." – S.H.
 |
| [Humpback Whale. Photo by Sam Galick.] |
Observation time: 0642 – 1701
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 15
Wood Duck – 92
Gadwall – 8
American Wigeon – 61
American Black Duck – 279
Mallard – 4
Northern Shoveler – 16
Northern Pintail – 22
Green-winged Teal – 1,037
Redhead – 11
Greater Scaup – 72
Lesser Scaup – 89
scaup, sp. – 158
aythya, sp. – 15
Surf Scoter – 4,458
White-winged Scoter – 9
Black Scoter – 5,817
Surf/Black Scoter – 3,343
Long-tailed Duck – 25
Bufflehead – 43
Hooded Merganser – 18
Red-breasted Merganser – 50
duck, sp. – 170
Red-throated Loon – 6,686
Common Loon – 13
Pacific/Red-throated Loon – 1
Horned Grebe – 9
Northern Gannet – 5,636
Double-crested Cormorant – 237
Great Cormorant – 2
Great Blue Heron – 6
Laughing Gull – 215
Bonaparte's Gull – 155
Ring-billed Gull – 1,050
Herring Gull – 91
Great Black-backed Gull – 14
Forster's Tern – 386
Royal Tern – 4
Parasitic Jaeger – 1
Ruddy Turnstone – 2
Sanderling – 60
Dunlin – 80
Purple Sandpiper – 32
shorebird, sp. – 1
Total: 30,317
Seawatch – 15 November 2014
"Woo-wee! A rocking day here at the Avalon Seawatch! A lot of birds were on the move; the flight was non-stop all day long with several species moving in big numbers. Dabbling ducks had a strong movement today, and even though I didn't think so at the time, scoters had a strong flight with 8,265 recorded. Also Ring-billed Gulls really cranked up their flight, while the terns continue to slip away. However, the two main species of the day were Northern Gannet and Red-throated Loon. Robust totals for both species were recorded and I think the Gannet numbers may be the 3rd highest ever for Avalon. But the loons really stole the show. Coming by in concentrated waves several times over the course of the afternoon, there was a moment when the flight got so intense I couldn't tear my eyes away from the scope and was clicking loons so furiously yet still couldn't keep up, and had to have a fresh clicker put in my hand to start clicking by 10s! Truly one of my favorite moments so far this season! One final avian highlight was a pair of Cave Swallows that flew off the ocean and over the parking lot midday. I had been hoping to see some at the seawatch!" – S.H.
.jpg) |
| [Cave Swallow flying past the Seawatch. Photo by Skye Haas.] |
Observation time: 0642 – 1710
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Canada Goose – 2
Brant – 43
Wood Duck – 16
American Black Duck – 137
Mallard – 8
Black Duck/Mallard – 14
Northern Pintail – 50
Green-winged Teal – 119
Ring-necked Duck – 2
Greater Scaup – 29
Lesser Scaup – 50
scaup, sp. – 77
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 453
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 4,095
Surf/Black Scoter – 3,398
scoter, sp. – 316
Long-tailed Duck – 11
Bufflehead – 77
Hooded Merganser – 11
Red-breasted Merganser – 15
duck, sp. – 214
Red-throated Loon – 9,572
Common Loon – 49
loon, sp. – 1
Horned Grebe – 12
Northern Gannet – 9,628
Double-crested Cormorant – 855
Great Cormorant – 2
Great Blue Heron – 1
Great Egret – 3
Laughing Gull – 25
Bonaparte's Gull – 192
Ring-billed Gull – 755
Herring Gull – 303
Great Black-backed Gull – 17
Forster's Tern – 126
Royal Tern – 2
American Oystercatcher – 1
Black-bellied Plover – 35
Ruddy Turnstone – 2
Red Knot – 16
Sanderling – 200
Dunlin – 400
Purple Sandpiper – 15
Total: 30,684
Hawkwatch – 15 November 2014
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 15, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 6 52 157 Turkey Vulture 166 651 1719 Osprey 0 21 3806 Bald Eagle 6 51 643 Northern Harrier 22 301 1158 Sharp-shinned Hawk 89 1525 14586 Cooper's Hawk 37 348 3767 Northern Goshawk 0 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 96 378 517 Broad-winged Hawk 2 21 744 Red-tailed Hawk 193 684 1163 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 2 112 4514 Merlin 2 46 1409 Peregrine Falcon 3 32 993 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 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: 624 4235 35205 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 9.25 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Very clear skies today with steady Northwest winds/North at 5-10mph and gusts up to 20mph. Temps on the chilly side, 34F in the am and reaching a high of 43. Raptor Observations: A great flight for mid-Nov with skies full of Red-tails, Red-shoulders, and Vultures. Non-raptor Observations: Highlight being Sandhill Cranes(3), Cave Swallow(3), Snow Bunting(1), American Bittern(1) on pond, Eurasian Wigeon(3), Hooded Mergansers(16) Predictions: Partly cloudy in the am becoming mostly cloudy with temps in the low 50's and winds from the SW/S 5-10 mph.
Seawatch – 14 November 2014
"Overall one of the slower days in a few weeks. There was a little flurry of activity in the early morning, with an impressive 2,515 Northern Gannets in the 2nd hour, but by mid-morning, the flight all but died and stayed that way for the rest of the day. However, every day has its little gem and today's was a couple of flocks of high-flying Tundra Swans moving south. Such a pretty beast!" – S.H.
Observation time: 0641 – 1656
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 85
Tundra Swan – 23
Wood Duck – 1
American Black Duck – 5
Green-winged Teal – 3
scaup, sp. – 12
Surf Scoter – 287
White-winged Scoter – 2
Black Scoter – 1,772
Surf/Black Scoter – 1,569
scoter, sp. – 28
Long-tailed Duck – 2
Bufflehead – 109
Red-breasted Merganser – 7
duck, sp. – 37
Red-throated Loon – 193
Common Loon – 35
loon, sp. – 2
Horned Grebe – 4
Northern Gannet – 3,835
Double-crested Cormorant – 576
Great Cormorant – 1
Laughing Gull – 6
Bonaparte's Gull – 25
Ring-billed Gull – 58
Herring Gull – 17
Forster's Tern – 82
Royal Tern – 9
American Oystercatcher – 7
Black-bellied Plover – 23
Ruddy Turnstone – 3
Sanderling – 80
Dunlin – 300
Purple Sandpiper – 19
Red Knot – 16
Total: 8,785
Hawkwatch – 14 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 8 46 151 Turkey Vulture 114 485 1553 Osprey 1 21 3806 Bald Eagle 10 45 637 Northern Harrier 26 279 1136 Sharp-shinned Hawk 206 1436 14497 Cooper's Hawk 30 311 3730 Northern Goshawk 1 1 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 70 282 421 Broad-winged Hawk 3 19 742 Red-tailed Hawk 183 491 970 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 10 110 4512 Merlin 4 44 1407 Peregrine Falcon 4 29 990 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 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: 670 3611 34581 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Quite chilly out there today, including our first brief snow flurries! North becoming Northwest winds 10-15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph. Entirely cloudy skies became partly cloudy mid-day and then mostly cloudy again in the late afternoon. Temps reaching 43F. Raptor Observations: Good flight day with lots of Red-tails and Red-shoulders. A steady stream of both mixed with accipiters and vultures over the treeline from 9am to 2 pm. Non-raptor Observations: Cave Swallow(4). Eurasian Wigeon(atleast 3), American Bittern(1) on pond. Predictions: Sunny with northwest winds 10-15 mph and temps in the mid-40's.
Seawatch – 13 November 2014
Observation time: 0630 – 1652
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 142
Wood Duck – 7
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 39
Mallard – 1
Green-winged Teal – 10
aythya, sp. – 3
Surf Scoter – 988
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 4,524
Surf/Black Scoter – 5,562
scoter, sp. – 362
Long-tailed Duck – 3
Bufflehead – 58
Red-breasted Merganser – 20
duck, sp. – 411
Red-throated Loon – 1,507
Common Loon – 27
loon, sp. – 13
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 2,243
Double-crested Cormorant – 6,819
Great Cormorant – 1
Great Blue Heron – 3
Laughing Gull – 13
Ring-billed Gull – 103
Herring Gull – 95
Great Black-backed Gull – 11
Caspian Tern – 1
Forster's Tern – 51
Royal Tern – 4
Parasitic Jaeger – 3
American Oystercatcher – 39
Purple Sandpiper – 24
Semipalmated Plover – 3
Sanderling – 200
Dunlin – 500
Black-bellied Plover – 24
Ruddy Turnstone – 1
Total: 23,030
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 142
Wood Duck – 7
American Wigeon – 1
American Black Duck – 39
Mallard – 1
Green-winged Teal – 10
aythya, sp. – 3
Surf Scoter – 988
White-winged Scoter – 3
Black Scoter – 4,524
Surf/Black Scoter – 5,562
scoter, sp. – 362
Long-tailed Duck – 3
Bufflehead – 58
Red-breasted Merganser – 20
duck, sp. – 411
Red-throated Loon – 1,507
Common Loon – 27
loon, sp. – 13
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 2,243
Double-crested Cormorant – 6,819
Great Cormorant – 1
Great Blue Heron – 3
Laughing Gull – 13
Ring-billed Gull – 103
Herring Gull – 95
Great Black-backed Gull – 11
Caspian Tern – 1
Forster's Tern – 51
Royal Tern – 4
Parasitic Jaeger – 3
American Oystercatcher – 39
Purple Sandpiper – 24
Semipalmated Plover – 3
Sanderling – 200
Dunlin – 500
Black-bellied Plover – 24
Ruddy Turnstone – 1
Total: 23,030
Hawkwatch – 13 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 13, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 3 38 143 Turkey Vulture 17 371 1439 Osprey 3 20 3805 Bald Eagle 2 35 627 Northern Harrier 17 253 1110 Sharp-shinned Hawk 105 1230 14291 Cooper's Hawk 17 281 3700 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 14 212 351 Broad-winged Hawk 4 16 739 Red-tailed Hawk 13 308 787 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 3 100 4502 Merlin 3 40 1403 Peregrine Falcon 2 25 986 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 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: 203 2941 33911 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours Official Counter: Tom Reed Observers: Weather: Cool and overcast throughout. Winds NE->N->NW; 10-15mph during the AM, 5-10mph during PM. Visibility good throughout. Raptor Observations: A brief burst of buteos and accipiters during the mid-AM, otherwise a quiet day. Non-raptor Observations: Eurasian Wigeon (2), Black/Surf Scoter (5,000+), Red-throated Loon (500), Lapland Longspur (2), American Goldfinch (1200), Pine Siskin (300), Common Redpoll (1) Predictions: Mostly sunny, 47ºF, winds NW 20-25mph.
Seawatch – 12 November 2014
Observation time: 0638 – 1701
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Tundra Swan – 14
American Wigeon – 7
Mallard/American Black Duck – 2
Northern Pintail – 24
Green-winged Teal – 2
Surf Scoter – 503
Black Scoter – 1263
Surf/Black Scoter – 499
Bufflehead – 15
Red-breasted Merganser – 5
duck, sp. – 5
Red-throated Loon – 295
Common Loon – 2
Horned Grebe – 1
Northern Gannet – 159
Double-crested Cormorant – 774
Laughing Gull – 11
Bonaparte's Gull – 10
Ring-billed Gull – 8
Great Black-backed Gull – 4
Forster's Tern – 33
Royal Tern – 10
Total: 3,646
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Tundra Swan – 14
American Wigeon – 7
Mallard/American Black Duck – 2
Northern Pintail – 24
Green-winged Teal – 2
Surf Scoter – 503
Black Scoter – 1263
Surf/Black Scoter – 499
Bufflehead – 15
Red-breasted Merganser – 5
duck, sp. – 5
Red-throated Loon – 295
Common Loon – 2
Horned Grebe – 1
Northern Gannet – 159
Double-crested Cormorant – 774
Laughing Gull – 11
Bonaparte's Gull – 10
Ring-billed Gull – 8
Great Black-backed Gull – 4
Forster's Tern – 33
Royal Tern – 10
Total: 3,646
Hawkwatch – 12 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 12, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 5 35 140 Turkey Vulture 42 354 1422 Osprey 0 17 3802 Bald Eagle 0 33 625 Northern Harrier 6 236 1093 Sharp-shinned Hawk 121 1125 14186 Cooper's Hawk 16 264 3683 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 198 337 Broad-winged Hawk 0 12 735 Red-tailed Hawk 18 295 774 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 4 97 4499 Merlin 5 37 1400 Peregrine Falcon 6 23 984 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 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: 224 2738 33708 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: Tom Reed Observers: Weather: Dense fog until 1130, followed by gradual clearing through the PM hours. Winds calm, becoming NW ~10mph. Raptor Observations: Trickle of SSHA, buteos, and a few falcons during the PM hours. Non-raptor Observations: Eurasian Wigeon (2), Black-capped Chickadee (1), Eastern Bluebird (200+), Dickcissel (1) Predictions: Increasing clouds, 51ºF, winds N 10-15mph.
Seawatch – 11 November 2014
Observation time: 0608 – 1658
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 1
Wood Duck – 2
American Black Duck – 5
Mallard – 1
Northern Pintail – 16
Green-winged Teal – 527
Ring-necked Duck – 13
Greater Scaup – 2
Lesser Scaup – 31
Redhead – 11
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 2,760
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 3,854
Black/Surf Scoter – 393
Bufflehead – 22
Hooded Merganser – 3
Red-breasted Merganser – 4
Red-throated Loon – 1,148
Common Loon – 31
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 3,060
Double-crested Cormorant – 1,292
Great Cormorant – 1
Laughing Gull – 279
Bonaparte's Gull – 47
Ring-billed Gull – 46
Herring Gull – 53
Great Black-backed Gull – 81
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Forster's Tern – 376
Royal Tern – 19
Parasitic Jaeger – 2
Total: 14,061
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 1
Wood Duck – 2
American Black Duck – 5
Mallard – 1
Northern Pintail – 16
Green-winged Teal – 527
Ring-necked Duck – 13
Greater Scaup – 2
Lesser Scaup – 31
Redhead – 11
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 2,760
White-winged Scoter – 5
Black Scoter – 3,854
Black/Surf Scoter – 393
Bufflehead – 22
Hooded Merganser – 3
Red-breasted Merganser – 4
Red-throated Loon – 1,148
Common Loon – 31
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 3,060
Double-crested Cormorant – 1,292
Great Cormorant – 1
Laughing Gull – 279
Bonaparte's Gull – 47
Ring-billed Gull – 46
Herring Gull – 53
Great Black-backed Gull – 81
Lesser Black-backed Gull – 1
Forster's Tern – 376
Royal Tern – 19
Parasitic Jaeger – 2
Total: 14,061
Hawkwatch – 11 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 30 135 Turkey Vulture 0 312 1380 Osprey 1 17 3802 Bald Eagle 0 33 625 Northern Harrier 9 230 1087 Sharp-shinned Hawk 79 1004 14065 Cooper's Hawk 22 248 3667 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 197 336 Broad-winged Hawk 0 12 735 Red-tailed Hawk 7 277 756 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 11 17 American Kestrel 1 93 4495 Merlin 1 32 1395 Peregrine Falcon 1 17 978 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 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: 122 2514 33484 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Interestingly warm day with temps reaching 66F. Skies were partly cloudy all day with lower visibility due to high humidity in the air. Winds were E/SE 5-10 mph. Raptor Observations: A slower day with almost entirely accipiters over the northern treeline; a handful of harriers and red-tails as well. Non-raptor Observations: Quiet all around with ducks on the pond providing the most entertainment. Eurasian Widgeon(4), American Widgeon, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Ducks, Ring-necked Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Gadwall, American Coot, Mallard, and Bufflehead, Predictions: Chance of fog and showers early then becoming mostly sunny with Northwest winds increasing to 10-20 mph.
Seawatch – 10 November 2014
Observation time: 0607 – 1717
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 24
Tundra Swan – 2
Wood Duck – 13
American Black Duck – 18
Northern Pintail – 1
Green-winged Teal – 38
Greater Scaup – 13
Lesser Scaup – 26
scaup, sp. – 6
aythya, sp. – 12
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 6,114
White-winged Scoter – 30
Black Scoter – 10,411
Black/Surf Scoter – 3,265
scoter, sp. – 166
Long-tailed Duck – 9
Bufflehead – 167
Red-breasted Merganser – 54
Ruddy Duck – 1
Red-throated Loon – 3,126
Common Loon – 49
Horned Grebe – 13
Northern Gannet – 3,722
Double-crested Cormorant – 8,248
Laughing Gull – 441
Bonaparte's Gull – 270
Ring-billed Gull – 98
Herring Gull – 31
Great Black-backed Gull – 102
Forster's Tern – 552
Royal Tern – 43
Black Skimmer – 2
Parasitic Jaeger – 2
Total: 37,070
Observer: Tom Reed
Species counted:
Brant – 24
Tundra Swan – 2
Wood Duck – 13
American Black Duck – 18
Northern Pintail – 1
Green-winged Teal – 38
Greater Scaup – 13
Lesser Scaup – 26
scaup, sp. – 6
aythya, sp. – 12
Common Eider – 1
Surf Scoter – 6,114
White-winged Scoter – 30
Black Scoter – 10,411
Black/Surf Scoter – 3,265
scoter, sp. – 166
Long-tailed Duck – 9
Bufflehead – 167
Red-breasted Merganser – 54
Ruddy Duck – 1
Red-throated Loon – 3,126
Common Loon – 49
Horned Grebe – 13
Northern Gannet – 3,722
Double-crested Cormorant – 8,248
Laughing Gull – 441
Bonaparte's Gull – 270
Ring-billed Gull – 98
Herring Gull – 31
Great Black-backed Gull – 102
Forster's Tern – 552
Royal Tern – 43
Black Skimmer – 2
Parasitic Jaeger – 2
Total: 37,070
Hawkwatch – 10 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 10, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 13 30 135 Turkey Vulture 0 312 1380 Osprey 1 16 3801 Bald Eagle 2 33 625 Northern Harrier 10 221 1078 Sharp-shinned Hawk 136 925 13986 Cooper's Hawk 40 226 3645 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 18 196 335 Broad-winged Hawk 1 12 735 Red-tailed Hawk 48 270 749 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 1 11 17 American Kestrel 0 92 4494 Merlin 1 31 1394 Peregrine Falcon 0 16 977 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 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: 271 2392 33362 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Very clear skies all day with winds calm in the morning and becoming E/SE in the afternoon (5-10 mph). Cold in the am with frost, but warming quickly into the low 50's. Raptor Observations: Slow day with peak of the flight between 9:00 and 1:00. Flight was quite high and far over the northern treeline. Quite a few Red-tails mixed with accipiters and vultures. Non-raptor Observations: American Bittern(1) on the pond. Lots of sparrows in the am, consistent duck variety on the pond, and large flocks of cormorants in the afternoon passing overhead. Predictions: Partly cloudy skies, warm in the low 60's, and winds East 5-10 mph.
Seawatch – 9 November 2014
Observation time: 0635 – 1709
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 37
American Black Duck – 33
Green-winged Teal – 25
Greater Scaup – 1
Lesser Scaup – 10
scaup, sp. – 4
Surf Scoter – 2,073
White-winged Scoter – 2
Black Scoter – 4,202
Black/Surf Scoter – 613
Long-tailed Duck – 5
Bufflehead – 33
Red-breasted Merganser – 6
duck, sp. – 68
Red-throated Loon – 1,714
Common Loon – 80
loon, sp. – 14
Horned Grebe – 13
Northern Gannet – 6,493
Double-crested Cormorant – 2,266
Laughing Gull – 183
Bonaparte's Gull – 64
Ring-billed Gull – 72
Herring Gull – 15
Great Black-backed Gull – 11
Forster's Tern – 376
Royal Tern – 4
tern, sp. – 1
Parasitic Jaeger – 3
Black-bellied Plover – 7
Semipalmated Plover – 2
Ruddy Turnstone – 3
Sanderling – 300
Dunlin – 150
Purple Sandpiper – 2
Total: 18,421
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Brant – 37
American Black Duck – 33
Green-winged Teal – 25
Greater Scaup – 1
Lesser Scaup – 10
scaup, sp. – 4
Surf Scoter – 2,073
White-winged Scoter – 2
Black Scoter – 4,202
Black/Surf Scoter – 613
Long-tailed Duck – 5
Bufflehead – 33
Red-breasted Merganser – 6
duck, sp. – 68
Red-throated Loon – 1,714
Common Loon – 80
loon, sp. – 14
Horned Grebe – 13
Northern Gannet – 6,493
Double-crested Cormorant – 2,266
Laughing Gull – 183
Bonaparte's Gull – 64
Ring-billed Gull – 72
Herring Gull – 15
Great Black-backed Gull – 11
Forster's Tern – 376
Royal Tern – 4
tern, sp. – 1
Parasitic Jaeger – 3
Black-bellied Plover – 7
Semipalmated Plover – 2
Ruddy Turnstone – 3
Sanderling – 300
Dunlin – 150
Purple Sandpiper – 2
Total: 18,421
Hawkwatch – 9 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 09, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 17 122 Turkey Vulture 0 312 1380 Osprey 0 15 3800 Bald Eagle 0 31 623 Northern Harrier 18 211 1068 Sharp-shinned Hawk 58 789 13850 Cooper's Hawk 27 186 3605 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 178 317 Broad-winged Hawk 0 11 734 Red-tailed Hawk 13 222 701 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 0 10 16 American Kestrel 1 92 4494 Merlin 2 30 1393 Peregrine Falcon 5 16 977 Unknown Accipiter 0 1 5 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: 128 2121 33091 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: A pleasant day with winds much calmer than the prior several days; very light 0-5 mph from the W/NW. Skies were mostly cloudy all day and temperatures were around 54 all day. Raptor Observations: A fairly slow day with the majority of the flight between 10:00am and 1:00pm. Accipiters making up the bulk of the flight along with high streaming harriers and several red-tails. Non-raptor Observations: WHITE PELICAN landed on pond (10:35am) and circled the point for a good 20 minutes or more. Typical pond visitors including American Bittern(1), Eurasian Widgeon(2), Buffleheads, Pied-billed Grebe, Ring-necked Ducks, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Ducks, American Coot, American Widgeon, etc. Predictions: Mostly sunny, mid 50's, winds light and variable becoming northeast 0-5mph.
Seawatch – 8 November 2014
"Good times today! The Avalon Seawatch was a rocking the whole day today, and in fact things got so hectic in the early AM, I had to call Tom to come up and help me count for a while till the pacing slowed to more manageable levels. It was a good flight today with over 34,000 birds being recorded. Seven species had totals in the thousands and Wood Duck, Northern Pintail, Bufflehead, and Red-throated Loon all had their highest counts so far for the season. Scoters, Green-winged Teal and Northern Gannets also had strong flights today. One of my favorite parts about waterbird counting are flocks of dabblers. We are all familiar with them as part of a pond or spring marsh scene, but watching them in active migration, often flying high up in the clouds over the water really gets my juices going! Very exciting was in the second hour was an American Woodcock that came flying off the ocean and headed quickly between the houses. Tom had encountered several (including sadly many road-killed individuals already in lower Cape May), so obviously a big push of that species occurred overnight. But the bird of the day came late and was well timed. Just as NJAS naturalists Shaun Bamford and Gail Dwyer were wrapping up their excellent waterbird flight workshop program, a Short-eared Owl was spotted circling nearby over the ocean. Everyone got a great look and it was a lifer for many participants! Exciting stuff!" – S. H.
 | ||||||||
| [ABOVE: Short-eared Owl. BELOW: Green-winged Teal. Photos by Skye Haas.] |
Observation time: 0633 – 1708
Observer: Skye Haas
Species counted:
Canada Goose – 10
Brant – 30
Wood Duck – 245
American Wigeon – 13
American Black Duck – 58
Mallard – 6
Mallard/Black Duck – 7
Northern Shoveler – 20
Northern Pintail – 226
Green-winged Teal – 1,254
Ring-necked Duck – 1
Greater Scaup – 14
Lesser Scaup – 19
scaup, sp. – 13
duck, sp. – 272
Surf Scoter – 2,576
White-winged Scoter – 10
Black Scoter – 11,805
Black/Surf Scoter – 5,461
Long-tailed Duck – 13
Bufflehead – 210
Red-breasted Merganser – 36
Red-throated Loon – 1,357
Common Loon – 63
loon, sp. – 17
Horned Grebe – 2
Northern Gannet – 4,551
Double-crested Cormorant – 2,483
Great Cormorant – 3
Great Blue Heron – 2
Laughing Gull – 84
Bonaparte's Gull – 295
Ring-billed Gull – 40
Great Black-backed Gull – 16
Forster's Tern – 728
Royal Tern – 11
Parasitic Jaeger – 9
waterbird, sp. – 150
American Oystercatcher – 1
Black-bellied Plover – 19
Killdeer – 1
Semipalmated Plover – 2
Sanderling – 300
Dunlin – 900
Purple Sandpiper – 2
American Woodcock – 1
Total: 33,336
Hawkwatch – 8 November 2014
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 08, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 17 122 Turkey Vulture 187 312 1380 Osprey 0 15 3800 Bald Eagle 11 31 623 Northern Harrier 8 193 1050 Sharp-shinned Hawk 61 731 13792 Cooper's Hawk 21 159 3578 Northern Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 91 174 313 Broad-winged Hawk 2 11 734 Red-tailed Hawk 50 209 688 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 1 Golden Eagle 8 10 16 American Kestrel 2 91 4493 Merlin 0 28 1391 Peregrine Falcon 3 11 972 Unknown Accipiter 1 1 5 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: 445 1993 32963 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours Official Counter: Mary Raikes Observers: Weather: Morning started cold(34F) and calm with very clear skies. Winds were light and variable for most of the day from NE to E to W to SW then S in the afternoon. Skies remained quite clear with a few thin clouds throughout the day. Temps reaching 50F. Raptor Observations: An interesting day with hardly any birds in the sky for the first 2 hours then they suddenly appeared, above and quite high. A large number of Turkey Vultures, Red-shoulders and Red-tails with the highlight of the day being 8 Golden Eagles. Flight started fizzling by noon when winds increased from the S/SW. Non-raptor Observations: A good mix of sparrows around this morning including song, savannah, swamp, field, dark-eyed junco, and vesper. Typical waterfowl on the pond as previous weeks with additional bufflehead(3), horned grebe(2), and hooded merganser(6). American Bittern(1) Predictions: Partly cloudy becoming sunnier, low 50's, and NW winds 5-10.