Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 9 9 Turkey Vulture 0 130 130 Osprey 7 2737 2737 Bald Eagle 0 182 182 Northern Harrier 1 214 214 Sharp-shinned Hawk 18 2408 2408 Cooper's Hawk 1 700 700 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 4 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 133 133 Red-tailed Hawk 0 36 36 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 1545 1545 Merlin 0 598 598 Peregrine Falcon 13 206 206 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 1 1 Total: 40 8911 8911 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 06:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 10 hours Official Counter: Tom Reed Observers: Weather: Mild, humid, and largely overcast through the day. Winds S 10mph during AM, becoming W 5mph during PM. Raptor Observations: Not much to say. Non-raptor Observations: Parasitic Jaeger (~10), Pectoral Sandpiper (24), Stilt Sandpiper (1), Chimney Swift (200) Predictions: Rain, 65ºF, winds NE 25-30mph w/ gusts to 40mph.
Hawkwatch, 30 September 2015
Seawatch, 30 September 2015
Counter: Skye Haas
Total for the day: 1,280
Total birds for the season: 16,465
Total for the day: 1,280
Total birds for the season: 16,465
| 09/30 | Season Totals | |
|---|---|---|
| AMOY - American Oystercatcher | 3 | 8 |
| BBPL - Black-bellied Plover | 9 | 43 |
| BLSK - Black Skimmer | 1 | 113 |
| BRAN - Brant | 2 | 5 |
| BRPE - Brown Pelican | 3 | 18 |
| CATE - Caspian Tern | 20 | 91 |
| COTE - Common Tern | 29 | 81 |
| DCCO - Double-crested Cormorant | 3 | 5,222 |
| DUNL - Dunlin | 3 | 3 |
| FOTE - Forster's Tern | 179 | 321 |
| GBBG - Great Black-backed Gull | 51 | 133 |
| GREG - Great Egret | 1 | 1 |
| GWTE - Green-winged Teal | 3 | 35 |
| HERG - Herring Gull | 63 | 105 |
| JAEGER-SP - Jaeger Species | 2 | 2 |
| LAGU - Laughing Gull | 622 | 1,402 |
| LTJA - Long-tailed Jaeger | 1 | 1 |
| MONARCH - Monarch Butterfly | 2 | -- |
| NOGA - Northern Gannet | 1 | 6 |
| NOPI - Northern Pintail | 24 | 32 |
| OSPR - Osprey | 2 | 21 |
| PAJA - Parasitic Jaeger | 16 | 52 |
| PEFA - Peregrine Falcon | 2 | 6 |
| RBGU - Ring-billed Gull | 1 | 7 |
| ROYT - Royal Tern | 127 | 480 |
| RUTU - Ruddy Turnstone | 2 | 6 |
| SAND - Sanderling | 7 | 142 |
| SEPL - Semipalmated Plover | 1 | 7 |
| SMSHB-SP - Small Shorebird Species | 40 | 54 |
| STERNA-SP - Sterna Species | 41 | 58 |
| SUSC - Surf Scoter | 20 | 88 |
| WISP - Wilson's Storm-Petrel | 1 | 1 |
Hawkwatch 29 September 2015
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 9 9 Turkey Vulture 0 130 130 Osprey 24 2730 2730 Bald Eagle 0 182 182 Northern Harrier 0 213 213 Sharp-shinned Hawk 74 2390 2390 Cooper's Hawk 4 699 699 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 4 4 Broad-winged Hawk 0 133 133 Red-tailed Hawk 0 36 36 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 5 1545 1545 Merlin 0 598 598 Peregrine Falcon 2 193 193 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 1 1 Total: 109 8871 8871 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 05:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 10.25 hours Official Counter: Cameron Cox Observers: Weather: Light easterly winds and warm temps continued today. Raptor Observations: Extremely uneventful. A trickle of Sharp-shinned and little else. Non-raptor Observations: Two adult Lesser Black-backed Gulls dropped into Bunker pond and gave good comparisons with Great Black-backed Gulls. The Stilt Sandpiper from yesterday continued today as did the now resident Eurasian Wigeon. Predictions: Rain is in the forecast and it could be tough sledding out there. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cameron Cox (Kumlieni@gmail.com) Cape May information may be found at: http://BirdCapeMay.org
Seawatch, 29 September 2015
Tuesday goes down as the slowest day Tom Reed has ever experienced in the 3+ seasons he has counted at Seawatch. Eastern winds continued to create large swells without bringing large numbers of migrants towards shore. Worth noting was the significant movement of Royal Terns.
Counter: Tom Reed
Total for the day: 299
Total birds for the season: 15,185
Counter: Tom Reed
Total for the day: 299
Total birds for the season: 15,185
| 09/29 | Season Totals | |
|---|---|---|
| BLSC - Black Scoter | 7 | 344 |
| BLSK - Black Skimmer | 33 | 112 |
| BRPE - Brown Pelican | 2 | 15 |
| COTE - Common Tern | 17 | 52 |
| DCCO - Double-crested Cormorant | 3 | 5,219 |
| FOTE - Forster's Tern | 63 | 142 |
| GBBG - Great Black-backed Gull | 13 | 82 |
| LAGU - Laughing Gull | 31 | 780 |
| MONARCH - Monarch Butterfly | 7 | -- |
| NOGA - Northern Gannet | 1 | 5 |
| PAJA - Parasitic Jaeger | 10 | 36 |
| PEFA - Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 4 |
| ROYT - Royal Tern | 96 | 353 |
| SAVS - Savannah Sparrow | 1 | 2 |
| STERNA-SP - Sterna Species | 3 | 17 |
| SULPHURC - Cloudless Sulphur Butterfly | 1 | -- |
| SUSC - Surf Scoter | 17 | 68 |
| TRES - Tree Swallow | 1 | 7,236 |
| TWELSS - Twelve-spotted Skimmer | 1 | -- |
Hawkwatch 28 September 2015
Cape May Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2015 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 9 9 Turkey Vulture 0 130 130 Osprey 88 2706 2706 Bald Eagle 4 182 182 Northern Harrier 3 213 213 Sharp-shinned Hawk 193 2316 2316 Cooper's Hawk 17 695 695 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 4 4 Broad-winged Hawk 1 133 133 Red-tailed Hawk 1 36 36 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 17 1540 1540 Merlin 8 598 598 Peregrine Falcon 41 191 191 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 3 3 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 1 Zone-tailed Hawk 0 1 1 Total: 373 8762 8762 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 05:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 10.25 hours Official Counter: Cameron Cox Observers: Weather: The winds finally calmed a bit, a more manageable 5-15 MPH for much of the day. It remained stubbornly easterly though for what seems like the millionth day in a row. Temps climbed a bit, approaching 80 while high broken cloud cover was the rule. Raptor Observations: Another good day for Peregrines otherwise extraordinarily uneventful. Non-raptor Observations: A last moment flyover American Golden-Plover was a major high light. A Stilt Sandpiper joined a group of Lesser Yellowlegs on Bunker Pond for a while, and a stunningly gorgeous spanking fresh juvenile Lesser Black-backed Gull dropped in and left a tin of English biscuits as a parting gift fro its native land. Predictions: Unknown, hopefully the Peregrine ramp up will continue, but likely fairly uneventful once again. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cameron Cox (Kumlieni@gmail.com) Cape May information may be found at: http://BirdCapeMay.org
Morning Flight, 26-28 September 2015
Viewing the trend in total Morning Flight numbers for the last three days one might say that things are improving?!? Well, we'll see. Being in the middle of an unprecedented-for-September spathe of northeast winds is sometimes tough on the nerves. The calmer winds last night seemed to allow birds to place themselves on land, as most of these migrants rose up and came out of the Higbee woods from the south, half-heartedly displaying Morning Flight behavior. The past few days' heavier winds could've made them feel like they they're being blown halfway to Delaware and their northbound or redirected migration at "the dike" seemed stronger in "vibe" (i.e., longer flights and higher altitudes.) Ah questions, questions! One thing is for sure, northeast winds don't usually carry a high magnitude of songbirds Cape May-way and perhaps this low density also stifles their zugunruhe urges once they get to "Exit 0".
|
Species |
26 Sept |
27 Sept |
28 Sept |
|
Belted Kingfisher |
1
|
1
|
|
|
Red-headed Woodpecker |
|
|
1
|
|
Downy Woodpecker |
1
|
|
1
|
|
Northern Flicker |
|
|
6
|
|
Red-eyed Vireo |
|
|
1
|
|
European Starling |
|
7
|
34
|
|
Cedar Waxwing |
|
42
|
28
|
|
Northern Waterthrush |
2
|
2
|
24
|
|
Black-and-white Warbler |
3
|
4
|
2
|
|
Tennessee Warbler |
|
1
|
1
|
|
Connecticut Warbler |
|
1
|
|
|
American Redstart |
3
|
3
|
11
|
|
Cape May Warbler |
1
|
1
|
2
|
|
Northern Parula |
6
|
9
|
14
|
|
Magnolia Warbler |
|
|
2
|
|
Blackpoll Warbler |
7
|
4
|
7
|
|
Black-throated Blue Warbler |
1
|
3
|
1
|
|
Palm Warbler |
13
|
13
|
4
|
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler |
1
|
3
|
|
|
Black-throated Green Warbler |
|
1
|
2
|
|
warbler sp. |
4
|
13
|
7
|
|
Savannah Sparrow |
|
2
|
1
|
|
Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
|
|
1
|
|
Indigo Bunting |
|
3
|
|
|
House Finch |
|
|
4
|
|
Total warblers |
41
|
58
|
77
|
|
Total |
43
|
113
|
154
|
 |
| photo by: Glen Davis |