Hawkwatch 22 September 2015

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2015
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                2              9              9
Turkey Vulture               0            119            119
Osprey                       0           2368           2368
Bald Eagle                   3            171            171
Northern Harrier             4            188            188
Sharp-shinned Hawk         138           1428           1428
Cooper's Hawk               24            536            536
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              4              4
Broad-winged Hawk            0            119            119
Red-tailed Hawk              5             31             31
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            56           1347           1347
Merlin                      48            463            463
Peregrine Falcon             9             94             94
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

Total:                     289           6885           6885
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Observation start time: 05:30:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.5 hours

Official Counter:        Cameron Cox

Observers:        

Weather:
Except for a brief lull in the early morning, the wind blasted out of the
NE for the entire day, a trend projected to continue. The temp stayed about
the same as yesterday, high 60's and low 70's. The cloud cover was near
complete for much of the day breaking for a few hours in the midafternoon
before clouding up again late.

Raptor Observations:
A fairly modest flight led by Sharp-shinned Hawk. The day was highlighted
by a pair of predatory/prey interactions. A Merlin picked a House Sparrow
right out of the thicket right in front of us. Later a Peregrine made a
dramatic pass at a pair of American Wigeon though was unsuccessful. 

Non-raptor Observations:
The Eurasian Wigeon continued. The was a smattering of warblers around the
platform in the morning led by several Blackpolls. Several Dickcissels flew
over in the early morning.

Predictions:
Likely another modest to small flight.
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Report submitted by Cameron Cox (Kumlieni@gmail.com)
Cape May information may be found at:
http://BirdCapeMay.org