Hawkwatch - Saturday, September 30, 2017

An early morning flight of Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, and Osprey were seen heading out over the bay. It is an amazing experience to scan the waters at sunrise and find these birds rowing intensely in the direction of Delaware. They don't rely on thermals. They don't rely on kettling with other raptors. They need to migrate south, and have decided to cut across the bay by themselves as the stars vanish and the skies turn to lavender. They don't circle overhead or make passes around the lighthouse. It's the last we'll see of them, until possibly next year should they trace their steps northward in a similar fashion.

Migration is one of the most amazing spectacles in nature. It's humbling to see so many beautiful birds flying hard towards their wintering grounds. It's about going where the food is, and going where survival is possible. Come to the Cape May Hawkwatch and see what raptors are migrating by. We're in the peak timeframe for several raptor species right now!

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier


Broad-winged Hawk


Red-headed Woodpecker

Ruby-throated Hummingbird, the first visitor to our new hummingbird feeder.


Today's totals

Seawatch - Saturday, September 30, 2017

Strong northwest winds gusting up to 20 miles per hour kept the birds pretty far offshore early in the day.  The strongest push of Black and Surf Scoters of the season happened today, with some nice sized flocks of up to 120 birds.  The first American Wigeon, Mallard, and Wood Duck were seen today as well, marking the start of a diverse flight that is sure to come!

Northeast winds tomorrow should make for favorable seawatching conditions!

Check out the full totals: http://www.trektellen.org/count/view/1747/20170930

Morning Flight - Friday, September 29, 2017

It had been a few days since Morning Flight had a significant movement of birds, but we finally had a good showing of passerines. Although dominated by Northern Parula and Palm Warbler, we still saw a good diversity of neotropical migrants plus our wintering species such as Ruby- and Golden- crowned Kinglet, Northern Flicker, and American Pipit. Check out the totals and details in Trektellen below:

http://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/1746/20170929

Plenty of Cape May Warblers to see!

Black-throated-blue Warblers are an easier species to ID because of their bold
white patches on the wing.

A Black-throated Green Warbler.

And, of course, what's a blog post without a Northern Flicker shot?
;)

Hawkwatch - Friday , September 29, 2017


The good northwest winds following yesterday's big raptor flight continued to push oodles of birds through the skies. A morning flight brought some new (for this year's hawkwatch) songbirds, like Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Yellow-rumped Warbler as well as some late Bobolinks, Eastern Phoebe, a Cape May Warbler, and more.

Numerous Broad-winged Hawk kettles (flocks of raptors) migrated through the morning skies. Peregrine Falcon numbers picked up, especially in the afternoon. The cool breeze refreshed the sunny atmosphere, and it was a pleasant day of hawkwatching that really felt like fall. Tomorrow sounds like another fun day of migration with cooler temps brought to us by northwestern winds. See you at the hawkwatch!

Belted Kingfisher migrating past the hawkwatch platform.



Osprey looking for a meal on Bunker Pond this evening.

Palm Warbler

Northern Harrier (bottom left) and Peregrine Falcon (upper right)

We saw two Wood Storks today!

Today's totsl.

Seawatch - Friday, September 29, 2017

Last night's cold front did not disappoint, producing the best day of the season since day one!  Conditions were quite pleasant, being clear all day, a bit cool in the morning but warming up later in the day, and with overall interesting winds that started from the north, went to southeast, and ended from the southwest.  The most noticeable changes to the species composition were the flocks of Canada Goose, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, and American Black Duck that were had throughout the day, unlike the previous week.  Over 400 Black Scoter were tallied today, the best day of the season so far, and just a tiny preview of what October will be like.

Also of note were many birds that had gotten pushed out over the ocean overnight due to the N and NW winds, returning to land once they realized they were not in a good place.  12 Northern Flickers, several Palm Warblers, an American Redstart, and a (no doubt very tired) Marsh Wren that flew in at 6 PM--perhaps having flown for upwards of 20 hours nonstop to survive!   

In non-bird news, a good push of bats and monarchs occurred today, primarily before noon, but still occurring later in the day.  Over 270 monarchs were counted, and that was just a small fraction of how many most likely flew past me over the course of the day that I missed!  Expect many in Cape May Point in the next couple days.

For the full count data, check out Trektellen: http://www.trektellen.org/count/view/1747/20170929

Seawatch - Thursday, September 28, 2017

A much better day at the Seawatch than Wednesday!! First off, we could actually SEE out into the water (no fog bank or crazy salty air today), the sun was shining, and the Northwest winds were a-blowing. It still wasn't a crazy flight by any means, but hey, it's only the first week. We all know that Seawatch will get crazy soon enough.

Counts from the day: http://www.trektellen.nl/count/view/1747/20170928


American Kestrels in the early morning light.


Caspian Terns seem to love fishing along the jetty right in front of the count shack.
This juvenile was still following an adult around begging for a snack.

Double-crested Cormorants creating an even MESSIER flock once they hit land.

Seawatch - Wednesday, September 27, 2017

The 6th day of the Seawatch was, in a word, uneventful. A thick, misty, salty fog hung over the watch for the first few hours of the count. While the fog bank eventually burned off and visibility improved, the air was filled with salt spray the entire day due to the intense northeast winds. All-in-all, it was a very quiet day at the Seawatch. 

Not much to ogle over, but here are the numbers from Wednesday:  

Serious waves at Avalon the past couple of days!

Some angry waves breaking over the jetty.

Hawkwatch - Thursday, September 28, 2017


Northwest breeze and sunny conditions welcomed raptors through the area today. Lines of raptors consisting primarily of American Kestrels, made an impressive appearance today. Their long and slender wings rowed through the air as they meandered over sand dunes and tree tops. Kestrels were all over the horizon all day long, no matter where you looked.


American Kestrel

It was a good day of migration all-round as seen in today's raptor totals, and the 1,936 American Kestrels was the kicker that really took our breath away. This raptor is showing declining trends through much of their range due to habitat loss (they are cavity nesters), poisoning of their food due to pesticide use, and predation in some cases. Today's count of American Kestrels is the largest day-count of this species at Cape May since 1999! The count ended with masses of Merlin streaming over the trees with intermittent Peregrine Falcons hunting on the go. Tomorrow should be a good day for raptor migration. Hope to see you at the Cape May Hawkwatch!

Peregrine Falcon

Merlin
Osprey

This Western Kingbird was an exciting treat to see at the hawkwatch today!

Early morning balloon seen migrating by. Please do not litter.

Bobert the bobwhite made an appearance this morning. He draws quite the crowd!



Today's totals.






Hawkwatch - Wednesday, September 27, 2017

The migration at Cape May is a world-renowned spectacle. Within the raptor migration comes unique concentrations of these birds, both over the course of months as well as specific durations of the day. A few times every season, breathtaking late-day falcon flights occur; and tonight was one of those evenings.

Merlins, Merlins, Merlins. The last two hours of the day was brimming with Merlins. They bounded over the downtown Cape May area, with many of them streaming along Bunker Pond as well as fluttering overhead. A few of them rushed past the World War II bunker. It was a thrill to see these remarkably stealthy and handsomely-dark falcons move through at the speed of lightning. The ones that flew overhead would cover the entire distance of the parking lot in a matter of seconds.

Tomorrow marks the first of several consecutive days calling for northwest winds and cooler temps, conditions that welcome good raptor movements in the area. We are hopeful for some fun and fast-paced flights in the days to come. Stop on by the Cape May Hawkwatch and see what birds are flying!




Merlin, one of the stars of the day!

Peregrine Falcon

Juvenile Caspian Tern




Cope's Gray Tree Frog


Today's totals.





Seawatch - Tuesday, September 26, 2017

The highlight of the day was a close Cory's Shearwater in the morning that eventually returned for prolonged looks later in the afternoon, albeit at a greater distance.  A nice push of 51 Forster's Terns was also notable.  Beyond that, the day was rather slow, with 114 Black Scoter and only 3 cormorants.

To see the day's totals, check out Trektellen.org: http://www.trektellen.org/count/view/1747/20170926

For all species seen, and a distant picture of the shearwater, check out the eBird checklist: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39433206

Looking Ahead

A cold front is coming through on Thursday night, bringing with it NW winds and cooling down the temperatures.  East winds are then forecasted to start Sunday afternoon and last through Tuesday evening.  As the days begin to get shorter and October arrives, coupled with cooling temperatures and easterly winds, I expect the seabird migration to start picking up soon!

Hawkwatch - Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Another day of Northeast winds but with more clouds and more winds. There was very little movement this morning with a low and fairly thick cloud bank hanging over Cape May Point, but once the low clouds gave way to...higher clouds, we ended up with a trickle of migrants overhead.

We didn't have a lot of raptors passing close to the platform, but this Cooper's Hawk
put on a good show for visitors.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 26, 2017
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0             81             81
Osprey                      25           1789           1789
Bald Eagle                   2            126            126
Northern Harrier             3            168            168
Sharp-shinned Hawk          68           4720           4720
Cooper's Hawk               10            470            470
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              1              1
Broad-winged Hawk            1            271            271
Red-tailed Hawk              0             45             45
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            30           3198           3198
Merlin                      17            639            639
Peregrine Falcon            15            160            160
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              1
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              4              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Mississippi Kite             0              1              1

Total:                     171          11674          11674
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.17 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Seawatch - Monday, September 25, 2017

Despite the easterly winds, today was the slowest day of the season so far.  While it was lacking in cormorants and scoters, a nice flight of 57 Common Terns occurred late in the afternoon that kept things interesting.  Interspersed between flocks were two single Black Terns, which is rare this late in the year.  Also of note were 4 Parasitic Jaegers and 10 Black Skimmers. 
To see the day's totals, check out Trektellen.org: http://trektellen.org/count/view/1747/20170925
For all species seen, check out my eBird checklist for the day: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39395687

-David

Morning Flight, two-week report, 13-26 September 2017

After a two week gap in reports from Morning Flight, let's resume, and recount the birds and their movements past the Higbee dike. 103 species of landbirds have been counted since the start on 16 August. 18 of 103 had their season peak day, only thus far, during this period of 13-26 September. This relative minority helps point out that the most diverse neotropical species-heavy days are likely almost all behind us, and many of the more recent 18 peaks are of new species arriving. Woodpeckers, especially Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker, Eastern Phoebe, and Palm Warbler were building and are well on the move now. 

Northeasterly winds dominated the time period with 3 days of a western wind component excepted, though only one of the four significant flights happened to coincide with a NNW wind, whereas the other three happened with light, variable NNE-ENE winds. Most nights' radar featured evidence of moderate movement inland and along the coast. the influence of storms on the area's winds from the ocean didn't fully block inland northwesterly cold fronts from interacting with much coastal north wind and high pressure. All in all these conditions made for a goos sampling of morning flight species and behaviors even with relatively lower numbers than previous big events of this season. The peak flight of the last two weeks occurred on 21 September with 1250 individuals counted. 

Since the 21st the most abundant warbler each day has been Northern Parula with a sampling of counts: 80, 34, 100, 215, 21, 4. Palm Warbler is the next species expected to overshadow NOPA soon. Less common and sought-after species these two weeks have included Worm-eating Warbler, Dickcissel, Connecticut Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, season first American Pipit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet (in good numbers!), Golden-crowned Kinglet, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Yellow-throated and Warbling Vireos. 

The lists start here and can be followed up to present:
http://www.trektellen.org/count/view/1746/20170913

Hawkwatch - Monday, September 25, 2017

The winds finally shifted to the East today; therefore, raptor movement was quite slow today. But we still witnessed bouts of drama out there! Merlins sure are sassy.

This Sharp-shinned Hawk (bottom) was just minding his migrating business
when this Merlin (top) came in to say hi.
Oh, they seem to be getting along nicely.
Just kidding. They hate each other. 
Apparently, these two Merlins can't get along either. Drama queens.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 25, 2017
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0             81             81
Osprey                      53           1764           1764
Bald Eagle                   0            124            124
Northern Harrier             2            165            165
Sharp-shinned Hawk          48           4652           4652
Cooper's Hawk               18            460            460
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              1              1
Broad-winged Hawk            6            270            270
Red-tailed Hawk              0             45             45
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            13           3168           3168
Merlin                      17            622            622
Peregrine Falcon            16            145            145
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              1
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              4              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Mississippi Kite             0              1              1

Total:                     173          11503          11503
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.17 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach


Click here for the full eBird checklist: eBird checklist, y'all

Seawatch - Sunday, September 24, 2017

Today was even slower than yesterday for the majority of the day, although a late afternoon flight of scoters made the end exciting.  350 Black Scoters, with 14 Surf Scoters mixed in, were tallied; a good early-season flight.  A distant shearwater sp. early morning and a Parasitic Jaeger mid-day were also highlights.  Only 288 cormorants were seen.
Also of interest were a Brown Thrasher and a Red-eyed Vireo that flew in off the ocean in the afternoon.  They were blown out to sea overnight and must have had a long and exhausting journey back to land.

To see the day's totals, check out Trektellen.org http://www.trektellen.org/count/view/1747/20170924
For all species seen, check out my eBird checklist for the day: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39376026

-David

Hawkwatch - Sunday, September 24, 2017

Despite the southern component of winds, today's raptor movement racked up throughout the morning and afternoon hours. Much of the raptor flight took place to the far north of the platform, often near the limit of binocular view. Even with the distant flight, several raptors were seen flying quite close to the platform.

Several Northern Harriers and Osprey were seen flying by at dawn. Some of the last raptors of the day were Merlins and Peregrine Falcons flying by at eye level.

Immature Northern Harrier


Glossy Ibis

Merlin


Immature Peregrine Falcon 

River Otter foraging in Bunker Pond this morning

We found this balloon on Bunker Pond today. This was the first of three balloons (flying litter) seen today.
Please do not let balloons go.
Today's totals

Hawkwatch - Saturday, September 23, 2017

It was yet ANOTHER fun-filled raptor day yesterday with over 1,200 birds passing through Cape May. Although dominated by Sharp-shinned Hawks, we also saw our first big push of Cooper's Hawks as well as an increase in Northern Harriers.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2017
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture              26             81             81
Osprey                     170           1663           1663
Bald Eagle                  24            117            117
Northern Harrier            63            157            157
Sharp-shinned Hawk         475           4337           4337
Cooper's Hawk              204            423            423
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              1              1
Broad-winged Hawk           28            225            225
Red-tailed Hawk              2             41             41
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           174           3131           3131
Merlin                      54            594            594
Peregrine Falcon            18            106            106
Unknown Accipiter            0              1              1
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              4              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Mississippi Kite             0              1              1
 
Total:                    1238          10882          10882
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Observation start time: 05:00:00 
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 
Total observation time: 10.83 hours
 
Official Counter:        Brett Ewald

Seawatch - Saturday, September 23, 2017

Today was a considerably slower day than yesterday, highlighted by a Parasitic Jaeger.  Only 547 cormorants were tallied, compared to almost 3000 yesterday.  An early White-winged Scoter, scaup, and a few Surf Scoter were also notable.

To see the day's totals, check out Trektellen.org: http://www.trektellen.org/count/view/1747/20170923

- David

Hawkwatch - Friday, September 22, 2017

Today was just about as great of a day as you can reasonably ask for in Cape May! A day of plentiful raptors, bounding flickers, darting warblers, and swirling swallows surrounded by beautiful scenery and great company.

Before I write any further, take a quick look at who is writing this blog post—it’s not Erik or Melissa! That’s right, it’s Andrew Dreelin, one of your friendly neighborhood interpretive naturalists. Erik was away at a cousin’s wedding in Wisconsin, and Melissa was counting at morning flight, so I got called up to the big leagues today!


A kestrel-like sunrise of warm orange and pale blue-gray greeted me at the platform as I set up for the day, complimented by a backdrop of warbler flight calls. Today was the third day of sustained north winds following hot on the heels of Wednesday’s mega flight of American Kestrel and Sharp-shinned Hawk (you can read more about that day here), so there were high hopes for the day may bring.


Today’s flight was similarly composed of great kestrel and sharpie numbers, echoing Wednesday’s movement. As morning rose, the flight was diffuse; sneaky kestrels popped up over the dunes behind and overhead. But as the day progressed, consistent cloud cover and 5-10 mph NW winds over the course of the day kept temperatures and the flight low, making for an excellent day of hawkwatching. Thanks to the conditions, the flight lines soon crystallized nicely in classic Cape May fashion: a northbound raptor stream moved right to left across Bunker Pond while falcons flew down the dunes by the ocean, sometimes cutting north across the pond and joining the rest, at other times heading out over the Delaware Bay.

Although the day was dominated by American Kestrel (723) and Sharp-shinned Hawk (409), we had a notable uptick of several species with our single-day season high of four different species. There was nary a Buteo to be seen except for a lone, local Red-tail, but we did have 197 Osprey 31 Northern Harrier, 110 Merlin, and 18 Peregrine Falcon! Certainly those highs will be shattered later in the season since many more birds of those species are headed our way, but it’s still a wonderful sign of the inexorable march of fall.

Many highlight species like Northern Harrier also made close passes to be enjoyed by the crowds on the platform. Even though each of the four gray ghosts we saw today stayed distant from us, the pumpkin-orange of this female type individual stood out well as it circled low overhead before clearing away across the parking lot. 


Unlike the relatively confiding harriers, nearly all of the day’s Merlin behaved in characteristic uncooperative fashion by rocketing down the dune line or over the conifers! This individual flew by one unaware gentleman on the dune crossing who has not yet become attuned to the spectacle of migration in Cape May.


 While the raptors were a fantastic spectacle, part of what makes Cape May so exceptional is the supporting cast of migration that on certain days can threaten to steal the show. In the morning hours and throughout the day, several hundred warblers dropped across my scope view and down into the State Park, a humbling and awesome sight. This Cape May Warbler zipped by behind the platform around midday, one of the few flyovers identified that day.


 Cape May wouldn’t be complete without rarities though. A bonus White-winged Dove made two separate passes by the HawkWatch Platform, first picked by Scott Whittle and then later by interpretive naturalist Ben West! This was the second individual of the season, complementing the individual I found on opening day, so it was also the second time that we cranked up Stevie Nicks’ classic “Edge of Seventeen” on the platform in celebration. 


That just about rounds out the day, so I’ll sign off with the classic Peregrine Falcon across the Cape May lighthouse photo. Few other sightings are as emblematic of fall and migration in Cape May!


Today’s count wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing support from my fellow seasonal staffers, the Cape May community, and all of the visiting birders who passed through. Special thanks go out to Erin Rawls, Melissa Roach, Brett Ewald, Ben West, Carolyn Rubinfeld, Scott Whittle, Tom Johnson, and too many more to name! See y’all on the platform!

You can view the full day’s sightings at the eBird checklist here: http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S39350067

-Andrew

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2017
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0             55             55
Osprey                     197           1493           1493
Bald Eagle                   0             93             93
Northern Harrier            31             94             94
Sharp-shinned Hawk         409           3862           3862
Cooper's Hawk               25            219            219
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              1              1
Broad-winged Hawk            0            197            197
Red-tailed Hawk              0             39             39
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel           723           2957           2957
Merlin                     110            540            540
Peregrine Falcon            18             88             88
Unknown Accipiter            1              1              1
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               4              4              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Mississippi Kite             0              1              1

Total:                    1518           9644           9644
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 05:00:00
Observation end   time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 11.1 hours

Official Counter:        Andrew Dreelin