Today was a day of fast-paced raptor migration that was
seemingly endless. Gusty northwest winds took hold overnight and prevailed
through the entire day. From a lavender and orange sunrise through the
golden-pink colors of late afternoon, it was a memorable day of Sharp-shinned
Hawks and American Kestrels galore. Aiming one’s binoculars to the north
provided rivers of Sharp-shinned Hawks that went on for hours. This is where
the bulk of the migrating raptors were seen. Among the masses of Sharp-shinned
Hawks in that direction were movements of fluttery-winged American Kestrels
topped with a few canopy-shearing Merlins. To the east were distant kettles of
sharpies and kestrels, bounding in the wind gusts while gathering over downtown
Cape May. These dense clusters of raptors would eventually make their way to the
northeastern viewing limits of the hawkwatching platform. To the south are the
sand dunes, where small falcons notoriously zip by with stealth and effortless maneuverability.
Lines of up to 17 American Kestrels were seen at one time, making their way
around the hawkwatch following this sand dune-lined flight path. Some but not
all of them flew along the backside of the lighthouse. In addition to the
raptors being seen from all level directions, flight lines of sharpies and
kestrels were also seen overhead too, with many of them coming from the
downtown area. It was a spectacle of chaotic migration, and it was incredible
to count and witness.
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| A female American Kestrel flies by with those slappy banana peel-like wingbeats. |
It’s hard to describe the thrill of counting these birds.
Like other hawkwatches, the Cape May Hawkwatch is essentially a migratory “toll
booth” where the counter identifies and counts all of the migrating raptors. A
day like today keeps you on your toes as you try to savor (or count) every
raptor that moves through. Thank goodness for those sport clickers! They really
help tally the birds up fast, without the worry of counting the flow of raptors
in one’s head as mixed kettles pass on by. You scan one portion of the horizon,
then another direction, followed by another direction. Being at Cape May, you
scan over your shoulder to check for those falcons barely squeaking by over the
dunes, then you scan overhead. Then you do
it all over again, all day long. Part of the excitement from today was the
magnitude of raptors flying through, and part of the excitement was due to the speed
at which these birds were seen flying by.
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| Immature Sharp-shinned Hawk |
Today’s raptor total came to 3,850 raptors, of which
consisted mostly of Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels. The intensity of
the flight made some milestones over recent years of the Cape May Hawkwatch. The 1,056 American Kestrels observed produced
the highest single day total of this species since 2005. The 2,682
Sharp-shinned Hawks seen produced the single highest day total since 1998.
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| Black Skimmer, skimming for food on Bunker Pond. |
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| A total of 3 Wood Storks were seen today! |
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| Today's totals. |
Back to back days of
northwest winds are in the forecast. There should be good flights of raptors in
the days to come. See you at the hawkwatch!
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