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.
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| 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!
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| Peregrine Falcon |
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| Merlin |
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| Osprey |
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| This Western Kingbird was an exciting treat to see at the hawkwatch today! |
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| Early morning balloon seen migrating by. Please do not litter. |
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| Bobert the bobwhite made an appearance this morning. He draws quite the crowd! |
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| Today's totals. |
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