View from the Field: Hawkwatch - Sunday, October 1, 2017

The bird of the day was the Broad-winged Hawk. This buteo species put on one heck of a magical flight today. Broad-winged Hawks are a species of buteo (wide-winged raptors) that are known migrating together in flocks called kettles. Here in Cape May, kettles of Broad-winged Hawks can take place when western winds blow these birds in from the forests north and northwest of Cape May.

Over the past few years, east winds have prevailed during peak Broad-winged Hawk migration, resulting in relatively small flights of this thermal-requiring species. Here at Cape May we've been were treated to some wonderful northwest fronts at the end of September that brought today's Broad-winged Hawks right to us! Shortly after sunrise, visitors were treated to the spectacle of Broad-winged Hawks taking off from the tree tops to the northeast of views of the hawkwatch platform. These birds flapped intermittently and soared briefly, as they took off from their nightly roosts. The scattered Broad-winged Hawks soon found each other and begin to form kettles. Before we knew it, ethereal swirls of lively Broad-winged Hawks were flying together, getting ready to depart away from the vicinity of Cape May. The two largest kettles of Broad-winged Hawks consisted of 76 birds and 85 birds. There were many smaller kettles before, during, and after these large gatherings took place too. Today's count of 385 Broad-winged Hawks is the largest day count of this species since 1996. The flow of kettles of raptors is an amazing spectacle to witness, and what a treat it was to see so many Broad-winged Hawks.

See you soon at the Cape May Hawkwatch!