Hawkwatch - Tuesday, October 17, 2017

I apologize for the delay in posts, but Cape May sure is busy these days and it's getting harder to get those daily blogs up right on time. Tuesday was another raptor-filled day; unfortunately, the clear blue skies made it difficult for viewing and counting. Early morning visitors were treated to the Rough-legged Hawk again (that was first seen on Monday afternoon) along with lots of Sharp-shinned Hawks. Interestingly, we saw very few falcons! It seems like their migration has peaked while the buteos, like Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, are just beginning.

Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 17, 2017
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                4              4              4
Turkey Vulture              75            120            271
Osprey                       9            525           2600
Bald Eagle                  32             92            264
Northern Harrier            12            139            368
Sharp-shinned Hawk         911           2626           7795
Cooper's Hawk              233            618           1194
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk         16             17             19
Broad-winged Hawk           18            421           1066
Red-tailed Hawk             37             66            123
Rough-legged Hawk            0              1              1
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel            14           1280           6710
Merlin                      11            736           1781
Peregrine Falcon             2            697           1034
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              1
Unknown Buteo                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              0
Mississippi Kite             0              0              1

Total:                    1374           7342          23236
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Observation start time: 06:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:00:00 
Total observation time: 9.92 hours

Official Counter:        Melissa Roach

Red-winged Blackbirds take a break on the bare sapling.

The Rough-legged Hawk making one of it's closer passes by the platform.

An immature Cooper's Hawk with a shiny new piece of jewelry.

An immature Red-tailed Hawk soars overhead.

And one more bird against the blue sky, this time a young Bald Eagle.