Well, I don't know if I could ask for a better late November day at the Hawkwatch platform. It was pleasant weather with sunny skies and cool (but not too cold) temps, and there are apparently plenty of raptors still heading this way! Although not true birds of prey, the sky was simply dominated by Turkey and Black Vultures today and was quite the sight to see. There were plenty of goodies to find mixed in with the vultures during the midday hours. We saw impressive late-season numbers of Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks as well as a big (final??) push of Sharp-shinned Hawks. Not to mention Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, a lone male Kestrel, and two Merlins terrorizing the starling flight.
Non-raptor goodies were plentiful today as well! We had 2
Orange-crowned Warblers,
Nashville Warbler,
Baltimore Oriole,
Indigo Bunting, and a Brant all hanging out right around the platform. It was crazy. Then, late in the afternoon,
6 Sandhill Cranes (first reported by Richard Crossley at Exit 0) made their way right down to the point and past the platform. Although they made an attempt to cross the bay, they quickly changed their minds and turned back around. With the count quickly coming to a close, it was certainly a fun-filled November day. Tomorrow's south winds will almost certainly create a slow raptor day, but maybe the late-season songbirds will still be hanging about.
Cape May
Cape May Point, New Jersey, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 27, 2017
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 57 163 167
Turkey Vulture 165 1407 1799
Osprey 0 50 2724
Bald Eagle 6 97 424
Northern Harrier 8 267 757
Sharp-shinned Hawk 67 1810 10696
Cooper's Hawk 10 277 1712
Northern Goshawk 0 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 22 372 460
Broad-winged Hawk 0 11 1131
Red-tailed Hawk 51 493 713
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 4
Golden Eagle 0 10 13
American Kestrel 1 25 6857
Merlin 2 91 2050
Peregrine Falcon 0 29 1117
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
Short-eared Owl 0 2 2
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Total: 389 5106 30634
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Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 9.08 hours
Official Counter: Melissa Roach
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| Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk |
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| Red-shouldered Hawk |
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| Indigo Bunting |
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| Sandhill Cranes! |
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