View from the Field: Hawkwatch - Friday, October 17-27, 2018

While exploring Cape May, you may hear the phrase "so many birds." People use it frequently to describe the murmurations of Tree Swallows that swirl seemingly endlessly over the Cape May Point State Park. Sometimes people use the phrase to mention the kettles of buteos or lines of small falcons that zip over the hawkwatch platform. This phrase is often spoken-of while experiencing the intense movements of songbirds that fly past Higbee's Dike in the early morning hours. The vast lines of scoters, cormorants, and loons at the Avalon Seawatch bring many visitors to speak of this phrase. These words flow naturally when considering the beautifully diverse bird migration here in Cape May.

The past week and a half has been filled with SO. MANY. BIRDS. The Fall Festival brought hundreds of birders to Cape May to enjoy spectacular presentations, social gatherings, afternoons of reconnecting with friends, a variety of booths, and of course the spectacular migration that occurs here. There's a unique sense of family and sense of place found throughout Cape May. The birds leave us in awe, and that leaves us with vibrant memories.

Recently the Cape May Hawk Watch surpassed 45,000 raptors for the season. The daily totals are strikingly busy, and they are continuing to add up fast. We're having banner fall, when comparing previous October totals and season totals from recent years. When looking at the month-by-month raptor totals, there have been more raptors documented from the hawk watch this month than were observed all of last fall! Every migration is different, and we're experiencing many booming daily totals.