Morning Flight: 0-10 SSE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Northern Parula- 1
Northern Waterthrush- 3
Warbler sp.- 3
Bobolink- 7
Total Birds: 14
Monarch Monitoring Project - 9/12/08
*** Rare Butterfly Alert!! ***
Yesterday, naturalist/artist/bird guru Michael O'Brien was walking on the trails near the hawk watch platform when he stumbled upon a Palamedes Swallowtail! This rare visitor is usually found much more south of Cape May, and this is the first record of one is nearly a decade. Although it is unsure exactly why this wonderful specimen is visiting Cape May, the hurricane this past weekend may be the reason. No one knows how long the Palamedes Swallowtail will be in Cape May, so if you want to see it hurry to the point! To learn more visit this website.
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY HUNTING!
Thank you Michael O'Brien for his lovely photos!
Yesterday, naturalist/artist/bird guru Michael O'Brien was walking on the trails near the hawk watch platform when he stumbled upon a Palamedes Swallowtail! This rare visitor is usually found much more south of Cape May, and this is the first record of one is nearly a decade. Although it is unsure exactly why this wonderful specimen is visiting Cape May, the hurricane this past weekend may be the reason. No one knows how long the Palamedes Swallowtail will be in Cape May, so if you want to see it hurry to the point! To learn more visit this website.
GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY HUNTING!
Thank you Michael O'Brien for his lovely photos!
Hawk Watch Count 9-11-2008
Official Observer: Seth Cutright
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 15 98 98
Bald Eagle 2 18 18
Northern Harrier 2 24 24
Sharp-shinned Hawk 12 76 76
Cooper's Hawk 11 60 60
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 4 4
Red-tailed Hawk 1 8 8
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 7 122 122
Merlin 5 74 74
Peregrine Falcon 6 30 30
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 61 515 515
Monarch Monitoring Project - 9/11/08
Greetings butterfly enthusiasts! Welcome to another year of the Monarch Monitoring Project blog! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Erin Cord and I am the new monarch intern for this fall. You may see me in the near future walking around Cape May with a giant bug net and a look of determination on my face. If you do, feel free to say hello, stop and chat, or inquire about the monarchs. I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible during my stay in Cape May.
The monarchs have only just started to arrive, and it should be a few weeks before they begin to come in droves. This week we had an average of 14.02 monarchs/hour. Hopefully this number will increase greatly as the month goes on. In the meantime I wanted to remind everyone a few things they can do to help our migrating friends when they do arrive.
The Art of Deadheading
What is deadheading, you ask? Simply put, it is the act of cutting off, literally, the dead flower heads of a butterfly bush (Buddleja sp.) Deadheading causes the plant to put it's energy into growing new flowers, instead of making seeds. The new flowers don't take very long to grow, and now is an opportune time to trim your butterfly bush. By deadheading today, you can be sure that there will be beautiful, nectar-filled flowers available for your monarch friends when they arrive in a few weeks. Having more flowers gives the monarchs more opportunities to eat and gain weight. This makes their chances of survival much greater as they travel to the roosting grounds in Mexico.
Deadheading is easy! Try to just trim off the old dead flowers and leave as much of the stem as possible. This way the new flowers will grow as fast as possible. Don't worry too much about over-trimming your plant though, butterfly bushes are very hearty and they will recover quickly.
For more info on butterfly bushes in general visit this website.
*(Also important to note that it is a great idea to cut your butterfly bushes back a good deal in early March, this way they will grow with all fresh flowers and bloom beautifully off this new growth.)*
So let's get deadheading, and make Cape May the best monarch migration stop-over point that it can be!!
The monarchs have only just started to arrive, and it should be a few weeks before they begin to come in droves. This week we had an average of 14.02 monarchs/hour. Hopefully this number will increase greatly as the month goes on. In the meantime I wanted to remind everyone a few things they can do to help our migrating friends when they do arrive.
The Art of Deadheading
Deadheading is easy! Try to just trim off the old dead flowers and leave as much of the stem as possible. This way the new flowers will grow as fast as possible. Don't worry too much about over-trimming your plant though, butterfly bushes are very hearty and they will recover quickly.For more info on butterfly bushes in general visit this website.
*(Also important to note that it is a great idea to cut your butterfly bushes back a good deal in early March, this way they will grow with all fresh flowers and bloom beautifully off this new growth.)*
So let's get deadheading, and make Cape May the best monarch migration stop-over point that it can be!!
Morning Flight 9-11-2008
Morning Flight: 5-15 NE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 6
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher- 15
Cedar Waxwing- 12
Northern Parula- 1
Yellow Warbler- 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 1
Palm Warbler- 1
Black-and-white Warbler- 2
American Redstart- 18
Northern Waterthrush- 7
Warbler sp.- 16
Blue Grosbeak- 1
Bobolink- 167
Baltimore Oriole- 6
Total Birds: 256
Counter: Sam Galick
Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 6
Blue Gray Gnatcatcher- 15
Cedar Waxwing- 12
Northern Parula- 1
Yellow Warbler- 2
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 1
Palm Warbler- 1
Black-and-white Warbler- 2
American Redstart- 18
Northern Waterthrush- 7
Warbler sp.- 16
Blue Grosbeak- 1
Bobolink- 167
Baltimore Oriole- 6
Total Birds: 256
Morning Flight 9-10-2008
Morning Flight: 5-10 NE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Eastern Kingbird- 14
Cedar Waxwing- 46
Northern Parula- 6
Yellow Warbler- 5
Magnolia Warbler- 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 1
Black-throated Green Warbler- 1
Prairie Warbler -1
American Redstart- 26
Northern Waterthrush- 9
Warbler sp.- 25
Dickcissel- 1
Bobolink- 177
Total Birds: 313
Counter: Sam Galick
Eastern Kingbird- 14
Cedar Waxwing- 46
Northern Parula- 6
Yellow Warbler- 5
Magnolia Warbler- 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 1
Black-throated Green Warbler- 1
Prairie Warbler -1
American Redstart- 26
Northern Waterthrush- 9
Warbler sp.- 25
Dickcissel- 1
Bobolink- 177
Total Birds: 313
Hawk Watch Count 9-9-2008
Official Observer: Dan Berard
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 7 59 59
Bald Eagle 0 10 10
Northern Harrier 1 19 19
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 46 46
Cooper's Hawk 7 25 25
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 4 4
Red-tailed Hawk 0 2 2
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 5 88 88
Merlin 11 53 53
Peregrine Falcon 3 18 18
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 37 325 325
Morning Flight 9-9-2008
Morning Flight: 0-10 SSW wind, clear conditions
Counter: Don Freiday
Eastern Kingbird- 1
Red-eyed Vireo- 2
Cedar Waxwing- 40
Yellow Warbler- 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler- 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 2
Black-and-white Warbler- 6
American Redstart- 5
Ovenbird- 1
Northern Waterthrush- 7
Warbler sp.- 28
Indigo Bunting- 1
Bobolink- 29
Baltimore Oriole- 1
Total Birds: 125
Counter: Don Freiday
Eastern Kingbird- 1
Red-eyed Vireo- 2
Cedar Waxwing- 40
Yellow Warbler- 1
Chestnut-sided Warbler- 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 2
Black-and-white Warbler- 6
American Redstart- 5
Ovenbird- 1
Northern Waterthrush- 7
Warbler sp.- 28
Indigo Bunting- 1
Bobolink- 29
Baltimore Oriole- 1
Total Birds: 125
Hawk Watch Count 9-8-2008
Official Observer: Dan Berard
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 20 52 52
Bald Eagle 6 10 10
Northern Harrier 5 18 18
Sharp-shinned Hawk 21 43 43
Cooper's Hawk 11 18 18
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 1 4 4
Red-tailed Hawk 1 2 2
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 29 83 83
Merlin 16 42 42
Peregrine Falcon 9 15 15
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 119 288 288
Morning Flight 9-8-2008
Morning Flight: 0-15 ENE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 7
Empidonax sp.- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 24
Red-eyed Vireo- 70
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher- 11
Cedar Waxwing- 169
Tennessee Warbler- 15
Nashville Warbler- 4
Northern Parula- 124
Yellow Warbler- 64
Chestnut-sided Warbler- 25
Magnolia Warbler- 25
Cape May Warbler- 22
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 75
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 2
Black-throated Green Warbler- 23
Blackburnian Warbler- 22
Prairie Warbler- 7
Palm Warbler- 8
Blackpoll Warbler- 6
"Baypoll" Warbler- 2
Black-and-white Warbler- 65
American Redstart- 1108
Ovenbird- 3
Northern Waterthrush- 117
Connecticut Warbler- 2
Wilson's Warbler- 2
Canada Warbler- 5
Warbler sp.- 1200
Scarlet Tanager- 3
Chipping Sparrow- 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak- 2
Indigo Bunting- 6
Dickcissel- 7
Bobolink- 731
Baltimore Oriole- 92
Golden-winged Warbler- 1
Spizella sp.- 1
Veery- 3
Total Birds: 4055
Counter: Sam Galick
Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 7
Empidonax sp.- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 24
Red-eyed Vireo- 70
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher- 11
Cedar Waxwing- 169
Tennessee Warbler- 15
Nashville Warbler- 4
Northern Parula- 124
Yellow Warbler- 64
Chestnut-sided Warbler- 25
Magnolia Warbler- 25
Cape May Warbler- 22
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 75
Yellow-rumped Warbler- 2
Black-throated Green Warbler- 23
Blackburnian Warbler- 22
Prairie Warbler- 7
Palm Warbler- 8
Blackpoll Warbler- 6
"Baypoll" Warbler- 2
Black-and-white Warbler- 65
American Redstart- 1108
Ovenbird- 3
Northern Waterthrush- 117
Connecticut Warbler- 2
Wilson's Warbler- 2
Canada Warbler- 5
Warbler sp.- 1200
Scarlet Tanager- 3
Chipping Sparrow- 1
Rose-breasted Grosbeak- 2
Indigo Bunting- 6
Dickcissel- 7
Bobolink- 731
Baltimore Oriole- 92
Golden-winged Warbler- 1
Spizella sp.- 1
Veery- 3
Total Birds: 4055
Hawk Watch Count 9-7-2008
Official Observer: Seth Cutright
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 9 32 32
Bald Eagle 2 4 4
Northern Harrier 7 13 13
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 22 22
Cooper's Hawk 0 7 7
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 2 3 3
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 17 54 54
Merlin 11 26 26
Peregrine Falcon 4 6 6
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 53 169 169
Hawk Watch Count 9-6-2008
Official Observer: Seth Cutright
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 1 23 23
Bald Eagle 0 2 2
Northern Harrier 0 6 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 21 21
Cooper's Hawk 0 7 7
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 0 37 37
Merlin 2 15 15
Peregrine Falcon 1 2 2
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 4 116 116
------------------------------------------------------------
Hawk Watch Count 9-5-2008
Official Observer: Dan Berard
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 4 22 22
Bald Eagle 0 2 2
Northern Harrier 0 6 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 21 21
Cooper's Hawk 1 7 7
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 1 1 1
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 2 37 37
Merlin 1 13 13
Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 10 112 112
Morning Flight 9-5-2008
Morning Flight: 0-5 E wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Bobolink- 1
Total Birds: 1
Counter: Sam Galick
Bobolink- 1
Total Birds: 1
Hawk Watch Count 9-4-2008
Official Observer: Seth Cutright
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 18 18
Bald Eagle 0 2 2
Northern Harrier 0 6 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 20 20
Cooper's Hawk 0 6 6
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 2 35 35
Merlin 2 12 12
Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 6 102 102
------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Flight 9-4-2008
Morning Flight: 0-5 ESE wind, foggy conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Total Birds: 0
Counter: Sam Galick
Total Birds: 0
Hawk Watch Count 9-3-2008
Official Observer: Seth Cutright
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 5 18 18
Bald Eagle 0 2 2
Northern Harrier 1 6 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 18 18
Cooper's Hawk 3 6 6
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 0 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 5 33 33
Merlin 2 10 10
Peregrine Falcon 1 1 1
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 23 96 96
------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Flight 9-3-2008
Morning Flight: 0-5 E wind, clear conditions
Counter: Sam Galick
Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 46
American Robin- 4
Cedar Waxwing- 44
Yellow Warbler- 4
American Redstart- 11
Prothonotary Warbler- 1
Northern Waterthrush- 14
Warbler sp.- 25
Indigo Bunting- 1
Bobolink- 56
Baltimore Oriole- 5
Total Birds: 215
Counter: Sam Galick
Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 3
Eastern Wood-Pewee- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 46
American Robin- 4
Cedar Waxwing- 44
Yellow Warbler- 4
American Redstart- 11
Prothonotary Warbler- 1
Northern Waterthrush- 14
Warbler sp.- 25
Indigo Bunting- 1
Bobolink- 56
Baltimore Oriole- 5
Total Birds: 215
Hawk Watch Count 9-2-2008
Official Observer: Seth Cutright
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 5 13 13
Bald Eagle 1 2 2
Northern Harrier 4 5 5
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 12 12
Cooper's Hawk 2 3 3
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 1 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 15 28 28
Merlin 4 8 8
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 1
Total: 35 73 73
------------------------------------------------------------
Morning Flight 9-2-2008
Morning Flight: 0-5 ENE wind, clear conditions
Counter: Don Freiday
Eastern Wood-Pewee- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 44
Red-eyed Vireo- 10
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher- 2
American Robin- 12
Northern Mockingbird- 1
Cedar Waxwing- 53
Blue-winged Warbler- 1
Tennessee Warbler- 4
Northern Parula- 6
Yellow Warbler- 8
Chestnut-sided Warbler- 2
Magnolia Warbler- 1
Cape May Warbler- 5
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 19
Black-throated Green Warbler- 4
Blackburnian Warbler- 1
Black and White Warbler- 13
American Redstart- 70
Worm-eating Warbler- 1
Ovenbird- 2
Northern Waterthrush- 31
Warbler sp.- 95
Scarlet Tanager- 2
Blue Grosbeak- 6
Indigo Bunting- 1
Bobolink- 64
Baltimore Oriole- 43
Total Birds:502
Counter: Don Freiday
Eastern Wood-Pewee- 1
Eastern Kingbird- 44
Red-eyed Vireo- 10
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher- 2
American Robin- 12
Northern Mockingbird- 1
Cedar Waxwing- 53
Blue-winged Warbler- 1
Tennessee Warbler- 4
Northern Parula- 6
Yellow Warbler- 8
Chestnut-sided Warbler- 2
Magnolia Warbler- 1
Cape May Warbler- 5
Black-throated Blue Warbler- 19
Black-throated Green Warbler- 4
Blackburnian Warbler- 1
Black and White Warbler- 13
American Redstart- 70
Worm-eating Warbler- 1
Ovenbird- 2
Northern Waterthrush- 31
Warbler sp.- 95
Scarlet Tanager- 2
Blue Grosbeak- 6
Indigo Bunting- 1
Bobolink- 64
Baltimore Oriole- 43
Total Birds:502