Seasonal Research

Avalon Seawatch Update: November 3rd – 23rd

A group of Wood Ducks migrating in the early morning. The West winds have provided a good diversity and abundance of non-scoter ducks, which provides a good ID challenge in the morning light. Hello Everyone! Things have been quite busy over at the Seawatch the past few weeks; thanks to…...

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Final Cape May Hawkwatch Update: November 19th – 30th

After ninety-one consecutive days of counting migrating birds of prey, the 2021 autumn season has officially ended. Keep reading to find out the grand total of raptors counted this season! First, I need to cover the final leg of the season.  After a slow start to the beginning of November,…...

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Montclair Hawk Lookout Update: Nov 3rd – 30th, 2021

As is typical at Montclair, November was the slowest month this season, with the bulk of migrants composed of Turkey Vultures and Red-shouldered Hawks. The latter did not seem to accompany the former as they frequently did in October, but instead, often appeared to materialize suddenly out of thin air,…...

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Cape May Hawkwatch Update: November 5th – 18th

Just like every hawkwatch in the northeastern US, the daily totals follow a bell curve throughout the fall season. They start out low in September and slowly increase until they peak in October and then slowly decrease throughout November. Unfortunately, the totals seem to be dropping rapidly during the first…...

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Morning Flight Season Recap

Sunrise over the back of the Dike. Photo by Jerald Reb November 15th was the final day of the 2021 Morning Flight season, so it’s time to take a look back at the highlights of this fall! We ended the count with over 335,000 individual birds counted and over 220…...

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Avalon Seawatch Update: October 20th to November 2nd

The front of a flock of Surf Scoter. The Surf Scoter movement on the 28th was spectacular, with most of the flocks flying close to the jetty allowing for the best possible views of these migrants. Hello Everyone! This is the time of year we’ve been waiting for; the large…...

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Cape May Hawkwatch Update: October 22nd – November 4th

We may have turned the corner and are squarely in the back half of the 2021 fall season, but there is no sign of slowing down at the Cape May Hawkwatch, sponsored by Swarovski Optik! On October 27th a whopping 1,197 migrating raptors were tallied, including 668 Sharp-shinned Hawks. An…...

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Montclair Hawkwatch Update: Oct 13th – Nov 2nd, 2021

This was another period of feast or famine at Montclair, punctuated by some weather events (in other words, a typical October).  The 13th was certainly a famine, with only a single migrant Sharp-shinned counted, but accipiter numbers started to pick up the following day, and some decently large groups of…...

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