Seasonal Research

CAPE MAY SPRINGWATCH: Early-Mid May Summary

  Clapper Rail is far from the most likely bird one might expect to see in the dunes at Cape May Point, but this one was encountered after a significant nocturnal movement of the species the night before. Photo © Tom Reed. BY TOM REED & JESSE AMESBURY Summary Less-than-stellar…...

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CAPE MAY SPRINGWATCH: Mid-Late April Summary

  Tree Swallows battle the wind and cold at Cape May Point on April 28th. Where did they come from and where are they going–especially the ones that crossed the bay toward Delaware? Photo © Jesse Amesbury. BY TOM REED & JESSE AMESBURY Summary Late April typically serves as a…...

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Cape May Springwatch: Early-Mid April Summary

Cover Photo: Yellow-throated Warbler is a low-density migrant at Cape Island during spring and fall, and always makes for an exciting find at the Springwatch. This one spent a few minutes feeding in the pines near the count platform on April 2nd. Photo © Tom Reed.   BY TOM REED…...

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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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