Seasonal Research

Cape May Hawkwatch Update: September 24th to October 7th

The Cape May Hawkwatch, sponsored by Swarovski Optik, is already one third finished! Hard to believe the month of September is already in the books. A grand total of 8,827 raptors were tallied during the first month. To put that in perspective, the September average for the previous 5 years…...

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Montclair Hawk Lookout Update: 9/12 – 10/1/2021

The last 3 weeks of September were not spectacular in terms of raptor numbers, but nevertheless produced some good sightings and interesting migration data.  Typically, this is the period all Montclair-area birders wait with bated breath for the “big push” of Broad-winged Hawks, a true avian spectacle that is usually…...

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Cape May Hawkwatch Update: Sept 10th – 23rd

Hard to believe that we are already 3 weeks into the 2021 season at the Cape May Hawkwatch sponsored by Swarovski Optik. The headliner during the first 3 weeks were, no doubt, Ospreys. All but one day during this period saw double digit Ospreys and 6 of those days were…...

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Montclair Hawk Lookout Weekly Report, 9/5 – 9/11/2021

Merlin by Wayne Greenstone This week started with a washout on Sunday September 5th.  The following day was Labor Day, and apparently this is a holiday also observed by raptors, because almost all of them stayed home and skipped the migration.  A few Bald Eagles defied this tradition, however, and…...

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Cape May Hawkwatch – September 1st to 9th

Hello, NJ Audubon blog readers! This is Jesse Amesbury, returning for my third season as the official counter at the Cape May Hawkwatch, sponsored by Swarovski Optik. They say third time’s a charm, so I’m crossing my fingers for some record breaking totals this season! The anticipation at the beginning…...

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Montclair Hawkwatch – 9/1 to 9/4

The Fall 2021 season at Montclair got off to a rough start this Wednesday, September 1st as the remnants of Hurricane Ida started to hit the region in the early morning. A lone, intrepid Merlin, flying close over the watch during a pause in the rain, was the first recorded…...

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Morning Flight Update – September 4th

Sunrise over the back of the Dike. Photo by Tom Reed After several weeks of mostly slow flights in August, September got off to an excellent start this week with some northerly winds bringing a few significant flights. While Sunday and Monday remained slow, things kicked into high gear on…...

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Morning Flight – Week 2

The second week of the count season was dominated by southerly winds, as well as some days of rain, making for poor flight conditions in general. Despite the less-than-ideal weather patterns, we had several days of solid movement and some fresh arrivals. Monday was our most active day of the…...

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Morning Flight 2021 is Underway!

A Yellow Warbler blending in with the vegetation. Photo © Tom Reed. Hello everyone, and welcome to the fall 2021 Morning Flight count season! My name is Jerald Reb, and I will be the Morning Flight counter this year, returning from 2019. I look forward to seeing many of you…...

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