Above: Our Bander-in-charge and a fraction of the total volunteer squad for the season, but a solid representation of the high quality staffing that helped make fall 2018 a successful reality! By Laura-Marie Koitsch, 2018 Bander In Charge Week twelve began with flashing lights and six police officers right outside…...
Fall Banding Update: Week 11 (10/25 – 10/31)
Above: a stunning Lincoln’s Sparrow, one of several caught during our big sparrow days! By Laura-Marie Koitsch, 2018 Bander In Charge Having banded 253 new birds with only six nets open the previous day followed by Northwesterly winds all night, we suspected that week eleven was going to start off…...
Fall Banding Update: Week 10 (10/18 – 10/24)
Above: Our first-of-the-season Yellow-throated Vireo shows off its almost Day-Glo plumage! By Laura-Marie Koitsch, 2018 Bander In Charge One of the main concerns that we faced with opening a coastal banding station in the fall was how to handle Yellow-rumped Warbler migration or, as some of us affectionately dubbed it,…...
CMBO Daily Roundup – October 12, 2018
[Above: American Kestrel #5039 of the day migrates past the Cape May Hawkwatch, establishing a new single-day record.] Weather: A memorable day as the cold front and remnants of Michael departed over the Atlantic, with variable clouds ushered past on strong NW winds that gusted to 50mph during the early morning.…...
CMBO Daily Roundup – October 11, 2018
Weather: Yet another summery day with highs reaching 80ºF at various locations, even under mainly overcast skies. Scattered, heavy rain showers moved north across the peninsula primarily during the morning hours; much more rain is expected during the overnight as Tropical Storm Michael arrives with a strong cold front. Migration counts: Morning Flight…...
Major Milestones at the Banding Station
The last week has been very busy for New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory (CMBO) in partnership with Cellular Tracking Technologies (CTT), Cornell University and The Nature Conservancy (TNC). Our first deployment of LifeTags™, tiny solar-powered radio transmitters weighing about 0.35g (less than a dollar bill cut in half).…...
CMBO Daily Roundup – October 10, 2018
Weather: A very warm October day, with afternoon highs reaching 80ºF at a number of locations. Skies were mainly sunny and winds were steady from the S/SSE, light in the morning and gradually increasing through the day. Migration counts: Morning Flight (0649-0934), Hawkwatch (0700-1700), Seawatch (0704-1828) Banding: 5.5 hours (0635-1205), 46…...
Fall Banding Update: Week 8 (10/04 – 10/10)
By Laura-Marie Koitsch, 2018 Bander In Charge The eighth week of NJ Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory (CMBO) inaugural banding season saw mostly southerly winds and warmer temperatures in The Nature Conservancy’s South Cape May Meadows (The Meadows), and yet we had quite a few surprises and an impressive total…...
CMBO Daily Roundup – October 8, 2018
Weather: A seasonably mild and mainly overcast day with areas of fog during the morning. Winds were steady from the east at about 10mph throughout. Migration counts: Morning Flight (0647-1032), Hawkwatch (0700-1745), Seawatch (0702-1831) Banding: 6.5 hours (0630-1300), 101 individuals across 17 species (+1 recapture only). Highlights: Yellow-billed Cuckoo (2), Least…...