The weather on the majority of the days this week has not been conducive to raptor migration observation. From Tuesday the 29th through Thursday the 31st, slow winds from the southeast and high humidity were present along with thick, low fogs. During the most foggy hours of these days, the…...
Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 17th
As the season continues to progress with changing weather and shorter days at the Montclair Hawkwatch, the assemblage of migrants and local birds has also shifted. Temperature has stayed consistently below 60 degrees, and rain has been a bit more regular. Strong gusts of wind that occurred throughout the day…...
Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 10th
The past week at Montclair Hawkwatch has been cool and breezy overall, bringing the season’s first consistent fall weather. On Friday, October 4th, steady northwestern winds and regular gusts helped carry quite a few migrants southward. 488 Canada Geese traveled overhead this day; some in noticeable clean “V” formations, and…...
Montclair Hawkwatch Update- October 3rd
Weather at the Montclair Hawkwatch has been somewhat erratic lately, with some days bringing chilly breezes and others summertime heat. There has been a bit of precipitation as well, which is much needed given the desiccated leaves on many of the trees and shrubs surrounding the view from the platform.…...
Montclair Hawkwatch Update- September 26th
This past week at Montclair Hawkwatch has been great for seeing raptors, as well as a variety of other migrants. On the 22nd and 23rd, warm weather with limited winds increased all insect activity, including that of butterflies. Some monarchs flew southward mere inches above the platform, while others flew…...
Montclair Hawkwatch Update – September 19th
Fall migration data collection at the Montclair Hawkwatch began on September 1st, and over the course of the past two weeks, raptor migration activity has steadily been ramping up. On the 1st, two eager Broad-winged Hawks flew southward, leading the charge for future migrants. Until the end of the first…...
Cape May Springwatch
This exciting new migration monitoring project is underway at legendary birding hotspot Cape May, New Jersey. The Cape May Springwatch, a research initiative of New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory, has existed for some time as an exploratory project operated by volunteers. After several years of careful data collection,…...
Peak Migration
What ever happened to bird watching? I remember when this was just a quaint little closet avocation, practiced by professorial types and other social misfits. Just last weekend I was just one of the standing-room-only crowd at the Cape May Hawkwatch Platform. Around mid-afternoon a trio of non-birders (identified by…...
Outsiders
I had an interesting revelation the weekend of September 1st. While sitting on the hawk watch platform at Cape May Point State Park; a platform overflowing with raptor enthusiasts, I overhead a non-birding trio as they mounted the platform, who were expressing their astonishment over the number of bird watchers…...
Heads up, it’s time for Broad-wingeds
Mid- September means migrating Broad-winged Hawks. Between September 10 ad 20 tens of thousands of these stubby forest buteos will migrate across mostly n. New Jersey heading for winter territories in Central and South America. Traveling in large aggregations called “kettles” in honor to the flock’s resemblance to water boiling…...