BirdCapeMay.org

Stars still dominated the Western sky as I made my way toward the Hawk Watch but already there were hawks aloft over Cape May Point State Park. It was October 4, 1977 and the fourth consecutive day of northwest winds—a magic time and a magic condition, but no one living in that age of DDT-diminished expectations could have guessed how much magic would be brought to bear on Cape May that day.

By sunrise there was a steady stream of Sharp-shinneds moving down the tree line north of the platform. By 8:00, the stream had become a river and then the river overflowed its banks, flooding the park with birds. An hour later, the day’s Broad-winged Hawks began to join the Sharp-shinned hawks spiraling aloft and by 10:00, the air over Cape May Point was black with migrating birds of prey—a condition that did not wane until late in the afternoon.

There were 21,800 hawks counted that day in Cape May Point—9,400 Broad-wingeds; 11,000 Sharp-shinneds and a host of other species. It was the flight that earned Cape May the nickname “The Raptor Capital of North America.” A title that this narrow finger of sand has earned many times over.

– Pete Dunne

Cape May Hawk Watch - Annual Totals & Peak Flights through 2009

Cape May is a peninsula, an extension of the New Jersey coastal plain bordered on the west by Delaware Bay and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. This makes Cape May a natural funnel, catching and directing southbound birds to the peninsula’s terminus at Cape May Point.

It is a fundamental tenet of the natural world that predators remain less common than their prey. A hopeful observer could spend hours in prime Cooper’s Hawk or Merlin territory and never catch a glimpse. Only during migration, when birds of prey are concentrated at key geographic locations are they readily seen. Cape May, New Jersey is without a doubt, the finest vantage point in North America.

Cape May’s regular raptors include Accipiters like the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and Northern Goshawk; Buteos like Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk and Swainson’s Hawk; Falcons like the Peregrine, Merlin and American Kestrel. Also seen regularly are Osprey, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, as well as Turkey Vulture and Black Vulture (technically storks, but honorary raptors).

Some of these species (like Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Red- tailed Hawk) are common, even abundant, and their migration period is long. Observers can expect to see these species almost every day. Other species like the Swainson’s Hawk and Rough-legged Hawk are locally uncommon, seen only a few times a season, or have a migration period that is very restricted.

What species you will see depends upon the time of your visit and the weather conditions you experience.

Unlike many other hawk migration sites, hawks are almost always visible from the Hawk Watch Platform during the count period (September through November). But what hawk watchers live for, are those days when weather conditions cause hawks to move in great numbers. These “flights” are caused by the passage of a cold front—a high pressure cell moving into the region from the north or west. The falling temperatures stimulate birds to migrate and the associated north to northwest winds ferry birds to the Atlantic Coast. Being reluctant to cross open water, many hawks concentrate along the coast, following its contours, south and west, until they reach Cape May. 

In general, the smaller hawks, like the Kestrel and Sharp-shinned Hawk, are most common on the first day following the passage of a cold front. The larger, soaring birds, like the Eagles and Buteos, are more abundant on the second (or third) day of sustained north to northwest winds.

Northeast winds can also produce large flights—particularly falcons (which are not shy about crossing water and prone to migrate offshore). Southerly or southwesterly winds make for business-as-usual migrations—which means only several hundred birds a day during the peak of the migratory period, instead of several thousand birds. 

Species	Migration Period	Yearly Average*	Top Count	Year	Record Daily Total
Black Vulture	Oct-Nov	154	564	2009	194 (11/28/2009)
Turkey Vulture	Oct-Nov	1,495	6,420	1996	784 (11/3/1996)
Osprey	Sept-Oct	2,328	6,734	1996	1,023 (10/3/1989)
Bald Eagle	Aug-Dec	120	476	2009	46 (09/14/2009)
Northern Harrier	Aug-Dec	1,565	3,087	1980	278 (11/12/1980)
Sharp-shinned Hawk	Sept-Nov	25,041	61,167	1977	11,096 (10/4/1977)
Cooper's Hawk	Sept-Nov	2,817	6,927	2006	1,231 (09/26/2006)
Northern Goshawk	Oct-Nov	32	89	1997	13 (11/15/1997)
Red-shouldered Hawk	Oct-Nov	446	870	1994	185 (11/18/2005)
Broad-winged Hawk	Sept-Oct	2,071	13,713	1981	5,257 (09/30/1994)
Swainson's Hawk	Sept-Nov	3	10	1998	3 (09/25/1981)
Red-tailed Hawk	Aug-Nov	1,850	5,135	1996	1,022 (11/11/1994)
Rough-legged Hawk	Oct-Nov	4	13	1999	4 (11/13/1983)
Golden Eagle	Oct-Nov	13	38	1996	14 (11/10/2008)
American Kestrel	Aug-Dec	8,570	21,515	1981	5,038 (09/30/1999)
Merlin	Sept-Nov	1,593	2,870	1985	867 (09/30/1999)
Peregrine Falcon	Sept-Oct	715	1,793	1997	298 (10/5/2002)

Tallied at the Hawk Watch Platform in Cape May Point State Park
*Yearly average through 2009

The migratory period differs species to species. Northern Harriers, American Kestrels and Bald Eagles have very protracted migrations—August through December. Peregrine Falcons are more restricted. About 90% of any season’s Peregrines will pass between September 26 and October 12.

In general, the Accipiters and Falcons are most abundant from mid-September through mid-October; Buteos most abundant mid-October on. Osprey peak between mid-September and mid-October. Golden Eagles are most common in the last week of October. Northern Goshawk, Rough-legged Hawks and vultures are October/November migrants.

In terms of overall numbers, the greatest flights (involving thousands of birds) occur in late-September to mid-October. The greatest species diversity—involving 11 to 14 species per day occurs from late-October to mid-November (with average daily totals of 500 birds.

Birds of prey are often on the wing at first light, skimming low over the marsh or through the trees. As the day warms, thermal production increases and flights gain altitude— often exceeding the limits of the unaided eye to see high flying birds. By midafternoon, as thermal strength wanes, birds respond by flying lower (and many start hunting seriously).

But birds of prey can be seen at any time of day: hunting, feeding, perching, or just soaring over the peninsula. Accipiters are most active in the morning; Falcons in the afternoon; Buteos are most easily viewed from midmorning to midafternoon.

For most species, under most wind conditions, the Hawk Watch at Cape May Point State Park offers the best perspective. The platform is located just east of the parking lot. An official Hawk Counter is on duty from September 1 - November 30. The count is conducted by the Cape May Bird Observatory in cooperation with New Jersey Forest and Parks and with funding this year from Leica Sport Optics.

Interpretive Interns are on hand from mid-September through October to help visitors with identification and answer questions relating to birds of prey. The platform also serves as the social hub for local and visiting birders alike—a place to share information.

Good binoculars are a must; spotting scopes useful. Field guides that deal specifically with the identification of hawks in flight are invaluable. CMBO’s two nature stores (in Cape May Point and in Goshen) offer the state’s finest selection of birding optics and a wide assortment of books that focus on birds of prey—many of which are written by reknowned naturalists, who call Cape May home.

Other useful items include sunglasses, a brimmed hat (to cut down on sun glare), sun screen and a bottle of water.

The Cape May Hawk Watch is proudly sponsored by Swarovski Optik N.A. , a longtime and generous supporter of CMBO and its mission. Swarovski binocular and spotting scopes are available for purchase at the CMBO Centers.

Hawk Watch 2011 Seasonal Staff

Melissa Roach, CMBO's 2011 Primary Hawk Counter, is returning for a 3rd season after spending the past two falls as CMBO's Hawk Watch Interpretive Naturalist.  Earning her BS in biology from Lynchburg College, VA in 2008, Melissa has always had a strong passion for the environment and its study. Although her under graduate research focused on the fishing spider, Dolomedes scriptus, she has an ever-increasing appetite to explore the field of ornithology. In spring and summer 2010, Melissa helped conduct Golden-winged Warbler field research in West Virginia through nest searching and monitoring.