Cape May Hawk Watch

We did a day trip to Cape May, which of course includes a stop at the Hawk Watch. It is never a long wait for a passing raptor. During my brief stay, my passing overhead or nearby were Red-tailed, Broad-winged, Sharp-shinned, Cooper's, Peregrine, Harrier, Turkey and Black Vulture.

A few even permitted some photos.

Notice the full crop on this juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk. A good omen for its survival ... it has learned to hunt on its own.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Bald Eagle - hatch year bird.

Bald Eagle - 1st year

 This Red-tailed Hawk put on a flying display directly over the Hawk Watch platform.

Red-tailed Hawk

Bald Eagle. 

Bald Eagle

 So many hawks migrate through Cape May, that it is common to have two or more species in the glass at one time. Next photo is the same Bald Eagle, but notice the size difference of the Sharp-shinned Hawk in the bottom right corner.

It's always good birding. In Cape May, it is almost always excellent birding.

Putney Mountain Hawkwatch - October

Continuing my update on the hawkwatch for October.

October in Vermont, always colorful, was especially so this year, and no where better than on the mountain ...

October was an especially good month this year for migrating Turkey Vultures ...

Turkey Vulture

The owl decoy attracted attention from accipiters and  falcons ...

Sharp-shinned Hawk attacking the owl decoy

Sharpie

Sharpie

Cooper's Hawk

American Kestrel

American Kestrel

Good Birding!!

More from Cape May

Cape May is known as a premier spot for Fall hawk migration. The viewing platform was crowded with observers. The great thing was, one did not have to visit the platform for many and regular hawk sightings, as for example ...

Cooper's Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

A few more photographic samples of the day ...

American Goldfinch

American Coot

Double-crested Cormorant

Herring Gill

Boat-tailed Grackle

Boat-tailed Grackle

There were also butterflies flying - monarch, sulphurs, whites, Red Admiral, but only the Common Buckeye paused ...

Common Buckeye

Good Birding!

Hawk Watching - Putney Mountain

The cadre of hawk watchers who keep Putney Mountain the only full time hawk watch site in Vermont have maintained their dedication and passion in spite of a dismal (to date) hawk season. The lack of any strong weather patterns has kept the hawks from concentrating along the ridge. Normally during mid-September there are days when Broad-winged Hawks are counted in the tens, and even hundreds of birds, this year they have been counted by one here - one there - one way up there. On rare occasion there have been a few more birds at a time, but not often.

That said, there have been a few moments when an individual bird has provided excitement.

Bald Eagles always stir the blood of the watchers. This first year bird did that when it circled low over the watch site. A few minutes after this bird appeared, four adult eagles passed by, close, but not camera close ...

Bald Eagle (1st year)

The owl decoy has attracted the attention, and enmity of an occasional young Merlin, Cooper's Hawk, and Sharp-shinned Hawk ...

Merlin

Cooper's Hawk

Cooper's Hawk

Sharp-shinned Hawk

 This American Kestrel hovered briefly over the owl decoy, then thought better, and flew on ...

American Kestrel

While hawk numbers have been slow to accumulate, there is always plenty to been seen, and good naturalists to see it with. Just a sampling ...

Tiger Moth Caterpillar

Black-capped Chickadee

Red-eyed Vireo

Great Spangled Fritillary

American Lady

Good Birding - or whatever else you may be doing!!

Retrospective 5

Continuing the photo retrospective of last years. Various images that found their way to my lens and that I like.

Retrospective 5 --

Crown of Gold

Green Thing

Sharp-shinned Hawk

The Irrepressible Urge to Life

Attack

Recovery - and on to Cape May

The last couple of weeks since my last post have been rather trying. Instead of enjoying the delightful Fall weather in Vermont, I dealt with a computer crash/infection/or some - @#$% - thing. Stress and lost time, but its working, and I seem not to have lost anything of importance.

Finished the recovery job in Philly, then celebrated yesterday with a trip to Cape May - a delightful, pleasant Fall day. Just being outside meandering about some of my favorite spots was fulfilling - the kind of day when you don't have to see anything "special," because everything is special.

Just a few samples, beginning with the Carolina Wrens - they were singing and chasing one another. Since breeding season is over, I presume the rivalries had to do with older males chasing off younger males, and younger males trying to find some territories of their own. Whatever it was precisely, it was entertaining.

Carolina Wren

My cats awakened me very early for breakfast, which meant getting to Cape May at dawn ... which in turn meant some wonderful early morning light. A few samples ...

Northern Cardinal

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Great Blue Heron

 No dawn light on this Ruby-crowned Kinglet, but this one was much more accommodating to my camera than the ones I tried to photograph outside my kitchen window in Vermont - no keepers from Vermont, but a nice, if fleeting, pose from this one.

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

 Cape May is famous during the Fall for hawk migration. I did not spend much time at the watch platform, but that hardly mattered. The hawks were visible overhead all over the area. On several occasions, I looked up to see several accipters (sharps & coops). Here is a Sharp-shinned Hawk ...

Sharp-shinned Hawk

A few butterflies were still flying - one Monarch, Clouded Sulphurs, Common Buckeyes, and in several locations, American Lady ...

American Lady

No trip to the coast is complete without some time watching the Sanderlings chase, or be chased by, the waves ...

Sanderling

... and finally ... just because it is Fall, a time of glorious color before the bleak monotones of winter.

Good Birding!