Hawkwatch Update

[Merlins have been offering great looks from the Hawkwatch platform lately.
Photo by Tom Reed.]

Hi everybody! It’s Emily, your George Myers Field Naturalist this season.  I am excited to start posting updates on how things are going up at the Hawkwatch platform and around Cape May.

The Hawkwatch was quite eventful this past week.  We had some great migration days that brought large numbers of Osprey, accipiters, falcons, and more. On Sunday, Mary counted an all-time single day record of Bald Eagles. That is 50 Bald Eagles in one day!  While Mary had her eyes on the sky, most of us had our eyes on the Whiskered Tern that was flying around Bunker Pond.  A combination of the great hawk flight and the Whiskered Tern brought nearly 1000 visitors up to the platform on Sunday.  The excitement is likely to continue this week.  The forecast looks promising for several days of good hawk flights-- and hopefully the Whiskered Tern will hang around a little longer so that even more folks can get a look at such an amazing bird! Some more photos of the tern, and its admirers, can be found below. 

Lastly, the Avalon Seawatch starts one week from today, on September 22.  Be sure to get out there and meet this year’s counter, Skye Haas!

[Whiskered Tern on the beach. Photo by Tom Reed.]

[A full platform of birders observing the Whiskered Tern. Photo by Tom Reed.]