Cape May, Hawk Mountain & Bombay Hook Oct 12—19, 2005
Posted by Marshall Iliff
Marshall Iliff
Marshall Iliff, a lifelong nature lover, began birding at age 11 after attending a National Wildlife Federation Camp in the mountains of North Carolina. He attended VENT...Related Trips
Our trip began with a day of heavy rain marking a solid week of wet weather that had settled in over the northeast. However, the very weather that was our bane ultimately was our greatest ally. The soggy weather had served as a barrier to migrating birds, which stacked up behind the clouds just waiting for a break. The first clear day was partly cloudy, but strong winds from the northwest brought hundreds of raptors to Cape May. The following night was the first really good one for migration and, with clear skies and strong northwest winds, it brought with it a veritable flood of songbirds, raptors, and other birds that made this trip stand apart. Without trying hard for extra species, our tour total of 169 species was a record. The 3,076 raptors counted at Cape May October 15 produced the best hawk flight I have ever witnessed in the northeast. An amazing morning flight of warblers, flickers, and other birds October 16 was, likewise, the best songbird flight I have witnessed at Cape May. At Hawk Mountain we saw 576 raptors of 14 species for one of their better flights ever and certainly the best day I have spent there (the Golden Eagle will live long in my memory). In short, the migration spectacle on this tour was better than one could hope for, and will not soon be repeated.
Braving the winds and rain on our first day, we visited Brigantine where we managed to scope 14 species of shorebirds, along with numerous ducks, geese, and herons. The East Coast endemic Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow was a lifer for all, and rarities included an American White Pelican and a Hudsonian Godwit. Cape May that afternoon was even more difficult to bird in the torrents of rain, but we were treated to a magnificent flock of 500 Black Skimmers in a brief clear spell, and a vivid male Hooded Warbler (well past its normal departure date) that sought shelter in the cedars at Cape May Point State Park. Never again will I manage to see just one warbler at Cape May and have it be a Hooded Warbler?Yellow-rumped Warbler is usually so common it cannot be missed!
The next morning we returned to those cedars which were harboring other warblers struggling through the foul weather. We had great looks at Cape May, Blackpoll, Yellow-rumped, and Hooded, as well as Yellow-breasted Chat and Common Yellowthroat. Briefly seen species were Yellow and Bay-breasted, both tardy lingerers. Later in the day we cruised up the shore, adding to our shorebird list. A good evening flight of Merlins and Peregrines was a precursor of things to come. The next day brought the first real break in the weather. We birded Higbee’s Beach early, but managed only a few choice species (including Clay-colored Sparrow!). The hawk watch was much busier, and the stream of Sharpies, Cooper’s, and falcons entertained us for the rest of the day.
The next morning we spent the first hour-and-a-half watching streams of Northern Flickers, Mourning Doves, and various warblers stream northward past the Higbee’s Beach morning flight tower?none of these birds had been here the day before. A rare Lark Sparrow added spice, but we concentrated on trying to identify warblers; Yellow-rumpeds were most abundant, but Black-throated Blues, Black-throated Greens, Palms, Magnolias, and Blackpolls were all in very good numbers. We undoubtedly saw 30,000 birds head north, and may have seen three times that number. As the flight died down slightly (it continued until past noon!), we headed into the fields at Higbee’s where there were suddenly hundreds of Palm Warblers (just one the day before), sparrows, other warblers, and a smattering of other species. It was a wonderful morning, and we stayed in the Cape May area enjoying the warblers and hawks as long as possible. For many of us, this was a once-in-a-lifetime migration event.
We expected Hawk Mountain would be great as well, and the next day we drove up and hiked directly to North Lookout. In five hours of watching there was never a moment without a hawk to look at, and Sharpies were streaming by at or below eye level. We counted 578 raptors of 14 species with highlights such as crippling looks at an immature Golden Eagle right over the watch; an hour with nine Red-shouldered Hawks; and an early immature light morph Rough-legged Hawk!
On our final day we birded the Delaware Bayshore, where we were treated to large flocks of Snow Geese, shorebirds, and ducks, and added several species to our already long species list. An afternoon detour took us west to Maryland, where a reported Barnacle Goose did not materialize among the hundreds of geese at a local farm pond.
This was hands down the best migration I have witnessed at Cape May and Hawk Mountain, and it was a pleasure to share it with such a wonderful and genial group.