Golden Eagle is another Cape May special and this one delighted the crowds with a fly past of the Hawkwatch Platform
CAPE MAY IS ALSO FAMOUS FOR ITS HAWK WATCH PLATFORM and the conditions that proved ideal for passerine migration also brought a strong raptor passage. Most of the Broad-winged Hawks had moved through already but there were still a few in the kettles of TVs (Turkey Vultures) along with plenty of accipiters – Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks. Falcons included a Peregrine amongst the American Kestrels and Merlins. The icing on the cake of a respectable total of 15 raptor species was five sightings of Golden Eagle and a juvenile light morph Swainson’s Hawk, the latter a New Jersey rarity and an unfamiliar plumage for most. One of the young Goldies attempted a crossing of Delaware Bay but soon turned back after the strong northwest wind started to blow it out to sea. A nearby Vesper Sparrow in a wood pile also provided some excitement for local birders.
TV or Turkey Vulture!