Date: 11/1/26 12:04 pm From: Marc Chelemer <mchelemer...> Subject: [JERSEYBI] The thrill of the big raptor...writ thrice (753)
Jerseybirders,
Every birder has her or his own favorite way to enjoy our hobby. For some,
it’s a long traipse along a woodland trail filled with the sounds of late
spring passerines, singing their territorial or courtship songs. For
others, it’s ‘scoping ducks from the berms at Forsythe Refuge or thousands
of gulls on the ice at Spruce Run Reservoir. For others, it’s
“hawkwatching,” standing in one place along the migration pathway of
diurnal raptors, waiting and watching as they fly by, using the wind and
the thermals to maximum effect as they travel hundreds, sometimes thousands
of miles on their journey.
Saturday, Cliff Miller and I were among those latter birders: folks who
thrill to “things that eat meat.” We hiked to the Large Pile of Rocks on
the Appalachian Trail (yes, it’s named just that on Google Maps), also
known as Raccoon Ridge. The winds looked favorable, the skies looked
favorable, and the timing – the first day of northwest winds after days of
southwest air -- suggested a backlog of raptors just itching to move south.
We arrived before sunrise, having hiked the 2-3/4 miles from our car by
headlamp, and enjoyed flyover Siskins, Purple Finches, and hundreds of
Robins before the first raptor appeared: a big-bellied robust local female
Peregrine, kiting on the wind as she hunted in the cold morning air. With
the sun in the east, her position high in the air afforded a gorgeous view
of her steely gray plumage and dark mask. Over the next hour, we were
joined by the regular hawkwatchers who make the trek dozens of times a
season.
The raptors were few and far between, but around 10:00, I noted a bird far
off, which appeared to be a Red-tailed. We watched it for awhile as it
ceased circling and began moving towards us. Everyone recognized that I
had been wrong, but wrong in a very good way: hearts beating wildly, we
all shouted, simultaneously, when it showed itself, only 50 feet overhead,
as a juvenile American Goshawk, the first of the season at Raccoon
Ridge. Cameras
clicking wildly, we watched this huge accipiter gaining altitude and
gliding off to the southwest. High fives and excited exchanges followed…
…then doldrums set in for another nearly two hours, with only a smattering
of raptors or any birds other than a playful and talkative Raven to enliven
the beautiful day. Around Noon, a buteo was seen rising out of the
Delaware River valley. Again, it looked at first to be a juvenile
Red-tailed, but we all realized, again, that something was not quite right.
Not quite the right shape, not quite the right color: hawkwatching, even
after just a few hours, makes one recognize small differences in shape,
color, and behavior. Patiently, we awaited its approach and, huzzah, it
twisted just so as it rose on a thermal to show off black elbow patches and
brown body: a dark-morph Rough-legged Hawk. We watched this stunning
raptor as it also gained altitude until it was high overhead, then it, too,
cruised southwest down the ridge and out of sight. More high fives, more
excited talk: this may have been the first-ever dark morphed Rough-legged
ever, thought one gentleman. Soon, we were joking that all we needed now
was a Golden Eagle to complete the tri-fecta.
And, four minutes later, we were stunned to see an adult Golden Eagle
rising from the eastern side of the ridge and moving, again at low
altitude, right over our heads. Holy aquila, Batman! We all thrilled to
this glorious bird when I noticed that it kept turning its head to look
behind, and I told everyone that it seemed to be watching something that
way. Our gazes shifted and, lo and behold, ANOTHER Golden Eagle, this one
an immature with white wing patches and a white tail banded in black, was
in hot pursuit. The birds got into a dogfight right over us, wheeling and
diving on each other, until they reached a detente, set their wings, and
headed off in close company to climes downridge. What a show.
So: a close-up Goshawk, a close-up dark morph Rough-legged, perhaps the
first ever, and two Golden Eagles, all less than 100 feet up, in the space
of two hours. Despite fewer than 25 raptors in the half-day we were there,
most agreed this was one of the Best Days Ever on Raccoon Ridge. A day to
tell stories about for years to come…and here in this forum today.
Observation start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Jim Thomson
Observers: Phil Rodriguez, Ted Lurker, Tom Campbell
Visitors: Marc Chelemer, Cliff Miller- Good seeing you guys and thanks much for the spotting help !! What a day !! Rick Klinger- Good seeing you Dave Zawalich- Welcome back to Coon Dave !
Weather: Temps- 43-58 Deg.F, WIND- AM N/NW@5-10mph, PM- NW@1-6mph Clear Blue Skies
Raptor Observations: BE- 2(I0 GE- 12:12A, 12;12i, 1:35i AG- 10:25I RL- 12:08 Dark Morph Some crazy great Halloween treats on Coon today !! A very slow migration day was punctuated by moments of incredible excitement!! Our morning started with a local peregrine cruising up and down the ridge on the river side giving us some stunning looks as it would move slowly along the ridge, kiting at times before moving along. The next few hours only produced a couple of Sharpies and a Harrier. Our Bird of the Day arrived at 10:25am. We first picked up this bird circling a longs ways off up ridge.We were thinking likely a Redtail but needed it to come down ridge and close the distance a bit before we could ID it. As it moved towards us it was looking longer winged and than it turned and we yelled Goshawk !! This big "dirty" bird came in slowly and right along the ridge on the reservoir side.filling our bins with a big, beautiful Goshawk . Very dirty on the underside including the streaked undertail coverts. As it slowly passed us it pulled up and circled directly behind the watch site. We got to study this bird for approx 2 minutes before it finally moved off down ridge. Things continued to be slow and we picked up a few more raptors before our next "treat" arrived. We picked up a closer bird on the river side, as it started to circle we were shocked to be looking at a gorgeous Dark Morph Roughleg !!! This bird must have been moving below eye level as we never saw it coming in until it popped up in front of us !!! Incredible !!!! We were joking around that now we needed a Golden Eagle and literally 4 minutes later we had an adult Golden streaming over our heads followed closedyby an immature Golden !!!! The two birds started dogfighting out over the river putting on a real show for us !!! It was simply awesome !!!! Our third Golden passed by the watch site high at 1:25 pm moving straight on thru. A truly incredible day that will not soon be forgotten !!
Non-raptor Observations: Pine Siskins - 100+ Robins- 1 flock of 150+ Purple Finches American Goldfinch E. Bluebirds Hermit Thrush Cedar Waxwings Ravens TV's ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
Observation start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 16:45:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Jim Thomson
Observers: Brian Butler, Harry Quinn, Patrick Keelen, Phil Rodriguez
Visitors: Additional observer- Craig Stockert
WELCOME BACK TO THE FOLLOWING FOLKS: Kyu Lee ( from Hook Mtn. ) Thanks for your help today. John Berry & Monica Gallen- Good seeing you again and thanks for your help. Blair Wagner- Congrats on the Merlin and the Golden Phil and Ann Ribolow- Always a pleasure !!!!
Weather: Temps- 55-62 Deg.F. Wind- NW@ 7-14mph w/higher gusts Clear blue skies to start to partly cloudy by late morning back to clear blue skies by 2pm. Hazy throughout the day
Raptor Observations: BE-4 ( 1A, 3I ) GE- 2:53I PG- 3:22A Nothing like gusty NW winds to get the birds moving past Coon. An active day of raptors with Redtails leading the charge today. Sharpies kept things interesting and the falcon trifecta was sweet. We had Bald eagles in the sky almost all day long with 6 being seen circling together. ( None of those were counted ) Also a local adult Peregrine zipped past behind the watch site maybe 20 feet off the ground. Our Golden Eagle was a distant look but a long study as we watched this bird approach from a long ways off on the river side. Our Bird of the Day selection goes to the Merlin that came in close to the ridge on the river side zipping along offering a bin filling look at this handsome speedster.
Non-raptor Observations: Pine Siskins Ravens Tundra Swans- 7 American Goldfinch BV's & TV's Pileated Woodpecker
======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Jim Thomson
Observers:
Visitors: Hikers- 19
Weather: Temps-54-65 Deg.F. Wind-0-4mph Variable, Clear blue skies w/haze
Raptor Observations: BE-1(A) Another snooze fest on Coon. No wind and clear blue skies. Felt more like Broadwing season than late October. Not much flying today. Ravens were entertaining me for awhile and I also had a Red shoulder and an adult Bald Eagle that were seen but not counted today. My Bird of the Day selection goes to the only relatively close bird that I had today which was Sharpshin that crossed the ridge out in front of the watch site and zipped down ridge on the reservoir side.
Non-raptor Observations: Pine Siskins Brant Ravens TV's Bluejays Canada geese ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Jim Thomson
Observers: Brian Hardiman, Craig Stockert
Visitors: Phil Rodriguez in for an afternoon visit. Good seeing you buddy.
Hikers- 37
Weather: Temps- 43-70 Deg.F. Winds started NW@ 3-8mph in the am before becoming light and variable by noon and remaining that way for the rest of the day. Clear Blue skies with some haze
Raptor Observations: BE- 1
First a quick correction is in order.. on 10/17/26 we had an Anhinga pass by the watch site that we all thought was a Raccoon Ridge first.. not so !! A gentle reminder from our previous lead counter Brian Hardiman noted that he had an Anhinga on Coon on 09/19/2012 ! Lightning strikes twice !!!! Today was a real snoozer on Coon. We had zero birds counted by 2:00pm before a few raptors took mercy on us and made their presence known. Mostly distant birds out on the reservoir side of the ridge.. We were teased by an adult Peregrine and an immature Bald Eagle that stopped on their way down ridge.. turned.. and headed back north. Ughhh We did have a Raven and an adult Red-shoulder sparring high above the watch site which was cool to watch but our Bird of the Day selection goes to the immature Redtail that came in close on the reservoir side.It dropped below eye level; at one point circling above the fall foliage before gaining elevation and heading off down ridge.
Non-raptor Observations: Pine Siskins- 100+ TV's- many BV's Juncos Bluejays Ravens Canada geese Monarch- 1 ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
Observation start time: 08:45:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Jim Thomson
Observers: Brian Butler, Phil Rodriguez, Ted Lurker, Tom Campbell
Visitors: Additional observers: Craig Stockert, Bradley White, Pat Jacques and Blair Wagner. Thanks for the spotting help guys !
Hikers- 19
Weather: Temps-44-63 Deg.F Wind-N/NW@ 6-14mph becoming more variable in the afternoon. Clear blue skies all day
Raptor Observations: BE-4 ( 2A, 2I ) PG- 3:18A, 3:20A A slower day than we had hoped for. We had only counted 7 raptors by noon. Raptor movement picked up a bit in the afternoon with most birds high and distant with the exception of our Bird of the Day selection which was the 3:18 adult peregrine that came in close to the ridge, just above eye level in nice light. A gorgeous bird for sure !
Non-raptor Observations: Pine Siskins- 100+ Purple Finch- 2 Ravens TV's WB Nuthatch ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 17:45:00 Total observation time: 8.75 hours
Official Counter: Jim Thomson
Observers: Al Ambler, Brian Butler, Harry Quinn, Phil Rodriguez
Visitors: Additional observers that did an amazing spotting job today include : Marc Chelemer, Patrick Keelen, Craig Stockert, John Berry, Ted Lurker, Jeff Climpson
Visitor- Daniel Mulleavy- Thanks for the treat
Hikers- 32
Weather: Temps- 41-48 Deg.F Wind- NW@ 7-14mph w/higher gusts Mostly cloudy to start to partly cloudy in early pm to clear blue skies by late afternoon.
A first ever species recorded on Coon today !!! We picked up a bird in front of the hawk watch that had a long neck and was showing a wide triangular shaped fanned out tail. The bird appeared to have wider/broader wings and was soaring almost directly above us for 30-45 seconds. We were all stunned
when we realized that we were looking at an ANHINGA !!!! The bird slowly circled almost directly above us before drifting off to the south. Amazing !!! We also had a very solid raptor flight today. The birds seemed to be taking a much higher line of flight than we would have hoped for but we still managed to get some great looks as the birds moved down ridge. Bald Eagles were all over the sky today and at one point we had 8 Balds in one field of view. ( None of those birds were counted as migrating today ) We also had our first nice push of Redtails and Red shoulders. Also it's always nice to get the falcon trifecta and the Merlins in particular were putting on a nice show. Our Bird of the Day selection goes to the adult Bald Eagle that passed by close to the ridge on the reservoir side below eye level. Watching this majestic eagle soar overtop the stunning fall foliage was just magical ! above us before drifting off to the south after le
Non-raptor Observations: ANHINGA !!!! Red headed Woodpecker- immature Common Loon- 3 Canada geese- many skeins TV's - many Tree swallows Bluejays ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
Date: 10/13/26 11:36 am From: Evan Cutler <evancutler...> Subject: [JERSEYBI] Montclair Bird Club program this month: ALL THINGS MERLIN
This Wednesday at 7:30 pm, join the Montclair Bird Club for a special program entitled "Merlin and audio recordings of birds: How Sound ID works and how you can help to improve it." We'll be joined by Blaine Carnes, who is the project coordinator at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for Merlin Sound ID (US and Canada). The program will cover how the Merlin team at Cornell makes Sound ID, what sorts of mistakes Merlin can make and why, the best ways to use Merlin, and how birders can make and contribute their audio recordings to help Merlin improve over time. We're sure you'll have lots of questions for Blaine. For a Zoom invite, please send an email to <montclairbirdclub1920...> This program is free and open to all. For more info about the Montclair Bird Club, visit us at www.montclairbirdclub.org. Hope to see you there!
Another incredibly fine day of hawking on Coon ! Today featured a big push of Coopers Hawks, the Falcon trifecta, and double digit Bald Eagles! The day started with a thick heavy air mass still hanging over the ridge. Shortly after 10:00am we saw clearing towards the north and west of the watch site which ushered in a cool breeze and clearing skies and that's when the birds started moving. And they didn't stop moving all day long ! We rarely had a couple of minutes of empty sky as there always seemed to be birds being picked up by one of us. The Sharpie show was magnificent. The merlin show was just over the top !! And the Coopers Hawks seemed to just dominate the skies at times !! A glorious day to be up on the ridge ! Our Bird of the Day selection goes to the 12:13 adult Peregrine that came thru carrying a Bluejay !!! We picked this bird out up ridge and noticed a flash of blue.. which turned into a Bluejay being clutched in the bird's talons! The PG moved down ridge over the river giving all of us a great look before circling twice and moving off to find a quieter place to eat lunch !! Incredible !
Non-raptor Observations: TV's- Obvious migration today with over 80 birds seen BV Tree Swallows Buckmoths Monarch- 2 Bluejays Cormorant ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
I have just learned that Tom Southerland of Princeton NJ passed away on Oct. 5, 2026. He had been in hospice since the summer. Tom and his wife Margot were both DVOC members, and together they operated Princeton Nature Tours to destinations including Africa, Antarctica and South America since the early 1980s. He had served as a board member for NJ Audubon in the 1980s. Among many birding activities and publications, he taught a beginning birding class at Princeton Adult School for decades. He loved teaching people about birds and seeing their interest blossom into a lifetime of enjoyment. He was a mentor and friend to me, and he will be deeply missed.
When I have a full obituary I will share it.
Tom is survived by his wife Margot, two daughters and their families. There will be a memorial service on November 24 at 4 PM in the Trinity Church in Princeton, NJ.
Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 17:30:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Jim Thomson
Observers: Al Ambler, Brian Butler, Phil Rodriguez, Ted Lurker
Visitors: Denise Thomson and foster doggie "Prospect" Sydney Long- of the Kalter/Long clan from New Hampshire !Our dear friends who are celebrating 51 years of hawking on Coon !!! Love you guys !
Patrick Keelen- Welcome back to Coon after a long absence !!
Visitors Paul & Jake- Welcome to Coon
Hikers- 9
Weather: Temps- 53-67 Deg.F Wind AM- W@3-10mph, PM- WNW@4-10mph Clear Blue Skies all day long
A much quieter day on the ridge than yesterday with tough spotting in the clear blue skies. We did have a number of Sharpies at the owl decoy which is always exciting ! Flight was scattered high and low today with most birds on the river side of the ridge. Our Bird of the Day selection goes to the immature Peregrine that passed by at eye level in tight to the ridge on the river side filling the bins as it passed by !
Non-raptor Observations: Monarch- 14 Buckmoths YR Warbler WB Nuthatch Ravens TV's & BV's 2 Blackbears seen from watch site by Phil and Brian 1 Blackbear seen by JT ON THE HIKE OUT. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
An EPIC afternoon of hawk watching on Coon today !!! It was raining Peregrines !!!! What a flight !! Up until noon we had only counted 22 raptors. And than someone turned on the faucet and the birds came pouring down ridge ! We've had larger afternoon flights in the past but what made this day epic was that the entire flight was either directly over our heads and low or tucked tightly into the ridge on the river side at or below eye level !!! Too many birds at the owl decoy to count ! Almost every Merlin we had today was at the owl ! Also Kestrels, Sharpies, Coops, and a Peregrine came to the decoy !! Many passed by us by mere feet after swooping on the owl !! The Peregrine parade started in the 2:00pm hour and lasted until near 6:00pm. We had 21 peregrines today which was 1 bird short of tying our site record of 22 in a day which happened twice. ( 10/5/2002 & 10/6/2012 ) I stayed up top until 6:15pm hoping to tie or break the record but it wasn't meant to be. Every single Peregrine gave us eye popping views in beautiful light and close to the ridge. Coon at it's finest ! Thanks to Tom Campbell for his help and company in the late pm and sorry that Phil missed the late day action. Our Bird of the Day selection goes to the 4:03 adult peregrine that came in and made a pass at the owl decoy in beautiful light. So close.. no bins required . Tom and I both agreed that it was one of the best afternoons of hawking that we've ever had on Coon !
Non-raptor Observations: TV's & BV's Bluejays WB Nuthatch Ravens Buckmoths Monarch- 5 ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
A nice "clean up" day after the wonderful flight we had yesterday. Clear Blue skies made for very difficult spotting conditions. Today featured our first GOLDEN EAGLE of the season !!! We picked up this bird far up ridge and stayed on it for approx. 5 minutes before it finally made it's way to the watch site. It was slightly above eye level and "wing-on" out over the river. As it passed us it turned slighlly to it's left showing off that beautiful golden hackle. Wooo Hooo !!!!! We had great looks today at the few close raptors we had. A point blank adult Red-shoulder that popped up right in front of us was sweet ! A beautiful Gray Ghost over the river. A Redtail dogfighting with a Raven was exciting to watch and a big immature Coop at the owl decoy ! Our Bird of the Day selection is a "no-brainer". The first Golden Eagle of the season will ALWAYS get that honor !
Bobcat- Seen by John Berry on the hike in. John was hiking up the AT and spotted the bobcat on the trail ahead of him heading in the same direction. John followed behind for about a minute before the cat noticed him and moved off the trail. This was John's "lifer" New Jersey bobcat ! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
Days like today make the long, sweaty hikes into Coon all worthwhile. A very solid flight today with many close and incredible looks at raptors. We had approx. 2 dozen raptors ( mostly Sharpies) at the owl decoy !! The partly cloudy skies made for great spotting and the moderate to strong NW winds ( perfect for our ridge) had the birds hurtling down ridge right on top of us at times !! Our falcon flight was one of the best I've had in a number of years with Kestrels leading the charge ! Mostly gorgeous male birds putting on an incredible show. Sharpies just all day long ! A great Bald Eagle flight with a few late afternoon adults at point blank range. Our first solid Coopers hawk flight of the season was a treat .All 6 Peregrines were nice looks. As a matter of fact.. the 2:08 Adult Peregrine is our selection for Bird of the Day. This bird passed close by on the river side and drew a collective "WOW" from the count crew!! Just gorgeous !! Thanks to all for the great spotting efforts on this very memorable day on the ridge !! IT WAS AWESOME !!!!
Non-raptor Observations: Ravens- many TV's- many BV's Monarch- 5 Buckmoths WB Nuthatch YB Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Porcupine- ( seen by Harry & Bruce on the hike out) ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jim Thomson (<hawkinflight...>)
