Observing Raptor Banding and Fall Migration in Cape May, NJ
In 2019, I worked with the team at the Cape May Raptor Banding Project through my Hawk Season design brand on some new designs that eventually became a new logo, T-shirt and sticker for the organization. CMRBP performs critical long-term monitoring work with raptor populations. At the heart of the operation is the act of banding, which involves placing identification bands on migrating raptors. All band data is monitored and centrally stored with the USGS Bird Banding Laboratory and available to researchers across the country. Since the start of the project in the 1960s, CMRBP has banded over 150,000 raptors.
Banding a Sharp-shinned Hawk
During the following fall migration, I was invited down to observe some of the raptor banding in action, and had a tremendous time learning about the project with some members of the team. In the morning, the team banded a juvenile male Sharp-shinned Hawk. The bird was measured, weighed, banded and released promptly to resume their migratory journey. Banding is an essential technique for raptor conservation that requires precision in many dimensions. The dedicated team at CMRBP are the real deal: professional and passionate. Watching them work was a dream come true. Being able to have some up-close time with a Sharp-shinned Hawk was a moment I’ll never forget.
Banding a Cooper’s Hawk
One more all-time memory to share from this weekend was getting my favorite bird in hand for the first time. This is a juvenile female Cooper’s Hawk, freshly banded by CMRBP. The data recorded by CMRBP helps monitor population trends in addition to being a data source for other researchers. And of course, shout out to the CMRBP T-shirt I designed which has a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk on it. Cooper’s Hawks were the most frequently banded bird at the project this year…over 500 of them!
Observing Raptor Migration at the Cape May Hawkwatch
I also spent several great hours watching fall migration from the platform at Cape May Point State Park. NJ Audubon staffs the bird observation platform here, and it is a huge draw for birdwatchers from all over the country.
A Raptor Lover’s Dream
Nicknamed “The Raptor Capital of North America”, Cape May is an unusually spectacular place to observe migration due to the natural funnel effect created by its particular geography. Thousands of southbound birds raptors over Cape May in order to either make the shortest flight across Delaware Bay, or to reconsider and spend some more time hunting.
