CAPE MAY POINT – It has been called the Raptor Capital of North America and on Sept. 1, those lucky enough to visit the southern tip of New Jersey will discover why. The date marks the beginning of the Hawk Watch season. For 35 years, bird watchers have flocked to Cape May to witness one of the planet’s greatest wildlife spectacles. But this year, between now and Nov. 30, visitors to Cape May will be able to savor the nearly 50,000 migrating hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures like never before.
“We’re delighted to welcome Swarovski Optik of North America as our Hawk Watch sponsor,” proclaims Pete Dunne of New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory. “They’re a company with an earned reputation for superior binoculars and spotting scopes, exceptional buyer support, and a commitment to bird conservation. A better partner cannot be found.”
Even the Austrian company’s emblematic logo, depicting a Habicht or European Goshawk, makes a perfect match for a Hawk Watch sponsor.
“Our relationship with New Jersey Audubon’s Cape May Bird Observatory over the years has been a great experience for us and this sponsorship only helps to further it,” said Clay Taylor, Naturalist Market Manager for Swarovski Optik of North America. “Coming from a company that recognizes the need for valuable tools to observe and protect wildlife for future generations, it’s only natural that we would want to work with an organization such as New Jersey Audubon”.
The Hawk Watch, conducted daily from sunrise to late afternoon, is located on the elevated platform found on east side of Cape May Point State Park. This year’s counter, Melissa Roach, is a returning veteran. Celebrated for her dedication and identification skills, the Virginia native with a B.S. in biology from Lynchburg College, counted 47,542 birds of prey in 2010 (including 26 goshawks!). Joining counter Roach on the platform will be veteran swing counter Tom Magarian and Hawk Watch interpreters who will point out birds, answer questions, and explain the intricacies of migration to visitors.
“It’s a toss up as to who has the more demanding job,” notes Dunne. “There will be thousands of hawks but thousands of visitors, too. Cape May is a world famous migratory junction. Hawk watchers from Philadelphia and Northern New Jersey will be standing shoulder to shoulder with visiting birders from Sweden, the Netherlands, Australia, and Japan.”
The hawks migrating overhead are nearly as geographically diverse. Some of the more than 1,000 Peregrine Falcons that will be counted herald from the Yukon, some from Greenland. Yet two of the more than 500 Bald Eagles which will be observed are local birds, nesting less than two miles from the Hawk Watch.”
“Having local eagles is a problem for the counter but a bonus for visitors,” notes Dunne. “Hardly an hour goes by when there isn’t an eagle to savor. Almost never is there a time when one or more birds of prey are not visible from the Hawk Watch platform, and on good days scores of birds can be seen at once.”
This year visitors will be able to savor soaring raptors like never before. Swarovski Optik has introduced two new instruments that excel in the Hawk Watch arena. These are the EL 12×50 (and 10×50) Swarovision binocular and the 8×32 CL Companion.
“The 12×50 is a hawk watcher’s dream,” assesses Dunne who has co-authored guides to hawk identification and who, in 1976, was the first hawk counter at Cape May Point. “The only problem with the glass is keeping them in stock. Everyone who looks through these instruments wants one.”
“I have been watching hawks since the 1970s, using many binocular sizes and designs. The EL 50 Swarovision binocular models are the best yet. Come to the Cape May Hawk Watch platform and see for yourself,” adds Clay Taylor.
The 8×32 CL binocular was designed with more all around birding and travel in mind. Light, compact, but performance packed, it’s the kind of glass that beginning birders find very easy to use and experienced birders appreciate for its versatility, a go anywhere, do anything binocular.
Visitors will be able to test these and other fine Swarovski instruments at the Hawk Watch and be able to compare them with other top brands and models at Cape May Bird Observatory’s store in Cape May Point. CMBO’s Northwood Center, open 9:30am-4:30pm seven days a week in the fall, carries the full Swarovski line of binoculars and spotting scopes; tools of the trade in the bird watching arena.
“The Greek scientist Archimedes once observed that if he was given a place to stand and a lever long enough he could move the earth,” notes Dunne. “Well, Swarovski binoculars are the tool and the Cape May Hawk Watch platform is the place to stand. Add a sky filled with hawks and visitors are brought to an appreciation of the natural world that will save the earth.”
Founded in 1897, New Jersey Audubon fosters environmental awareness and a conservation ethic among New Jersey’s citizens. To learn more visit www.njaudubon.org. The Society’s Cape May Bird Observatory has worked to promote and protect the environmental riches of Cape May since 1975. For information about CMBO, visiting Cape May, or the Hawk Watch go to www.BirdCapeMay.org. . For optics information, visit CMBO’s on-line catalog at www.featheredgeoptics.org.
