juvenile male northern harrier
Chris Niven (BRI), Al Hinde w/ sharp-shinned Hawk, Chris DeSorbo (BRI), and Dodger
Al Hinde and Chris DeSorbo with red-tailed hawk
Assessing Cape May Raptors
Cape May, New Jersey is considered one of the premier hawk watching sites in the world. Each fall, over 45,000 raptors - most originating in northern North America - migrate through the area.
In October 2008, BRI biologists Chris Desorbo and Chris Niven worked with long-time raptor biologist Al Hinde on the Cape May Raptor Banding Project. For over two decades, this project has contributed to raptor conservation by banding hundreds of hawks in Cape May. This past fall, BRI added a new twist to the project by sampling captured raptors for contaminant and other analyses .
Chris Niven (BRI) with a juvenile northern harrier
Data collected from this effort will serve to evaluate, in some cases for the first time, background mercury levels in many raptor species passing through Cape May, NJ. Additional feather and genetics samples were also collected to add to sample archives to be used by biologists wishing to answer other research questions in the future.
Highlights from the field included catching a juvenile male northern harrier, a female American kestrel, and dozens of Cooper's hawks. Biologists also observed numerous peregrine falcons and merlins in the area.
female American Kestrel
BRI looks forward to continuing this collaborative effort and expanding analyses to evaluate the risk of other environmental stressors on raptor populations.
For more information on Cape May raptors, please visit the New Jersey Audubon at www.njaudubon.org and the Cape May Raptor Banding Project at www.capemayraptors.org
