Birding Blue Skies

On the grounds around us this past week there have been butterflies of all kinds.  On the days when hundreds of hawks fly by, there is little opportunity to notice, but on the slow days, I sneak a pic or two.  Here are Monday and Tuesday's stats:

Monday   September 24, 2012

Soddy Mtn Hawk Watch

Hamilton Co., Tn

• 29 Broad-Winged Hawks
•   1 Bald Eagle

Today represented a significant slow down in migration. The 100%

totally blue skies were difficult to spot Broad-winged Hawks. Early

on we had a small kettle of 29 Broadies and then within minutes we

counted another adult Bald Eagle. For the next 3.5 hours we didn't

see a thing. I'm not complaining, just explaining. We've had a

wonderful 2012 migration season and hope it will increase in numbers

during the final 7 or 8 days ahead.

 

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Tuesday September 25, 2012

• 47 Broad-Winged Hawks
•   1 Cooper's Hawk
•   1 Northern Harrier

Blue skies faded into scattered friendly clouds Tuesday.  There was a lot of activity with the local birds, and we even thought  we saw the Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, Lou Ann from Nashville, which was released on Sunday, at least once, close.  It appeared, however, that many of the migrators were meeting with strong upper headwinds over our site, and they seemed to be making their western crossing at a point north of us.  We could see one kettle so far north west that it was impossible to count more than a dozen of it's birds. Most of the ones we saw moved along the back of the ridge we face, from an almost E to W pattern.  They came in very low and caught the first lift the ridge afforded.  It was obvious all day that, at least within the area we could see them, they had difficulty getting lift and winged it through our air space.

 

Wednesday September 26, 2012

Resting  -  not worth the few birds for spending all day.  Got a treat at home however. Jimmy spotted a Red-breasted Nuthatch keeping company with Pine Warblers, and a Ruby-Crowned Kinglet, seeking food along the limbs of our dogwoods out front.  For fall birds, the color was incredible on the warblers.

 

Butterflies we are seeing: Monarchs galore, Little Blues, Cloudless Sulphur, Sleepy Orange, Common Buckeye, Gulf Fritilary,  a Swallowtail species, and a number of unidentified fly-bys.