Broad-Winged Hawks Are Returning First counts of the season

Yesterday, 4/5/2014, we hadn't planned to go to the Hawk watch, but when our friend and fellow hawk-watcher, Harold Birch, called from an activity at the Chattanooga Arboretum & Nature Center, to say they were seeing Broad-wings flying through, we decided it was necessary to go. He and his fellows had seen a stream of 10 or so once they had noticed them, and 5 more just while he was talking to Jimmy. You may have read in my last post that I had seen one immature over the house a last week. Thus signaling the need to watch for newly arriving BW's.

So we went home, geared up and ate, then headed to the Soddy watch site.  Arriving about 1:30, we were seeing BW's in only minutes after arriving. We continued to see one, two or three in a steady progression, similar path, for most of the time we were there, (til nearly 5:00 pm).  Late in the afternoon, Bill Haley joined us for a bit, but only was graced by one BW.  However, when he left we saw a few more along a different course, coming more out  of the West, and flying NE.

We are gearing up this Sunday morning to go again, now that the fogs have lifted.  The flights are not as dramatic in Spring, but kettles are possible, and they do gain great heights at midday, sometimes.  We saw a couple which blinked into the heights. But most were low enough to see with our bare eyes only, yesterday. Looking into the distance with binocs was not as productive, because the hazy clouds appeared to be hiding the higher birds.  So scanning the skies with them, kept us from catching the lower birds passing closely. They seemed to appear dropping from the thin cloud cover, to fly over us and disappear once again once over the northern ridge. Their flights were a little more casual, than they often appear when going south. And the upper winds tossed them and often changed their course.

Our total was 21 BW's for the day.

In addition, we were graced with a number of other spring migrants and newly arriving smaller birds. The best views being of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers that dotted the trees all around us most of the afternoon.

Below are the two reports from the Hawk Watch and the Nature Center field trip, copied from Tn Bird.

It is time to Keep Looking UP!!

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"Soddy Mtn. Hawk Watch

Hamilton Co., TN 

We decided to opt for Spring hawk migration counting today, Saturday April 5th.  With other things to accomplish first, we didn't arrive until 1:45 pm and left at 4:45 pm which offered three good solid hours of viewing. During this time we counted 21 returning Broad-winged Hawks.  As a general rule the count numbers are much lower in the Spring as opposed to counting in Fall.

 The majority of hawks seen were close in and could be seen without the aid of binoculars.  Most Hawks just glided through without flapping at all.  Some did thermal up but thermaling was the  exception today.  No large kettles were seen nor expected and again the majority seen were singles.  Twice during the 2:00 to 3:00 hour we counted 2+1 only seconds apart.  It was also during this hour that we counted 12 of the 21

"seen today.  Almost all hawks seen were adults but, due to the Sun's angle, hard to distinguish until they had passed overhead by about 100 yards.

The Spring season normally lasts from about April 1st. until the 15th.  I am not sure how many more days I can get up to the lookout but I do have plans to return Sunday afternoon.

BTW we saw our first Ruby-throated Hummingbird at our home in Hixson on Thursday April 3rd.  A beautiful male with a well rounded belly just like mine!

 Jimmy & Cynthia Wilkerson

Hixson, Hamilton Co., TN"

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"4/5/2014
Hamilton Co.
 I heard a Wood Thrush in full song on Garden Road. When I mentioned it to other birders, gathered for the first Spring Bird Walk of 2014 at the Chattanooga Arboretum & Nature Center, Hugh Barger said he had heard it also.
We listed 62 species for the morning at the CA&NC, but no wood thrush on the property. Other FOS for me: Ovenbird, Tennessee Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Worm-eating Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throated Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler.
 Also of note we saw 2 Rusty Blackbirds and 15 Broad-winged Hawks.

Clyde Blum
Signal Mountain, Tn"


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Also, I wish to post a paragraph from an e-mail, which Bill Haley wrote in answer to a query by an interested birder, earlier this month.  It is full of good info, that might be valuable to new readers:

"In March you’ll start seeing Red-tails, Coopers Hawks, Sharp-shins, American Kestrels, Turkey Vultures and a few Harriers and Osprey moving north along the ridge or out over the valley and they will continue into early April. Bald Eagles may be seen almost every day, but be aware that some may be going the wrong way. Those are likely local nesting birds. Golden Eagles are rare, but a possibility. Broad-winged Hawks usually start coming through in the first week of April and they are pretty much done by the 20^th. You can sometimes see good numbers of them as they move north. The best time to be there is on a day with southerly winds, just before a storm front is scheduled to move through. They will travel from the southwest towards the northeast, and most follow a pretty specific track across the sky. You need sun, but some clouds are a help in spotting high-soaring hawks. For the best luck spotting Broad-wings as they come into view, turn towards the mountain a bit, with the valley to your left."

Bill Haley

 

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Looking forward to a lovely day, just before the rains arrive this evening.

Good Birding to all,

 

Cynthia