Numbers and Variety

Bill Haley was on the hill Friday, 10/24/14 and reported seeing and counting this nice variety of  migrating raptors:

2 Northern Harriers
7 Sharp-shinned
2 Cooper's Hawks
1 Osprey
5 Red-tailed Hawks
1 Red-shouldered
23 Turkey Vultures
____________________________

 & Saturday 10/25/14 from  9 til 2, and had 7 Sharp-shins.

And they are in the books!

A nice fall day allows him to see determined birds moving South to SW, on a mission to get to warmer weather :)


Hawk Mountain had great weather yesterday and were expecting large numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks to move through any day.  One year they had over 200 in one day.  So we can continue to expect to see nice pushes of Sharp-shinned hawks for a while.  Check out the graph which charts  when to expect numbers of certain hawks to move through on the Species Key page. (on the side panel)

 If you go to the hill yourself, remember to prepare to be cooler on that bluff.  Dress warmly with removable clothing, and take a scarf or other to shield you face if it's windy.  Also, remember the lip balm! Wind will zap the moisture from your skin. Don't forget the sun screen, even cold weather sun will burn you if you sit in it for a couple of hours.  Protect ears, nose, and the tops of your fingers, for they are holding up your binoculars to the sun.

We remain busy at home with more projects than we can get done, due to a nice unexpected blessing of reclaimable wood.  So, we first had to reclaim it, and then stack it, but we have made a compost bin and a small hot house.  Jimmy also made a neighbor's child a "club house" he was begging for, with a lot of help from his uncle.  We too are preparing for winter...I have to get my plants to warmer weather. LOL So no trips to the hill for us lately. But like us...

 If you have a moment, where ever you are-

remember to -

Keep Looking UP!!!

Bill Is Loving Warm Watch Days

Bill Haley is doing his favorite type of Hawk watching - peaceful, warm sunny days, with dabbled clouds and there are several countable kinds of hawks finding lift along the ridge.

He went up Wednesday and Thursday this week for a few hours each day and the following is his report:  (ck out the Species Key page for the hawks represented by the abbreviations)

Wednesday 10/22/14
2 SS
1 CH
1 RS
1 RT

10:30 to 12
__________________

Thursday 10/23/14
1 PG
1ABE
1 SS
1 CH
2 RT
161 TVs
(123 Turkey Vultures in one kettle, then kettles of 5, 11, 8 and 14 - dedicated southward movement)

Bill is up again today, and we might get up tomorrow.  Will post tomorrow with new updates.

If Turkey Vultures are what you see a lot of, now could be a great time to begin counting them.  If you hate counting the high specks, count Red-tails, Red-shouldered and Turkey Vultures. It's that time. Whereas we kept you from counting them during BW season, most are on the move these days.  Many will move south and be replaced with more northern birds --- it is speculated.  But they do move out of the most northern cold climes, and ours definitely desert their nesting habitats and appear again next season. So the dedicated southern flights are migration.  Take time now to learn the lights, darks and immature versions of your most familiar or favorite Raptors. Or the lack of such things. The slower pace of these hawks makes them fun to watch for a long time. See how they fly, if they kite, watch for their silhouettes. Compare sizes if possible, and get to know their details.  Use a hawk guide and use this time to learn about them if you desire to know more.  BW season is fun, but this kind of weather is a more casual, get to know the bird season. Very restful sometimes.

Remember, Hawk migration runs through November for fall season.  Great opportunities for good sightings.  BW's should be past us now, as would be Kites. Most Osprey and Peregrines are counted as coastal birds, but we still have a few. 

Keep looking UP!!!!!!!

Reports Around the Country

"Smith Point Hawk Watch (10/17/14) 14,864 raptors!"
via "textbirds" freelist. 

Thanks to Carolyn Snow for the info.  We often like to talk about other sites across the nation and the kinds and numbers of birds we are seeing there.  Smith Point is one we enjoyed visiting, and find that other birders will as well.  They report their numbers on the "textbirds" freelist, just as we report to "TNbirds" also a freelist.  This report is a very recent update title.

Freelists for Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and Florida provide valuable info for what is being seen, and we often sign up for them, only during migrations to get info such as this. But they make great resources for making trips to see great birds.  But also remind us of the diversity of the numbers and species concentrations at other sites and locations.  Where Broad-wings are often the attractions for mountain sites, Falcons and Osprey are the draws for many coastal sites.  Kites are the focus for a site in South Carolina. And some sites also keep counts for other massing migrators, like Sandhills, Anhingahs, and Frigatebirds.

Keep Looking UP!!!!

Bill Reports

Sunday October 12, Bill Haley sat on the hill for 2 hours in the afternoon, until the storms set in.  He counted monarchs and Blue Jays which are now in full migration, but also had 1 Sharp-shinned as well.  Thanks Bill, for the coverage.  One note I wanted to make here, is that on days he has arrived early, by at least 8 am, he has also counted numerous migrating warblers and songbirds.  The hill is a great place some mornings for more than hawk viewing. 

These next few days are the kinds of days that set the hawks down North of us.  Storms moving from the SW across the entire state stop the SW movement of birds.  I imagine that when this breaks, there should be a strong movement of raptors, although not in kettles, most likely.

It isn't too late to Keep Looking Up!!!!


Bill's email:
"

I went up on the mountain from 1:30-3:30 Sunday, Oct. 12. 95% clouds when I arrived. 90% at 2pm and 100% and very murky at 3pm. Baro started at 30.07, and ended at 30.01. Temp ranged from 75-77. Visibility was 5K, 7K and 4K. It didn’t really look promising, but I thought maybe I’d get lucky and see something migrating – and I did.

 

Monarch – 5

 

Blue Jay – 14 (all in one flock heading south)

 

Sharp-shined Hawk – 1

 

The Sharp-shin was seen at 3:17 low over Fred and heading straight towards the lookout, gaining altitude as he came. Classic quick flap, flap, flap, glide pattern. Some sharpies take forever getting south. Not this one! It did what you wish all of them would do – it was moving south with a purpose. It never bothered to circle at all – just pumped for all it was worth, passing a couple hundred feet above the lookout out over the valley. I followed it almost all the way south. While I was watching it I heard the first boom of thunder behind me, decided the hawkwatching was probably over for the day and began to put things up. I stayed for a few more minutes, and by the time I got to the highway it was raining. I was happy to claim this classic migrant sharpy as my only hawk of the afternoon. It certainly made it worth the trip.

 

I have to work this coming weekend, but am looking forward to hopefully experiencing at least a few more good flight days in October and November.

 

Bill"

I include Bill's email, for a couple of reasons.  It indicates the kinds of information that is being kept in conjunction with the "NUMBERS".  The counts are important, but so are the stats.  Over the years we tell our visitors and fellow hawk watchers to be aware of the weather and environment to know when to come to the Lookout.  We can know this over years of keeping the data and making the comparisons. Jimmy looked back at the observations of Hawk Watchers into the early 50's, and the same things were being reported then as now: such as large pushes of BW's often congregate after a front which has produced a couple of days of rain, plus N/NE winds of 5-15 MPH.  Years of data back up that statement. 

Secondly, I want to note that the watchers share their data.  It is so they may be able to go back and compare notes. Now, not all watchers have all  the shared data.  But Bill, Jimmy and Harold have consistently shared their notes for years...and the cumulative results are included on the charts we place on this site.  Not one person's reports, but as many as will report with vital and experience.

Thirdly, it is often a good double check.  I initially put up that Bill had seen a single BW, but what his email says is one Sharp Shinned.  Such doubling of records helps to make corrections as well.  It's like a backup system for accuracy.

Cool weather will increase the drive for all other migrating hawks and raptors over the next two months. ck out the stats charts on The Stats Page.

Pucara, Part II on Broad-wings

Before I get into this discussion about Broad-wings -

 

THE UPDATE 

 

Bill Haley was up on Saturday, 10/4/14 and reported:

 

 

14 Broad-wings

 

7 Sharp-shinned

 

2 Coopers Hawks

______________________________

 

 

Bill Haley on Sunday afternoon - 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm, report

 

  THE UPDATE

 

 

2 Broad-wings

 

2 Northern Harriers

 

4 Sharpies

 

1 Red-tailed Hawk

 

_______________________________________________



 

When Pucara was released, after healing from a broken leg, we had a great opportunity to take pictures of the features of an immature Broad-winged Hawk, to share and learn from. I want to begin this discussion with the obvious - its size.  What a difference from the "arms full" size of the Red-tailed Hawk she released last year.  This bird's body isn't much larger than Alix's hand.  And the wings aren't much longer than her gloves.  Perhaps I have a pic that will demonstrate that as well.  Its feet not glaring with massive tallons, and the bill is somewhat small as well. Yet when they spread those wings, they look so big in the sky.  Very deceiving to see it up close.

Next, I should mention that Alix drew our attention to the light color of its eyes.  In the picture above and a couple of others we see the remnants of blue there, indicating that this bird is very young.  Not sure she said if "hatch-year" or first year, but I lean a bit to hatch year because of the blue.  Mature birds (below) have intensity of color in their eyes  - more golden.

http://boomchachalaca.blogspot.com/2012/05/up-close-and-personal-broad-winged-hawk.html
From Images, Comcast search - Boomchachalaca, up-close and personal, by Cory Ritter
Adult Broad-wing
Note: all pictures on this site are mine, unless otherwise noted, Like this one.
 

Secondly, I want to discuss coloration: In the adult, above, the "chocolate" head is definitely Chocolate.  In our immature the colors are more a general mix of dk brown, rusty red, gold and cream.  In the sun that red intensifies.

 







I have often noticed this redness of the feathers in the air.  We have heard others question why the birds appear so red sometimes when we are trying to teach how to recognize them from a distance.  Many would initially expect to call it a Red-shouldered when they see this red. They don't expect a Broad-wing to have any red.  I suspect that we are often viewing immature birds, after seeing this bird from a few feet away rather than 100+.  Every time Alix held this bird to the sun, the color intensified. I really expected the color to only be a "sheen" of reflected sun, but here, we see, it is actually a rusty red, among the feather's actual colors. 

 

Among other reasons, we find it best to direct people, looking to ID a bird from the distance, to step away from the things they expect to see in order to make an ID. Color for instance might be deceiving.  Instead, they must learn the other features that make identifying their hawks at distance possible. (see Part I)

 

Another feature of the Immature BW is the window in its wings.  Also known as the "Comma," the crescent shaped translucent area in the outer wing, will darken with age.*

  In Red-shouldered Hawks the "window" remains visible to the point of being a feature that helps us ID them.  But an immature BW side by side with a mature Red-shouldered will look almost identical except for size, in the sky.  The total outline of the wing with a dark band, and the shape of the wing and tail, might be the only thing that will tell them apart.  Even their tail banding at this stage looks similar. My son, and I once saw this in Winter, unusual because the BWs have migrated.  A single BW was soaring on the Christmas Bird-count along side  a Red-shouldered. We watched them intently for as long as we were able, through a scope, to make a certain ID.  My son, in fact, was the astute one to actually notice, and I was so glad to have had the unique and notable experience of seeing how easy the BW would be to over-look in the winter, next to a Red-shouldered. At first, most thought it was merely a male and female, whose sizes were strongly different.  But the difference was identifiable when we really examined them.  I feel sometimes, that BW immatures are mis-identified as Red-shouldered Hawks.

 

Tail-bands, dark from above
 

The more dominant, wide white in the bands of the Broad-winged Adult has not become evident so much on this bird yet.  It is however more visible from underneath, when the sun shines through.

 

 

Alix spread the wing a bit so we could see the window in this bird's wing. 

I was impressed at the unique beauty of the robe like cloak of feathers across the shoulders of this bird.  But something else this picture illustrates is the width of the wing compared to that little body.  The wing joins the back near the head, rather than lower on the neck nearer the body.  It makes the shoulders have a muscular look, as a more human shape. The wing also covers low on the tail, displaying none of the lower body.  Therefore, a relative broad wing.  In flight the tail seems short and shows fewer of the bands than a Red-shouldered Hawk.  This makes the wider light bands seem even bolder and wider.

 

Since, the size between Males and Females, Immature and Adult birds can differ greatly, a kettle of Broad-wings can appear to have different sized birds.  Size can not always help us tell if a small male Red-shouldered is among them.  It is hard to tell without paying close attention to the wing shape, the forwardness of the BW wings compared to the outward roll of the Red-shouldered, and the longer tail with more and narrower banding of the RS.  If close enough, a Red-Shouldered's wings may also display a checkered effect in the feathers, not present in the BW.

 

Red-shouldered for comparison, separation
between wing and body/tail makes tail look
longer

Checkered underwing, narrow white
banding in tail.



No checker board on BW.

One last note is that this immature has what is called "headlights," traditionally noted on Red-tailed Hawks.  It's the notable white patch on the forewing near the elbow.  Not great for ID on a small bird coming directly at you, I guess, but often very visible on the RT which is much larger.


The one picture that is missing in my stash at this point is one of the dark band that appears as if drawn around the entire wing of a BW.  What makes it more visible in comparison to the Red-SH for instance, is the lightness of the underwing.  Even on a much darker adult, however, the dark outline can sometimes be diagnostic when looking up at a BW in flight, when in doubt.


So we have discussed why this is an immature bird.  Primarily the light eyes and wing window are prime indicators. Lighter coloring, and the intense redness also are indicators. But would you need to count it as an immature? We usually don't make such differences notable, except in Bald Eagles, or Harriers for instance, when M/F differences are notable. But when ID takes a bit more investigation, knowing the difference can make our counts more accurate.  We miss a few, but learn every time we are confronted with the need to know.


Don't become overwhelmed.  Knowing less when you first begin to learn is much better than knowing more.  We often use the same 3 Indentifiers with BWs - paring knife wing, wide white tail band, Flashes in wing and rump when banking in the familiar figure 8. 

There is more to know about distant birds, but I've said enough for now. We WELCOME your questions.  Though we hear them again and again from each new visitor to the watch. And from many who may be skeptical that we really can tell what we see so far out.  But perhaps as we discuss the shapes, and features of the birds being released, you can see the things we look for too.

Migration is still on, soooo

Keep Looking UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!


*I dislike the general use of Comma to reference the "window" feature of transluscence, because in the Red-tailed and in the Broad-wing there appears an actual comma shaped feature on the underside of their forewings.  It looks like a comma drawn on the wing.  I think it is very confusing, but Jimmy and Harold who refer to the books as their example, prefer the word. Comma when sharing the window feature.  Jimmy often corrects me when I say window.  But there are notes in several references materials which also say "window".  And I am not sure why the difference isn't as confusing to other writers. I believe it must be due to what people have become most familiar.  So either term is correct,  if you know the difference.  But if I say "comma", in reference to a Red-Tailed Hawk, please know I actually mean a comma shaped mark on the bird.

Pucara, Rehab/Release Broad-winged Hawk

Pucara was released from rehab, where he/she has been recovering from a broken leg,  Thursday 10/2/14, about 2:30pm.

 We arrived to Alix Parks' home facility early, where she demonstrated the readiness of the this bird to be released.  Strength in the leg and grip, healthy eater - 2 mice on this day alone, feisty aggressive attempts to fly,  the ability to fly to heights, and remain perched....all part of the many things Alix checks before release.  One slightly bent feather, was not enough to endanger the bird, nor the well worn feathers, showing that this bird needs to move, so that molt can occur in the near future.  After a migration, it will return with bright new feathers in the fall, but if not released, it might be forced to remain state-side for the winter.  It needed to be released into the migration, even if a bit late.

Alex was as anxious as was the bird, to get it going, hoping to see it join others kettling above Signal Point, where it would be released.  That had happened once before.  But it wasn't to be, on Thursday afternoon.  For we saw no BW's in the nearby skies.  But not to fear, it wasn't necessary.  Broad-wings, which love to join a migratory group kettling into a rising thermal, are generally loners, and will fly one by one as well.  All Pucara needs is the yearning that draws migrating birds around the globe, to go to warmer climates as winter approaches.  That amazing yearning, so fascinating, and barely understood.

As Jimmy and I entered the large enclosure that provides protection and containment, while allowing for ample flight to assure the continued health or healing thereof, for injured raptors, I was impressed.  Alix had provided anything a healing bird could need. I searched the high spots, desiring to see this bird that I recognized from the heights of a blue sky, curious to see it up close and personal.  Would I recognize it?

I spotted it through the branches of a small tree, and the illusion while it sat up high was of a larger bird than when it is actually in hand. I was actually surprised to see it's body up close.  Those enormous wings in comparison to it's body confirmed how well it's named.
Alix points to the Crop of this bird, which is protruding because it is full. It devoured 2 mice after all, earlier. (also known as Croup, or Craw, and I 've also heard it pronounced, Crawp)

 

In the picture above two things are visible that we expect to see on a Broad-winged Hawk.



1. There is a silvery-ness on the outer under-wing.  In the air, as this bird banks in flight, sunlight that catches that area of the wing creates a silver flash.  This is extremely helpful, when we are looking at miniscule kettles far away or high in the sky. It is possible to know we are seeing Broad-wings rather than Vultures, for instance, by that flash.  In our area, generally, only Vultures occur in enough numbers to make a kettle of any size, although I once saw a small kettle of Eagles. (Hope that we see more of those.)  In a mixed kettle, the size often becomes obvious as we watch the birds bank and turn. But without the benefit of larger birds in the kettle, we must make a decision on distant birds based on more than perceived size. The flashes of silver will look a bit like glitter, especially in a haze. But it brings confidence in our calls, when we are counting vanishing specks.
2. In the same vein, there is a white under-rump on this bird, that is our second element, which helps ID these birds in a mix.  Buteos can sometimes display very similar silhouettes. It can take a bit of watching the birds as they approach, and even after years of counting, all of us, ALL OF US, go back and forth on what we are seeing sometimes.  But more than once, we have used the "white flash" that occurs as Broad-wings bank and flip in flight, to determine if we are seeing Broad-wings or Red-shouldered hawks, for example.

It needs to be noted that this isn't the same as the long white rump patch that occurs both above and below on many raptors - Red-Tails, Harriers, and both Accipiters, can have distinct rump to tail white patches or bands.  On the Broad-wing, it usually must show its underside to notice the white rump flash, as it rolls and flips, flying in a pattern similar to a figure 8.

So - White flash at rump, and silver flash on the outer underwing. Sometimes you can see only one or the other, depending on the light and sun angle, but sometimes you can clearly see both. 



Broad-winged Hawk above
Red-shouldered Hawk below

The effect of these flashes in a murky sky, is that the birds are visible one minute and not the next instant. We call that "blinking" in and out.  Sometimes the blinking is more due to the depth of the bird into the murk, (the haze, clouds, or fuzzy seeds filling the air,) which is disguising the kettle. But I have actually seen kettles in blue sky out of which I was counting the birds by the flashes. Must be careful to not over count in these situations.  But rather than lose the birds to a "blink out," where the entire kettle can disappear, I would rather make a good estimate on how many I can count, by their flashes.



Compare in the pictures here, the Broad-wing above, with the silver flash out near the tip of the very pointed, "paring knife shaped wing, to the much rounder wing with a transparent "window" or "comma" on the outer wing of a Red-shouldered hawk, below. Both have intense banding in the tail, but the bold bands on the short wide tail of the Broad-wing, make it seem  more obvious, or more singular. As if it has only one wide white band. Notice the white on the under rump. Both have reddish, (considered "chocolate" on the BW) heads sometimes, and in fact, a Broad-wing can have the transparent windows in the wing, if it is an immature bird.  Some of these things we will discuss further in our next blog.




Consider this Part I on the identification of Broad-winged Hawks, and keep coming back for more as we discuss how we know this bird's age in Part II.

And always ----
Keep Looking UP!!!!http://soddymountainhawkwatch.blogspot.com/p/rehabrelease.html

Releasing Rehabbed Broad-wing

Alix Parks invites us to join she and Sherry Teas to release the Broad-winged Hawk they have been rehabbing over the last few weeks.  She is so excited to see it released during migration. 

Due to weather, on Friday, Alix had to move the release of the Broad-wing up to 2:00 today.  Sorry, if some have made plans.  He must be released because he is ready to fly, and it has become imperative to let him go. The place is Signal Point, on Signal Mtn., TN.

Stay tuned for pictures!
   &
Keep Looking UP!!!