OVER 8,000 BROAD-WINGS THIS SEASON!

 Jimmy's email to TN-bird:

 

"SMHW
Hamilton Co., TN

After 2 days of rain, we managed to get to the lookout today
even though the cloud cover was about 95% and the wind was
from the NW most of the day.

Most of the day we were having 1 or 2 hawks glide by at a
time.  Ruth Ann Henry spotted 2 birds about 2:50 that turned
into a kettle of 30 Broad-wings out front, followed closely
by another kettle of 76.  Had it not been for these 2 kettles
BW numbers would have been dismal.  We finished with a 165
BW's to increase our year to date total to 8063.  This is by
far our best season for Broad-winged Hawk migration in the
history of Soddy Mountain Hawk Watch.  We may still increase
this total marginally during the next few days weather per-
mitting.

Other raptors seen:
1 RT
3 NH
3 SS
1 CH
1 BE adult
1 PG
2 AK

Jimmy Wilkerson
Hixson


http://soddymountainhawkwatch.blogspot.com

https://www.facebook.com/Soddy-Mountain-Hawk-Watch-1608121316117914/timeline "

____________________________________

I wanted to add, only that, the birds we saw in singles were being pushed along by winds that had them sailing through faster than I ever remember seeing them.  They looked like something motorized, making one straight shot down the valley most of the time.  The one most memorable was the Bald Eagle. It looked like a Black mini-ball with a smaller white ball attached in front and a white ball in back.  Most unusual stance I have ever seen on an Eagle.

We count very few Red-tails this time of year, and since we have so many locals, we hesitate to count any, but after a while you sort of get to know them. The one RT we counted was on this bullet path as we saw it coming in and when we saw it going out. It stalled only long enough to regain height over us before catching that wind once again.  It was an obviously, immature bird, different than those we see daily. Hard not to count it as a migrant.

The skies also held our attention for a lot of this day.  We watched wide swaths of rain march up the valley as the strong NW winds drove the huge clouds along.  Other clouds that were strung down the valley as well allowed long lines of sun to shine between them. The result was a rainbow effect on the rainfall, as occurs when you shoot water from a hose into the air in the sun.  The rain was falling from very high, and was very dense at times, It looked like rainbow colored sheets blowing in the wind.  Ruth Ann and I were often mesmerized by the grandness of it all.  Except, she wasn't so mesmerized to keep her from picking out those hawks shooting down the valley.  I regret I didn't get on them all to help her determine what every one was, especially if they dropped to the valley floor - usually pushed by the wind.  We often lost them in the tree tops their wings were tucked so tight. Apologies to her and the count.  But without her, we would have missed several today.

Thank you Ruth Ann.  Our kettles today were only the second time she had seen good sized kettles, for as many times as she has visited us. Persistence paid off for her the last two times she has come!

I must bow out on the watch, but Jimmy and Bill, at least,  plan to spend additional days there. Broad-wings have been seen from the watch as late as Oct. 5th, I believe. And, Bill would love to see us have a good season of other later Buteos, and a good Vulture count as well. Let them know if you would like to come. And help them:

Keep Looking UP!!!

C