Summary of a Record Setting Week

Bill Holt's Pic of 80 BW's in a kettle this week

We started the day having surpassed a landmark in our total hawk-watch history, by crossing the grand total of over 60,000 BWs. Before the first BW of the day, our actual cumulative total was 60,027. Adding our steady, but relatively small count for today, of 141 BWs we now stand at an all time number of  60,168 total BW's.

Secondly, this was the first week we ever saw more in ONE WEEK than our WHOLE SEASON RECORD. As Jimmy includes in his TN-bird Report below.  We are only 105 BW's from seeing 8,000 birds this year. It's entirely possible that we might reach that figure.

Of course, if you have been reading the blogs, you know we had our first 1200 BW kettle. An amazing number for our site.  And that set a record that will be added to our BEST RECORDS page.

We are humbled by the  support of our friends and fellow hawk-watchers.  And saddened more of you weren't there to see the big numbers.  It is a year we will never forget.

This was Jimmy's TN-bird Report:
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9/27/15
SMHW
Hamilton co., TN

Today we had 141 Broad-winged Hawks pass over the lookout. The real story
is about the incredible past week we have had! We were rained out one day
but, during the other 6 days we simply blew past records out of the water.
This week's totals surpass any whole season records we have ever had at any
time in the past. The big number for Broad-winged Hawks counted was 6,822.

Our year-to-date totals are:

7895  Broad-winged Hawks
   1  Red-shouldered Hawk
   1  Red-tailed Hawk
  12  Osprey
  34  Sharp-shinned Hawks
  16  Cooper's Hawks
   7  Peregrine Falcons
   6  American Kestrel
   1  Merlin
  13  Bald Eagles  (10 adults/3 immature)
  10  Northern Harrier

   1  unidentified Buteo
   2  unidentified raptors

We are wanting to count 10,000 + Broad-winged Hawks for the 2015 season,
however, I don't think we have enough good weather days remaining for us
to accomplish that lofty goal.  Time will tell.

Our visitors and counters for the previous week in no certain order are:
Harold Birch; Bill Haley; Bill Holt; Jim McCullough; Ginger Cass; (who
helped us get on many Ginger hawks aka Turkey Vultures) Hugh Barger;
Chuck & Lola Estes; Shane Williams; Deborah Williams; Jeffery Schaarschmidt;
Carolyn & Phil Snow; Ruth Ann Henry and Cynthia & Jimmy Wilkerson

Jimmy Wilkerson
Hixson, Hamilton co., TN
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Just a few more days to -

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!!