Falcons Rule the Day

Saturday
Sept 20, 2017
SS - 2
BW - 4
ML - 2
PG - 2
Total Raptors: 10

LAST DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2017

Thanks for helping Bill today, Ruth Ann.

 

Steady wind out of NE, and ample clouds helped us today. We didn't get big numbers, but the mix of species was interesting.

Weather:

Wind: NE all day, 10-15 mph, with occasional gusts over 20.

Clouds: 40% @ 9:00, 50% @ 11:00, 65% @ 12:00, 75% from 1:00-3:00, 45% @ 4:00.

Temperature: 66F, increasing to high of 81F by 4:00.

Barometric pressure: 30.18 @ 9:00, increasing to 30.21 @ 12:00, then decreasing gradually to 30.15 @ 4:00.

Humidity: 54%, decreasing to 34%.

Visibility: 50K @ 9:00, increasing to 65K in the afternoon.

Hawk totals by hour:

9:00-10:00: ML - 1

10:00-11:00: BW - 1

11:00-12:00: SS - 1

12:00-1:00: ML - 1

1:00-2:00: BW - 3

2:00-3:00: PG - 1

3:00-4:00 SS - 1, PG -1

Total. SS - 2, BW - 4, ML - 2, PG - 2 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The strong winds had the falcons zipping through fast! First bird of the day was a Merlin at 9:39. Next Merlin was spotted by Ruth Ann Henry at 12:01. High-flying Peregrines were seen at 2:55 and 3:15. Without the clouds, it would have been easy to miss three of these birds. It was nice to get four end-of-season Broad-wings, two singles and a double. Both sharpies flew quite high.

We saw 6 local Bald Eagles, all adults, all flying north. Not countable.

Monarch butterflies: 18

Counters: 

Bill Haley 9:00-4:30

Ruth Ann Henry 11:30-4:30

Reporting: Bill Haley

_____________________________

 

Winds were certainly whipping in the Valley today, so we wondered if there would be some good sightings of bird which revere the wind.  Our Merlin numbers are certainly looking good this year.  Exciting to see.

 

Hate we missed you, Ruth Ann.  I always look forward to the visiting with you.  So glad you had a good day finding great birds.

 

Thanks for helping Bill out today!

We can count on you guys to help us each year, and especially even when it's a little rough to

 

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!!

Counting Monarch Butterflies

Friday
Sept. 29, 2017
It was a slow day on the lookout. A nice breeze from the NE and slightly cooler temperatures failed to produce many migrants.

Weather:  

Wind: NE most of the day 3-5 mph, increasing to NNW 8-12 mph after 4:00.

Clouds- Clear skies until after 1:00. 15% @ 2:00, 25% @ 3:00, 10% @ 5:00.

Temperature: 71 F @ 8:00, gradually increasing during the day to 84 F @ 4:00.

Barometric pressure: 30.09, falling gradually to 30.04.

Humidity: 56% @ 9:00, dropping to 40% @ 4:00.

Visibility: 45K all day.

Hawk numbers by hour:

8:00-9:00 - 0

9:00-10:00 - 0

10:00-11:00 - 0

11:00-12:00 - SS - 1

12:00-1:00 - 0

1:00-2:00 - 0

2:00-3:00 - 0

3:00-4-00 - 0

4:00-5:00 - OS - 1, BE - 1 (ad.), SS - 1

5:00-5:15 - 0

 OS 1

 BE -1

 SS 2

Total Raptors:  4

Monarch butterflies: 49

Of interest was a late afternoon movement of Monarch butterflies, with 41 seen between 4:00 and 5:15.

Counters: 

Jim Rowell 8:00-3:00

Bill Haley: 11:15-5:15

Reporting: Bill Haley

______________________________

 

Another Bald Eagle is exciting to me.  Their numbers keep rising, and it is exciting to see.  Interesting that they saw Monarchs, mostly in a little over an hour at day's end.

 

Since many believe Monarchs are on the decline, getting them in numbers is another good reason to be on the look-out and to

 

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!

10 WHITE PELICANS

Today was a tough day for Jim Rowell and Harold Birch, that is until the 10 White Pelicans flew over!  Yet the day was so difficult, they called it a day at 3.  Don't blame them.  It got quite windy I heard, as a front is coming into the valley.

Corpus Christi had 72338 hawks today, of which 71571were BW's.  Definite evidence that BW's are certainly on their way to Gone! 
Making this short today:

Here's the count as it appears on Hawkcount.org:

Thursday
Sept. 28, 2917
OS 1
NH 1
CH 1
Total Raptors  3



We are nearing the end of the month, and will soon do a month's totals.  I will catch up the grand totals at that time and we'll see where we stand at the end of the first month of Fall Hawk-watch season 2017. Later today, I'll get Jimmy to pull up the individual bird totals and make my side bar counts accurate.

Last 7 days with Fall and Month to date totals

2351 total Hawks seen so far.  2268 were BW's.  As you can see, the 23rd was one of the big push days when hawks were visible.  That is consistent with other years; we can usually expect at least one good day this week.  It's just a roll of he dice though. Because the Barometer was perfect for seeing hawks this week.  Getting to 30.1 or less most days.

As Bill often reminds us, even though the BW push will soon be done, migration is not done. 

SO
Keep Looking UP!!!

3 Days As They Appear On Hawkcount dot Org

Bill Haley took a picture of  the crew one day this week.  Harold Birch, Roi and Debbie Shannon, and Jim Rowell
 

Neither Jimmy or I have been able to get up for a few days.  Our health is not what we hoped lately. So we can only send a billion thanks to those who could.  They have been faithful! And we have missed being with them so much.. Love to them all.

Jimmy has posted the last 3 days of slower stats to Hawkcount.org so I though I would post those 3 days as charts, so we can connect you to that location for much of the data reported in the Eastern US.  It is where we have always gone to see what other watches might be seeing.  And the one note I want to make about those sites, is that we are all at various elevations.  Many at higher elevations have seen more hawks this year.  Which only affirms what we often say about blue sky days.  The hawks are there, just too high to see them against the blue skies.

Monday
Sept 25, 2017
_____________________
BE 1
BW 5
Total Raptors 6

http://hawkcount.org/466-2017-09-25

Tuesday
Sept 26, 2017
___________________
OS  1
SS    1
Total Raptors 2


 http://hawkcount.org/466-2017-09-26

Wednesday
Sept 27 2017
_____________
BE   1
NH  1
SS    1
RS   1
BW  30
AK   1
Total Raptors  35


 http://hawkcount.org/466-2017-09-27

 









































Our crew has had a good mix of clouds some days, but also some long hours of that very blue, cloudless sky as well.  BW numbers will of course wind down as we go into October, and the push will be on for other raptors.  So I also want to reference our readers to the chart page which shows when concentrations of which hawks can be viewed and when.  This is a page which remains up and can be clicked on from side bar, or on your phone from the pull down arrow which reveals the pages.

This chart can be seen anytime on our SPECIES KEY page .
 (I enlarged it from the copy so it's a little blurry. Sorry.)

NOTE that Osprey, Bald Eagles, Broad-wings, and Peregrine Falcons are migrating primarily during September and into early October.  Sharp-shinned and Coopers Hawks are just getting revved up for October. While Red-tailed, Red-shouldered hawks, and Harriers begin their biggest push in mid October.  And the largest push of Red-tails and Vultures movement is in November.   At this time, huge numbers of Vultures can be seen behaving much like BW's.  And are equally enjoyable to watch thermaling and soaring, because they are often easier to see.   Thanks for the reports, guys!

So now you are connected and a little better informed.

Slow days, with less than 50 hawks seen over 3 days makes some wonder why stay up there.  Well it's at least 35 more than most people will notice in 3 days. LOL  And the fellowship is great.  Laughter and friendship are never in short supply.  A couple of hours on the hawkwatch can do great things for your mood, and all you have to do other than eat and talk is

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!



Broad-winged Hawk Flying North??

These grow In abundance along the banks and roadsides, near the watch.

 

Tami King kept stats today, and reports them in the HMANA chart style, which is what she was used to in SC.  At one time, Bill Haley also reported to the HMANA in the early years. On her chart, are listed many of the Western Hawks as well, because many of the sites reporting to HMANA are western locations.  Differences include that the weather is reported in Celcius.  We wish to thank her for sending the stats today.

 

When I arrived, Tami commented on how socked in the Valley had been when she arrived. She noted that our released Red-tail, Victoria Fay was no longer sitting in her overnight perch.  Alix questioned about her, and we noted that someone had visited the watch after we left, evidenced by the fact there were beer bottles left behind.  Ugh.  But we hadn't seen her.  However, as I left about 1:30, traveling down the mountain as I passed under the wires that go up to hawk-watch hill, I caught a quick glimpse of a small Red-tailed Hawk  flying up from the grassy ground beside the road to about half way up the bluff, toward the watch site.  I really only saw the red tail and that something seemed to be in the claws, very small.  But it was too co-incidental to not be our released bird, as Alix and I discussed.   I was pleased to see her near the traffic, yet flying away from it, up to the trees.  Wish she would take a liking to the top of the bluff instead though.

Victoria Fay seeks a hiding place

 

Winds today were often variable, but mostly out of the SE and S.  Birds we noticed were flying SW along a very similar path whether BW's or Accipiters, of which there were several. One of our day birds was our Red-headed Woodpecker.  And Tami notes the Monarch count.

 

 

Sunday

Sept. 24. 2017

 

Counts were:

OS 1

SS 1

CH  3

BW  12

PG  1

Total Raptors - 18

 

Note: a lot of other sites reported low figures as well.  But some had super numbers. Such as Rock Fish Gap -1011BWs.   Jimmy noticed  that we only were one BW off from Corpus Christi's count on BWs yesterday. LOL  And notice Tami's notes about our one odd BW. Never saw that before on our watch, in fact never at a watch.  But we had to consider the possibility that we just last week released 5 BW's into the "local population."   Tami also spoke today, of seeing such things with hawks at her former sites, only to notice later they left and proceeded S in migration. They always thought the birds had stopped for lunch.  We never see that, and any BWs that have turned N, generally caught a thermal and rode it to the top for lift and proceeded S. So, today we saw one of those wacky firsts for the site.  If someone else has noticed it during their hours on the watch,  please chime in. LOL

 

 

Tami writes:

" also Unusual Broad-winged Hawk Behavior: In the early afternoon we saw a Broad-winged Hawk come in from the north, head south then turn around head back north and dive into the trees. Around 4 PM a Broad-winged Hawk came up from the area the earlier bird went down, fly south then turn north and descend into the valley.

There were also 27 Monarch Butterflies.

Keep Looking UP!

Tami"

 

 

A Tale of Two Celebrations

Saturday
Sept. 23, 2017
In Pictures:

Harold and Nancy Birch and Family

Holding a raptor in your hands is exhilarating. Especially if you are a hawk watcher.  We see them in the skies, and usually from very far away.  I will never forget how impressed I was by the small size of a Broad-wing in hand.  And taking pictures of them, gives me new perspectives on the features we use to ID them.  Individual birds are unique, in that their colors vary slightly, belly bands are at different levels on the a Red-tail's belly, some are darker, some lighter, and sizes vary as well...just for instance.  This is why I love to promote and have lots of visitors at the watch for our raptor release days. Even hawk watchers glean from the close-ups.

Dark full Belly Band on Victoria Fay

Our fellow hawk-watcher, Harold Birch, has been by our side many times when it was just Jimmy and I.  When Alix Parks of Happinest Rehab texted to say she had a Red-tailed hawk ready to release, if Harold wanted to release it, I realized he had a desire to do so, and they had discussed it. I couldn't think of anything nicer than to honor him and his hours on the watch with us, by giving him this opportunity.  So I texted to see when his family could return, and we found a time appropriate to celebrate these two lives.  Harold's and this bird's. A bird which had fought for life itself, Victoria Fay.  This is the story in pictures of this wonderful day. 

First year Red-tailed hawk, Victoria Fay, has survived West Nile Virus.

One of the few times I ever remember having the entire hawk watch team together for at least part of the day, and I didn't get a chance to get us together for a picture! ugh.  But they can be seen, often with binocs in the air, scattered among the pictures: Bill Haley, Harold Birch, Jim Rowell, Roi and Debbie Shannon, Bill Holt, Tami King, and Jimmy and I were all there.  Other, veteran birders were also there, as were family and friends. Birders and non-birders alike, able to love and appreciate the majesty of a raptor who may fly far over borders of countries eventually, free to live again, & also celebrate the one who is the lover of such birds, Mr. Harold Birch .  Enough said.

Roi, Debbie, Jim R. Bill and Alix look closely at this female Red-tail.

With appreciation, to Alix Parks, who rehabs raptors, as part of the Happinest Rehab Team, for giving the lovely Victoria Fay a second chance, and us the chance to see her free once again, on our celebration day, I am proud to post these pics.

 

 

Victoria Fay decided she didn't like the road noise below, or the 70 foot cliff, and like many of our release birds, she stopped short of flying out into the wild blue.  Most of our release birds when released very close to the cliff, fly only a short distance out, and then bank back to the nearby trees.  As Alix said, most have never flown over a space so high up, and they are frightened of that much wide open sky and so much nothingness below. But they will learn.  She stayed around on the ground for a bit, and then hopped into the short pines just below the bluff, and found a safe place to look out contented to just get used to her surroundings.  She provided some wonderful Photo ops for those who brought cameras or had phones.

Sometimes as we wonder how our release birds are doing we can't help but wonder if we will see them again next year, when we

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!