Just a Note in the Lull

We hawk watchers like to keep up with what is being seen on other watches sometimes, to know where hawks are being seen.  A clue to when the numbers are ramping up is when the watch at Corpus Cristi begins to see BW's in the thousands.  It of course depends on where the hawks choose to cross into Mexico from. I have been there when only 1 hawk had been seen at the watch, but watchers realized that there were great numbers moving through only 3 miles further west. So they moved some counters to a farm field 3 miles west. When Jimmy and I arrived, we waited only a little while before counters really went into action. Because of the great numbers seen, they often laid out mats and counted from flat on their backs, using clickers to record each 100 birds counted. On that day, we were privileged to see 20,000+ hawks, almost all of which were Broad-wings.

We will probably never see 20,000 hawks at once on Soddy. To them our numbers may seem small. But our cumulative numbers reveal that we have seen our share of the hawks moving through the TN mountains. Our total count up to this weekend is 83,541 hawks seen from our location on the lookout at "Soddy Mtn."  There have been times that we wondered if we were a few miles over one way or the other would we see hawks there on days that Soddy was slow.  The answer is probably, yes, on certain days.  All hawks don't pass us per se. We only therefore count the ones that do.  I am sure 10s of thousands have crossed above and below us, and if there was capacity or place, and counters enough to plant them along the ridges, a whole new set of data would come about.  But that would be a tremendous feat. So in the upcoming years, Jimmy and I may do a little scouting to find areas that might yield some numbers if monitored. Just for the heck of knowing, and if health permits.  It's curiosity, and a desire to stretch our knowledge of this great event that occurs year after year.

But for now, allow me to share Corpus Chrisi's numbers with you from yesterday. You can like their page and become a regular to knowing what is happening there yourself. Here's the link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/134197465934/?fref=nf.

Reported from Libby Even- "
Yesterdays count: 8471 includes 153 Miss. Kites, Sharpies, Coops, our first Prairie Falcon, etc. "

It is clearing today, Tuesday, a little.  Winds are calm, but there is a lot of debris reported on roads around Hamilton Co. Hurricane Irma's passing may have any winds being a little adverse to southern flight.  Anyone going to the watch today is on their own discretion to be very careful, especially if winds pick up.  Hawks which set down before the storm came through are itching to move. If someone goes up, I will be interested to know what they saw. 

Because, as you know, it often pays to-
KEEP LOOKING UP!!!!