"Interesting day on the lookout! I'll start with hawk totals by hour.
10:00-11:00 - SS (2)
11:00:12:00 - 0
12:00-1:00 - SS (2), CH (2), RT (1)
1:00-2:00 - SS (1)
2:00-3:00 - 0
3:00-4:00 - SS (3), BW (1), AK (1)
4:00-4:30 - SS (1)
Hawk totals:
SS (9), CH (2), BW (1), RT (1), AK (1)
14 total hawks
Weather: Clouds 75% @ 10:00, 5% @ 11:00, 0% the rest of the day. Wind: NNW 1-5 @ 10:00, NE 2-5 @ 11:00, changing to ENE 1-3 @ 3:00, E SE 2-5 @ 4:00. Temperature: 65F @ 10:00, increasing gradually through day to 80F @ 4:00. Barometric pressure: 30.14 @ 10:00 decreasing to 30.05 @ 4:00. Humidity: 83%- 55%. Visibility: 30K @ 10:00, 45K @ 11:00, increasing to 65K @ 4:00.
Biggest surprise of the day was an immature Broad-winged Hawk, spotted over the valley at 3:20. Medium distance. It gained altitude and glided over the lookout to the SW in the exact flight path used by thousands of others in September. While I don't think this is a record late date, it is one of the latest Broad-wings we've ever recorded.
Also counted the first Red-tail of the fall. I saw it as a tiny speck to the north and watched it all the way south till it was a tiny speck. Glided through very high, soared a couple of times, but always went back to the southward glide. Everything about it said migrant.
Last hawk sighting of the afternoon was a super close-in view of an immature Sharp-shin at eye level less than 30 feet off the lookout. It was surprising how large it looked at that distance through 10 X binoculars! Plenty close enough to note a full crop. We are not often treated to close looks like that!
Also of note was the beautiful male American Kestrel @ 3:15, which flew near enough to allow me to appreciate the colors and the beautiful row of white spots along the trailing edge of the wings.
Monarch butterflies: 11
Counter: Bill Haley, 10:00-4:30
Reporting: Bill Haley"
Migration still goes on! BW's season is almost over, but a single late season bird yesterday documents that it pays to -
KEEP LOOKING UP!!!
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