We all know how crazy the weather has been this fall; it’s the summer that wouldn’t end. That being said, I was not very optimistic going into Saturday’s hawkwatch, with the warm temperatures and south/southeast winds on tap. It was a slow start, and I didn’t get all that many migrating raptors (31), but I had excellent variety with a total of 8 different migrating species. It made me think about when I first started going hawk watching at Hawk Mountain many years ago. I usually chose early to mid October because it offered the best variety of birds – I had looked at previous years data on their website to figure it out. Jeff Zahn visited early and missed out on most of the birds. Kent Warner showed up a little later and things started to heat up and we got some Sharp-shinned Hawks. But, it was when Sylvia Kleff and Robert Montgomery showed up that things got good. They really brought the birds with them, and together we saw 7 of the 8 migrating species in a little over an hour’s time (Sylvia and Robert – the Bald Eagle came through only 10 minutes after you left!). See my report at the bottom of this post. It was a pretty decent day of hawkwatching, all things considered.
Matt,
The general practice with birds like Ring-necked Pheasant is that they are countable. While most birds were in deed released for hunting, there has never been a way to tell releases from established birds. Add to that the fact that many birds over-winter and breed, it muddies the waters. Count it, enjoy the bird and have no worries. John
I almost called you about this today John – I’m glad you commented, I appreciate your perspective and I will be counting it. Thanks. Matt
While it IS true that they are stocked there for the hunting season, we don’t know if some survive and reproduce. I’d say it is a coin-flip, your coin!
I had not seen John’s comments when I sent mine. But we appear to be of like mind.
Thanks for your thoughts, Ludlow, they are appreciated. Matt