I made a brief visit to the Black Dirt Region this morning before heading up to hawkwatch. I was lucky enough to find my target bird – Lapland Longspur. I found a sizable flock of Horned Larks; among them was at least 3 longspurs, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more like 5 or 6, as I was hearing them quite a bit. Photos didn’t happen; that’ll be something to work towards.
As for hawkwatch, today was my last day of the season at Mount Peter. I can hardly believe how quickly time is going by these days. I had an enjoyable 2024 season; I feel like I got more than my share of good days during a season that did not seem to produce all that many good days. My ultimate highlight, of course, was the Golden Eagle that migrated through on 10/19/24, but I also enjoyed counting nearly a thousand Broad-winged Hawks on 09/21/24. While the official counting season will end this coming Friday, I feel like I might want to try it for a couple hours next Saturday, since it will be prime time for Goldens.
~Turkey Vulture at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch 11/09/24. TUVUs were the big mover today, with 53 migrants counted.~
I went out on a decent note, counting 76 migrating raptors today. It was a tough go, since there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and than makes finding the birds quite difficult. And, while the official counting season will end this coming Friday, I feel like I might want to try it for a couple hours next Saturday, since it will be prime time for Goldens. As always, I’ve included my Hawcount.org report at the bottom of this post.
~Red-tailed Hawks came in 2nd place with 15 migrating birds counted. This bird was not moving through and was not counted. Mt Peter Hawkwatch 11/09/24.~
I enjoyed a really good flight today at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, with 143 migrating raptors counted. Winds were strong and from the northwest, there was a nice mix of sun and clouds, and temperatures were nice and cool – perfect hawk watching conditions. I had a lot of help up there today too, with veteran counters Judy Cinquina, Tom Millard, and Ken Witkowski all joining me for a good long while. When you have really good help like that, I can’t help but wonder what the count would have been if I was up there on my own. The highlights of the day included a flight of (14) Red-shouldered Hawks and (40) Red-tailed Hawks; I believe that is our high day count for both species so far this year. As a bonus, today’s count pushed our year count over the 3,000 bird mark. See my full Hawkcount report at the bottom of this post.
~Red-tailed Hawk at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/26/24.~~And the obligatory Turkey Vulture shot, Mt. Pete 10/26/24.~
It was a strange day at Mount Peter. Between the warm temperatures, the very light winds, and a completely cloudless sky, I did not have very high expectations for today’s flight. And for the most part, my low expectations were met. BUT! Just after 1:00, the day was saved. I picked up a dark/silhouetted bird south of the platform; it was heading south. It had a slight dihedral, so I was thinking Turkey Vulture. But then it flapped and I knew it was not a vulture… I picked up some white on the tail and then the bird started to circle and I could clearly see the white on the underside of the wings – GOLDEN EAGLE! This was probably the most unexpected Golden Eagle I’ve ever seen – this bird was a little early for GOEA, and conditions were less than ideal. But I’ll take it, lol, it certainly saved a day where I had only 13 additional migrating raptors.
~Golden Eagle just south of Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/19/24.~~There was a small flock of Purple Finches present when I arrived at Mt. Pete. I thought they would be the highlight of day, but I was wrong. PUFI at Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/19/24.~~One more shot of the Golden Eagle at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/19/24.~
I was optimistic going into today’s Hawkwatch; not many hawks seemed to have moved through this week, and winds were forecasted out of the north, so I was hoping for a good flight. I was feeling good after the first two hours of the watch – I had tallied 25 migrating raptors already. Unfortunately, over the next four hours I was only able to add 18 additional birds for a total of 43 migrants for the day. Not the day I’d hoped for, but still, not too bad. As always, I’ve included my Hawkcount.org report at the bottom of this post.
~Cooper’s Hawk coming in hot! Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/05/24.~~And when it’s possible, I alway like to include the obligatory Turkey Vulture shot, Mt. Pete 10/05/24.~~The first bird of the day, an Osprey shot through some low cloud cover. Mount Peter Hawkwatch 10/05/24.~
I spent most of the day up at Mount Peter counting migrating raptors. It was a modest flight of only 21 migrating hawks counted, but I enjoyed my time up on the mountain. There are certain raptors that I really enjoy seeing migrate, Northern Harrier and Osprey among them, and I enjoyed seeing two of each fly over the viewing platform today. There was also a very large flock of Cedar Waxwings hanging around; it was fun to see them and to get some photos. It was drizzling intermittently for most of the watch, and finally, during the 6th hour, the drizzle became pretty steady and visibility was an issue, so I called it. I’ve included my report at the bottom of this post.
~One of many Cedar Waxwings at Mount Peter today, 09/28/24.~
Before going up to the mountain, I toured the black dirt, starting just after sunrise. It was mostly uneventful, but at my last stop -the fields just north of Scenic Farms Golf Course, I was lucky enough to located (3) American Golden-plovers. It’s been an absolutely dismal shorebird season in the black dirt, so I was happy to see these birds.
~American Golden-plover in the black dirt, 09/28/24.~~Cedar Waxwing getting tricky with a snack. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/28/24.~~Yellow-rumped Warbler at Mt. Peter 09/28/24.~~American Golden-plover in the black dirt 09/28/24.~~One more Cedar Waxwing shot. Mount Peter 09/28/24.~
We finally got some Broad-winged Hawks at Mount Peter Hawkwatch! I tallied a total of 961 BWHAs today, which is more than twice as many as we’ve had all season to this point. Linda Scrima and Marty Hayes were there for the first 10 birds, but unfortunately they each had to leave, so I was mostly on my own trying to get a good count as high numbers of Broad-wings streamed by (nearly no kettling, just streaming, streaming, streaming!). I also had some variety, with seven additional species counted: Bald Eagle, Osprey, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and American Kestrel.
~Interesting bird at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch today, 09/21/24. I’m trying to find out if this might be a Peale’s Peregrine Falcon, which originates in the Pacific Northwest.~
The Peregrine Falcon was my first bird of the day, and it is an interesting looking bird. Looking at the Crossley Raptor Guide, to me it looks very much like a Peale’s PEFA, which originates in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve put some feelers out to see if I can get it confirmed (or confuted).
~A young Bald Eagle circles over the platform at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 09/21/24.~
Hawkwatch at Mount Peter actually started last weekend for me, but I only spent 3 hours on the mountain and had just a single migrating American Kestrel. So today was my first full day. It used to be that mid September was peak time for Broad-winged Hawk migration, but to me, it seems like in recent years it’s moved to closer to the third week of September. If that holds true, we should be looking for a big day or days at the end of the coming week.
It was hot, like a summer day at Mt. Pete today. In spite of that, there were still some raptors moving through on the light breeze which started from the WNW and eventually shifted to the NE. I had a total of (60) migrating raptors ; most were Broad-winged Hawks, but I did have some variety with an additional five species counted. The highlight for me was picking up young Northern Harrier way out and watching as it steadily migrated over, just west of the viewing platform. As usual, you can find my Hawkcount.org report at the bottom of this post.
~Ever present at Mount Peter – a Common Raven shoots over the viewing platform, 09/14/24.~~And the obligatory local Turkey Vulture pic. Mt. Peter 09/14/24.~
With all the GLAUCOUS-WINGED GULL excitement from last Sunday, I did not have time to do my usual end-0f-weekend post.
On Saturday morning, Karen Miller and I left Goshen before Sunrise and headed to Rye, New York. We birded the Edith G. Read Wildlife Sanctuary as well as the Rye Town Park. It was bitterly cold out, with a strong cold wind which made it even worse, but still we had an enjoyable morning. I felt good about our total of 37 species for the morning. Highlights included a giant flock of Long-tailed Ducks way out in the LI Sound – perhaps 65 birds or even more. Other highlights included a single Horned Lark and a couple of Purple Sandpipers.
~White-throated Sparrow at Read Wildlife Sanctuary, 01/20/24.~
On Sunday morning, I knew it was too early to try for gulls, so I made the rounds in the black dirt. I found only the usuals, but I had some really good photo ops, and the light was really nice. It was another cold morning of birding, even though I was in the car for the most part.
~One of 2 young Bald Eagles sharing a tree in the black dirt, 01/21/24.!~Horned Lark in the black dirt, 01/21/24.~~Gray Ghost on the prowl in the black dirt at sunrise, 01/21/24.~~The second young Bald Eagle, sharing a tree in the BDR on 01/21/24.~~Look at the toes and claws on this Horned Lark! Wow. Black dirt 01/21/24.~~A Peregrine Falcon enjoys breakfast just after sunrise in the black dirt, 01/21/24.~
This morning I had a fabulous outing at Shawngunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. I had a couple of reasons I wanted to get up there – the first was my target bird, the LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE which has been seen up there this fall. I caught up with (presumably) the same bird about a year ago, and I was hoping to get lucky again. The second was that I was due. It’s that time of year when raptors are flying over the refuges, so I was definitely feeling a visit to the Grasslands.
I arrived just after sunrise; it was a beautifully cold morning, just over 20 degrees Fahrenheit, with barely a whisper of a breeze. As the sun started to get a little higher, I paused to check my camera settings. Looking around for something to shoot, I was surprised to find a young Northern Harrier, just off the trail, peering out of the vegetation at me – I was floored that it hadn’t flushed.
~A frosty perch for this bird. I would have another encounter later in the morning with this immature Northern Harrier. SGNWR, 11/26/23.~
I walked the trails for a while, just enjoying being out. There was a good number of songbirds present, at least for out in the middle of the refuge: Savannah Sparrows, Song Sparrows, American Goldfinches, House Finches, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, and absolutely loads of Eastern Bluebirds. At one point, I was pretty sure I heard an Eastern Meadowlark, however I wasn’t able to confirm it.
Then, in my binoculars, I saw a white dot in a distant tree. I knew it had to be the shrike, and sure enough it was. I was lucky enough to watch the bird for a good while – it was still perched in some small brush south of the trail when I finally tore myself away. What an excellent bird!
~Loggerhead Shrike at the Grasslands, 11/26/23.~~Loggerhead Shrike on the tiniest of perches. When I saw this, I started to wonder if the Loggerhead was smaller than the Northern Shrike. I checked my Crossley Guide when I got home, and sure enough, LOSH is listed as 9″, versus the NSHR at 10″.~
On my way back, I was hearing a Northern Harrier calling repeatedly. I eventually found, what I presume is the same young Northern Harrier, harassing a perched Red-tailed Hawk in the distance, on the tree line. As I worked my way along the trail, the harrier, maybe distracted by the presence of the Red-tail, flew directly at me, allowing for an excellent photo op.
~This young NOHA flew directly towards me, only veering off at the last second. SGNWR, 11/26/23.~~NOHA in flight at the Grasslands, 11/26/23.~Loggerhead Shrike at SGNWR, 11/26/23.~
Near the parking area, there was a very sharp-looking adult female Northern Harrier perched on a post, that was a nice way to end an excellent and exciting morning of birding.
~Adult female Northern Harrier perched not too far from the parking area, SGNWR 11/26/23.~~One more of the young NOHA. Shawangunk Grasslands NWR, 11/26/23.~
I wrapped up my hawkwatching 2023 season on Saturday, and it ended on a good note. I had 83 migrating raptors, which included our best Red-tailed Hawk count for the year (45 birds), and additionally, I enjoyed a good variety of other migrants: Turkey Vulture (10), Bald Eagles (8), Northern Harrier (3), Sharp-shinned Hawk (7), Cooper’s Hawk (1), Red-shouldered Hawk (8), and Peregrine Falcon (1). I’ve included my Hawkcount.org report at the bottom of this post.
Unfortunately, it was a disappointing season at Mount Peter. We never had a big day for Broad-winged Hawks. The weather worked against us more than for us. And our total year count is way down with only 3,680 migrants tallied for the season as of this evening. Compare that to nearly 5,000 last year and over 10,000 in 2021.
~~A Purple Finch takes pause at Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/11/23.~
For me personally, it was mostly a subpar season. September was slow. October was basically a rainout; I was scheduled to count on three Saturdays, and between the three days the weather only allowed for a paltry 4 1/2 hours and 22 migrating raptors. I enjoyed my 2 Saturdays in November but they did not produce any special birds.
BUT, the few good days I did have at Mount Pete this season have somehow rejuvenated my love for hawkwatching. It’s been a few seasons since I’ve had that feeling – the joy and excitement of a day searching the skies for birds. Hawkwatching is how I started birding and it’s been nice getting back to it. I’m ending this season looking forward to next year; I didn’t see that coming.
~This Red-tailed Hawk perched on the cell tower in front of the platform for 15 minutes before zooming past us and into the valley. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 11/12/23.~~Female Purple Finch at Mt. Pete, 11/11/23.~
