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.~
Based on the weather forecast, I had very low expectations going into today’s hawkwatch at Mount Peter. I was expecting it to be uncomfortably warm with a non-existent flight. But, there was a cool breeze all day which kept it very comfortable on the viewing platform and there were enough migrating raptors to keep it interesting. The highlight for me, however, was not raptor related. I had (4) skeins of BRANT fly over, with a total of approximately 450 birds. I always hope that I’m up at Mt. Pete when Brant come through, and today I was lucky. As always, I’ve included my full report at the bottom of this post.
~Palm Warbler at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/28/23.~ ~One of (4) skeins of Brant at Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/28/23.~~Turkey Vulture at Mt. Pete, 10/28/23.~~One of these things is not like the other… Brant and an unidentified duck pass directly over the Mt. Peter viewing platform, 10/28/23.~~TUVU at Mt. Pete, 10/28/23.~
After an early morning of unremarkable birding at Winding Waters Trail, I headed up to Mount Peter to see if any raptors were flying. I was not prepared for what the mountain had in store for us today. When I arrived, Ken Witkowski informed that Turkey Vultures were moving in numbers. He wasn’t kidding; he had over 130 the hour before, and we topped that the next hour with 199! They were actually kettling up! Tom Millard joined us shortly after I arrived, and the three of us enjoyed some of the best hawk watching I can recall in recent years.
~Turkey Vultures directly over the viewing platform at Mount Peter, 10/15/23.~
I couldn’t help but think of the epic day we had at Mt. Pete in October of 2021, when we counted over 850 migrating Turkey Vultures in an afternoon. Today didn’t quite reach those heights, but a total of 636 migrating TUVUs were counted today. Plus, we also had loads of other migrating raptors; they came through in decent numbers and with an excellent variety (11 different migrating species counted). See Ken and Tom’s full report below for more details. What a great day – it was a cool fall day, with a beautiful sky, excellent company, and absolutely loads of migrating raptors.
~These three Bald Eagles put on quite a show, before migrating through. Mount Peter Hawkwatch, 10/15/23.~~Red-shouldered Hawk passes over Mount Peter, 10/15/23.~~Turkey Vulture close up taken in my backyard last week.~
I thought I would hit it out of the park today: September 16. A good WNW wind. Clouds in the sky. With timing and the conditions like this, I expected a “big” day for Broad-winged Hawks. Alas, it was not to be. But, it still was a a pretty darn good day. I tallied 269 migrating raptors, 226 of which were Broad-wings. I had a lot of quality help up there today too: Linda Scrima, Tom Millard, Rick Hansen, and Ken Witkowski all put in some serious time helping me. The payoff was a good variety of migrants – we had a total of (9) different species of migrating raptors (Osprey, B. Eagle, N. Harrier, Sharp-shinned, Cooper’s, Broad-winged, Red-tailed, Am. Kestrel, & Peregrine Falcons). My favorite had to be an adult female and an immature Northern Harrier passing high over the platform together during the first hour of the watch. As always, my Hawkcount.org report is included at the bottom of this post.
~I alway enjoy seeing an Osprey migrating through. Mt. Pete 09/16/23.~
I was scheduled to be the official counter at Mount Peter Hawkwatch on Saturday. Unfortunately, when I arrived in the morning, the mountain was socked in with a heavy fog. I went back at noon to find that the fog had not lifted. I ate my lunch and took a little snooze in my car, and instead of lifting, the fog was getting heavier. So, I called it a day, with the idea of visiting the watch on Sunday to get my first hawk watching of the season in. But, I was thwarted again, and after just 20 minutes of scanning the skies and catching up with official counter of the day B.A. McGrath, the skies opened up with a steady rain.
~Roadside Cooper’s Hawk in Warwick NY, 09/10/23.~
In between trips to Mt. Pete, I was, of course out birding. I spent most of my time in the black dirt looking for shorebirds; Saturday morning was quite good with nice looks at a flock of American Golden-Plovers, a pair of Buff-breasted Sandpipers, and a couple of Pectoral Sandpipers. Sunday was less productive; I saw the flock of plovers but they were very distant, and I had no other noteworthy species.
~A foggy morning American Golden-Plover in the Black Dirt Region, 09/09/23.~~Merlin with prey. Black dirt 09/09/23.~~Pectoral Sandpiper in the black dirt, 09/09/23.~ ~It’s been a while since I’ve seen the leucistic Red-tailed Hawk in Warwick. I was happy to see it’s still around.
Happy Easter to everyone out there who is celebrating. It was a busy week for me – work was the usual craziness, and then in the evenings Tricia and I spent our time getting prepared to have 11 guests for Easter. So, I got out less than I usually would at this time of the year. The thing about it though, when there is a lot going on in my life like this, I enjoy birding just a little bit more when I am able to get out. I walked Winding Waters Trail at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge early this afternoon, and boy did it feel good to be out and walking a trail on a gorgeous day like today.
Nothing says happy Easter like an angry looking Osprey. Okay, maybe I can think of a few things, lol. Anyways, it’s the time of the year when we get our first of the year for so many birds, so here’s a couple of shots of my first Osprey of the year.
Osprey at Walton Lake, 04/08/23.~ ~Good looking bird. Osprey at Walton Lake, 04/08/23.~
I took the opportunity of a snowy morning to head out to the Shawngunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge. I did one of my favorite things; which I haven’t done in ages – I spent several hours in one of the refuge’s photo blinds. On a good day (like I had today), it’s hard to beat being in a blind. The birds have absolutely no idea you are there, so with just a little luck, close up flight photos are likely. I had an excellent morning; Northern Harriers were numerous and relatively cooperative.
