Raptors – Page 20 – Orange Birding

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch 11/2/13

Here's the obligatory Turkey Vulture photo of the week. I almost missed out this week as all birds were flying very high... — Here’s the obligatory Turkey Vulture photo of the week. I almost missed out this week as all birds were flying very high…

Here’s my report for the day:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                2              2             50
Turkey Vulture               2              2             81
Osprey                       0              0            123
Bald Eagle                   4              4             98
Northern Harrier             2              2             41
Sharp-shinned Hawk           6              6            993
Cooper’s Hawk                1              1             52
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          7              7             93
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0           7611
Red-tailed Hawk              9              9             88
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              1
American Kestrel             0              0            112
Merlin                       0              0             14
Peregrine Falcon             0              0             13
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              3
Unknown Buteo                0              0              6
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Raptor               0              0             21

Total: 33 33 9401
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 7 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers:

Weather:
Mix of clouds and sun, seasonably warm. Temperatures ranged from 11 degrees
Celsius to 17 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
Bald Eagles: 3 Adult and 1 Immature
Northern Harrier: 1 Male and 1 Unknown
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2 Adult and 5 Unknown

Non-raptor Observations:
Non Raptor Species: Downy Woodpecker (2), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Common
Raven (2), Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Black-capped Chickadee (4), Tufted
Titmouse (1), Dark-eyed Junco (1), Blue Jay (10), Canada Goose (39), Cedar
Waxwing (12), American Robin (3), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1), American Crow
(22)

This is the firs Dark-eyed Junco I've had at the watch this year. — This is the firs Dark-eyed Junco I’ve had at the watch this year.

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch

I had a nice day out at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch today. I had nearly 40 migrating raptors which is not too bad considering that we had a Southwest wind all day. I had a nice variety of birds, with the highlight being 5 Bald Eagles – 3 adults and 2 immatures. Many birds flew over pretty low, which gave me the opportunity to take some photos. I was generally disappointed with my efforts, but I did manage a few decent shots.

A low flying Sharp-shinned Hawk, flying right over my head. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13.

Here’s my report for the day:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0             22             47
Turkey Vulture               0              6              9
Osprey                       0             18            121
Bald Eagle                   5             22             93
Northern Harrier             2             10             37
Sharp-shinned Hawk          25            541            941
Cooper’s Hawk                0             26             50
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          3             37             58
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0           7611
Red-tailed Hawk              2             35             41
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              1
American Kestrel             1             21            111
Merlin                       0              8             13
Peregrine Falcon             0              7             13
Unknown Accipiter            0              3              3
Unknown Buteo                0              3              6
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Raptor               0              2             20

Total: 38 762 9176
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:15:00
Total observation time: 7.25 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers: Rob Stone

Visitors:
Girl Scout Troop 670

Weather:
Cool, sunny with a SW wind. Temperatures ranged from 4 degrees Celsius to
12 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
Three adult Bald Eagles and 2 immature Bald Eagles migrated. Three
Red-shouldered Hawks included 1 unknown, 1 adult, and 1 immature. One
unknown Northern Harrier and 1 male Northern Harrier came through, and the
first bird of the day was a female American Kestrel.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Bluejay (22), American Crow (42), Downy Woodpecker (2),
Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Tufted Titmouse (3), Black-capped Chickadee
(2), Mourning Dove (1), Common Raven (1), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1),
American Pipit (5), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1)

And, here is my weekly Turkey Vulture photo. I have started to enjoy the challenge of getting a decent exposure with this bird each week. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13. — And, here is my weekly Turkey Vulture photo. I have started to enjoy the challenge of getting a decent shot of this bird each week. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 10/26/13.

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch

Well, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I had another slow day at the hawk watch with a total of 24 migrating raptors (a lot less than the 122 from the day before!). The highlight for me was stumbling upon a Hermit Thrush when I first arrived at the watch in the morning. It’s a miracle that I had the camera out and was able to get a shot. Here’s a shot of a low flying Turkey Vulture:

And, here is my report for the day:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0             20             45
Turkey Vulture               0              4              7
Osprey                       1             16            119
Bald Eagle                   0             14             85
Northern Harrier             0              7             34
Sharp-shinned Hawk          18            354            754
Cooper’s Hawk                3             21             45
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0             11             32
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0           7611
Red-tailed Hawk              0              3              9
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             1             18            108
Merlin                       1              6             11
Peregrine Falcon             0              6             12
Unknown Accipiter            0              2              2
Unknown Buteo                0              1              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Raptor               0              1             19

Total: 24 484 8898
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:30:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers:

Visitors:
Lynne Snyder, Eileen Fox, and Allen Herron.

Weather:
Cool and sunny at the start of the watch with very little wind.
Temperatures and clouds both increased and wind picked up from the south as
the day progressed. Temperatures ranged from 11 to 18 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
The height of the flight was highly variable today with some birds flying
just over the observation platforms and others at the limit of binoculars.
For migrating raptors we had (1) unknown American Kestrel. In the third
hour of the watch (2) adult Bald Eagles were spotted to the west of the
platform and eventually headed northeast. In the fourth hour of the watch a
single adult Bald Eagle soared over the valley for a while before heading
north.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Brant (10), Blue Jay (11), Tufted Titmouse (4),
Black-capped Chickadee (2), Cedar Waxwing (16), Canada Goose (102), Downy
Woodpecker (1), Red-bellied Woodpecker (1), Northern Flicker (1), American
Robin (2), Common Raven (2), American Crow (6).

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch

I spent the day counting hawks out at the Mt. Peter Hawk Watch. I feel a little snake bit this year; I had another slow day with a total of only 28 migrating raptors. The highlights for me were an immature Bald Eagle and a Peregrine Falcon in the afternoon. Here’s my report:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0              3             28
Turkey Vulture               0              0              3
Osprey                       0             10            113
Bald Eagle                   1             11             82
Northern Harrier             1              4             31
Sharp-shinned Hawk          23            208            608
Cooper’s Hawk                1             13             37
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          0              3             24
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0           7611
Red-tailed Hawk              0              2              8
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             0              9             99
Merlin                       0              4              9
Peregrine Falcon             1              4             10
Unknown Accipiter            0              2              2
Unknown Buteo                0              1              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              0              1
Unknown Raptor               1              1             19

Total: 28 275 8689
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers: Don Leak

Visitors:
Terry Ann Gmelch, Don Leak, Caroline and Richard Kurtz, and Jeane
Thelander.

Weather:
Sunny and warm with some clouds. There was a light NE wind for the duration
of the watch. Temperatures ranged from 11 degrees to 23 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
Migrating Raptors: One immature Bald Eagle and one unknown Northern
Harrier. The local Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures were very active and
could be seen in flight or on the cell tower for the duration of the watch.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non Raptor Species: Canada Goose (713), Eastern Bluebird (4), Blue Jay
(105), White-breasted Nuthatch (1), Downy Woodpecker (1), Red-bellied
Woodpecker (1), American Crow (9), Common Raven (4), Titmouse (2),
Black-capped Chickadee (2), Yellow-rumped Warbler (1), and (4) unidentified
gulls.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Matt Zeitler ([email protected])

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch – 9/28/13

Well, I had another slow day for migrating raptors at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch today. Overall I think the numbers of migrating hawks at the watch have been good this season, but I only had 21 today. Visit Hawkcount.org to see all the data for the year. Here is my report from today:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0              2              2
Osprey                       1            101            101
Bald Eagle                   1             71             71
Northern Harrier             2             26             26
Sharp-shinned Hawk           8            362            362
Cooper’s Hawk                0             21             21
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             20             20
Broad-winged Hawk            8           7591           7591
Red-tailed Hawk              0              6              6
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             0             86             86
Merlin                       0              5              5
Peregrine Falcon             0              6              6
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              3              3
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              1              1
Unknown Raptor               0             16             16

Total: 21 8317 8317
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers: Tom Millard

Visitors:
Steven Liss and family, several families eating their ice cream.

Weather:
A heavy fog rolled in from the valley shortly after my arrival to the
watch, but cleared up by the end of the first hour. It was a warm sunny day
with some clouds and a gentle NW breeze that shifted to NE during the fifth
hour of the watch. Temperatures ranged from 10 to 25 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
Migrating raptors included (1) Immature Bald Eagle, (2) unknown Northern
Harriers, and an immature Red-shouldered Hawk.
Non-migrating raptors: Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures were flying for
most of the day as was one local Red-tailed Hawk. Just before noon Eastern
Standard Time an immature Bald Eagle circled west of the viewing platform
but then headed north.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptor species: Tufted Titmouse, Blue Jay (49), Black-throated Green
Warbler (2), Cedar Waxwing (18), Eastern Phoebe, Canada Goose (33), Chimney
Swift (5), Red-bellied Woodpecker, Palm Warbler.

Beautiful marking on this bird. Red-tailed Haw at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/28/13.

I had a decent Blue Jay flight early in the day, with 49 Blue Jays, Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/28/13.

I really think I should have gotten a better shot of this bird, this was the most accommodating warbler. — I really think I should have gotten a better shot of this bird, this was the most accommodating Black-throated Green Warbler. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/28/13.

Mt. Peter 9/21/13

-I have this as a Juvenile Broad-winged Hawk, Mt. Peter Hawk Watch 9/21/13.

Wow, today was a slow day at the hawk watch. Just one day after having over 2,700 migrating raptors, I had only 23 today. The good news is that the birds were flying a little lower so I was able to snap a few photos. Here is my report for the day:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0              0              0
Osprey                       0             81             81
Bald Eagle                   0             46             46
Northern Harrier             0             11             11
Sharp-shinned Hawk          16            208            208
Cooper’s Hawk                0             15             15
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1             18             18
Broad-winged Hawk            4           7109           7109
Red-tailed Hawk              0              5              5
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             2             49             49
Merlin                       0              4              4
Peregrine Falcon             0              3              3
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                0              3              3
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              1              1
Unknown Raptor               0             13             13

Total: 23 7566 7566
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers: Bill Connolly, Bill O’Keefe, Rob Stone

Visitors:
Lee Geiger, several families.

Weather:
It was a little cool and very cloudy in the morning but warm and partly
sunny in the afternoon. Temperatures ranged from 15 to 24 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
For migrating raptors we had one adult Red-shouldered Hawk, one male
American Kestrel, and one unknown American Kestrel. Non-migrating raptors
included Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks (2) and a low
flying Coopers Hawk that passed 50 yards to the west of the platform, below
eye level, and darted into the trees.

Non-raptor Observations:
Non Raptor Species: American Goldfinch (1), Cedar Waxwing (15), Blue Jay
(20+), Canada Goose (1), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (1), and Chimney Swift
(13). Non-raptor highlight was a Common Loon to the west of the platform,
heading north.

9/18/13 and 9/19/13

This Belted Kingfisher was very cooperative, perching and fishing in the pond right in front of the viewing platform. Wallkill River NWR, 9/18/13.

Both yesterday and today I left work and spent an hour or so at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch. Yesterday I caught the tail end of a great day – over 1400 migrating raptors passed over. While I was there we had a large kettle of fly over, comprised of over 160 Broad-winged Hawks and one immature Bald Eagle. It was really so cool to see. Today, although over 500 raptors were counted migrating over the watch, I did not fair too well. By the time I got there, things had pretty much dried up. I got a decent look at an immature Bald Eagle that did not migrate, but headed north instead. I also took a shot of one of the local Turkey Vultures, which seem to be the only birds flying low this year:

A bedraggled Turkey Vulture passes over the platform at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/19/13.

On both days, after the watch, I headed over to Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge. I mostly birded from the viewing platform both days, though I did walk west on the trail yesterday for a stretch. There were a good number of shorebirds present, including Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Pectoral Sandpipers, and a Solitary Sandpiper. Other favorites included Great Egrets, a Great Blue Heron, many Green Herons, a Northern Shoveler and a couple of Northern Harriers. But, the highlight for me was getting some good photo ops with this Belted Kingfisher:

It was great fun trying to shoot this bird, Belted Kingfisher out at Wallkill River NWR 9/18/13.

A hovering Belted Kingfisher at Wallkill River NWR, 9/18/13.

Maybe it's because I haven't seen one in a little while, but I was not sure what bird this was for a while, until I got some help from a fellow birder who joined me on the platform. Solitary Sandpiper at Wallkill River NWR, 9/19/13. — Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen one in a little while, but I was not sure what bird this was for a while, until I got some help from a fellow birder who joined me on the platform. Solitary Sandpiper at Wallkill River NWR, 9/19/13.

Summitville Hawk Watch

This is a couple of days late, but on Sunday I filled in for John Haas at the Summitville Hawk Watch. It was a slow day which I will attribute to a SSW wind for most of the day. Ideal winds would come from the NW. Here’s my report for the day as it appears at hawkcount.org:

2013-09-15 Observation Start Time: 08:00 End Time: 16:00 Observer Hours: 8

Day’s Raptor Counts	TV	BE	OS	NH	SS	CH	NG	RS	BW	RT	RL	GE	AK	ML	PG	UA	UB	UF	UE	UR	Day’s Total
Day’s Raptor Counts	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	51	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	56

Official Counter	Matt Zeitler
Observers
Weather	cool and cloudy

Mt. Peter Hawk Watch

Today was my first day counting out at Mt. Peter Hawk Watch. It was a good day for me, we had enough hawks to keep it interesting, but not too many to make it difficult for me as the counter. The birds were flying high, but we had 200 migrating hawks today. Here is my report from hawkcount.org:

Mount Peter
Warwick, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 14, 2013
——————————————————————-

Species            Day’s Count    Month Total   Season Total
—————— ———– ————– ————–
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0              0              0
Osprey                      15             61             61
Bald Eagle                   3             29             29
Northern Harrier             0              8              8
Sharp-shinned Hawk          17             87             87
Cooper’s Hawk                1              7              7
Northern Goshawk             0              0              0
Red-shouldered Hawk          1              6              6
Broad-winged Hawk          156            870            870
Red-tailed Hawk              0              4              4
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              0              0
American Kestrel             3             36             36
Merlin                       1              3              3
Peregrine Falcon             1              2              2
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              0
Unknown Buteo                1              2              2
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Falcon               0              1              1
Unknown Raptor               1             10             10

Total: 200 1126 1126
———————————————————————-

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours

Official Counter: Matt Zeitler

Observers: Ajit I. Antony, Beverly Robertson, Bill O’Keefe,
Judith C. Cinquina, Rob Stone, Scot Marchal

Visitors:
Penny Whitlick, Enid Hayflick, Mike Ipp., Jan Hesbon, Diane Brown

Weather:
Cool and cloudy for most of the day with a steady NW wind that was strong
at times. Temperatures ranged from 11 to 16 degrees Celsius.

Raptor Observations:
Raptors were flying high today even in the first hour of the watch. (3)
Adult Bald Eagles migrated and we had one adult Bald Eagle that headed
north. Also migrating were (1) Red-shouldered Hawk (unknown) and (3)
American Kestrels (2 unknown, 1 female).

Non-raptor Observations:
Bird Species identified: Tree Swallow (17), Canada Goose (34), Cedar
Waxwing (36), Common Raven (4), Chimney Swift (11), House Wren,
Black-capped Chickadee, American Crow (2), Blackburnian Warbler, Blackpoll
Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler, American Redstart, Red-eyed Vireo,
and Magnolia Warbler. Non-raptor highlight was two Common Ravens flying
very close to one another and one of them doing a barrel roll.

After the hawk watch, I headed back to the Pine Island Turf Nursery to try for a better shot of the American Golden-Plovers:

American Golden-Plover out at the Pine Island Turf Nursery, 9/14/13.

9/10/13

I only have time for a quick post. I met Karen Miller over at Wallkill River National Wildlife Refuge yesterday evening where, to me, it was really beginning to feel like fall (in spite of the warm temperatures). We had some good ducks – many Mallards, some Green-winged Teals, and a single northern Shoveler. There were still some shorebirds present, including Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, and three Wilson’s Snipes. Green Herons are plentiful at the refuge right now for sure. Last week, we had eight (!) perched in one small tree! Here are some photos from the day, click on them to enlarge:

This looks like a first winter Northern Shoveler to me, as shown on page 58 of The Crossley Guide.

Green-winged Teal at Wallkill River NWR 9/10/13.

These Mallards were just packed onto this little island.

One of several Green Herons out at the refuge, 9/10/13.

This photo did not turn out well, but I thought it was worth showing - eight! Green Herons in one small tree. Wallkill River NWR 8/31/13. — This photo did not turn out well, but I thought it was worth showing – eight! Green Herons in one small tree. Wallkill River NWR 8/31/13.

I have also made it out to the Mt. Peter Hawk Watch after work each night this week. It has been a slow week for me, in three visits I have a total of 4 migrating raptors (2 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 2 Osprey). Here’s a shot of one of the Turkey Vultures that hang out on the cell tower near the watch:

Turkey Vulture NOT migrating. Mt. Peter Hawk Watch, 9/10/13.