Sunday Shots, 09/11/22

My first bird of the weekend was a new yard bird for me – Common Raven. It was just after sunrise on Saturday morning and the bird landed on one of the evergreens in the backyard and was calling repeatedly. I grabbed my camera and the sun was just barely over the trees and casting the bird in warm light as I snapped some shots. The bird was species number 55 in my yard for 2022; I thought that was a nice way to start the weekend’s birding.

~Common Raven in my yard, 09/10/22.~

I was the official counter at Mount Peter Hawkwatch on Saturday. I got out early and birded the black dirt for a little while before heading up to the mountain. I was rewarded with a couple of BUFF-BREASTED SANDPIPERS. There were also hundreds (thousands?) of Tree Swallows around. When I saw them, in a few separate fields, they were on the ground and periodically picking up and taking flight. It was the most Tree Swallows I’ve ever seen.

~A favorite of mine and so many other birders, Buff-breasted Sandpiper in the Black Dirt on Sunday 09/11/22.~
~Tree Swallows in the black dirt on 9/10/22.~

Tree Swallows would prove to be the theme of the day; when I got to Mount Peter there were just loads of them migrating through. Again, I witness hundreds and hundreds of Tree Swallows as I searched the skies for migrating raptors.

The raptor flight was weak, and I only had 14 migrating birds for the day. I did count another Osprey (always cool to see in migration), and I counted my first migrating Bald Eagle of the year. For more details, see my report for the day at the bottom of this post.

~American Kestrel in the black dirt, 09/10/22.~

This morning I birded the Black Dirt Region again – I was able to locate three Buff-breasted Sandpipers, but no other shorebirds (other than the expected loads of Killdeer). I’m coming across loads of American Kestrels in the black dirt recently; I saw ten just this morning.

~BBSA striking a pose in the black dirt, 09/11/22.~
~And one final shot of a BBSA in the black dirt, 09/11/22.~

2 thoughts on “Sunday Shots, 09/11/22”

  1. Great photos Matt! And the hawk watch sounds like a great day! I also added a Raven to my yard list for the year- it was 59! Then last night we had a barred owl, so that gives me an even 60 for the year:)

    1. Thanks for the kind words and for checking in, Tom. I added Cedar Waxwings over the weekend, giving me 56 yard birds for the year. I have to look at it, but I’m pretty sure I’m behind last year’s pace. Matt

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