Kiptopeke Hawkwatch
Tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 05, 2011
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 50 499 1658
Bald Eagle 2 24 142
Northern Harrier 24 92 230
Sharp-shinned Hawk 133 860 5001
Cooper's Hawk 21 215 883
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 1
Broad-winged Hawk 177 471 767
Red-tailed Hawk 3 10 55
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1
American Kestrel 86 659 2711
Merlin 13 136 843
Peregrine Falcon 13 81 394
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 15
Unknown Buteo 0 0 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 6 14
Unknown Raptor 3 9 28
Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1
Total: 525 3063 12745
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Observation start time: 06:30:00
Observation end time: 17:30:00
Total observation time: 11 hours
Official Counter: Kyle Wright
Observers:
Weather:
Painfully blue skies with northwest winds... sigh.
Raptor Observations:
Not the flight most of us were hoping for, but a nice kettle of about 94
Broad-wingeds and a kettle of 9 Bald Eagles, the latter not counted as
migrants, but still nice to see.
Non-raptor Observations:
Another great day for Northern Flickers, with hourly counts again made of
north- and southbound birds, the first and last hours only being half hours
(in other words 6:30-7, 7-8, 8-9, and so on up to 5-5:30.... why can't we
enter a table into the notes?). Anywho, totals for northbound birds were
333, 421, 81, 33, 11, 1, 4, 12, 64, 24, 13, & 2; totals for southbound
birds were 9, 109, 76, 137, 50, 56, 69, 28, 22, 92, 143, & 0. Also a decent
flight of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, with about 20 seen, and at least a
dozen Red-bellied Woodpeckers. Southbound Tree Swallow numbers were
estimated for seven random hours of the count, with a total of about 3400.
One Eurasian Collared Dove was noted. The first of the season (for the
counter anyways) Golden-crowned Kinglets, White-throated Sparrows, and
Brown Creepers were heard from the platform, and a probable Yellow-breasted
Chat was also heard. One southbound Great Blue Herron and one west bound
Common Loon were noted, but the big avian highlight of the day was a
Clay-colored Sparrow found by Lynn Davidson just east of the platform in
the last half hour of the count and observed for over 20 minutes. (I hate
to admit it, but a falcon or flicker or two may have been missed on account
of that gorgeous Spizella.) 102 Monarchs were also seen today.
Predictions:
Northeast winds predicted for Thursday and Friday. If the forecast plays
out and the birds are reading the same books I am, we should be in for two
good days!
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Report submitted by Brian Taber (Taberzz@xxxxxxx)
Kiptopeke State Park information may be found at:
www.cvwo.org
