Kiptopeke Hawkwatch
Tip of Virginia's Eastern Shore, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 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 1 20 2014
Bald Eagle 0 19 288
Northern Harrier 1 47 503
Sharp-shinned Hawk 3 297 9696
Cooper's Hawk 2 79 1989
Northern Goshawk 0 2 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 25 45
Broad-winged Hawk 0 1 1338
Red-tailed Hawk 0 127 345
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 4 5
American Kestrel 1 29 4085
Merlin 0 14 1414
Peregrine Falcon 0 9 763
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 19
Unknown Buteo 0 0 3
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 2 22
Unknown Raptor 0 1 49
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 2
Total: 8 678 22582
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Observation start time: 07:15:00
Observation end time: 13:45:00
Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Kyle Wright
Observers:
Weather:
Blustery weather behind yesterday's cold front. Winds from the west
sustained between eleven and ninteen miles per hour, and regularly gusting
above twenty-five. Temperatures fairly steady between seven and a half and
nine and a half degrees celsius.
Raptor Observations:
The cooler weather should have put some birds on the move, but the west
winds undoubtedly pushed the birds to the seaside of the peninsula.
Observations supporting this theory included the dozen plus accipiters
headed north over the platform, and the southbound Golden Eagle seen over
rt 600 on the drive home this afternoon.
Non-raptor Observations:
If the raptors were lackluster in their preformance from the platform
today, the icterids made up for it, with nine Rusty Blackbirds seen and/or
heard and a single hatch year male Yellow-headed Blackbird seen in a flock
of mostly Red-wingeds at about 11:32. (So we only need, what, four more
Yellow-headeds to catch up to Cape May for the season?) Also a decent
American Robin flight with an estimated 5,000 individuals flying south, and
about 50 Eastern Bluebirds flying over in the same direction. A few groups
of American Pipits were also heard overhead, and a Winter Wren could be
heard giving a partital song from the woods to the north.
Predictions:
Southwest winds predicted for saturday do not bode well for a decent flight
over the platform.
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Report submitted by Brian Taber (Taberzz@xxxxxxx)
Kiptopeke State Park information may be found at:
www.cvwo.org
