Counts
Turkey Vulture 3
Osprey 14
Bald Eagle 4
Northern Harrier 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 23
Broad-winged Hawk 501
American Kestrel 2
Merlin 1
Peregrine Falcon 1
unknown raptor 1
Total 553
Observation Period: 9:00AM – 6:00PM
Observers: Todd Watts, Richard Blacquiere, Nancy Middleton, and Ian Stead
Weather: Cloud-cover ranging from 5% to 60%. NNW winds 5-10kmh, increasing a bit for a couple afternoon hours before diminishing a bit. Rh 87% dropping to 57.
Notes: We couldn’t find a single Broad-wing until nearly noon when a few showed up. Only 3 in the next two and one half hours despite good conditions, scattered mid-level clouds as a backdrop and lots of effort. Then around 2:30PM, a very high group was spotted disappearing into a lower section of a clouds Several other kettles and streams were spotted in the coming minutes. All were very high with some of these groups also disappearing into the clouds at times. Max stream 130. Max kettle 80. We received a report of another 200 passing the south side of the mountain at the same point in time, but they were hidden behind a neighbouring hill and didn’t make the count. A group 35 showed up later with a few singles and pairs. Far greater numbers were expected.
Clarry Hill Maine, the closest hawk watch site to regularly report large numbers of Broad-wings recorded even fewer of these birds than we did today (they usually see double). It’s been a very unusual Broad-wing season.
Highlights: Kettles containing up to 80 Broad-wings and a nice stream of 130.
Birds going for the decoy: Sharp-shinned Hawk
Raptor interactions: Sharp-shinned Hawk and Broad-winged Hawk, Bald Eagle and Osprey, Bald Eagle and Bald Eagle (aggressor listed first)
Non-raptors: A light passerine movement was observed.
The coming days: Looks like north to northeast winds with sun and some clouds for Tuesday. These are good conditions, especially if the wind remains north.
More details can be found at https://www.hawkcount.org. Additional information on hawk migration can be found at https://www.hmana.org/
This project takes place on private land. Please contact the project co-ordinator before visiting the site.
Primary support comes from the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund (NBWTF) with additional support from the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, private donors and the volunteers. Purchasing conservation license plates supports the NBWTF and this project.
Todd Watts
Official Counter/Co-ordinator
Greenlaw Mountain Hawk Watch
Saint John Naturalists’ Club