Counts
Turkey Vulture 29
Osprey 1
Bald Eagle 1
Northern Harrier 4 (1 female, 3 unknown)
Sharp-shinned Hawk 12
Cooper’s Hawk 3 (immature)
American Goshawk 1 (immature)
Broad-winged Hawk 112
American Kestrel 5
Total 168
Observation Period: 9:15AM – 3:30PM
Observers: Todd Watts
Weather: Cloudless skies at the start. Clouds soon moved in, building to 45% by noon, diminished to 10, then built back to 35. Wind ENE 10kmh, shifting to SE while increasing to 15kmh. Rh 65%, increasing to 74%, dropping to 61 before building back to 71.
Notes: Some late Broad-wings showing up in little groups just after liftoff. Max kettle or stream 20. A very welcomed sight. Could have used the extra eyes we had yesterday (the birds were mostly on the north side, but also on the south and overhead). Activity overall was largely done by noon as winds shifted. A pretty good day for larger accipitrines. In addition to the migrating Cooper’s Hawks and immature goshawk, one of the resident goshawks (immature) was observed twice including a nice, close flyby and an attack on a Sharp-shin.
Highlights: Late groups of Broad-wings kettling and streaming. Some passed directly overhead. Good views of Cooper’s Hawks. Nice viewing of an immature goshawk as it attacked a Sharp-shin before a close flyby.
Birds going for the decoy: immature Cooper’s Hawk
Raptor interactions: American Goshawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk, Common Raven and Northern Harrier, Broad-winged Hawk and Broad-winged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Sharp-shinned Hawk, Bald Eagle and Bald Eagle (aggressor listed first)
Non-raptors: A few small skeins of cormorant moved through. Several flocks of siskin milled around.
The coming days: Looks like rain and a southerly flow tomorrow. No counts are planned. Tuesday looks sunny and cool with heavy headwinds.
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