Sunday, August 24:

Oh yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! And, there are raptors migrating once again over Hazel Bazemore! Totals for today included five ... count 'em ... FIVE swallow-tailed kites (it's rare at Hazel Bazemore to get one per season; we've now had six in two days! Merry Christmas!).

Raptors came through in good numbers for a couple hours in the early afternoon, as a cold front that pushed its way into the Coastal Bend this weekend finished filtering itself out. The front left lots of rain behind for some fortunate folks, including Hazel Bazemore Park, which really needs it. The front also sent the winds sailing from southeast to east to north to northwest, all in the space of those few hours.

Birds concentrated in the sky during the frontal passage out of the Coastal Bend and we saw our first large kettles starting around 2:15 p.m. CST with a several groups of anhinga (totaling 400). Raptors were close behind; a group of 250 broadwing hawks came through ten minutes later, followed by the real migrators of the day, Mississippi kites. The first kettle at 2:35 p.m. brought in 30 advance scouts, quickly followed by two kettles of 250 and 1,000 Mississippi kites, respectively.

The first swallow-tailed kite came through all by itself once the frontal passage ended, and all other activity ceased. The kite flew low overhead and allowed observers excellent views of its on-the-wing dinner snatching antics. One visitor to the watch site was on hand to see the kite and logged it in on his records as a lifer - congratulations Devon Williford of Sinton.

Well, with all due respect to Forrest Gump, hawk watching is also like a box of chocolates. You really never know what you're gonna get and when you're gonna get it. We got it -- again -- an hour later, while still talking about the swallow-tailed kite that some observers missed due to logging off for the day and leaving five minutes before it flew over, or just not being on site at the time. At 5:50 p.m. CST, a shout suddenly went up -- another swallow-tailed kite was on approach! No, not one -- two! -- No, three!  --  No, FOUR!!! Everyone was out of their seats by then, and running for binoculars, scopes, and cameras -- as the kites drew closer and closer. Sure enough, FOUR swallow-tailed kites winged their way overhead in a loose formation, just a little higher in altitude than the earlier single, but still showing good detail.

Totals for the day included the afore-mentioned 5 swallow-tail kites, 2,008 Mississippi kites, 1 Cooper's hawk, 1 Swainson's hawk, and 256 broadwing hawks. Two of the Mississippi kites set down for roosting overnight in the trees near the Nueces River.