Totals for 17 September 1998/   Season Totals

Turkey Vulture   0/  4
Black Vulture   0/  2
Osprey   2/  10
Swallow-tailed Kite   5/  56
White-tailed Kite   0/  18
Mississippi Kite   124/  1581
Northern Harrier   5/  32
Sharp-shinned Hawk   11/  18
Cooper's Hawk   10/  40
Unid. Accipiter   2/  3
Red-shouldered Hawk   1/  24
Broad-winged Hawk   578/  2026
Swainson's Hawk   0/  8
Red-tailed Hawk   2/  3
Unid. Buteo   0/  15
American Kestrel   25/  82
Merlin   1/  3
Peregrine Falcon   0/  4
Unid. Falcon   1/  2
Crested Caracara   0/  1
Unid. Raptor   11/  25
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GRAND TOTALS   778/ 3967

At long last --a clear sunny day! The Mississippi Kites showed up early
in the morning, followed closely by several groups of Broad-wingeds.
Birds piled up, waiting for thermals to build. By midmorning they seemed
to have enough lift to move out of the area. They were quickly replaced
by new birds --most of which were Broad-wingeds. There were definitely
more accipiters and Kestrels on the move today. And thanks to Richard
Gibbons, our new official hawk watcher, who predicted that today would be
the day he saw his first Swallow-tailed Kite ---he (and everyone else at
the tower) saw not only one, but five. Welcome to the watch Richard &
thanks for bringing your good luck along. If this weather holds, tomorrow
should be an even better day.