Smith Point Hawk Watch is located in Chambers County, Texas. The count is
conducted from a watchtower situated in the Candy Abshier Wildlife
Management Area. From I-10 take Hwy. 61 south (exit 512 from W, exit 513
from E) to FM 562. Follow 562 approximately 20 miles into Smith Point.
Hawk Watch signs are posted and will lead you to the watch tower.
Totals for 30 September 1998/ Season Totals
Turkey Vulture 0/ 10
Black Vulture 0/ 11
Osprey 1/ 36
Swallow-tailed Kite 0/ 59
White-tailed Kite 0/ 22
Mississippi Kite 7/ 2293
Northern Harrier 1/ 112
Sharp-shinned Hawk 16/ 2127
Cooper's Hawk 13/ 506
Unid. Accipiter 7/ 132
Red-shouldered Hawk 0/ 35
Broad-winged Hawk 11/ 10383
Swainson's Hawk 0/ 9
Red-tailed Hawk 0/ 11
Unid. Buteo 0/ 17
American Kestrel 15/ 619
Merlin 0/ 17
Peregrine Falcon 0/ 43
Unid. Falcon 0/ 10
Crested Caracara 0/ 1
Unid. Raptor 0/ 33
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GRAND TOTALS 72/ 16,493
The totals were a bit lower today. The weather was a repeat of yesterday
--clear, cloudless & hot. The only perceivable difference was an east to
northeast breeze rather than the west to northwest of yesterday. The
early morning was almost devoid of accipiters. We suppose that the
stalling of Georges over to our east may have something to do with the
low numbers today.
Many thanks to our dedicated visitors who kept us company during those
long hours & instilled us with their enthusiasm for the birds that did
come through. It's easy to get spoiled & good to be reminded that no
matter how few raptors we see in a day, it's still an amazing spectacle &
we are very fortunate to be witnessing an entire migration season. Hope
to see all of you again! ---rebecca
Rebecca Smith & Richard Gibbons, Smith Point Hawk Watchers for the
Gulf Coast Bird Observatory http://www.nol.net/~criley
SPHW is sponsored by GCBO, Ornithology Group-ONC, TPWD, HawkWatch Int'l.,
and the Exxon Baytown
Use of computer provided by Tx PIF, TPWD, and Compaq Computer Corp