Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch, Fall 1999
Date:   09-14-99

Greetings all:

Not a bad day, considering the first front of the season (a "real" front; not strong, but fairly legit, <grin!>:

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Patty,

Today's watch was short but sweet. Early lift-off of 600 broadies followed by many smaller kettles for the next three hours. The first three hours had only dirty blue skies cloud and everyone was wishing for clouds. First some puffies blew in but they quickly changed to very dark, shortly after it began to rain. We tried to wait it out but it became a deluge with strong winds. Can you picture six people under a canopy all hanging on to keep it from blowing away? Since we were all drenched anyway, we packed and left during a lull.

18 Mississippi Kite
3 Cooper's Hawk
1477 Broad-winged Hawk
6 American Kestrel
3 Peregrine Falcon
3 Unidentified Buteo
1 Unidentified Falcon

Total 1511

Joel

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Every so often, a query will arise about some of the species reported during the fall hawk migration. And rightly so; we've gotten some unusual species through the watch. Most recently (last fall, and now this fall's watch), the prairie falcon sightings seem to be raising a few eyebrows, so to speak. As we get them regularly during the fall migration over Hazel Bazemore (not in great numbers, mind you, and sometimes just one or none for the season), we don't consider them all that unusual, although we DO consider ourselves extremely fortunate when we do get to see them. So, to humor the bird police <really, I'm teasing! The back-and-forth is very valuable and we don't mind the queries, <grin!> I just had to put in a tease!), I've been asked about posting a little more detail for the prairie falcon we reported on Sunday, since all of the folks at watch at that time were fortunate enough to get really nice looks at it (I swear the falcon was showing off for us; couldn't have asked for a more perfect display of flight and feathers). I could never refuse a sweet request from someone whom I have a great deal of respect for, so here it is. I hope this assists whoever needs the info:

This was a classic prairie falcon (I know some of you don't care for that terminology, but that's exactly what it was, right out of Wheeler's, pg 142). Falcon shaped bird, smaller than a peregrine, slightly more streamlined cut to the jib; forehead and head had light coloration; dark malar stripe; light evenly spotted underparts; black axillaries and dark median coverts. I would call her as an adult female prairie falcon (darker median coverts generally in females; males are usually more uniformly light across the median coverts).

Anyway, those are my field notes; any complaints or comments or criticisms go to me, not to the watch or watch staff. Compliments, however, are always welcome and will be passed along to the watch and watch staff!

One final note; Laura Erickson gets an official "Hazel Hoorah!" for her note last night reporting 16,000+ broadwinged hawks passing through the Duluth watch. I've been so busy trying to paddle the rapids that I hadn't been able to read many of the other watch posts. Thanks, Laura! You've got a front-row VIP seat anytime you can get to Hazel! Meanwhile, we're putting out the welcome mat and will be ready when they get here on the weekend!

Prayers, good karma and love to our watch-mates at the eastern and southeastern sites, as Hurricane Floyd bears down. Take good care and be safe, you guys; hope everyone makes it through all right.

Cheers,
Patty Beasley
Joel Simon
Fernando Ramos
Ryan Wagner
and the rest of the HBHW cast and crew