Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch, Fall 1999
Date:   09-19-99

Greetings all:

Boy, howdy, it's definitely picking up! Largest flight of the season today, but we really had to work for them. No clouds, high haze that made staring in the blue a misery; but hawks all over the place. We know we missed a lot, too; for several large kettles and streams, we could just see the leading edges or glimpses of fat kettles winking in and out of the haze; just a little too far out to come close enough for us to count, even with the really nice optics on site. Frustrating, to say the least. But we aren't complaining, mind you! Excellent day for species numbers and for counts. Rolling onward to the upcoming week!

A south Texas welcome to Steve Greidanos of the Holiday Beach HW, Ontario; glad you could join us today! We're working on that life list for you; wouldn't you know it; our resident white-tailed hawks were nowhere to be found when we wanted them to put on a show. Usually we can't get them out of the sky at the watch; what a day to decide to hunt away from their usual territory. 'S okay; there are plenty others around south Texas; we'll get some for Steve yet! Welcome, also to all our other visitors on site today, especially those making the trek from out of state. We really are thrilled so many can be here to share the sore eyes and aching necks <grin!!> .. Jane Stein, you're absolutely right; clouds SHOULD be on the endangered species list! They were certainly absent from our watch today, other than sporadic low scuz clouds. Gotta tell ya, though, CHOCOLATE is the key; every time we pulled out the chocolate today; here came big kettles of broadies! The chocolate mojo is still good! Okay, time to go soak and ice down my eyes; here's the count for today:

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0....... Black Vulture (YTD: 57)
1....... Turkey Vulture (YTD: 1)
0....... Swallow-tailed Kites (YTD: 28)
4....... Osprey (YTD: 55)
1....... Mississippi Kite (YTD: 5,438)
0....... Bald Eagle (YTD: 1)
3....... Northern Harrier (YTD: 16)
23...... Sharp-shinned Hawk (YTD: 102)
21...... Cooper's Hawk (YTD: 92)
0....... Harris's Hawk (YTD: 5)
0....... Red-shouldered Hawk (YTD: 15)
40,856 . Broad-winged Hawk (YTD: 131,867)
5....... Swainson's Hawk (YTD: 66)
0....... Ferruginous Hawk (9/18: dark morph juvenile) (YTD: 2)
0....... White-tailed Hawk (YTD: 3)
0....... Zone-tailed Hawk (YTD: 2)
3....... Red-tailed Hawk (YTD: 55)
0....... Crested Caracara (YTD: 2)
2....... American Kestrel (YTD: 37)
0....... Merlin (YTD: 8)
2....... Peregrine Falcon (YTD: 27)
1....... Prairie Falcon (YTD: 12)
1....... Unidentified Accipiter (YTD: 20)
3....... Unidentified Buteo (YTD: 18)
0....... Unidentified Falcon (YTD: 7)
0....... Unidentified Raptor (YTD: 73)

Total: 40,926 (YTD: 138,015)

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Please note a correction to Unid Falcon; should be total of 7 YTD; none today.

Here's a list of other day birds and resident raptors seen on the hill, too:

anhingas: 228
ovenbird
white-tailed hawk (year-round residents)
red-tailed hawk (winter residents)
red-shouldered hawk (winter residents)
Harris's hawk (year-round resident)
white-eyed vireo
scissor-tailed flycatcher
empid. flycatcher sp.
loggerhead shrike
Couch's kingbird
mockingbird
roadrunner
wood stork
common nighthawk
American kestrel (winter resident)
great kiskadee
white-winged dove
common ground dove
inca dove
mourning dove
chimney swift
cave swallow
barn swallow
tree swallow
loggerhead shrike
bronzed cowbird
golden-fronted woodpecker
ruby-throated hummingbird
buff-bellied hummingbird
American cardinal
Baltimore oriole
blue-winged teal
tufted titmouse
black-necked stilt

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