September 19, 1999

Hello everyone, what a difference a day makes! We had a small but steady

run of sharpies today, mostly coming right over our heads. The

Broad-wingeds didn't arrive in big numbers until after noon, but then

they were spread out across the sky to the northeast. The rising columns

of hawks looked like swirling tornadoes, and thousands came in low above

us before reaching the bay and milling around. We had a very cooperative

Merlin that took a few turns around the tower for everyone to see and

some close Peregrines as well, including a high pair late in the day.

Today's count:

1 Osprey

35 Mississippi Kite

8 Northern Harrier

101 Sharp-shinned Hawk

18 Cooper's Hawk

7285 Broad-winged Hawk

19 American Kestrel

1 Merlin

6 Peregrine Falcon

3 Unidentified Accipiter

1 Unidentified Falcon

7478 Total Hawks

Until tomorrow,

Kyle McCarty

Official counter

Smith Point Hawk Watch is made possible by donations from Exxon,

Hawkwatch International, Houston O.G., Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, and

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Computer donated by Texas Partners in Flight and Compaq. Thank you all.

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