October 25, 1999
Hi folks. Non-raptor birds seen or heard this morning included
eastern
phoebe; indigo bunting; common yellowthroat; red-breasted nuthatch;
scissor-tailed flycatcher; brown thrasher; loggerhead shrike;
meadowlark;
tree, barn, and rough-winged swallows; plus the usual geese,
pelicans,
ibis etc. The birds I enjoyed most were a pair of common loons that
flew
directly overhead.
Yesterday I saw a turkey vulture that had an orange tag on its left
wing,
visible from above and below. I didn't see any numbers or other
marks.
Anybody looking for this bird?
Today I was treated to a rare sight. I was sitting very still when a
bobcat came skulking through the grass in front of the tower. It
looked
like it was stalking something, moving slowly and carefully. I tried
to
follow it with optics but it disappeared into the shrubs, melting away
so
sweetly.
Today's count:
Oct. 25.........................................[season]
11 Black Vulture
[170]
26 Turkey Vulture
.[814]
0 Osprey
...
..[50]
0 Swallow-tailed Kite
.
..[52]
0 White-tailed Kite
....[13]
0 Mississippi Kite
...
[2975]
0 Bald Eagle
..
[2]
11 Northern Harrier
..[414]
7 Sharp-shinned Hawk
..[3781]
21 Cooper's Hawk
[1049]
0 Red-shouldered Hawk
[28]
36 Broad-winged Hawk
[34,122]
1 Swainson's Hawk
[115]
0 White-tailed Hawk
...
..[1]
5 Red-tailed Hawk
.
.[88]
0 Ferruginous Hawk
..
..[2]
0 Golden Eagle
....[1]
0 Crested Caracara
[2]
4 American Kestrel
..
.[1848]
0 Merlin
[43]
0 Peregrine Falcon
[84]
1 Unid. accipiter
.[85]
0 Unid. buteo
.
.[29]
0 Unid. falcon
.
.[8]
2 Unid. raptor
.
[107]
125 Total Hawks
.[45,883]
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.