Karen notes another close encounter of the raptor kind at today's watch ... one I wish I'd been on site to see myself! The second bald eagle flew over the watch today, and not only got entered in the watch log, but got thumped for its trouble. The resident white-tailed hawk pair apparently didn't appreciate sharing air space over their Hazel Bazemore territory with the passing immature baldie, so both escorted it through the airspace, and one of the pair made sure the baldy understood the marching orders of the day by diving on the eagle and smacking it square in the shoulders as the eagle passed on through.  

Another nice sighting for the day was a dark-morph red-tailed hawk.

Karen reports the numbers for today as follows:

October 2, 2001:

Slow day, says Devin, and the numbers back him up. Third day in a row that eleven kestrels were recorded. Accipiters continue to pass steadily through. 

Today's count: Osprey 1; Sharpie 25; Cooper's 13; Broadwings 666; Swainson's 3; Kestrels 11; Peregrines 1; Caracara 1; Accips 13; Falcons 2; Raptors 7. Total: 743

October 3-4, 2001:

While you guys are counting hawks, I'm away counting shrimp. Thousands and thousands of shrimp. This is almost as tough as hawk watching. Definitely tougher on the hands; my hands are about shot and we've got one more full day (hopefully only one more) to go. I don't think I'm gonna want to see shrimp for a very long time after this research trip. Which would be hard, seeing as I work in a shrimp research lab. <grin!>

On the hill, counters are really working for every bird.

Yesterday, only 2 were logged in: one Swainson's and one osprey. Today, Karen reports another slow day, but at least a few more in number: 7 black vultures, 1 Swainson's and 1 accipiter (total 9). Karen says today winds were southeast, with a hint of rain, but it did rain north of the site in the afternoon. Another front is due in tomorrow ... we'll see how flights are affected by this one.

October 5-6, 2001:

Back home again, and just in time. A front pushed through last night with a bang. Friday's pre-frontal pickings were slim (three peregrines and one Swainson's ... not that I call three peregrines slim, usually). Post-frontal hawks came through with a vengeance today, most of them between the hours of 4 and 5pm, says Karen. NOW it feels like fall, because here come the Swainson's!

Saturday's Count: 1,043 turkey vultures; 5 ospreys; 4 harriers; 33 sharpies; 20 Cooper's; 1 red-shouldered; 5,943 broadies; 4,626 Swainson's; 1 red-tailed; 1 Harris's; 32 kestrels; 17 peregrines (smoley hokes, that's a LOT of peregrines in one day!); 1 prairie falcon; 1 caracara; 13 accipiters; 3 buteos; 7 falcons; and 4 raptors. Total: 11,755

October 7, 2001:

This is an unofficial report; my spreadsheet tallied up 20 less hawks than what the counters came up with. We'll sort it out tonight.

Sunday's report by species: 7 black vultures; 29 turkey vultures; 3 ospreys; 2 Miss kites; 13 harriers; 69 sharpies; 57 Cooper's; 6 red-shouldered; 1,148 broadies; 24 Swainson's; 5 red-tailed; 46 kestrels; 3 merlins; 8 peregrines; 20 accipiters; 6 buteos; 5 falcons; and 7 raptors. Total: 1,148

October 8, 2001: 

4 turkey vultures; 1 osprey; 5 harriers; 4 sharpies; 3 Coop's; 6 kestrels; 3 peregrines; 1 accipiter; and 1 raptor. Total: 28.

October 9, 2001: 

Sorry, numbers for Monday the 8th are not yet available. (No, it wasn't that big a day; quite the contrary, but the sheets are "at large" ... we'll report the numbers when they become available). 

The Miss kite totals are updated; forgot to add in the two reported on 10/7; sorry. All numbers (pending audits of several days' counts and the missing 10/8 report) should be current to 10/9. 

Tuesday's report by species: 29 turkey vultures; 1 osprey; 1 harrier; 2 kestrels. Total: 33

October 10, 2001:

Another slow day ... a front is due in today, and traffic is expected to pick up. Northern watchers report Swainson's still moving southward. We're watching the skies to see if any appear over the watch. 

Wednesday's report by species: 21 turkey vultures; 1 osprey; 1 merlin; 2 peregrines; 1 falcon. Total: 26

October 11-12, 2001:

Thursday: 29 turkey vultures and 2 peregrines. Not a total loss. 

On Thursday late evening we had a massive storm front blast through the Coastal Bend. Here's Karen's take from the hill on Friday, in the wake of that front: 

"The front brought some birds, YEAHH. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. We had a kettle of broadies today. Plus more pelicans, some sandhill cranes, a group of scissor-tailed flycatchers, and a bee swarm. The local harriers put on a display for awhile. They were fighting down over the flats." 

Friday: 2 black vultures; 13 turkey vultures; 1 osprey; 12 sharpies; 4 Coop's; 54 broadies; 1 Swainson's; 1 red-tailed; 7 kestrels; 2 merlins; 4 peregrines; 1 accipiter; 2 raptors. Total: 107

Another front is slated to blast through here tonight, into tomorrow (Saturday) morning. We'll have to see if those Swainson's that left Nebraska earlier this week are anywhere around. Joel reports another flight of several hundred Swainson's north of us today. Weather's supposed to clear and "be beautiful" (so sayeth our esteemed local meteorologists) by Saturday afternoon. 

October 13-15, 2001:

Sat. Oct 13: Thursday: 5 black vultures; 503 turkey vultures; 1 osprey; 8 sharpies; 11 Coop's; 1 red-shouldered; 166 broadies; 583 Swainson's; 2 red-tailes; 1 ferruginous hawk (1st of season); 1 peregrine; 1 prairie falcon; 2 accipiters; 303 buteos; and 402 raptors. Total: 1990. 

Sun. Oct 14: 22 black vultures; 426 turkey vultures; 13 harriers; 101 sharpies (wow!); 48 Coop's; 27 broadies; 8,756 Swainson's (yep, you read THAT right!!); 3 red-tails; 1 golden eagle (first of season); 5 kestrels; 14 accipiters; 2 buteos; 255 raptors. Total: 9.673.

Mon. Oct 15: 119 turkey vultures; 1 osprey; 4 harriers; 13 sharpies; 8 Coop's; 12 broadies; 7 Swainson's; 2 red-tails; 2 kestrels; 2 peregrines; 3 accipiters; 1 buteo; and 1 raptor. Total: 175.

Okay, auditing is done for records to date this season. Joel slaved over hot pencils and calculators to proof the log sheets through today. There were adjustments to a few days' counts. I won't go into details; suffice it to say the totals below will reflect all those changes. I'll give you 10/8's numbers, though; as we haven't reported those yet, for you guys keeping dailies: 

Mon. Oct 8: 4 turkey vultures; 1 osprey; 5 harriers; 4 sharpies; 3 Coop's; 6 kestrels; 3 peregrines; 1 accipiter; and 1 raptor. Total: 28.

October 16, 2001: 

Windy, windy and more windy ... blue skies in the late morning and all afternoon post-frontal did little to help hawk watchers spot migrating raptors. Did I mention it was windy? Category 4 today for gusts. 

Omission yesterday; amongst all the Swainson's on Sunday were a couple dark morphs.

Tues. Oct 16 count: 1,340 turkey vultures; 1 harrier; 18 sharpies; 8 Coop's; 80 broadies; 17 Swainson's; 6 kestrels; 11 accipiters; 2 buteos; 1 falcon; and 1 raptor. Total: 1,492.

October 17, 2001:

6 black vultures; 62 turkey vultures; 4 harriers; 15 sharpies; 11 Coop's; 30 broadies; 4 Swainson's; 4 redtails; 4 kestrels; 2 peregrines; 2 accipiters; 1 falcon; and 3 raptors. Total: 148.

October 18, 2001:

Thurs. Oct 18 count: 124 turkey vultures; 1 harrier; 3 sharpies; 2 Coop's; 71 broadies; 2 redtails; 1 kestrel; 1 peregrine; 2 caracaras. Total: 207.

Fri. Oct 19 count: 27 blacks; 34 turkey vultures; 2 Coop's; 7 broadies. Total: 70.

Sat. Oct 20 count: 3 blacks; 44 turkey v's; 11 sharpies; 4 Coop's; 41 broadies; 3 Swainson's; 3 red-tails; 4 kestrels; 2 accipiters; 1 buteo; 1 falcon; 2 raptors. Total: 119.

Sun. Oct 21 count: 15 blacks; 155 turkey v's; 3 sharpies; 2 Coop's; 2 Swainson's; 1 red-tail; 1 kestrel; 2 peregrines; 2 caracaras; 9 accipiters; 7 buteos; 1 falcon; 5 raptors. Total: 205.

Mon. Oct 22 count: 22 blacks; 326 turkey v's; 2 harriers; 5 sharpies; 5 Coop's; 2 broadies; 3 red-tails; 1 Harris's; 3 accipiters; 1 buteo; 2 raptors. Total: 374

October 23, 2001:

29 blacks; 60 turkey v's; 1 harrier; 1 sharpie; 1 red-tail; 1 raptor. Total: 93

October 26-30, 2001:

Okay, I don't quite know how this happened, but I'm not surprised. <grin> Somehow I got off for two days this week and lost a day's results. Found the data, am back on track now, so I'm re-running those two days under the hopefully now-correct dates. The cumulative totals are correct as stands with all the corrections and updates in place to date. 

10/26:
TV 2
NH 3
SS 1
CH 1
RT 4
total 11

10/27:
TV 9
SS 1
CH 1
total 11

10/28:
BV 2
TV 60
SS 2
CH 2
BW 1
RT 4
HH 3
PG 1
UA 3
UB 1
total 79

The sharp-shinned hawk hanging around the hawk watch feeder finally got it right. Karen said the sharpie made one of its trademark diving runs at the feeder yesterday during watch and in the flurry of the usual feathers flying and birds attempting to escape, it appeared the sharpie made off with one of the birds (generally doves and sparrows hogging the feeders).

10/29:
BV 16
TV 17
SS 5
CH 1
RS 1
SW 1 (rufous morph)
RT 1
CC 1
UA 3
total 46

10/30:
BV 18
TV 35
CH 2
RT 2
UB 1
total 58

October 31:

TV 6
NH 1
total 7

Season Totals To Date: