Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch

Corpus Christi, Texas (Nueces County)
2001 Fall Watch
November Reports
November 1-5, 2001:

Numbers are coming in sporadically now, as are the hawks, as the fall 2001 season winds down. The promise of another cool front to put winds in the right direction (northerly) and humidity and temps back down to tolerable levels didn't materialize to any significance. Temps remain in the 80's, winds are up instead, but this week, a few more hawks graced the skies of Hazel, to the delight of tired hawk watcher eyes. Let's catch up with the hill; we're missing the numbers of October 31st, but if the days in front and back are any indication, there weren't many that day, either. I'll catch that day up when I get the final numbers.

11/01:
TV 28
total 28

11/02:
BV 6
TV 16
SS 1
CH 1
AK 1
PG 1
total 26

11/03:
CH 1
AK 1
total 2

11/04:
BV 1
TV 111 (Karen cheers the triple digit day!)
WK 1
NH 1
SS 3
CH 4
BW 1 (!)
RT 7
AK 2
CC 3
UA 1
UU 3
total 138

11/05:
TV 24
SS 1
CH 1
total 26

November 6: 

numbers not released yet

November 7-8:

Calm before the storm? Let's hope so! A strong front is moving into the coastal bend as I write this. On radar, looks like the watch site is getting some heavy rain at the moment. We're hoping for good numbers of vultures and redtails to come through after the front, once the winds shift northerly. 

Didn't get Nov 6th's numbers, but here's the count for the 7th and 8th:

11/07:
BV 2
TV 14
SS 2
CH 1
RT 1
CC 1
total 21

11/08:
TV 1
NH 1
CH 1
RT 1
total 4

November 9-10:

The most recent norther came in yesterday with a whimper and cooled temps a bit, but didn't mass up migrating raptors, even with winds swapped around from the NE. So instead, we'll catch up the rest of the numbers and get the sheets caught completely up to date today. Lucky sevens totals across the board, including the one catch-up day for Halloween ... if only this were a slot machine, we'd have hit the jackpot. Some might say we already did this season, though, and I'd have to agree. <g>

10/31:
TV 6
NH 1
total 7

11/09:
TV 5
NH 1
CH 1
RT 1
total 7

11/10:
BV 3
TV 3
RT 1
total 7

 November 11-12:

These are bittersweet times. The end of another hawk watch approaches; just three more days until the Fall 2001 watch falls into the history books. The daily counters are no doubt ready to get a real life back once again (come on, admit it, you're going to miss all those wonderful hilltop experiences, like dodging mosquitoes the size of B52's; those wonderful rain squalls that no one can predict or hide the gear from; running to see the last view of a raptor (or kettle) disappearing behind the trees, only to run into the south Texas version of punji sticks, better known as sticker burr clusters; trying to see ANYTHING in clear blue skies that go on forever). Those of us who gather on the hill in an extended-family-reunion during watch will miss those days (well, maybe not the sticker burrs and fried eyeballs), and will miss seeing our extended families until another watch goes on line. Even the hawks have slowed their pace (shoot, most are going the wrong way anyway these days; they're even more confused than we are). Most hawks now are on their southernmost wintering grounds. The few species still on the road (so to speak) are making their way down as weather and time allow (weather ain't allowing for much ... winter? Not so's you'd notice down here ... definitions of a front this fall are taking on new descriptions. More like a "back" these days). 

So we came together towards end of watch this past Sunday to join once again in our own version of an early Thanksgiving feast (hey, you guys know we're always eating something on the hill, and it usually has chocolate in the name somewhere, although those kebobs were incredibly good without the chocolate sauce. Libby and Brock, you're hired hereafterevermore as the official caterers of the Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch). We shared fellowship (and shared, with a little arm wrestling, those incredible handmade brownies Glenn Swartz was kind enough to bring. And he didn't even lose any finger parts this year before the tray hit the table). Matter of fact, we shared so much fellowship that we all completely forgot about getting Sunday's hawk count numbers together for posting. Oooops. Sorry 'bout that, but hey, I think we saw more locals than migrants anyway ... <g>). 

I've posted some more pages of photos from the Fall 2001 watch, including the last two days of the Celebration of Flight featuring Last Chance, Forever raptor conservancy, and the blessing ceremony of the Corpus Christi Native American Association). Feel free to browse, as I'm also posting some images from Sunday's gathering as well ... sorry, the brownies are all gone (they were delicious!). 

Moving onward ... we're looking to the future which now has a hawk watch platform in it for the Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch, thanks to the untiring efforts of watch coordinator Joel Simon to promote and develop the project and the Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries for authorizing a grant to establish a viewing platform for the watch. Preliminary architectural sketches revealed a unique but functional nautilus-like design of an earthen bermed platform that will coil and rise around 20 feet above the current watch site, allowing for unimpeded views over treetops for both spring and fall watches. After reviewing the construction time tables and shopping lists for the remainder of the finish work, we spent the rest of the day trying to figure out a name for the thing. Feel free to submit your suggestions and I'll try to get a copy of the sketch to put on the web site shortly. Preliminary name suggestions included Mount Hazel, Mount Chocolate (very appropriate), the Raptor Roost, Stairway to Heaven (I think that name's been taken already) ... you get the idea. Feel free to join the fun!

Meanwhile ... keep your eyes to the skies ... 

11/11:
BV 3
TV 3
RT 1
total 7

11/12:
zero (rained out after 2pm)

11/13:
zero (rained out)

11/14:
zero (rained out)

11/15:
zero (rained out)

 2001 Season Totals:

227......Black vulture
4861.....Turkey vulture
115......Osprey
37 ......Swallow-tailed kite
2 .......White-tailed kite
10154 ...Mississippi kite
2 .......Bald eagle (imm 9/24)(imm 10/1)
160......Northern harrier
700......Sharp-shinned hawk
470......Cooper's hawk
45.......Red-shouldered hawk
861998...Broad-winged hawk
14257....Swainson's hawk (RM 10/29)
97.......Red-tailed hawk
1 .......Ferruginous hawk
7 .......White-tailed hawk
1 .......Zone-tailed hawk (9/30)
14 ......Harris's hawk
1 .......Golden eagle
295......American kestrel
26.......Merlin
113......Peregrine falcon
7 .......Prairie falcon
20.......Crested caracara
297......Unknown accipter
368......Unknown buteo
41.......Unknown falcon
837......Unknown raptor
------------------------
895,153 Season Totals through 11/15

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