Hazel Bazemore Hawk Watch

Corpus Christi, Texas (Nueces County)

All reports are posted daily to the following newsgroups: 
BirdHawk, TexBirds, BirdChat, TexasBirdChat
   

So, just how do we count all those hawks!?
 

August 01, 2008:

Libby's report:

Yes folks, we are back and badder than ever!

2008 Season begins with SIX Swallow-tailed Kites. Whoopee!! Despite all our seasoned spotters on the hill today I had to work all morning then show up and spot the first migrants too. (Yes, I know none of y'all have any sympathy for me.) The STKIs did not show up until shortly after 3:00 - all together and all adults. A little later Bob spotted an adult White-tailed Hawk way out north and stayed on his dot until it was out of site to the south. This WTHA went down as our seventh migrant of the season. The last hour of the day we added an immature Harris' Hawk. All 8 of our migrants today were higher than sky-high but we had great cloud cover for spotting them.

Seemed to me a very high number of resident raptors with young today - I will let Dane fill you all in on those later.
Thanks to all who came out to help - Joel & Vicki Simon, Bob & Jo Creglow, Art & Barbara Olsen, Mike Clifford, Debbie and Gracie Taylor, & Leslie Parks (our new counter). We missed all of you who could not be there.

Libby

P.S. The platform is AWESOME - constant breeze, solid shade. I can't say that there are no mosquitoes up there 'cuz that would jinx us, but........

Editor's Note: Click HERE and HERE for photos of opening day on our brand new awesome platform!!! 

August 02, 2008:

Dane's report:

Broad-winged Hawks = 1

Unknown Buteos = 1

Mississippi Kites = 2

Swallow-tailed Kites = 3

Cooper's Hawks = 1

Zone-tailed Hawks = 2

Total = 10

Obviously an awesome day! Both Zone-tailed Hawks were adult Birds. One of these beauties flew right over our heads, providing those present with excellent views.

(Editor's Note: Clay Taylor took some beautiful shots of the one zonie's close pass. Click HERE and HERE to view. Clay notes both photos were digiscoped with Swarovski STS 80 HD with 20-60x eyepiece and Pentax K100D with 40mm f/2.8 lens. Thanks, Clay!!)

Our first Broad-winged Hawk was a distant loner - fantastic spot Libby!

Bob Creglow found the first two Swallow-tailed Kites of the day - awesome!

Last but not least - an adult Swallow-tailed Kite graced us with point-blank looks. This splendid Bird was hunting, working it's way within 20 feet or so of our viewing platform. Simply incredible!

Speaking of platforms; for those of you whom do not know yet - the powers that be, built us an excellent Hawkwatching platform. This platform not only optimizes our viewing area, it also increases the comfort level for us and our esteemed guests alike. There is consistent shade, and insect interference is reduced dramatically. A big thanks to Joel Simon and our local government for a job well done!

Now, more Local News; the following Raptor species have been established as resident Birds:

Red-tailed, White-tailed, Red-shouldered, Swainson's, and Harris's Hawks. Crested Caracaras. Black and Turkey Vultures.

Also, one Zone-tailed Hawk with significant molt action on its left wing was seen several times in a 2 or 3 hour span - this Bird may join the resident list as well (at least we are hoping so!)

Dane

August 03, 2008:

August 04, 2008: 

Dane

August 05, 2008:

The heat is brutal these days; be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen and water when you hit the hill. We're back in triple number heat indices again and will likely be in that holding pattern for the next week or two, at least, so say the weather experts.

cheers, Patty

August 06, 2008:

Dane's report:

Broad-winged Hawks = 2
Swallow-tailed Kites = 2
Total = 4

Another hot one! I don't like to make predictions, but i do think we will see some Raptors today.

A big Thanks to the Witten family (Caleb, Lisa, and James), for visiting us in the afternoon. It was Lisa who spotted the 2 Swallow-tailed Kites as we were starting to pack it up for the day. Awesome!

Also, as we checked out the Kites (they were fairly close, and very low), Bob spotted our 2nd Broad-winged Hawk of the day. Way cool!

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! The hot weather is definitely kicking in. TS Edouard has moved on and the migration corridors it shut down are open once again, so I have to agree with Dane, more hawks are definitely on the way! - Patty

August 07, 2008:

Greetings, all! Catching up; some recent reports traveled the ether a bit longer than usual. I think some raptors might've abducted them en route south. <grin!> But all's well now; everything is now in house, so here we go!

08/07/08

Broad-winged Hawks = 1

Mississippi Kites = 4

Swallow-tailed Kites = 21

Osprey = 1

Total = 27

Due to awe and wonder, I find myself at a loss for words. So I will tell the story very simply. We had zero countable birds in the first 3 hours. Then around noon (Texas time), Libby, Bob, and James show up. James tells us that he had point blank looks at a Zone-tailed Hawk on the way into Hazel. Just a few minutes later, this awesome raptor flew over us, close to the site. This Zone-tailed Hawk is an adult, with distinctive molt action on it's left wing, just like the first Zone-tailed Hawk that we counted back on 08/02/08. So, we are convinced that we once again have a local Zone-tailed Hawk. We are obviously hoping to see it a little more frequently!

Well, just minutes after feasting visually on the Zone-tailed Hawk, Libby shouted out those blessed words; "I've got Kites!". Right she was! We get on this group of Kites, and I start hearing several voices at once saying the same thing - "I've got a Swallow-tailed Kite". As it turns out, we all had Swallow-tailed Kites! This was a kettle consisting of 19 Swallow-tailed Kites!!! Absolutely incredible. These birds not only kettled, but they streamed; and low enough for us to age them to boot! (16 adults, and 3 juvies). It was a sight that none present will soon forget...

Excellent spotting provided by Leslie, Lila, Paul, Lynn, Bob, Libby, James, Mike, and Jo. Thanks everyone!

Hazel rocks...

Dane

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Thanks, Dane and crew!

Cheers,
Patty

August 08, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawks = 2
Mississippi Kites = 15
Swallow-tailed Kites = 22
Cooper's Hawks = 2
White-tailed Hawks = 1
Total = 42

What can I say? In some ways, the numbers speak for themselves; but in this case, tell only part of the story. For instance; another incredible stream of Kites - this one composed of 12 Swallow-tailed Kites and 1 Mississippi Kite. Also, a smaller stream of 6 Swallow-tailed Kites. Not to mention point blank looks at 2 individual Swallow-tailed Kites. Wow! Quite the visual feast!

Local Zone-tailed Hawk seen again. Local male Peregrine harassing local Red-shouldered Hawk. Gorgeous subadult White-tailed Hawk wowing us, then heading south.

Not to be overlooked; our best views so far this season of Mississippi Kites - excellent!

My bad; I almost forgot the Swallow-tailed Kite eating a tree frog, on wing! Our friend James Witten took some photos of this Bird. I believe Libby forwarded said photos to Patty. Check Patty's website (ccbirding.com) later, or talk to Libby about seeing these photos for yourselves.

And for you Anhinga fans; numerous groups flying south, and totalling well over 1,000 birds for the day. These "Great Deceivers" provide us with excellent counting practice. Thank you Anhingas!

Hazel rocks...

Dane

P.S.: For the uninitiated; we call Anhingas the "Great Deceivers" because a distant single Anhinga can look quite raptor-like; especially when we are jonesing for birds!

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Thanks, Dane and crew! And extra special thanks and rations of extra chocolate to James Whitten, who had his camera in hand as well, and got us all some photos of one of these marvelous birds snacking on a frog mid-flight! The photos are linked in this report on our web site. And ... here they are!! PHOTO #1 and PHOTO #2 and PHOTO #3. Thanks a million, James! And everyone, please keep those photos coming. You send 'em, and I'll post 'em for you!!

cheers, Patty

August 09, 2008:

Broad-wing: 1
Red-tail: 1
Swainson's: 1
Mississippi Kite: 12
Swallow-tailed Kite: 14
Osprey: 1
Northern Harrier: 1
Merlin: 1

Total: 32

Another awesome day on the hill! The migrant Red-tail was an immie and was given a emphatic escort job by our local immie while one parent watched from close skies. Our first Northern Harrier for this season came through straight down the middle an very high - a perfect ID lesson for our newbie counter. Also, the first of the season's Merlin could not have been more cooperative as he came northeast to southwest, harassed one Turkey Vulture, circled over the pond a bit, harassed another Vulture and then left. A nice long look, compared to the usual 3 second merlin looks.
Still waiting for our first "proper" Miss. Kite kettle - should be any day now. In the meantime though, there's just no way we can complain about daily double digit Swallow-tailed Kite migrants. A special thanks to Hogan Homes whose funding allowed us to man the hill two weeks earlier again this year. Look at all we would have missed if not for them - THANK YOU!

Libby

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Thanks, Libby! Let me tell ya all, on that platform, it feels as if we're right up there in the wing shadows of the hawks! The extra elevation really puts us in an even more unique position to get up close and personal with those guys. And hey, you can laugh, but sometimes, it does seem as if the hawks are as curious about us and the platform as we are about them, and come in for a little closer look. Of course, we could also be providing a little extra ridge lift boost for them, too, along Hawk Hill, what with the new platform perched on the edge of the bluff. Bottom line, we're getting awesome looks at the birds! Blessings to everyone who took part in helping Joel make that platform a reality. It's already paid for itself in major dividends.

Cheers,
Patty

August 10, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawks = 6
Mississippi Kites = 4
Swallow-tailed Kites = 29
Total = 39

Perhaps just as exciting as the high number of Swallow-tailed Kites, is the fact we have one Swallow-tailed Kite acting locally. This individual is an adult bird with distinctive molt in it's tail. We did not count this Kite on 08/10/08, as we are sure this bird was first seen a couple of days ago, and was counted then. Yesterday, we saw this bird about 8 times, hunting in close proximity to the count site. Obviously, we hope this Kite hangs around for another day or three.

Mr. Economidy can confirm this, but I believe 29 Swallow-tailed Kites is a single day record for Hazel. And of course, you know what they say about records...

We want to thank our new friends Dee and Steve for visiting Hazel Bazemore ... Y'all hurry back!!

Hazel Rocks ...
Dane
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Thanks, Dane! Man, we're going to have to get new clickers just for the swallow-tailed kites, the rate those bad boys are coming through now!! What an awesome count!

John Economidy does indeed confirm the new record! Below are the latest breakdowns from John: "You are correct that 29 STKs on August 10, 2008 constitute a new one-day STK record. Did you have any kettles between 8 and 19 to change the data bank on the number of STKs in a single kettle?"

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Most STKs in a Single Day:
29 on August 10, 2008
27 on August 23, 2007
22 on August 26, 2007 and August 8, 2008
21 on August 7, 2008
21 on August 17, 2006
18 on August 16, 2006
17 on August 25, 2005 and August 21, 2007
16 on August 20, 2001.

Largest Single Group:
19 on August 7, 2008
13 on August 16, 2006
12 on August 8, 2008
11 on August 17, 2002
 8 on August 16, 2006
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Thanks so much, John!!

Cheers,
Patty

(EDITOR"S NOTE - 08/14/08 CORRECTION TO DATA:  For this date, the original report from the hill listed 4 Mississippi Kites and 6 Broad-winged Hawks. Libby recently audited the numbers and discovered the numbers were transposed; the count actually was 6 MK and 4 BW. I have corrected the data in this entry to reflect the corrected numbers and adjusted the season total-to-date accordingly. Thanks, Libby!!)

August 11, 2008:

Total = 0

Consistent South winds and the worst haze i have seen in over 4 seasons at Hazel, adds up to 0 Birds. Thanx to Leslie, Jo, and Bob for hanging tough on a miserable day.

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! Ouch, a little early for a shut out, but Mother Nature will do what she will. That thick white haze was all over the area, all day. I swear, you could cut the air with a knife, it felt so thick in the afternoon. Here's hoping Tuesday brings better weather, with a low system north of us, maybe some of the haze will at least get blown back out to sea.

Cheers,
Patty

August 12, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawks = 1
Mississippi Kites = 6
Swallow-tailed Kites = 16
White-tailed Hawks = 1
Total = 24

The Swallow-tailed Kites came through in 1 stream! Awesome... Great spot, Bob C.! The White-tailed Hawk was an immie that received a very courteous escort from a local adult White-tailed Hawk. The Mississippi Kites came through singly, or in loose pairs. One more thing concerning the Swallow-tailed Kite stream; this excellent stream included 6 juvies... Way cool...

One note from Sunday's post(08/10/08); I should have mentioned that we observed an albino Purple Martin on Sunday. This unique Bird was at least 80 percent albino.

Hazel Rocks!

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! Every so often, leucistic or albinistic birds will show up. Interesting to hear of a leucistic purple martin this time around.

Cheers,
Patty

August 13, 2008:

Swainson's Hawks = 1
Unknown Buteo = 1
Mississippi Kites = 150
Swallow-tailed Kites = 5
Peregrine Falcons = 1
Total = 158

Alright! Some Mississippi Kite kettles! First kettle/stream consisted of 40 Mississippi Kites and 1 Swallow-tailed Kite. Second, and larger kettle/stream was made up of 102 Mississippi Kites and 4 Swallow-tailed Kites. Awesome spot, James! This group of birds flew over right in front of a nasty little squall that featured some thunder and lightning; and it dropped temps about 15 degrees as well.

Dickcissels starting to move through, a few yesterday; and a couple dozen today.

Hazel Rocks...

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! The weather folks promised us a front, and in the grand tradition of steamy August, we got it! Surprisingly, it actually dropped temps, too, down to just plain hot from dang hot! Glad to see the mikis (Mississippi Kites) coming through, finally!

The swallow-tailed kites are going gangbusters heading down to Mexico. And check out this great note Raul Arias de Para sent us from The Canopy Tower in Panama:

     Two days ago we saw hundreds of Swallow-tailed kites...
     See this:
     http://www.canopytower.com/birds.php
     till later,
     Raul
     www.canopytower.com

Thanks, Raul! Now we're all up and running and it's just going to keep getting better and better with each day! Kudos to all of the hawk watches and their awesome staff and volunteers!

Cheers,
Patty

August 14, 2008:

No other migrants today - just Kites - ho hum......

Mississippi Kites: 544
Swallow-tailed Kites: 30

Another record setting day for 2008 early season. The morning was hot and sticky with rain showers moving around us but no relief on the hill. There were no birds until after 1:00 when a kettle of 120 Missies showed up with a few Swallow-tails included. The next stream sighted was another one of those - "They're all Swallow-tails!" Twenty-two in one stream/kettle - 20 adults, 2 immies. Unbelievable. That group was followed by almost 200 Missies. From 3:00 to 4:00 the dark clouds were moving in behind us causing Mississippi Kites to go north and then east and west trying to find thermals and pass around the storms. For those of you waiting for the Kite "peak" at months end, you might not want to wait past this weekend. At least the Swallow-tailed Kites don't seem to be waiting. Come out and see for yourself!

Libby

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Thanks, Libby! And another new one-day record for STK? Whew! The temperature isn't the only thing heating up around the watch!

Cheers,
Patty    

August 15, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawk: 2
Mississippi Kite: 418
Swallow-tailed Kite: 48
Zone-tailed Hawk: 1

Unreal. A stream of 25 Swallow-tailed Kites. The Swallow-tailed Kites were streaming just slightly higher than some streaming Mississippi Kites. Between 1pm and 2pm (Central Time), we counted 45 (yes,forty-five), Swallow-tailed Kites! Between 11am and 2pm, we had steady movements of Mississippi Kites.

The Zone-tailed Hawk was a perfectly feathered adult Bird that flew directly over the platform.

Our Bird list for Hazel since the Count started numbers around 100 species. Non-Raptor highlights include Magnificent Frigatebird, Reddish Egret, Yellow Warbler, Painted Bunting, Green Kingfisher, several Empid species, and numerous South Texas specialties.

So as you can see, not much happening.

Hazel Rocks...

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Thanks, Dane! And yet ANOTHER new one-day record for STK!! Yea baby!! Good heavens, if anyone's getting any photos of these flights, PLEASE send them to me for posting!!! Danged work ... gets in the way of watch, else I'd be out there during the week, too! <laugh!>

Cheers,
Patty  

August 16, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawks = 1
Unknown Buteo = 1
Mississippi Kites = 751
Swallow-tailed Kites = 12
American Kestrels = 1
Total = 766

Between 10am and 2pm (Texas time), we had steady streams of Mississippi Kites. I use the word 'stream' quite loosely, as these birds were often spread over a wide swath of sky. Really awesome!

Then around 3:30pm, Leslie found us a small kettle/stream that consisted of 12 Swallow-tailed Kites(11 adults, 1 immie). Incredibly cool!

Plus, we had a visit from our hawkwatching brother, John Economidy. We love it when John visits us, for several reasons. First; he is very knowledgeable, and we enjoy his company very much. Secondly; we know that as soon as John departs for the day, we will most likely get some cool birds. True to form, not long after John left Hazel, Leslie found the Swallow-tailed Kite group. So John, we want to thank you very much for visiting us; and to a lesser degree, thanks for leaving! Just kidding John, we luv ya, man!

Great spotting by our awesome volunteers, and our excellent guests...So come on out to Hazel, and help us find some Birds...

Hazel Rocks...

P.S. We had our first American Kestrel for the '08 Count...

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Thanks, Dane!

Cheers,
Patty

August 17, 2008:

Swainson's Hawks = 1
Unknown Buteos = 1
Mississippi Kites = 7
Total = 9

Rain wiped out half of our day. The birds are going to be backed up somewhere...Here birdie, birdie, birdie...

Even when it rains, Hazel Rocks!

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! Other flights are being sighted around the area, too. Drew Jacobs reported 12 Mississippi kites over Rockport as well.

Cheers,
Patty

August 18, 2008:

Mississippi Kites = 38
Total = 38

Zone-tailed Hawk (spotted by Lisa), flew close to platform right before we shut down. Nice spot by Leslie on a group of 30 Mississippi Kites.

Great Hawkwatching by Caleb, Preston, Lisa and James - hurry back you'all!

Hazel Rocks!

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! More rain today and in the forecast through Wednesday ... clearing towards the weekend (back to steamy and hot, ha!).

Cheers,
Patty

August 19, 2008:

Man, a thousand apologies for the site being down so much lately. It appears we can thank Firefox in large part for the crashes; we've been getting slammed with so many hits from that browser service since their recent update a few weeks ago that the server is now being overwhelmed by sheer traffic. My ISP folks are working overtime to help deal with the flood of hits and keep service constant (hey mom, we're really, really popular!), so please, stick with us and keep checking back. We hope to have additional bandwidth adjustments in place very soon.

Please take a few seconds and create a shortcut to our current year site in order to follow the migration reports on your pc (link to http://www.ccbirding.com/thw/2008/), rather than use your browser's search engine to find them each time, to ease excessive bandwidth demands on the site. Thanks!!

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08/19/08

Broad-winged Hawks = 1
Swainson's Hawks = 1
Mississippi Kites = 2
Peregrine Falcons = 1
Unknown Raptors = 1
Total = 6

Another rain-shortened day at Hazel; just 2 hours of observation. On 08/18/08, we were limited to 4.5 hours. Still had some cool stuff though. The Peregrine was an immie that buzzed the Pond a couple of times, adding a little excitement to the lives of our Pond dwellers! It was awesome to watch.

The Kites are backed up somewhere; and when they come through, watch out! We will have some big fun!

Hazel Rocks...

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! More rain today and in the forecast through Wednesday ... clearing towards the weekend (back to steamy and hot, ha!).

Cheers,
Patty

August 20, 2008: 

Broad-winged Hawks = 4
Swainson's Hawks = 1
Unknown Buteo = 1
Mississippi Kites = 180
Swallow-tailed Kites = 2
Peregrine Falcons = 1
Short-tailed Hawks = 1
Total = 190

Short-tailed Hawk was a light morph adult. Although this awesome buteo flew south, we are obviously hoping that it hangs around for awhile.

Once again, the kites came through in loose groups; feasting on the countless dragonflies that are filling the skies.

Non-raptor highlights included Hooded Warbler, Yellow-breasted Chat, Canada Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Yellow Warbler. A 5 Warbler species day!

The Peregrine Falcon buzzed a Turkey Vulture before moving south. Why do these falcons harass other birds? The scientific answer: because they can!

After we closed for the day, Leslie, Libby, and myself went in search of the warbler group. We did not find the birds, but we did see a 4 foot-plus Western Diamondback Rattlesnake as it crossed the road. This stupendous creature had 12 to 15 rattles! Absolutely awesome...

So; 2 Kite species, 5 Warbler species, a Short-tailed Hawk,a Peregrine Falcon, and a Western Diamondback Rattlesnake.

Obviously, Hazel Rocks!

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! One of the best features of our site are all the non-raptor species we get to see on any given day as well, even more so during migration. The storms finally brought some feathery fallouts, yay! Bring your cameras!

Cheers,
Patty

August 21, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawk: 1
Swainson's Hawk: 3
Mississippi Kite: 560
Swallow-tailed Kite: 27
Zone-tailed Hawk: 2

Total: 593

Almost a full day on the hill without rain. We only spent about 45 minutes huddled in the one walled corner of the platform to keep out of the horizontal rain, listen to thunder boomers and see lightning up close and personal.
Both the first and last bird of the day was Zone-tailed - both adults distinctive molt patterns. Our first group was 26 Swallow-taileds. I am still not used to seeing those numbers but am willing to spend lots more days working on that. We had a steady 3 hours of Missies and then the rain started around 1:30.

Nice size bunches of Anhingas still coming through and Dane found Olive-sided flycatcher along the river yesterday to add to our park list.

A respectable number of Miss. Kites but just the beginning of the push we're expecting from those backed up birds. You never know what you'll miss if you don't plan to spend your weekend on the hill with the hawkwatchers.

Libby

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Thanks, Libby! One of the features of the new platform that really excited us was the opportunity to have solid rain cover for a change -- no more the days of huddling under 10x10 pop-ups that leak water through and dump the balance in the folds out at the slightest touch. Though I admit, those experiences did make for some interesting huddle-buddies and stories over the years, heh! The park is nice and green and wildlife abounds ... the kites are still coming and there should be some nice catch-up flights in the wake of the recent storm fronts occurring throughout the flyways the past week. TS Fay will also have her say in things as she decides where to go next. We hope she'll be nothing major any longer; just another obstacle course for our raptors to negotiate.

Cheers,
Patty

August 22, 2008:

Total = 0

We got 3 hours in before the storms washed the rest of the day away...

Hazel Rocks...

Dane

August 23, 2008:

1 Broad-winged Hawk
1 Swainsons Hawk
22 Mississippi Kites
58 Swallow-tailed Kite
1 Zone-tailed Hawk
1 Unknown buteo
2 Unknown raptor


86 Total Birds


A rainstorm blocked the N around 3:00 yielding 0 birds for the rest of the afternoon


We also had a flock of White-rumped Sandpiper, close Wood Storks and Roadrunner in the park.


Thanks to our excellent volunteers and guests!

Leslie

August 24, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawk: 5
White-tailed Hawk: 1
Unid. Buteo: 1
Mississippi Kite: 4712
Swallow-tailed Kite: 6
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Amer. Kestrel: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 2
Unid. raptor: 8

Total: 4737

At the end of a 2500+ stream of Mississippi Kites(along with 5 Swallow-tailed Kites);there came a pair of Peregrine Falcons enjoying each other's company as they flew South.

We had local Red-tailed Hawk, White-tailed Hawk, and Zone-tailed Hawk circling over Hazel simultaneously.

An adult light morph Short-tailed Hawk was observed twice. Presumably the same Bird seen a few days ago, we did not count this awesome Buteo as a migrant. Nonetheless, we were thrilled to see this Bird again.

Early in the day, we heard both Barred Owl and Eastern Screech-Owls. This was my first Screech-Owl for Hazel. Awesome!

Hazel Rocks!

Dane

P.S. A quick shout out to Kevin and the Smith Point Crew: 97 Swallow-tailed Kites!! Awesome...Hope you gave those Birds directions to Hazel, Kevin!!

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Thanks, Dane! Rain, rain, finally ending! Mosquitoes are also exploding, so bring lots of spray with you in the field. Typical summer!

And, a quick "oops, sorry!" to Leslie, who actually filed yesterday's report ... sorry, Les! I gotcha acknowledged on the web site report, but goofed on the email post. Thanks for the report!

Cheers,
Patty

August 25, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawks = 28
Mississippi Kites = 5166
Swallow-tailed Kites = 17
Cooper's Hawks = 1
Total = 5212

Against perfect clouds they came; widely spaced but constant movements of Mississippi Kites, with some Broad-winged Hawks and Swallow-tailed Kites mixed in. We had Mississippi Kites strung out across the sky for several hours. Thank goodness for the clouds, as most of these Birds were very high. Truly awesome!

Thanks to our awesome guests and volunteers; and a special thanks to Debbie Taylor for the delicious brownies, cookies, and sun-tea! Yum-yum!

Hazel Rocks...

Dane

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Thanks, Dane!

And a huge thanks and hugs and extra chocolate rations to Clay Taylor, a dear friend and supporter of our watch. Clay sends some more of his excellent raptor shots to share with us. Clay's shots of today's raptors are listed below:

black vulture
swallow-tailed kite (way up there, says Clay!)
broadwinged hawk immature 1
broadwinged hawk immature 2
broadwinged hawk adult)
red-shouldered hawk immature
Mississippi kite

Cheers,
Patty

August 26, 2008:

Broad-winged Hawk = 19
Zone-tailed Hawk = 1
Osprey = 2
Mississippi Kite = 1,371
Unknown Buteo = 1
Unknown Raptor = 3

Total = 1,397

The sky was very blue and difficult at opening, but fortunately clouds moved in as the day progressed. Not as many kites as the last couple days, and we missed the Swallow-tailed Kites, but still a good day. The highlight came late in the day when we picked up a Zone-tailed Hawk only to realize the Turkey Vulture below was also a Zone-tailed Hawk! The top bird proceeded to dive on the lower bird and gave us quite a show.

We also had Solitary Sandpiper on the pond and Eastern Screech Owl below the platform.

Thanks to or guests and volunteers! James and Jo helped add some Mississippi singles to the tally. We also had visitors from Norway. Hope they come back so we can show them a Swallow-tailed Kite!

Leslie

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Thanks, Leslie! Extra kudos for the non-raptor reports, too; we all love to know everything that comes through the watch and site, with such a diverse convergence of habitats immediately at hand and in view from the platform. Dueling zonies, what a show! Don't you wish you could have seen it, too? C'mon out!

Cheers,
Patty

August 27, 2008:

Mississippi Kites = 441
Northern Harriers = 1
Unknown Buteos = 1
Total = 443

The vast majority of the Kites came in the last 2 hours. Most of these Birds went South, but a fair number headed toward Polliwog Pond (slightly north and east of the watch site) and vicinity; presumably looking for suitable overnight trees.

Three species added to our overall list for Hazel Hawkwatch 2008: Bank Swallow, Eastern Kingbird, and Fulvous Whistling Duck. This brings the overall number to 121 species.

Hazel Rocks!

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! I thought I had a kettle yesterday, too, but alas, it turned out to be just another black swarm of south Texas mosquitoes looking for lunch. With the recent rains from Mexican systems the past week, I tell ya, the resulting hot, sultry weather has really launched those critters. Reminds me of the time when blood-letting was thought to be a good thing, purifying the system and all. The tropics have leeches, we have south Texas mosquitoes, and lest you think I'm kidding about the size of those suckers, just ask anyone who's been down here. Minnesotans and Floridians will also appreciate the comparison, heh! On the up side, the DEET concoctions do work really well, so keep a supply on hand whenever you venture outside for any length of time. The coastal winds, when they so bless us, also serve to keep the bloodthirsty buggers at bay, but this week, our normally near-gale-force seasonal summer winds have been reduced to mere breaths in comparison.

Watching Storm Gustav slowly scrolling its way here and there has also occupied our time, as you might expect. No telling where that beast will decide to make landfall, so the entire Gulf Coast is on wary watch. Wherever it goes, migration will be affected, so its likely we'll see surges and ebbs in the patterns as the tropics toss their cards into the game.

And here's some fun stuff!! Our own hawk watcher Emeritus John Economidy was perusing the data this week, and found an interesting comparison regarding kites. In his own words: "Zounds! I just looked at the kite figures at BIRDHAWK.
Corpus is running all over those Veracruz sites."

      Cumulative Cumulative
      as of 8-24  as of 8-23
          Corpus    Veracruz
  STK        310          52
  MK       7,452       2,393

Yeah, John, not sure what's going on, as we know thousands of kites should already have passed over Veracruz by now as well. Where, oh where, are those little guys passing over? Let's hope they haven't found a new route, heh! But remember, there are multiple watch sites in the Veracruz area. I imagine the reports for some of the outlying sites just haven't caught up yet. Meanwhile, anyone south of the border seeing huge concentrations of Mississippi kites, please drop us a line and let us know when and where. <grin!>

Cheers,
Patty

August 28, 2008:

Osprey: 1
Swallow-tailed Kite: 1
Mississippi Kite: 919
Broad-winged Hawk: 3
Unid Accipiter: 1
Unid. Buteo: 1

Total: 926

Steady movements of Mississippi Kites continue. Our first Swallow-tailed Kite in three days. Yahoo!! A local Zone-tailed Hawk flies right over the platform in the company of a Turkey Vulture - awesome!

I forgot to mention that on 08/27 we had 5 Crested Caracaras (3 immies, 2 adults)perched on a power pole across the Nueces River. Outstanding!

We are seeing large flights of Anhingas going South, as well.

Hazel Rocks and Rocks...

Dane

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Thanks, Dane! And thanks with extra chocolate rations to long-time hawk watcher Lynn Guerra, who sends us a few Mississippi kite shots from today's watch! The kite was feeding as it went through; great catch, Lynn! The photos are linked in today's report on our web site (www.ccbirding.com/thw/2008/08-aug.html).

And here they are!! Thanks, Lynn for the cool shots! (PHOTO 1) (PHOTO 2) (PHOTO 3) (PHOTO 4)

The weather is all over the map these days, literally. But the raptors keep coming through. Eyes are on Gustav and will be throughout the holiday weekend. Be safe, all.

Cheers,
Patty

August 29, 2008:

Osprey= 1
Swallow-tailed Kite= 7
Mississippi Kite= 1581

Total= 1589

The day started out slow, but the locals kept us entertained and gave everyone id practice. Two local Red-Shouldered Hawks spent plenty of time on the wing and even dived on a local Broad-winged Hawk. The White-tailed Hawks also gave us lots of looks and the Zone-tailed Hawk made an appearance flying past the platform.

The Zone-tailed Hawk also broke the slow spell around 2:00 Texas time, flying low over the platform and landing in a tree across the park. Unfortunately, our guests had already left, leaving only Dane and Leslie to admire him in the scope.

Right after looking at the Zone-tail Dane spotted the first kettle of Mississippi's with 4 Swallow-tailed Kites. The Swallow-tails proceeded to hunt low over the park before disappearing above the golf course. The next two hour and a half yielded the rest of the kites as storms brewed in the area. We had several really low Mississippi kettles right above the platform. Several Hawkwatchers living close by got the treat of seeing kites right over houses. Great finish for a slow day! Wish every one could have seen it that stuck out the first three quarters of the day!

Leslie

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Thanks, Leslie! Raptors continue to flow through despite the approach of Gustav to their Gulf migration flyway finger.

Audubon Outdoor Club President Leah Pummil adds to today's report with a great observation from the bayfront:
About 6PM Erv Becker called to tell me to get over to the Alameda/Ocean Dr area - he had been looking at "hawks" or something flying over his house for an hour or more.

I threw Sofie in the car, called Art & Barb, and took off for Alameda - only I stopped across from the Oso Golf Course. There were kites "kettleing" all over the place. They were not more than a block or two off the bay. Caught up with Art & Barb and we, along with the other residents of Country Club street, about a half block off Alameda, watched Mississippi Kites fly over and settle down into the trees around the neighborhood. We watched this for over an hour. That with Erv's preceding hour makes around two hours or more of kites. They were caught between the bay on one side and the approaching rain storm on the other. Pretty neat for us, bad for kites.

The Olsen's and I guessed that we saw close to a thousand kites, if not more. Erv had seen an hour more of them, so who knows what the actual number might have been, but two thousand would not be a stretch.

For once, we had some fun on the southside.
Leah
Excellent eyes in the skies, guys! Thanks and extra chocolate rations to Leah for sending in this report and Ervin for mobilizing the sneaker net!

Cheers,
Patty

August 30, 2008:

Osprey: 1
White-tailed Kite: 1
Mississippi Kite: 72
Broad-winged Hawk: 13
Swainson's Hawk: 1
Peregrine Falcon: 2

Total: 90

A surprisingly slow day with moderately strong east winds that may have pushed birds west of us. BUT, can't beat the second bird of the day, spotted by Mike, our first White-tailed Kite. Gorgeous bird came up right out front and gave us a nice long look. Hopefully more of those beauties will be by this year.

We had our first broadie kettle of 6 today! We should get a few more of those before the hurricanes block us off for a while. Everybody batten down the hatches!

Libby

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Thanks, Libby! Landfall for Gustav is expected sometime Monday. Pre-landfall squalls and bands will definitely shut down the corridor for awhile.

For some really enjoyable reading, please check out the articles Birder's World Editor, Chuck Hagner, published in the October 2008 magazine and on their on-line blog:

"I thought you might like to know that I just published an interview with Joel Simon about the Corpus Christi hawk watch. You can find it on our blog Birder's World Field of View (http://bwfov.typepad.com/). Here's the permalink to the story."

A hawk watch update from Corpus Christi:
http://bwfov.typepad.com/birders_world_field_of_vi/2008/08/a-hawk-watch-update-from-corpus-christi.html

Chuck Hagner
Editor, Birder's World Magazine

Hugs and kudos to Joel and Chuck and Birder's World Magazine! Extra rations of dark chocolate for you guys!!

Everyone in Gustav's path, be safe, and preferably, be out of the way!!

Cheers,
Patty

August 31, 2008:

White-tailed Kite: 1
Mississippi Kite: 152
Cooper's Hawk: 1
Red-shouldered Hawk: 2
Broad-winged Hawk: 37

Total: 193

An interesting, different day on the hill. Heavy fog and haze affected our morning visibility and we could finally see the raptors start to trickle after 11:00. Our second White-tailed Kite came through very high on a course straight south - a good id lesson for us. We had over 100 birds in the 1:00 to 2:00 hour which is also the only hour that included rain today. It rained on us for about 15 - 20 minutes and we could see raptors streaming incredible high in the blue hole between the thunderclouds. What a sight! They were flying above the rain clouds!

I predict Sept 1st will be a blow-out on the hill. Come spend your holiday with us.

Libby

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Thanks, Libby! I suspect the first few days of September will be bang-on as raptors dodge and run from Gustav's bands.

John VanDort, a former Smith Point, Texas watch counter working the Veracruz watch this fall, sent a really sweet note, and says for those who want to follow Veracruz's watch with him, check out his blog! It's at http://riverofraptors2008.blogspot.com - thanks so much, John!!

Cheers,
Patty
    

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