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December
November
October
September
August
*Not to be cited except by permission of the GGRO. 2001 data are preliminary and have not been audited.December 9, 2001 - The last day of the HawkWatch season started out windy, wet, and cool in the morning, then cleared completely and we could see all the way to the geysers. HawkWatch saw 205 hawks, for a total of 35 hawks per hour, and 9 species. The highlight of the day was seeing 7 Red-shouldered Hawks. December 8, 2001 - The last day for Saturday II was pretty typical of our season. Even when the weather was good, we still had ho-hum sightings, but lots of fun anyway. During our full six hours of watching, HawkWatch saw 171 hawks, 28.5 hawks per hour, and five species: Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrals, Northern Harriers and Red-shouldered Hawks. A probable Cooper's Hawk was sighted when we were leaving the headlands around 4:30 pm!! All sixteen team members made it for the Last Day Feast, and with so many team members, we won't even talk about how much food there was.... December 7, 2001 - The skies were clear today on Hawk Hill with the wind gusting up to 25 knots and then calming down in the afternoon. HawkWatch spotted 171 raptors, including 8 species, for a total of 29.74 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were good looks at 2 Osprey and several juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks. December 6, 2001 - HawkWatch was rained out today. December 5, 2001 - No report available. December 4, 2001 - The weather was mostly cool and cloudy today on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch sighted 139 raptors, including 9 species, for a total of 27.8 hawks per hour. December 3, 2001 - The weather was partly cloudy today on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch sighted 126 raptors, including 9 species, for a total of 21 hawks per hour. The highlight of the day was seeing a very rare bird for Hawk Hill, an adult Bald Eagle who was being attacked by a Peregrine Falcon. December 2, 2001 - No report available. December 1, 2001 - No report available. November 30, 2001 - The weather pretty good today although a bit chilly when the temperature dipped into the low 50's. HawkWatch recorded a total of 283 raptors, including 8 species, for a total of 47.2 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were sightings of 5 Red-shouldered Hawks and a Peregrine Falcon that perched on a nearby rock for over an hour giving us a great look at it. November 29, 2001 - The weather started off rainy then cleared up today on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch recorded a total of 208 raptors, including 10 species, for a total of 34.66 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were sightings of an adult Peregrine Falcon, a Rough-legged Hawk, and a Bald Eagle. November 28, 2001 - The visibility was great today on Hawk Hill, but the weather was frightful with wind gusts up to 27 mph and the wind chill of 31 degrees. HawkWatch recorded a total of 114 raptors for a total of 30.66 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were sightings of 2 Peregrine Falcons and an Opsrey. November 27, 2001 - The weather was very crisp, clear, and chilly today on Hawk Hill with great visibility. HawkWatch recorded a total of 314 raptors, including 11 species, and 52.3 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were sightings of Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, a Rough-legged Hawk and a close flyby of a young Golden Eagle. November 26, 2001 - The weather was wonderful today on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch recorded a total of 195 raptors, 9species, and 32.5 hawks per hour, including 5 sightings of Peregrine Falcons. November 25, 2001 - The weather was mostly overcast with high clouds today and rather windy, although visibility was good on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch recorded a total of 132 raptors, 8 species, and 22 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were 2 Peregrine Falcons that gave us an incredible show. November 24, 2001 - Sat II's dayleader would like you to think that there was no HawkWatch today because we were blown off the hill by the 50 MPH winds. However, that is not the case. Sat II HawkWatchers were all snug in their beds, because their dayleader called the day off at about 6:30 am. Mind you, there was heavy rain then, and 50-60 mph winds, and she didn't want her Watchers on the road for the long distances many of them travel, because the bad weather was supposed to last until noon. OF COURSE, the clouds cleared by about 9:30 am, although the winds continued.... Sat II dayleader maintains her dubious record of calling off days too early. She suspects nothing would be flying in the wind today except the heavies -- bald eagles, golden eagles, ferruginous... Alas, we weren't blown off the hill, but maybe we blew it. Other input on the day's sightings welcomed!! November 23, 2001 - The weather was mostly overcast with high clouds today and rather chilly on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch recorded a total of 194 raptors, 8 species, and 33.7 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were over 2000 Band-tailed Pigeons, 1500 American Robins, and 360 Cedar Waxwings in flight. November 22, 2001 - The Thanksgiving HawkWatch team recorded a total of 340 raptors, 11 species, and 56.6 hawks per hour. Contrary to the weather report, there was no rain--instead we had mostly clear skies and temperatures around 60 degrees. The cloud/fog cover returned in the afternoon. Species highlights for the day were 4 Peregrine Falcons and a White-tailed Kite. There were high numbers of Red-tailed Hawks and Turkey Vultures, but not many accipiters. Many of the Red-tailed Hawks hovered around the hill for long periods of time and treated us to acrobatic displays. One Merlin and a few American Kestrels were also seen. November 21, 2001 - HawkWatch was rained out today and no count was performed. November 20, 2001 - The weather today on Hawk Hill ranged from fog to overcast to sunshine. HawkWatch counted 165 raptors, including 7 species, for a total of 27.5 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were 2 adult male Northern Harriers and seeing the 2 Golden Gate Bridge resident Peregrine Falcons. November 19, 2001 - There were strong winds mostly out of the South today on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch counted 115 raptors, including 7 species, for a total of 19.2 hawks per hour. The highlight of the day was a juvenile Ferruginous Hawk. November 18, 2001 - Today the weather on Hawk Hill was mostly cloudy with a Southeast wind. HawkWatch counted 346 raptors, including 153 Turkey Vultures, for a total of 57.7 hawks per hour. The highlight of the day was a juvenile Bald Eagle. November 17, 2001 - HawkWatch had clear and sunny weather today. They counted 255 raptors, including 9 species for a total of 42.5 hawks per hour. Some of the raptors spotted included Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks, and Turkey Vultures. November 16, 2001 - HawkWatch was fogged out today. November 15, 2001 - The hawkwatchers made the trip up to Hawk Hill for a total of two hours before the fog came rolling in. Two hours, however, is long enough to spot a Red-tailed Hawk with a white tail! That's right, seriously rare buteo action! Whoooowwweeee! Subspecies, partial albino? Wow! So needless to say that was the rare bird and highlight for the day. We saw a total of 47 raptors, 23.5 hawks per hour, 6 species including: Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and American Kestrels. What a day! November 14, 2001 - No report available. November 13, 2001 - No report available. November 12, 2001 - No report available. November 11, 2001 - The weather was windy and rainy, driving HawkWatch off the hill periodically. HawkWatch spent a total of 3.5 hours on the Hill, and saw a total of 89 raptors, for 25.4 hawks per hour and six species. November 10, 2001 - The day started off very promising -- with gusty winds from the north and overcast skies. The wind soon died down, however, and there was minimal activity. We knew rain was on its way when certain team members noticed certain other team members' hair standing on end due to static electricity, and the rain drove us off the hill at around 1:30 pm. We saw a total of 177 raptors (61 Turkey Vultures), for 44.3 hawks per hour, and seven species, including the aforementioned Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, one Merlin, American Kestrels, Northern Harriers, Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks. November 9, 2001 - Today on Hawk Hill was unusually warm for November, with the wind coming mainly from the South. HawkWatch spotted 315 raptors including 12 species for a total of 54 hawks per hour. Highlights of the day were a Golden Eagle and an adult Ferruginous Hawk that circled the hill for about 2 minutes giving everyone a great look. November 8, 2001 - The wind was gusting from East to North today on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch spotted 570 raptors including 13 species for a total of 95 hawks per hour. Highlights of the day were 2 dark morph Red-tailed Hawks, one dark morph Swainson's Hawk, a juvenile Golden Eagle, and a Rough-legged Hawk. We saw a total 249 Red-tailed Hawks. November 7, 2001 - Beautiful, clear weather today on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch spotted 564 raptors including 13 species for a total of 92.4 hawks per hour. Highlights of the day were 210 juvenile Red-tailed Hawks, and the first Rough-legged Hawk of the season that was spotted at 9:18am. A second Rough-legged Hawk was spotted today, also. November 6, 2001 - Absolutely gorgeous day to lay on your back at Hawk Hill and watch the birds a mile above sea level. Ahhhh.... strong north wind most of the day pushed a whole bunch of Red-tailed Hawks down south and up. They were flying high! Total raptors seen were 482, an average of 80.5 hawks per hour. 10 species seen: Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Ferruginous Hawks, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Red-shouldered Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and Cooper's Hawks. Highlights for today were a total of 261 Red-tailed Hawks, 3 beautiful and showy Merlins, a Ferruginous Hawk, and 1 especially exquisite dark morph juvenile Red-tailed Hawk. November 5, 2001 - The weather on Hawk Hill was warm and sunny today. HawkWatch counted 430 raptors including 10 species for a total of 71.7 hawks per hour. November 4, 2001 - Wonderful day on Hawk Hill today, it was like a mini-mid-September peak, we had tons of juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks all over the place! Total of 393 raptors today, 11 species, 65.5 per hour. Not bad, eh? Species seen today were Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite,Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon. Highlights were many long-time-no-see looks at juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawks, 8 Merlins, and an adult White-tailed Kite that was close enough that we could call it an adult. November 3, 2001 - The weather started out with low fog but cleared up in the afternoon. HawkWatch sighted 311 raptors including 9 species for a total of 51.8 hawks per hour. November 2, 2001 - HawkWatch sighted 340 raptors including 11 species for a total of 56.7 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were close views of two adult Red-shouldered Hawks, an Osprey, and a White-tailed Kite. There were 26 total falcons sighted including 16 Merlins. November 1, 2001 - Lovely day on Hawk Hill today, light winds and sunshine after a few hours of early morning dank fog. Double time fog - tule and regular old San Francisco fog. We saw a total of 226 raptors today, with an average of 41 hawks per hour. 9 species seen were: Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, Red-shouldered Hawks, Merlins, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Peregrine Falcons, and American Kestrels. The highlights were 3 sightings of Merlins, some really slow and close and some fast, furious, and far away. Far out too! Overall, wonderful day on the hill.
October 31, 2001 - Nasty storms bring wicked, awesome birds! Thanks to those late October showers, HawkWatch got to see a big backup of raptors today. WhooHooo! A total of 288 raptors for the day, including 10 species, at a rate of 49 hawks per hour. Species seen were Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Northern Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, American Kestrels, and Ferruginous Hawks! That's right, Ferruginous Hawks. Not 1, but 2! So obviously that was a highlight. Other highlights include multiple close and personal peeks at adult Peregrine Falcons, lots of adult accipiters, and a couple fast and furious Merlins. Woosh, there they went! See you next time on the hill. Peace and happy birding!
October 30, 2001 - Weather conditions were foggy and foggier. No HawkWatch count was performed today. October 29, 2001 -The weather was overcast and still today. HawkWatch spotted 161 raptors including 7 species for a total of 27 hawks per hour. October 28, 2001 - Today's weather was overcast with mild winds from various directions. HawkWatch counted 298 raptors including 12 species for a total of 49.5 hawks per hour. Highlights of the day were a close-flying Merlin and White-tailed Kite, and several male Kestrels stooping on Red-tailed Hawks. October 27, 2001 - It appears that certain species are unable to penetrate the invisible shield that simply must have gone into place with the signing of the Antiterrorism Bill. Hopefully, they will change the settings soon. (Note to gov: Harrier Jet vs. Northern Harrier...) Half expecting to be fogged off, we actually had a full day on the hill, with high clouds, and ominous dark clouds to the north. The wind was mild, but primarily from the north and northwest, but still not much was seen. We totaled 201 hawks, 33.5 hawks per hour, and nine species. Eighty seven Turkey Vulture sightings were joined by Northern Harriers, White-tailed Kites, Red-tailed Hawks (a couple of interesting morphs), Red-shouldered Hawks, Coopers and Sharp-shinned Hawks, Kestrels and a Peregrine Falcon. The highlight of the day was the banding demo, which took place right on top of Hawk Hill, because a large group of boy scouts with axes and rakes were clearing the area around the bunker, and leaving large piles of brush. The juv. female Red-shouldered Hawk was very patient in the docent's hands, and the visitors and HawkWatchers all enjoyed the up-close view. October 26, 2001 - HawkWatch wasn't able to begin their count until 10:30 am due to foggy conditions and was only out for a total of two hours, again due to the fog. There were 57 hawks spotted for a total of 28.5 hawks per hour, including 11 species. October 25, 2001 - The weather today was quite warm and windy in the morning, with the wind coming from the northeast and gusting up to 20 MPH at times. The numbers of hawks picked up in the early afternoon when the wind died down considerably. It remained warm and clear all day. 11 species of raptor were seen, including all four falcon species: Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon and Prairie Falcon. The Peregrine showed up early in the morning and provided wonderful looks, and the Prairie Falcon finished off the day with a bang, also loitering over the hill for about 10 minutes and letting everyone get a good look. The total number of raptors seen today was 525, and the rate of raptors per hour was 87.5. Especially large numbers of juvenile red-tails moved through from the West between 2 and 3:30 p.m. October 24, 2001 - Under clear skies today HawkWatch counted 473 birds including 11 species for a total of 78.9 hawks per hour. There were kettles including up to 30 Turkey Vultures sighted. Birds of note today were 5 Golden Eagles, 3 Merlins, and 5 Peregrine Falcons. October 23, 2001 - The weather started out cool and windy and quickly warmed up. HawkWatch counted 419 raptors including 11 species for a total of 69.8 hawks per hour. Amongst those raptors spotted, they saw 2 Merlins, 7 Peregrine Falcons, a Ferruginous Hawk, and a Golden Eagle. October 22, 2001 -Today the weather was great! HawkWatch spotted 550 birds including 12 species, for a total of 92 hawks per hour. The highlights of the day were 7 Merlins, a juvenile Peregrine Falcon and a juvenile Golden Eagle. October 21, 2001 - Today the weather was overcast and cold. HawkWatch spotted 210 birds including 10 species, for 39.4 hawks per hour. The highlight of the day was a good look at an adult Peregrine Falcon. October 20, 2001 - Today the weather on Hawk Hill was too foggy and no HawkWatch count was performed. October 19, 2001 - No report available. October 18, 2001 - Bright sunny day with fog below, HawkWatch spotted 328 raptors including 13 species for 54.5 hawks per hour. Highlights of the day were a Golden Eagle and a Ferruginous Hawk; also seen were Peregrine Falcons. October 17, 2001 - Under Overcast skies, HawkWatch spotted 297 raptors including 9 species for 49.5 hawks per hour. Notable sightings were multiple Peregrine Falcons, a Merlin and a rufous morph Red-tailed Hawk. October 16, 2001 - How quickly the weather on Hawk Hill can change. Today was foggy and the HawkWatch counted 52 raptors, 5 species for 23 hawks per hour. Sightings included Red-tailed Hawks, Turkey Vultures, American Kestrels, Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks.
October 15, 2001 - Being on Hawk
Hill today was similar to looking out over an old ghost town in the
southwest-it was hot, dusty, and no action. Not much bird action that
is. But hey, that's what happens when the wind dies down or comes out
of the south. The total for today was 255 raptors, that's 42.5 per hour.
Nine species were seen including: Turkey Vulture, White-tailed Kite,
Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered
Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, and Peregrine Falcon. Highlights
for the day were definitely looks at 2 adult Peregrine Falcons, distant
White-tailed Kites, and many American Kestrels. Stay tuned for the post-frontal
movement.
October 14, 2001 - Today Hawk
Hill was clear and hot. HawkWatch spotted 501 raptors for 83.5 hawks
per hour including 10 species. Highlights included a White-tailed Kite,
a Broad-winged Hawk, an adult Cooper's Hawk and an adult Peregrine Falcon.
October 13, 2001 - Feeling HOT,
HOT, HOT!! We were treated to incredibly clear skies today -- practically
unlimited visibility. And if you're from the Bay Area, you know that
happens for a reason -- NO WIND. Temperatures were between 85 and 90
degrees most of the day, with little more than a breeze, early on from
the south, and then shifting slowly to southwest. Activity was pretty
steady until around 1:00 PM or so, when things really slowed down, the
heat was on, and the birds were flying very high. The total count was
335 raptors, 55.8 hawks per hour, and eleven species. Highlights of
the day were great looks at Peregrine Falcons, two close Merlins, one
Broad-winged Hawk, one White-tailed Kite - nice and close, and several
Red-shouldered Hawks. We also saw Turkey Vultures, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned
Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels and Northern Harriers. Interestingly,
the sky was also FILLED with butterflies, moths and dragonflies.
October 12, 2001 - HawkWatch enjoyed great weather and visibility today. 398 raptors were sighted for 69.2 Hawks per hour. Twelve species were seen. The highlights today were a Ferruginous Hawk, a Broad-winged Hawk and a juvenile Golden Eagle. October 11, 2001 - A great day on Hawk Hill today! What was seen you ask? Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, Osprey, Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite, American Kestrel, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks! That's 10 species in case you don't feel like counting. Wow! 586 total, 97 per hour. Highlights for the day were a lone Broad-wing sighting and a whole bunch of band-tailed pigeons bringing in the coops. See you next time on the hill. October 10, 2001 - Today HawkWatch
recorded 433 raptor sightings for 72 hawks per hour. The highlights
were a Swainson's Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon.
October 9, 2001 - Today on Hawk Hill ... Ferruginous! Golden Eagle! Thirteen species! Wow, what an exciting day. The grand total for the day was 653 raptors sighted, for 109 hawks per hour. Species seen were: Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks, Ferruginous Hawk, Osprey, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Golden Eagle, American Kestrel, Merlin, & Peregrine Falcon. Woowhee, you should have been on Hawk Hill! October 8, 2001 - It's not about
the numbers ya know. Of course, it always exciting to hear about a 800-bird
day, right? Today's grand total was 884 hawks! That's 147.3 per hour!
Wowzers! Eleven species included: Turkey Vulture, Red-tailed Hawks,
Red-shouldered Hawks, White-tailed Kites, Merlins, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned
Hawks, Northern Goshawks, Broad-winged Hawks, American Kestrels, and
Northern Harriers. What a fun day-the highlight for most was the juvenile
Goshawk that flew directly over the hill for all to gawk at. Haahaa,
get it, gawk at the gos!
October 7, 2001 - Great day on
Hawk Hill today! We saw a total of 11 species! Those seen were: Turkey
Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, Broad-winged Hawks,
American Kestrels, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Sharp-shinned Hawks,
Cooper's Hawks, Northern Harriers, and White-tailed Kites. Woooowee!
Highlights for today: great look at a slow-moving Merlin, a Raven chasing
a Broad-winged Hawk, and lots of Sharpie vs Sharpie battles. Total birds
seen for today was 257, with a hawks per hour of 42.8. See you next
time on the hill!
October 6, 2001 - Toady's HawkWatch
crew reported 388 raptor sightings for 65 hawks per hour and saw 13
species. The most common species were Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper's Hawks
and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Sightings of special interest were 6 Merlins,
3 Osprey, 5 Broad-winged Hawks, a dark morph Swainson's Hawk and a juvenile
Northern Goshawk.
October 5, 2001 - HawkWatch had
overcast skies all day but no fog. They recorded 556 raptor sightings
in a full 6 hour day for 92.7 hawks per hour. Eleven species were seen,
the most common being the Red-tailed Hawk. Many Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned
Hawks were also seen.
Highlights were Broad-winged Hawks, Golden Eagles, Merlins and Peregrine Falcons. HawkWatch ended the day watching an aerobatic display by an adult Peregrine Falcon and a juvenile Peregrine Falcon stooping on each other. October 4, 2001 - Raptor
activity today was a little slower than what's more typical for this
time of year. But that of course is affected by some less than ideal
weather conditions for birds interested in soaring. Basically, I'm talking
about fog. A little too much for major flight activity, as well as hawk
spotting. Nonetheless, the HawkWatchers had a good day, 7 species, 146
hawks total, 41.7 per hour. Species spotted are Turkey Vulture, Northern
Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed
Hawk, and American Kestrel.
October 3, 2001 - The fog cleared
out around noon today and stayed clear for a little over an hour. In
that hour we saw a beautiful display of raptors including Turkey Vultures,
Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks,
American Kestrels, Red-shouldered Hawks, and Broad-winged Hawks. Total,
we saw 65 hawks. Not bad for an hour, eh?
October 2, 2001 - HawkWatch was
fogged out today.
October 1, 2001 - HawkWatch was
on Hawk Hill until 1:30 today. They recorded 294 raptor sightings for
73 Hawks per hour and saw 9 species.
September 30, 2001 - During
a hot clear "not a cloud in the sky" day the HawkWatchers
recorded 567 raptor sightings for 95 Hawks per Hour. Twelve species
were seen today. Three falcon species were seen. One Merlin carrying
and eating prey, a juvenile and and adult Peregrine Falcon and American
Kestrels. Along with the Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks,
Broad-winged Hawks were seen including one beautiful chocolate dark
morph Broad-winged Hawk. The first Swainson's Hawk of the season was
also seen.
September 29, 2001 - The day
started out a little bit slow, with beautiful, warm temperatures, and
no wind. This was a good thing for the Saturday II team, which had been
fogged off since the beginning of the season. We had to warm up, and
we had a good chance to do so. We worked on our accipiter ID as mostly
Sharp-shinned Hawks, and then Coopers Hawks, moved through. Our activity
was rounded out with the beautiful West Coast Red Tails and some great
close looks at Broad-wings as well. (They always sneak up on us, to
confound for a moment...) The count ticked up as the day went on, primarily
with accipiters. The highlight was an unusual hour between 1 PM and
2 PM, when four juvenile Ferruginous Hawks flew by, the first starting
over by the Slacker Hills and then the others coming through the North
saddle and right over Hawk Blind in front of us, giving us great looks,
and one additional later from Kirby Cove, which had potentially been
sighted earlier but wound around the hill to appear for another sighting.
We had few falcons though, only Kestrels, and we wound up the day with
461 raptor sightings, including eleven species: Turkey Vultures, Red
Tails, Red Shoulders, Sharp Shinned & Coopers Hawks, White Tailed Kites,
Kestrels, Broad wings, Northern Harriers, Ferruginous and one lone Osprey.
September 28, 2001 - Fall is
here and the fog finally is gone. HawkWatch recorded 483 raptor sightings
for 80.5 hawks per hour. Eleven species were seen. Some of species seen
were a Peregrine Falcon, 128 Turkey Vultures, 10 Northern Harriers,
93 Red-tailed Hawks, 22 Red-shouldered Hawks, 1 White-tailed Kites,
114 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 83 Cooper's Hawks, and 2 American Kestrels.
September 27, 2001 - Three clear
days on Hawk Hill in a row! HawkWatch recorded 539 raptor sightings
for 90 hawks per hour. Nine species were seen. The team saw Turkey Vultures,
Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, White-tailed Kites,
a Ferruginous Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, and American
Kestrels in sunshine and clear blue skies with lots of wind.
September 26, 2001 - A second clear day on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch recorded 654 raptor sightings for 105 hawks per hour. Eleven species were seen. The highlights of the day were several Broad-winged Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, White-tailed Kites, a Ferruginous Hawk, sunshine and clear blue skies. September 25, 2001 - Finally
a clear day on Hawk Hill. HawkWatch recorded 417 raptor sightings for
78.5 Hawks per hour. Twelve species were seen. The highlights of the
day were several Broad-winged Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, a Merlin
and a Peregrine Falcon.
September 24, 2001 - No HawkWatch
report was filed today.
September 23, 2001 - HawkWatch
got up to Hawk Hill today and even though the day was foggy, recorded
323 raptor sightings for 58.7 Hawks Per Hour. The most common
species was the Sharp-shinned Hawk. The highlight of the day was a juvenile
Broad-winged Hawk.
September 22, 2001 - HawkWatch
got up to Hawk Hill today for a about 2 hours and recorded 139 raptor
sightings. The highlights of the day were 4 Broad-winged Hawks.
September 21, 2001 - The fog
slump has been stopped! Today's HawkWatch team made it up to Hawk Hill
, despite the fog. In 1 hour and 40 minutes of slight fog, we managed
to catch a glimpse of 6 different species, 85 raptors total, with an
average of 51 hph! Not bad for a foggy day! The 6 species seen were:
Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed Hawks, Cooper's Hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks,
American Kestrels, and Northern Harriers. We will not let the fog hold
us back!
September 20, 2001 - More fog!
HawkWatch was again kept from Hawk Hill due to fog.
September 19, 2001 - Today was foggy again! It must
be the price we have to pay sometimes for getting to see as many raptors
as we do. However, fog can't last forever, stay tuned for the next hawk
watch reports. As soon as this fog clears the sky will be painted with
hawks!
September 18, 2001 - The HawkWatch
was fogged out for the fourth consecutive day. Oh where is the sun?
September 17, 2001 - The HawkWatch
was fogged out ... again!
September 16, 2001 - The HawkWatch
was fogged out.
September 15, 2001 - The Saturday
II team went up to the hill at around 11:00 am, with high hopes the
fog would clear, as it had the day before. Every time we felt the warmth
of the sun peeking through, our hopes were quickly dashed by the next
thick blanket delivered by the Fog God. No amount of sun dancing, fist
shaking or otherwise scientific means attempted by the team had the
desired effect. Instead, we focused on Sharp-shinned Hawk Silhouette
ID 101 (sharpies in the fog), Sharp-shinned Hawk In the Hand ID (Banding
demo), and finally left Hawk Hill at around 1:45 PM. As usual, we had
fun anyway just being together!
September 14, 2001 - Due to the nearly ever-present
fog, the HawkWatch didn't get started till 11:15. The weather was clear
after that and the HawkWatch had 277 raptor sightings for 65.2 Hawks
per hour. The highlights of the day were looks at a Ferruginous Hawk
and several Broad-winged Hawk sightings.
September 13, 2001 - Fog seems
to come in pairs, doesn't it? Like yesterday, the HawkWatch was called
off today due to heavy fog. But have no fear, the HawkWatch and our
flying friends will be back again soon enough.
September 12, 2001 - HawkWatch
was fogged off Hawk Hill today.
September 11, 2001 - A somber
day on Hawk Hill saw silent skies and long gaps in bridge traffic. An
initial rush of sightings slowed as the fog played tag with the HawkWatchers.
Midday saw off the fog and hawk traffic picked up with frantic spells
pacing the balance of the day. We recorded 10 species and a grand total
of 476 birds with a Hawks per Hour rate of 79.3. Our highlights included
a juvenile Golden Eagle and a Prairie Falcon. The juvenile Red-tailed
Hawk numbers continue high with today coming in at 167. Other notables
were 9 Northern Harriers, 5 Osprey, 3 White-tailed Kites,a total of
231 Red-tailed Hawks, 56 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 44 Cooper's and 23 undocumented
Accipiters. 74 Turkey Vultures competed our total.
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