Oct 10th - 10 Hawks this Morning!

Thanks to timely text reports from Phil I was able to see what happened at the Watch over the course of the morning.

Today:
Northern Harrier - 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 6
American Kestrel - 1
Total - 10

To Date:
Turkey Vulture - 248
Osprey - 91
Bald Eagle - 55
Northern Harrier - 127
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 2109
Cooper's Hawk - 19
Northern Goshawk - 2
Red-shouldered Hawk - 0
Broad-winged Hawk - 88
Red-tailed Hawk - 23
Rough-legged Hawk - 0
Golden Eagle - 1
American Kestrel - 280
Merlin - 84
Peregrine Falcon - 30
Total - 3157

Other Birds:
American Crow - 32
Common Loon - 4
Common Raven - 2
Gray-cheeked Thrush - 1
Red-tailed Hawk - 1 local

Butterflies:
Monarch - 0

Mammals:
Nothing of note

Hawkwatchers:
Phil, Peter, John, Norm, plus one other.  Thankyou all!

Weather Prediction:
Oct 11th - mainly sunny switching to sunny, SW 30km/h wind gusting to 48km/h all day.  (theweathernetwork.com)

If you have been reading my posts over the last couple of years you should remember what I've posted in the past about strong SW wind.  For those that don't know or don't remember, here you go...

The following is an extract from 'A Field Guide to the Migrating Raptors of Hawk Cliff' by Tom Bolohan - copyright 2004 Hawk Cliff Foundation...

'Not all favourable winds are from the north.  If you want to see Peregrine Falcons make sure to choose a day with very strong, even gale force southwest winds.  Such winds strike the cliff face and are pushed upward, creating great lift (updrafts) along the cliff edge.  Many falcons, eagles, and Osprey take advantage of this lift to migrate effortlessly westward along the lakeshore.'

Replace the word 'cliff' with 'bluff' for our Hawk Watch and of course, they really are one in the same thing.  The direction of the north shore of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario are pretty much exactly the same.  The folks at Hawk Cliff stand and face pretty much exactly the same slightly north-east direction as we do here at Rosetta!

Hopefully I'll see you at the park tomorrow if you're not eating turkey or whatever else early,
Walter