East winds are usually a hassle for counting raptors — as was the case today. There was a nice amount of Broad-winged Hawks, but it seemed as though very few were crossing the Straits. Instead they were just drifting from north to south and back again for hours. The east winds were also very strong, 10-20 kmph throughout the day. It made what would’ve been a warm day a rather cold day. It was nice to have so many Broad-winged Hawks to look at, at least.
Although we were at Darrow’s field today (due to easterly winds), Steve and I checked on the Killdeer nest at the Recreation Center and, predictably, there were three eggs now. Killdeer typically lay 4-6 eggs before incubation.
Highlights: 3 Golden Eagles in the sky at once, at least 5 Northern Red-tailed Hawks, and the local American Kestrels hunting in front of us all day.
Turkey Vulture – 39
Osprey – 2
Bald Eagle – 3
Northern Harrier – 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 26
Red-shouldered Hawk – 1
Broad-winged Hawk – 416
Red-tailed Hawk – 19
Rough-legged Hawk – 2
Golden Eagle – 3
Sandhill Crane – 3
Common Loon – 11
