Well, the start and end of this last week went great. Everything in between… not so much. The days in between produced 0-1 raptors per day. We did have to close early one day and didn’t even open one day due to rain.
However, we have started to see juvenile Broad-winged Hawks (BWHA) move in which has been exciting! As we start seeing more young buteos, we have begun to see fewer accipiters coming through this late in the season. This is fairly typical as the season progresses.
Unfortunately, as this week wasn’t very productive, there isn’t much to note other than the two transmitters that were deployed on second-year Red-tailed Hawks (RTHA). Both birds were healthy with a minimal louse load.
Note: at the time of these pictures the transmitters had not been attached yet.
Pictured above: our sixth transmitter of the year went on this second-year RTHA
Pictured above: our seventh transmitter of the year went on this second-year RTHA
Here’s to hoping for optimal weather conditions this week!
Our totals for the season are as follows:
Red-tailed Hawks: 69
Red-shouldered Hawks: 1
Broad-winged Hawks: 1
Northern Harriers: 7
Cooper’s Hawks: 5
Sharp-shinned Hawks: 51
Merlins: 5
American Kestrels: 1
Total: 140
