[EBB Sightings] Raptors at Crockett Hills 3/30

Today's raptor count at Crockett Hills:

Turkey Vulture 47
Red-tailed Hawk 295
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4
Cooper's Hawk 17
Northern Harrier 25
Kestrel 1
White Tailed Kite 10
Osprey 2
Unidentified Accipiter 5
Unidentified Raptor 13

Total: 419
Total Minutes: 240
Raptors per hour: 104.75

Was joined to today by Ted Robertson. We had a great time. Ted helped nail a
lot of long-distance sightings with his scope. He was great at spotting
accipiters too. A couple came in at very low altitude right over us. Two
went by literally just above the grass in front of us. We could see every
stripe in their tails. It was pretty amazing. 

The accipiter count is increasing. Including unidentified accips, we saw 26.
That's the largest number so far. Northern Harriers continue to be strong.
White Tailed Kites are increasing day by day. A male has staked out a tree
nearby and can be seen doing an intricate aerial display in the morning.
Also, the dark-morph Red Tail continues to woo passing females. There's a
lot of aerial courtship behavior, particularly among Red Tails. 

The soaring conditions were forecast to be poor to moderate today. Most
birds were seen either near hill-tops or at moderate altitude (about
500--1000 feet). Saw few birds at the high altitudes associated with good
thermal conditions. Today's total is down a bit from yesterday's as a
result. Also, the risk of double-counting was a bit higher since more birds
were probably milling around looking for lift. 

Starting next week, I will be going out once a week instead of every day. If
anyone is interested in going along, let me know. 

I'd be up for going out there on a weekend day around April 15 to introduce
the site to interested folks. We can do some hawk-watching and enjoy the
spectacular view. I think I can get the EBRPD to give us access to the site
directly from Cummings Skyway. If so, it's about a 10 minute walk. 

If you're interested, email me: harvmon at comcast.net. 

Harv Wilson