[birdky] Broad-winged & brood

["Joan Carr" <joan-of-art@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Les and I went "blackberry picking" on a VERY HIGH ridge this morning
and saw/heard lots of birds. Just as we were ascending the mountain, I
saw a large bird fly up from a swampy area. At first I thought that it
must be some type of wader. However, shortly thereafter it flew back
toward us and I could see that it was a raptor. Then, a second one
appeared and lit in a nearby tree and provided a good look/see for us.
We could get enough field marks to see that they were BROAD-WINGED
HAWKS. Much to our surprise we discovered three "juvies" in the road
further up the mountain. Is a brood of three the usual for the
BROAD-WINGED? When we finished picking about 3 gallons of berries, we
came back down the mountain and saw them again. This is the first time
that we have seen any breeding in that particular area. We did see a
pair in the deep woods at Fishtrap and they seemed to be guarding a
nesting area. At least they were EXTREMELY vocal with us and screeched
and screamed until we left the area. 
 
There were lots of CHATS, CERULEAN WARBLERS, INDIGO BUNTINGS, WHITE-EYED
VIREOS, BLUE-HEADED VIREOS, YELLOW-THROATED VIREOS, REDSTARTS, BLUE-GRAY
GNATCATCHERS, TOWHEES, ETC., with a total of 20+ species.
 
Cheers, Joan Carr
South Williamson, KY (Pike Co.)

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[birdky] Broad-winged & brood