[texbirds] GCBO Smith Point hawk count, 4 October

From: Tony leukering <greatgrayowl@xxxxxxx>
To: texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2013 18:52:20 -0500
Hi all:
For the second consecutive day, the count cracked 1000, with today's highlight 
being doubling yesterday's count of 10 Peregrines.  This total of 20 today 
smokes the previous one-day record at Smith Point of 15 on 25 Sep 2005!  Other 
raptor highlights included two Swallow-tailed Kites together (ph.), which is of 
interest for at least three reasons:  1) a new Oct high count, 2) the 
third-latest record at SP, and 3) only the 4th and 5th Oct Swallow-taileds 
here.  Today also marked the highest species count among tallied raptor 
migrants for the season with 13.  That was helped by tallying migrants of both 
vulture species the first time this year.  I did not count the juvenile 
White-tailed Hawk that cruised by eastward high and distant this afternoon.  I 
did not count it because I tallied one yesterday and the views on both birds 
were poor, negating any chance to determine whether they were different birds.

Blue-gray Gnatcatchers moved early in numbers, but did not keep things going 
into the afternoon, so I wound up three short of the century mark.  A flock of 
five Eastern Kingbirds had tyrannid company at the tower today, as I also 
snagged singles of Scissor-tailed Fly and Eastern Phoebe, the latter being a 
seasonal first.  It was also feeling a bit like fall early as a number of 
blackbird flocks went by, mostly of Red-wingeds and Brown-headed Cowbirds.

Raptors counted:

Black Vulture - 9
Turkey Vulture - 45
Osprey - 2
Northern Harrier - 3
Swallow-tailed Kite - 2
Mississippi Kite - 38
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 51
Cooper's Hawk - 33
Broad-winged Hawk - 1031
Swainson's Hawk - 2
American Kestrel - 14 (12f, 2u)
Merlin - 1
Peregrine Falcon - 20 (3 ad, 8 juv, 9 u)
Total - 1251

The Internet connection at Arecelia is still out, hence the more-complete 
report in this venue.

Amazingly, the weekend forecast still looks excellent; see you out here!

Tony

Tony Leukering
Smith Point, TX
http://smithpointhawkwatch.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tony_leukering/
http://www.aba.org/photoquiz/
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[texbirds] GCBO Smith Point hawk count, 4 October

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