Raptors: Raptors picked up significantly during the period. Of the 6 days, 3 were very poor and 3 were very good. In fact, just 3 days of counting, September 7th, 8th and 9th, made up more than 50% of the total raptors seen this season in 22 days of counting! Furthermore, one hour alone on September 9th (from 12-1) tallied more raptors than any other DAY but one this season, with 86 birds recorded during the hour.
September 5th: A very slow day, with only 4 raptors tallied.
September 6th: Not a single migrant raptor was tallied. It rained until 11, with very low clouds throughout the day.
September 7th: Seventy-three raptors of 9 species made this the best day of the season at the time. The clear highlight of the day, and period, was an immature Northern Goshawk that immediately headed south over the straits. Goshawks are rather rare at Pointe LaBarbe, with all but 1 of the 8 recorded last season occurring in the 2nd half of October. The earliest recorded last year was on October 13th, so this season’s bird was rather early. Even in the seasons to come this should still be a very early date for a migrant Northern Goshawk. 13 Sharpies, 11 Broad-wingeds, and 3 Kestrels had their best day of the season at the time. The first migrant Peregrine Falcon of the season flew south. 24 Bald Eagles was a nice tally as well.
September 8th: One-hundred and five raptors of 8 species made this the best day of the season at the time. Turkey Vulture (29), Sharp-shinned Hawk (23), Cooper’s Hawk (2), Broad-winged Hawk (16), and American Kestrel (3), had their best day of the season at the time. Bald Eagles also had another nice day, with 29 recorded.
September 9th: The best day of the season, with 278 raptors, and five new seasonal peaks. Bald Eagles were arguably the best highlight of the day, with 82 birds recorded. 35 Bald Eagles flew south in one hour alone (11-12). It’s hard to know if this will remain the peak day of the season. Last year, Bald Eagles peaked on September 22nd, with 119 birds. However, more than 120 Bald Eagles have been recorded this year than last year at this point in the season. Turkey Vultures and Broad-wingeds had by far their best day of the season, with 87 and 58 birds respectively. Of the 87 Turkey Vultures recorded, 83 crossed the straits. Five Osprey and 39 Sharpies had their best day as well.
September 10th: Rain, then a drizzle to start, and very low clouds throughout the day led to one lone migrant for the day-a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Non-raptors: Most interesting during the period were 6 Red-throated and 9 Common Loons on the 7th, 2 American Pipits on the 8th, and a Northern Pintail today (the 10th). Other birds of interest during the period included Great Blue Heron, Pileated Woodpecker, Chimney Swift, Northern Flicker, Common Grackle, Palm Warbler, Eastern Kingbird, Hooded Merganser, and a slight increase in the number of American Goldfinches. Canada Goose are now being seen about every other day in very small numbers.
Monarchs: The 7th was the last really good day for them, with 603 tallied. Other notable counts included 109 on the 8th and 98 on the 5th. It is highly unlikely any more triple-digit days will occur this season.
Other: On the evening of the 7th I headed up to Point Iroquois to do some ‘lakewatching’. 15 mph northwest winds seemed ideal for waterbirds, but it was quite slow. Most interesting was a single flock of 33 Canada Goose, which contained one blue-morph Snow/Ross’s Goose. Other birds of interest included 2 Blue-winged Teal, 87 Red-necked Grebes, and a Bald Eagle that came in off the lake.
Best of the next 5 days: Tomorrow (Wednesday) should be by far the best day of the period, as long as the rain holds off. After that, Sunday should be the next best day if it doesn’t rain. Apart from an expected nice day tomorrow, this is likely to be the last slow period for raptors until we get closer to the end of the season.
