Hi all! I am back again as spring hawk counter after a very enjoyable fall season at Point LaBarbe. I look forward to seeing lots of you raptor enthusiasts at the watch as the birds get more numerous and the days continue to get warmer.
So far, it has been a very good Golden Eagle spring. As many of you might already be aware of, we had a near record day on March 12 with 75 recorded, the second highest single-day total for the site. We are perhaps on a record pace for the season as a whole; only time will tell.
Lately, Red-tailed Hawks have become the dominant raptor at the watch. We are also seeing very good numbers of Red-shouldered Hawks and are perhaps on a record pace for that species overall. Below is the overall summary for the spring thus far.
Turkey Vulture 14
Bald Eagle 173
Northern Harrier 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 13
Cooper’s Hawk 1
Northern Goshawk 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 125
Red-tailed Hawk 517
Rough-legged Hawk 33
Golden Eagle 176
American Kestrel 3
Merlin 6
Peregrine Falcon 2
Total 1,067
