Inland Pacific Northwest Raptor Migration 2021's Boletim

Arquivos de periódicos de setembro 2021

01 de setembro de 2021

August Summary

August has come to a close so now I must do the monthly summary. Here's some statistics you might want to know:

Top 5 Species (August):
Red-tailed Hawk -- 35 obs
Osprey -- 20 obs
Swainson's Hawk -- 19 obs
Turkey Vulture -- 17 obs (+1)
Great Horned Owl -- 10 obs (new to Top 5)

Top 5 Species (Overall):
Red-tailed Hawk -- 78 obs
Osprey -- 42 obs
Swainson's Hawk -- 36 obs
Turkey Vulture -- 32 obs (+1)
American Kestrel -- 22 obs (-1)

Total Species Overall: 26

Top 5 Observers (Observations): birdwhisperer 74 obs, @andybridges 40 obs, @cgates326 22 obs, @jnelson 16 obs, and @docprt 13 obs

Top 5 Observers (Species): birdwhisperer 12 species, cgates326 9 species, andybridges 9 species, jnelson 8 species, and docprt 6 species

Species Still Not Observed: White-tailed Kite, Northern Goshawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Spotted Owl, Gyrfalcon -- 9 species

New Species in August: Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Western Screech-Owl, Barred Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Merlin -- 6 species

Counties Needing Observations: WA -- Ferry, Columbia -- OR -- Gilliam, Morrow, Jefferson

News and What to Expect in September:
Two months have gone by already folks! And in these thirty-one days, the project has collected 154 observations, which means we are still on pace to cut it really close to our 2020 final observation count, about 900 observations. I really want this to be a record year for this project so let's see if we can get a few more volunteers to help us out. Invite your friends and family to join the project.

Observation of the week goes to @mrp123 for a photo of this male Northern Harrier at Badger Mountain, Washington. What can I say about harriers, these "marsh hawks" are known for their acrobatic flights. I admit this fall has been a pretty slow year for them but with the drought most of the state has been having, maybe they've travelled on to greener pastures. So to see this bird is a real treat.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/92989427

Observation of the month goes to jnelson for his juvenile Western Red-tailed Hawk in the Steen Mountains. It's becoming that time of year you have to watch out for your red-tails. Harlan's will be arriving from their breeding grounds in Alaska any day now and vagrant subspecies like Eastern or Northern will be coming through in September. Good for this observation though, the thick patagials and heavily barred flanks are good Western traits.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/92794105

September is the month for Broad-winged Hawks. I really want someone to get one, I know they're out there. Go on a mountain top with unobscured views and just scan the sky. Okanagan and Steen birders should pay particular attention to their skies. Good luck everyone!

Posted on 01 de setembro de 2021, 05:40 PM by birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

09 de setembro de 2021

Flexing

Welcome again folks, I'm late again but only by a day. Twenty-four observations were added to the project during the week and though it's not a late, it's better than nothing. We just need to keep trying and getting more photos of raptors, whether it be the Turkey Vulture on the way to work, or a raptor survey on top of a mountain.

The observation of the week goes to @tbakeror for a sunlit female American Kestrel in Fields, Oregon. I've only been to Fields once but it is a fantastic place for raptors and passerines alike. I feel like I do a raptor survey at the oasis while sipping a Fields milkshake. Anyway, the kestrel is our smallest diurnal raptor and an excellent help in pest control as they feed on mice and insects. If you see a kestrel around, you know they're doing their job.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/93661374

Next week should be good for raptors. Summer is ending and that means hawks are heading south. The other day, I saw a couple kettles mostly consisting of turkey vultures and Swainson's hawks, so it's coming. If farmers haven't plowed yet, continue going to that spot because when they do plow, the hawks will follow the tractor like a mother duck. Good luck to you all and have a good week!

Posted on 09 de setembro de 2021, 05:17 PM by birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

17 de setembro de 2021

Latest Addition

We've reached the next week for this project so let's give a quick right down on what happened. Eighteen new observations were added which is well under average but we're going to have weeks like that. As long as we break the 1,000 obs mark, that's all that matters.

Observation of the week goes to @philkahler for giving us a new species, a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk in Walla Walla. They are by far the most underreported raptor in the Pacific Northwest because of their close resemblance to Red-shouldered Hawks (adults) and Swainson's Hawk (juvenile). Though thought of as an eastern species, many Canadian breeders migrate through western US and some HawkWatches have seen as many as 115 individuals in one day. With these large numbers, they got to be coming from someone and Phil is our lucky spotter.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/94582546

As we continue through this week, keep your eyes on the skies. The more Broad-wings the better and if you're on a mountain top, you're chances are that much higher. Vultures are starting to flock as well as they start going south. Many things to do so photograph raptors and post!

Posted on 17 de setembro de 2021, 07:38 PM by birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

24 de setembro de 2021

Carrying the Team

The last seven days were wild as an additional 66 observations were added to the project. That's twice the goal I set per week so that's really good. Here's the kicker though. I account for 60 of these observations. I guess you can say I took one for the team. Not only that, I still need to submit a couple more sightings from yesterday, including my 800th Red-tailed Hawk photo.

I'm putting myself on the spotlight today because I'm taking up the bulk majority of the new sightings. Though I photographed over 40 Red-tailed Hawks on Sunday showing every gradient of variation, why not go back to the textbook individuals. My best quality photo is a juvenile calurus sitting on a pole outside of Joseph, Oregon. He pretty much summarizes what a typical juvenile looks like. A heavy bellyband, white breast, faint barring on the flanks... You can view the photo here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/95675857

There's still some time to get some Broad-wings in before they're completely gone. This is the last full week of September so find them fast. Good thing this is the best week to find them. Also photograph Swainson's if possible, it could be your chance. I also saw a report of someone seeing THREE Boreal Owls at Mount Rainier the other day. This is putting me in the owling mood so go out and find the most elusive species on our list!

Posted on 24 de setembro de 2021, 04:49 AM by birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário

30 de setembro de 2021

Banding the Hawks

Thirty-seven observations is not a lot but it was a wild week. As you will come to know in a minute, it was ridiculously hard for me to chose an observation for the week. There were so many good spots! I photographed a juvenile California Red-shouldered Hawk near Pendleton. On the same day, I ran into Jamie Simmons and he has submitted a couple of Red-tails while he was on this side of the state. Mason Maron got to photograph several Accipiters while they were being banded. Mason also photographed the second Broad-winged Hawk of the project. Another user submitted an amazing closeup of a Great Horned Owl. But the winner out of all these sightings... is Ken Chamberlain.

@kenchamberlain gets the Observation of the Week because his photo of a banded Sharp-shinned Hawk is simply amazing. You can see all the minute details in the face, the dark nape that confirms the id. It's just a work of art. And I hope soon, I can attend a banding season at Mount Hood or maybe Chelan.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/96330867

I'll post again in a couple of days but there's not much left to say that I haven't already said in previous post. Last week to see Broad-winged Hawks people, and October is a great time to look for owls, especially Boreal. Good luck to all of you!

Posted on 30 de setembro de 2021, 10:14 PM by birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentários | Deixar um comentário