Speed Birding: Fall Warblers and Raptors, September 2010

In the past few weeks, Alex and I have been birding between Centre, Somerset, and Bedford County. In Bedford County, we’ve visited Shawnee State Park a number of times. One morning brought 10 species of warblers in the trees near the swimming area, including a Northern Parula and a Blackpoll Warbler! A stop one evening revealed two Caspian Terns (that seemed to migrate out within minutes of us spotting them), and a Sanderling, quickly eating every bug in sight on the (now closed) swimming beach. It must have had just arrived, as we were able to approach close for photos without disturbing him. It seems like the trees are always full of warblers at Shawnee, and in the past weeks have included numbers of Pine, Palm, Yellow-rumped, and Cape-May warblers, to name a few. Shawnee is an excellent stop for migrants lately, and will only get better through the fall. The ridges just a few miles to the west of Shawnee are also producing great numbers of warblers at the moment.

Hawk watching has been my daily activity for the past few weeks, when I'm not finding warblers! I’ve been able to visit Allegheny Front Hawk Watch in Somerset/Bedford County for a number of days. A few weeks ago the front got a huge day, with about 230 raptors, of which included 40 Bald Eagles and 30 Osprey! Alex and I went the following day, but with a west wind, conditions just weren’t ideal. Regardless we had a number of osprey move through in addition to Broad-winged Hawks, which were nearly in peak migration at the time. Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels were also more numerous, as were other non-raptor migrants, including an Olive-sided Flycatcher. We also made a trip to Chambersburg for a Conococheague Audubon Society meeting, and were able to spend a few hours at the Pulpit on Tuscarora Summit, with committed hawk counters Dale and Al. Within about two and a half hours, we counted at least 150 migrating raptors! Broad-wings made up the bulk of the flight, but we had a few Osprey and a Bald Eagle as well. The Pulpit is in need of hawk watchers, so please stop by and get in contact with Dale Gearhart if you can find the time to help!

September 15th, marked the beginning of the peak of Broad-winged migration at most hawk watching sites in PA. It is the ridges that make up the leading lines of mountain ranges that can produce the largest numbers of Broad-wings, but the smaller ridges leading into these ridges should not be under-estimated! Hawks are simply funneled into the leading lines, and can gather in the hundreds in kettles near these ridges and over valleys. Almost any ridge in Pennsylvania during peak Broad-winged season can produce a sizeable number of Broad-winged hawks. It is important to keep our ridges protected and un-fragmented, to provide ideal roosting habitat and hunting opportunities for these and other migrants on their very long journeys! At Allegheny Front Hawk Watch alone, over 1064 raptors were counted on September 20th, 1012 of which were Broad-winged Hawks! Most people have no idea that this miracle of nature happens every September on our ridges in Pennsylvania.

Pine Warblers, Shawnee State Park

Black and White Warbler, Shawnee State Park

Sharp-shinned Hawk at Allegheny Front Hawk Watch

My mom at Allegheny Front Hawk Watch

Red-tailed Hawk at Allegheny Front Hawk Watch (Shawnee State Park in background)

12 Broad-winged Hawk kettle moving down a ridge

Migrating Sharp-shinned Hawk

Silhouette of migrating Cooper's Hawk (juvenile)

migrating Cooper's Hawk (juvenile); full crop but not visible

migrating Cooper's Hawk (juvenile) with full crop

Sillhouette of migrating Cooper's Hawk (with full crop)

Palm Warbler at Shawnee State Park

Yellow-rumped, Pine, and Palm Warblers, Shawnee State Park

Black-throated Green Warblers have been moving in large numbers lately on Pennsylvania's ridges!

Blackpoll Warblers looking for, and eating caterpillar

Blackburnian Warbler (who has had his fair share of caterpillars)

Yellow-rumped Warblers along a Pennsylvania ridge top

Magnolia Warbler

Lincoln's Sparrow, an infrequently seen migrant in PA!

Blue-headed Vireo, currently moving through in large numbers

Ruby-crowned Kinglet (saw a Golden-crowned yesterday!)

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker, likely a migrant. Other birds around this sapsucker flushed at the sign of a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but instead, this sapsucker chose to hide, and got very flat against the tree!