Jo Hays Vista Hawk Watching, September 14, 2011

I got a late start today at Jo Hays Vista, but it didn't matter because the valley was covered in a thick blanket of haze until about 3:40.  I arrived at 12:00, and I was joined by Chuck Widdman shortly after.  The wind was nonexistant, and local Turkey Vultures weren't even flying around.  Monarchs just seemed to float in mid air with no help from any updrafts or thermals. At 2:00, Chuck spotted our first bird of the day, a far away accipiter, trying to get some lift near a Turkey Vulture.  The bird never came back into view and took the southern edge of the ridge versus flying over us.  About half an hour later, Chuck spotted an adult Bald Eagle in a quick powered flight right over tree level and the road. Apparently he couldn't find any thermals either in the thick haze.  A few local Red-tailed Hawks cruised over the valley eventually, and while they got some height, they were never able to break through the haze.  Eventually, some clouds started to break, and after a few gray clouds passed, they were replaced with a bunch of nice fluffy white clouds.  I got a text from Drew Weber on campus that said he had between 100 and 200 Broad-winged Hawks circling over the stadium.  We were worried we would miss them in the thick haze that was only slowly lifting over the valley, but within about 25 minutes, a huge kettle of Broad-wings was visible way out over the valley against a white puffy cloud.  Todd Stawser had showed up just before this and was able to help us count this kettle, as they glided off to the west and towards our ridge.  While this was happening, Chuck was on another kettle that was gliding off to the east, comparable in size to the first at about 190.  Eventually, smaller kettles of new birds started forming just west of the radio towers, and before we knew it, our Broad-winged count was at 453!  An Osprey, a few Northern Harriers, and American Kestrels also flew through during this push when the weather cleared, and in the last few hours of the day, Chet and Sue Gottfried showed up to help us spot a few more kestrels, 2 more Bald Eagles, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk.  Our total count of Broad-wings was 456, and our total raptor count was 469.  Thanks to Chuck, Todd, Chet, and Sue for their help today! While tomorrows weather looks grim from the morning to early afternoon, the weather is likely to break between 3:00 and 4:00, which will likely result in another good push of Broad-wings.

Jo Hays Vista Hawk Watching, September 13, 2011

Yesterday, I spent most of the day hawk watching at Jo Hays Vista hawk watch. While I didn’t get nearly as many raptors as Hawk Mountain (more than 1600!), I more than doubled Jo Hays season count.  This was mainly due to small kettles of Broad-winged Hawks that consistently came through between 1:00 and 2:00.  Kettles ranged in size from around 10 to 20 Broad-wings each.  After gliding in over the “Happy Valley” of State College, kettles usually formed right over the radio towers. Here, they would rise high into the sky and glide off to the east above the ridge.  A few Sharp-shinned Hawks came into view near the kettles, and two Cooper’s Hawks were also mixed in throughout the day. Occasionally, single Broad-winged Hawks would fly through, after a number of kettles had formed and left, as if they had missed the memo that it was peak Broad-winged migration week and they were hurrying to catch up.  I also counted 8 Bald Eagles today, including 2 juveniles, a subadult, and 5 adults. One adult flew right through the “vista” overlook and over the road in full powered flight. Unfortunately there were no visitors to see it. If you really want to see a Bald Eagle here, you’ve got to put in the time. Only 2 of my eight were visible with the naked eye today.  I’ll be up at Jo Hays for the remainder of the week if anyone would like to join me and help me count Broad-wings!

Broad-winged Hawk - adult

Broad-winged Hawk - adult

Bald Eagle - adult

Bald Eagle - adult

Bald Eagle - adult

Turkey Vulture - adult

Monarchs migrate too!

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Raptor posts to check out

Over at Nemesis Bird, Alex has made a pretty awesome series of posts (Part 1 and Part 2....Part 3 to come soon) about how to age and sex Swainson's Hawks of various color types. Being from the east, I hadn't seen many of these until I made a few trips through Nebraska and Kansas, and now have lived in Idaho for about 3 months now.

Also check out this post by Jerry Liguori over at Utah Birders for a few photos of subadult Broad-winged Hawks.  These birds appear to be adults, but at close range can be determined to be subadults (still transitioning from juvenile to adult plumage)...yet another cautionary tale about trying to age/sex every raptor that you see at a distance!!!

Broad-winged Hawk and Other Migrants/Arrivals near Boise, Idaho

Migrants are slowly trickling into Idaho, giving us a few birds to chase every day after work.  We saw our first Western Kingbird on April 24th at CJ Strike WMA, and now see them more frequently. A day later, we saw our first House Wrens and Chipping Sparrows (although we'd heard House Wrens about a week earlier).  Around the same time, huge flocks of American Pipits were moving through our field sites. 

Western Kingbird - Prairie, Idaho

American Pipit, Black's Creek Reservoir, Idaho

Warblers are slow to arrive, but at Discovery State Park on April 29th, we found a passerine flocks that consisted mostly of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Black-capped Chickadees and Ruby-crowned Kinglets, in addition to a few Chipping Sparrows, 3 Nashville Warblers, and an Orange-Crowned Warbler (the last two were both year and state birds).  Our drive through the Black's Creek Road riparian corridor didn't give us the warblers we were hoping for on May 2nd, and we also didn't see any Lewis's Woodpeckers where they typically would be found after arriving.  Just a few days later a pair was seen at Discovery State Park, so it is likely they've arrived on Black's Creek Road.  We also didn't see any Yellow Warblers that day, but found one at the Wilson's Springs Ponds and another at Lake Lowell on May 4th.

Shorebirds have also been appearing.  You have to catch these guys quick, because the majority of them don't breed here, and can only be seen in migration (with the exception of Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Willet, Spotted Sandpiper, Long-billed Curlew, Wilson's Phalarope, and Wilson's Snipe--all of which breed here).  Our first Great and Lesser Yellowlegs were both on April 18th, and we've seen plenty more since.  We saw our first 'Western' Willet at the Weitz Road ponds on April 25th, and stumbled upon a flock of Marbled Godwits with a single Wilson's Phalarope up north near Midvale, Idaho.  On May 2nd, we found a Solitary Sandpiper in a small flooded field near Prairie, Idaho, and later that day got our first Least Sandpipers for the state (already had my FOY in Florida) at the Mountain Home Reservoir.

Solitary Sandpipier - near Prairie, Idaho

Marbled Godwits and Wilson's Phalarope - Jackson Creek Pond (north of Midvale, Idaho)

Least Sandpipers - Mountain Home Reservoir, Idaho

Least Sandpiper - Mountain Home Reservoir, Idaho

American Avocet - Mountain Home Reservoir, Idaho (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Forster's Terns and Caspian Terns have also arrived, and Black Terns should be here soon.  On April 22nd, we found our first Idaho Lincoln's Sparrow at Chicken Dinner Wetlands, and got a better look at a pair later in the day at Lake Lowell. On April 27th, Alex and I flushed a Grasshopper while looking for curlew nests, and have seen a handful since then (a state bird for me, but I already had my FOY in Florida).
 

Caspian Tern - CJ Strike WMA, Idaho

One of our best finds since we've been here was an adult Broad-winged Hawk on May 1st. In about 3.5 months, these birds will be pouring south through Pennsylvania by the thousands.  Even though these birds are common in PA, its fun to see some of our common birds as "rarities" in the west. Not many are seen in Idaho each year, but a number are seen during spring and fall migration periods.  Initially it was perched in a tree, but flew off in a nice soar before continuing north.

Broad-winged Hawk, adult - Cascade Lake, Idaho

My best personal find so far has been a Sage Thrasher on April 12, while I was out in the field looking for Long-billed Curlews.  I haven't seen any since, and unfortunately for Alex, he was working a different route that day.  Along with a Pileated Woodpecker I spotted on Lick Creek Road, I've got a satisfying 2 bird lead on Alex for the state.  Alex usually anihilates me on listing competitions since I'm usually tied down to a small area for work, and he has school weekends to go birding and chase vagrants.  Better start birding harder, Alex.