2129 Hawks, Pack Monandock

Broad-winged Hawk "kettle" of them rising on a thermal of warm air. If they are distant, they look tiny in your binoculars.

Broad-winged Hawk, adult, up close. Sometimes they glide right over your head.

Well, well, in a total reversal of the previous day, on strong east-northeastly winds, Pack Monandnock had a big day, yesterday, a total of 2129 hawks, of those, 2042 were Broad-winged Hawks. Many moved early, then there was a lull, with more sun, in the middle of the day. Then cloud cover returned, but we saw big kettles of many Broadwings at the end of the day. Sooo beautiful to look out and see a large swarming mass of Broadwings rising fast in a kettle that went way up into the top of the sky. I never get tired of that sight. The more I see, the more I want to see. Those OMG moments.

Amazingly, Mt. Wachusett, which had big Broadwing numbers tues., and is not that far away below us, in Massachusetts, only saw 97 hawks yesterday, 60 of those were Broad-winged Hawks. Mt. Watatic, another nearby site, saw 915 hawks yesterday, 821 of those were Broad-winged Hawks. So Pack had the big numbers, yesterday.

There are still more hawks to move. Yesterday, at the end of the day, we saw big Broad-winged Hawk kettles, getting lift, in what seemed like big, gray, cloud cover, so don't assume they only move in sunny, cumulus conditions. If you want to see hawks, keep looking today. We'll be on Pack.