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Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Go Hawk Watching Today

Broad-winged Hawk, juv.

A "kettle" i.e group of Broad-winged Hawks, plus some Turkey Vultures, rising on a thermal

Merlin, a species of falcon. Falcons have pointed wings, a good ID clue.

Northern Goshawk, cruised by Pack Monadnock on sat.

View from the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory on top of Pack Monadnock Mt., Peterborough, NH. The observatory is run by NH Aubudon. You can drive to the summit and take a short walk out to the platform.

Henry Walters, the hawk counter, holding the rehabilitated Broad-winged Hawk that was released at Pack on Sat.

Good Luck!

Julie Tilden, the hawk watch coordinator, just married Phil Brown of NH Audubon, and we gave them an advance copy of our new field guide as a wedding present.

Sharp-shinned Hawks are a common migrant at Pack.

Us, last Sat. We will be at Pack today, helping count the migrating hawks.

Hawks will be migrating in New England today, so get your binoculars and look up at the sky or go to one of the hawk watch sites like Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory in Peterborough, NH, which had 549 raptors yesterday. That's where we'll be.

This is peak migration time for Broad-winged Hawks and thousands migrate each fall out of the Northeast. The winds will be strong today, not the greatest for producing the thermals broadwings use to migrate, but hawks will still move. Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks, Northern Goshawks, American Kestrels, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons and Bald Eagles will all be flying.

Here's the prediction for Pack from the official hawk counter, Henry Walters
"Signs point to this being a big day. Winds west to northwest, still fairly
strong, but plenty of sunshine, both around Pack and to the north as well.
High of 60, but you'll be glad to bring a pair of gloves. And a
high-powered abacus."

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