A spectacular "liftoff" of Broadwinged Hawks was seen at Cromwell Valley Park this morning, Thursday Sept. 20th. Beginning at 9:15 AM small groups were seen rising up from the BGE power line ridge. By 9:30 larger groups began forming over both ridges and directly in front of the watch-site. The numbers came fast and furious, with several large kettles in view simultaneously. Cal Orvis, Bud Orvis, Mark Miller and I attempted to assist Andy Smith with getting an accurate count, but we were a bit overwhelmed by the number of groups spread out across the sky. The largest kettles contained over 160 birds each. These groups formed and streamed off quickly. By 10:00 AM liftoff was over, and subsequent numbers were high and streaming. Our count was just under 900 BWs, but we all agreed that this number is very much an undercount as many birds got by us without being noted. Mark Miller had his camera clicking away, so I trust he got some good shots. I will try to post late tonight to get Andy's full day count. Go to hawk count.org for details.
Jim Meyers
Parkville MD
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