Hawk flight

Miliff (Miliff@aol.com)
Thu, 16 Apr 1998 14:30:46 EDT 

Hello all,

    In town briefly before leaving tomorrow for Texas (for Texas Birding
Classic) and thence to Nevada (atlasing for Great Basin Bird Observatory).  I
pulled into my house today at about 10:20, and immediately noticed two Broad-
wings overhead.  They were quickly followed by 3 more so I got some homemade
Rhubarb Pie, a pillow, and lay down on my lawn for a couple hours to watch the
flight.  I have not donw much hawkwatching at my house, though I have had some
good flights over the years.  My two hours today may have been the best ever.

10:20-1:45 
winds 5-15 from S/SE
sky hazy with scattered clouds

Black Vulture -1 obvious migrant, 3 probably resident
Turkey Vulture - 1 obvious migrant, 15 ??
Osprey - 3 resident, 6 migrant
Northern Harrier - 1 imm./female
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 26
Cooper's Hawk - 19
Red-tailed Hawk - 4 (1 obvious migrant, others apparently migrating)
Broad-winged Hawk - 23 (mostly singles or pairs, largest group was 4)
Red-shouldered Hawk - 3 migrant, 1 resident
American Kestrel - 11 migrants
Merlin - 2
Peregrine - 1 (2nd ever for my yard) 

119 total, 12 raptor (raptor and stork) species - I think Ft. Smallwood's best
is 13 (on several occasions), but I may be mistaken.  Perhaps I'll get Bald
Eagle (or better) before the day is out.

Other goodies were a Cliff Swallow (yard bird #208), 2 Purple Martins, several
each of Barn and Rough-winged Swallows, a Northern Parula, a Yellow Palm
Warbler, 4 Common Loons, 9,1,1,18 Double-crested Cormorants, 2 ad. Laughing
Gulls, 5 Ring-billed Gulls, and 11 HerringGulls, and an ad. Little Blue Heron
in my vernal pond through the day (about 5th for yard, 2 of which were adults
on April 11 in different years).  Anyone who wants to try for the Little Blue
for an Anne Arundel County bird or whatever is free to give me a call at
410-269-1589.  I can give directions (I live in Annapolis off Forest Drive).

So, if any of you people out there with "real jobs" have a chance to take a
second lunch break or something, it might be worth watching the sky for a
bit...

I'll be monitoring MDOsprey from my laptop out west, but won't have any more
birdies to contribute for a while.   So, to all, have a great spring migration
and send some eastern warblers out to Nevada for me (I'll try to do the
same!).

Best,

Marshall Iliff
miliff@aol.com