Hi Fred,

You may already be aware of eBird (http://ebird.org/content/ebird/), but 
just wanted to point out that it's pretty much designed to record 
exactly this kind of data and present it in a flexible geographic display.

 I just checked it for the two species you mentioned, and it does look 
as though Broad-winged Hawk sightings are quite scarce where you are 
(the western shore) in the fall. Common Nighthawk sightings seem to be a 
bit more frequent in that area.

Of course, not everyone on this list records their sightings on eBird. 
But I think your post provides an excellent practical example of why 
everyone on this list should!  (And by the way, all my sightings of the 
two species you mentioned have been recorded on eBird; so you can access 
them directly from that site).

Cheers,
Jim Moore
Rockville, Maryland

Fred Fallon wrote:
> Recently there have been several postings reporting large numbers of 
> Broad-winged Hawks, while other observers have seen none. I wonder if 
> there are specific fly-ways followed by this species (aside from 
> locations of the well-known hawk watches) and would like to map their 
> occurrence. If those who have seen kettles passing overhead would send 
> me off-line the approx geographic coordinates of their home, or 
> whatever their observing site, and time of day, I will try to see if a 
> pattern emerges. Negative reports from birders who have watched for 
> but seen none are equally welcome. In the same way, I would like to 
> receive reports - positive or negative - of Common Nighthawks.
>
> If any interesting findings emerge I will post them here.
>
> Fred Fallon
> Huntingtown
>
>