Hawkwatch Winding Down April 10-13, 2013

April 13:
Leader:
Hal Cohen

Migration:
Turkey Vultures-34

Discussion:
The hawkwatch is winding down for the season. Only a few Swainson's and TV's have migrated through the area recently. Today, April 13, 34 TVs moved through. This is the last blog for the season. I am off to Chicago for the summer. I will work on a summary after the season ends next week. Check out the youtube of TV's today. I was hoping for a Zone-tailed Hawk-no luck.

http://youtu.be/zQaMCpHtFTM

A few of the TV's 4/13/13-HC

April 10, 2013, Still a Few Swainson's Coming Through

Leader:
Laura Webb
Assisted by:
Joe Hopkins, Hal Cohen

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-3
Turkey Vultures-2
Possible Osprey

Discussion:
Sunny, no clouds and temperatures ranging from 60's to upper 70's. Three Swainson's lifted off from the Date Farm. An Osprey observed at the The Springs RV Park began to migrate at 9:50A.

Here is a link to a recent article in the San Diego Tribune about the hawk watch. Please ignore the king comment.
http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/08/tp-watchers-disappointed-by-hawks-low-numbers/

Evening Watch:
No evident migration into town this evening.

Osprey-4/10/13-HC

Cross-eyed Osprey-4/10/13-HC

Aborted Hawkwatch April 8, 2013

No watch on April 8. We had a huge sand/wind storm all day. Below is one of the you tubes from the hawk watch.
Leader April 9:
Steve Bier
Assisted by:
Joe Hopkins

Migration Today:
Turkey Vultures-7
Osprey-1

Discussion:
The wind on Monday finally calmed down today. Attached is a link to a short youtube of the watch site yesterday. Wind gusts to 83mph were reported. I have a request for a close up of a Swainson's Hawk. Below is a shot of captured Swainson's Hawk.

http://youtu.be/I2mRttDZWi4

Evening Watch:
Only 1 Swainson's Hawk was reported from the watch this evening. Some TV's came in but might be residents. Only a few days left in the season.

Swainson's Hawk captured for banding-HC

Lots of TV's Today-April 7. 2013

Leader:

Herb Stone

Assisted by: 

Judy Davis, Wes Hetrick

Migration Today:

Swainson's Hawks-3

Turkey Vultures-82

Red-tailed Hawk-1

Sharp-shinned Hawk-1

Discussion:

Partly sunny with light wind from the south and temperatures from mid 60's to high 70's. Lift off from the Road Runner Club at 8:20A. Two large kettles were observed at 8:30A including the TV's, SW's and the Redtail. At 9:45A a lone Sharp-shinned Hawk migrated up Coyote Canyon. 

Evening Watch:

Not much to report. Only 1 Swainson's Hawk was observed and the resident TV's

Closeup of a TV-4/7/13-HC

Resident TV's coming to roost-4/7/13-HC

Things Picking Up This Evening-April 6, 2013

Leader:
Wes Hetrick
Assisted by:
Pam Albers, Joe Hopkins, Herb Stone

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-5

Discussion:
The hawks moved very late, 10:50 and 10:57A. This tends to indicate that our missed hawks during this period have been moving later in the day. We may have been missing our birds because they are not stopping to roost in the valley. If they are moving through in the middle of the day it would be difficult for us to see them as thermals will have allowed them to fly at very high altitude.

Today I went to Anza to check out the terminus of Coyote Canyon. Within a few hours I watched Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered hawks and a Sharpshin pass through the area. We believe most of our hawks depart Coyote Canyon at Anza to our north.

Evening Watch:
75 Turkey Vultures and 10 Swainson's Hawks came into the Date Farm this evening. The watchers had good looks at the SW's in trees and on the ground.

Prediction:
We may be getting some strong wind by morning. If so, the TV's and SW's will depart early. Hopefully the wind will hold off and the raptors will lift off at a reasonable hour such as 8A.

Where to View:
The evening watch might be the best viewing spot tomorrow.

Exit from Coyote Canyon at Anza-4/6/13-HC

Red-tailed Hawk-Anza-4/6/13-HC

Red-tailed Hawk-Anza-4/6/13-HC

Another 0 Day-April 5, 2013

Leader:
Bob Theriault
Assisted by:
Wes Hetrick, Pam Albers, Anne Reilly, Joe Hopkins

Migration Today:
0

Discussion:
Weather was 63-77 and partly cloudy with wind 15-17 mph NNW. No Swainson's Hawks were observed today. Several resident TV's lifted off at 9A. 3 Red-tailed Hawks and a Harrier were seen in flight.

We have entered uncharted waters. In no other season have the Swainson's Hawks numbers dropped so rapidly during this period (March 31 to April 5). So far we have not had an explanation for the dramatic change in the migration pattern.

Evening Watch:
No apparent hawks arriving this evening. We did have 3 Redtails above the Date Farm but no Swainson's Hawks.

LIght Intermediate Morph Adult Male

Season Beginning to Wind Down-April 4, 2013

Leader:
Joe Hopkins
Assisted by: Wes Hetrick

Migration Today:
Red-tailed Hawk-1
Turkey Vultures-13

Discussion:
Sunny and 61-88 degrees today. Very light NNW winds throughout the morning. Thirteen TV's lifted off from Ellis Farm at 9:20A and departed the valley. A Red-tailed Hawk migrated through Coyote Canyon.

Is tonight the night? We are hopeful that at some time in the next few days we will have a nice migration of Swainson's Hawks.

We have had nice sightings of Coyote's from the evening site.

Evening Watch:
Once again little to report. One Swainson's Hawk was observed this evening.

Young coyote's across the road from the evening site-4/4/13-HC

March Comparisons-April 3, 2013

Leader:
Laura Webb
Assisted by:
Pam Albers, Wes Hetrick, Joe Hopkins

Migration Today:
0

Discussion:
Once again a 0 day for migration. So far we have no explanation for the lack of hawks lately. The watchers did see a Prairie Falcon, a non migrant.

Below is a look at a comparison of March Swainson's Hawk numbers. You can access all of the count records for the past 11 years at Hawkcount.org. Hit Monthly Summaries and scroll down to Borrego Valley Hawkwatch.

Year              Swainson's Hawks Numbers
2004              3909              
2005              2191
2006              1096
2007              2113
2008              4683
2009              1552
2010              2601
2011              6252
2012              4147
2013              3070

The average number of Swainson's Hawks observed during the 10 full spring counts in March is 3161. This year we are just under the average number (3070 counted this year). This year (2013) is ranked 5 out of the 10 years.

Looking at April, we have had some nice early April counts. In our partial first year of counting, a large tornado of hawks was observed the evening of April 4th. This was our first observation of an evening group coming in to roost. I had happened to be roaming around the valley and was on my way home just after the sun went down. On Di Giorgio Rd close to the Fun Farm road I looked east and was astounded to see a tornado of hawks. After years of experience counting I now believe it numbered around 800-1000. I followed the hawks until it was dark. They moved in a northwest direction toward Coyote Canyon. Some of the hawks appeared to continue into the canyon. I put out a notice to friends in the area and we went out early on April 5th in search of the hawks. We could not locate any hawks in trees or on the ground. We went to Henderson Canyon Rd and Borrego Springs Road and just waited there. By 9A hundreds of hawks streamed overhead. Our final count was  far below the number I believe I observed the evening before.

Other big April Swainson's Counts include:
2003-April 4-204; April 5-595; April 6-186; April 7-186
2011-April 4-592; April 6-381; April 8-105; April 10-150; April 14-144
2012-April 4-102; April 8-247; April 9-85

Evening Watch:
13 TV's flew in to Ellis from the north. No Swainson's Hawk were counted this evening.

What we want to see in the next few days-HC

Some Hawks Moving Today-April 2, 2013

Leader:
Steve Bier
Assisted by:
Wes Hetrick, Pam Albers and Joe Hopkings

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-11
Turkey Vultures-38

Discussion:
A nice kettle of Swainson's that may have roosted at De Anza Country Club. Perhaps this is why we have been missing hawks for the past few days. De Anza is tucked in close to the mountains. The hawks could easily slip out of town from this location.

Evening Watch:
Once again we did not see any hawks from the evening site. However, we did get a report of 15 Swainson's Hawks observed a few miles south of the watch. We never did see these birds at the evening watch. There was another report from this morning of several hawks observed southeast of town.

Question:
Where can I see lots of Swainson's Hawks in fall. Take a trip to Cardel, Veracruz and over 25 species of raptors can be seen including a few hundred thousand Swainson's and Broad-winged Hawks in one day! October 15/just before and after are good dates to consider. Check out Veracruz, River of Raptors at Hawkcount.org. Check Monthly Summaries and scroll down to Veracruz, River of Raptors.

Below is a coyote that bounded across the road near the evening site a few days ago. When I don't have hawk photo's to share I dig deep! The SW's hawk in the photo shows the two tone (dark/gray) topside.

Two-tone top upper wing view-HC

Coyote crossing the road-HC

Continued Slow Migration-April 1, 2013

Leader:
Herb Stone
Assisted by:
Wes Hetrick and Joe Hopkins

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-2

Discussion:
Of the 5 Swainson's observed last night only 2 apparently migrated. It is unusual to have a lengthy period with few birds migrating. The next week will hopefully bring in many Swainson's. Our window of opportunity is closing down. We are still optimistic however. We are beginning to see many grasshoppers, a good sign. Now we just need the SW's to find them.  We've had some nice looks at Red-tailed hawks lately, (resident birds).

Evening Watch:
Tonight only 3 Swainson's Hawks flew into the Date Farm. These could be the 3 that didn't migrate today.

Grey Bird Grasshopper-3/31/13-HC

Red-tailed Hawk-3/31/13

Swainson's Moving to the West-March 31, 2013

Leader:
Hal Cohen
Assisted By:
Wes Hetrick, Pam Albers

Migration Today:
Northern Harrier-1

Discussion:
No Swainson's Hawks were observed migrating today. We did get a report of 10 SW's sighted south of the Roadrunner Club and moving west. We would not see these hawks if they migrated up Palm Canyon.

Someone at the hawkwatch recently left a camera case and a battery. I have it.

Evening Watch:
A windy evening with at least 5 Swainson's and 2 Red-tailed Hawks above the Date Farm. Several TV's but probably residents.

Prediction:
The windy weather is probably not going to abate by tomorrow. Any Swainson's Hawks will migrate very early in the morning.

A standoff-TV and Ravens-3/30/13-HC

Looks like the TV won the standoff-3/30/13-HC

Lost 45 Swainson's From Last Night-March 30, 2013

Leader:
Wes Hetrick
Assisted by:
Pam Albers, Hal Cohen

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-16

Discussion:
Wes was out at sunup and couldn't find 45 Swainson's that flew into the Date Farm. We only took the hawks that were observed leaving through Coyote Canyon. We had a great look at a Prairie Falcon that flew over the hill and apparently chased another falcon from the ground before landing in a tree nearby.

Question:
Where are the hawks? We had a great beginning to the season. However we are not getting much migration during what should be a very active period. Either the hawks are taking another route north or they are held up to the south. Our window of migration opportunity begins to shrink after April 8 or so.

Evening Watch:
A disappointing evening without any Swainson's Hawks arriving.

Prediction:
Not much to predict. Hopefully we will have one of those surprise days with hawks coming in from unknown roosting sites.

A shot of a Swainson's on Henderson Canyon Rd. 3/30/13-HC

Nice Kettles Today-3/29/13

Leader:
Bob Theriault
Assisted by:
Wes Hetrick, Pam Albers, Rose Leong
Scouts: Joe Hopkins, Hal Cohen

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-98

Discussion:
The weather was clear with scattered clouds and temperature from 62-84. Several Swainson's flew very low from the date farm ENE at 8A. At 8:40A lift off of 45 SW's from the Date Farm. They flew north and kettled above the solar farm. Two kettles formed and hawks moved back and forth providing a great show for photographers. They were joined by SW's from the east and finally departed through Coyote Canyon. SW's were observed near the Roadrunner and further south at 9A

Two kettles formed over the solar field. Check it out in the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZ_CGKweWw

Evening Watch:
A few Swainson's came in at 6:30P. At 7:05P around 45 flew into the Date Garden. Additionally at least 13 SW's settled into Ellis Farm.

Prediction:
Looks like another morning with calm wind tomorrow. Around 60 Swainson's are in the Date Farm and Ellis Farm

Where and When:
Best spots to begin to look for lift off are at the evening site on Borrego Valley Rd. Today we moved north on Borrego Valley Rd and watched a few nice kettles over the solar field. Also we had great looks at hawks moving across Borrego Valley Rd headed east. Figure on lift off between 8 and 8:45A.

A shot above the solar field-3/29/13

Another slow day-No Migrants-3/28/13

Leader:

Joe Hopkins

Assisted by:

Hal Cohen

Migration Today:

Swainson's Hawks-0

Discussion:

No migrants today. Partly cloudy with temps rising to mid 80's. Wind was very light WNW. This is the first March 28th in 11 years without a migrant. One encouraging find however were several Grey Bird Grasshoppers. This may lead to some ground feeding Swainson's activity. We can only speculate as to the whereabouts of the Swainson's. Each evening we wait for a tornado of hawks to descend into the valley. Several questions have been asked lately about the migration of Swainson's Hawks.

Question:

Where do the Swainson's Hawk spend the winter? Where do Swainson's Hawks breed? Below are two maps that help answer these questions. The first map shows the location of 30 hawks that were outfitted with satellite tracking devices. Each blip below is color coded for particular hawks. The data is from USGS, Snake River Station. The second map shows the breeding range of the Swainson's Hawks. 

Evening Watch:

53 Swainson's dropped into the Date Farm this evening. 

Prediction:

The wind hopefully will be light tomorrow morning. At least 53 Swainson's will kettle up from the Date Farm.

Where and When:

With a calm wind the SW's will most likely kettle up around 8-8:30A. If it is windy early, they will take off by 7-8A. Best place to view the hawks is from the evening site on Borrego Valley Rd and also from Di Giorgio Road about 1 mile north of Palm Canyon Drive. 

Map of  Swainson's Hawk Data

Breeding grounds of Swainson's in pink. 

Migration Slowed Down-March 27, 2013

Leader:
Laura Webb
Assisted by:
Rose Leong and Wes Hetrick

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-3

Discussion:
Sunny and pretty cloudy today with warming temperatures into the low 80's. Lift-off of the SW's at 8:35A. A lone bird in the field near the watch and 2 possibly from Ellis Farm.

Evening Watch:
Only 1 Swainson's was observed this evening touching down into the Date Farm.

Prediction:
Expectations are for very few if any Swainson's Hawks or TV's migrating tomorrow.

Beautiful Sunset-3/27/13-HC

March 26, 2013

Leader:
Steve Bier
Assisted By: Wes Hetrick and Rose Leong

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-42

Discussion:
A warm day from 60's into the 80's. We know that at least 16 Swainson's were roosting probably at Bill Wrights home next to The Springs RV park.

We have another youtube from Sicco Rood. This time you can see the Swainson's Hawks as they descend into Tamarisk trees along Henderson Canyon Rd on Saturday evening March 23th.
http://youtu.be/7Hqc1bD5mRc


Evening Watch:
A beautiful evening with a full moon. Hopefully hawks are flying in with the moon. Only 1 Swainson's and 12 TV's came in this evening.

Prediction:
Hopefully some SW's snuck in late. A few Swainson's will probably be observed. Windier conditions are expected tomorrow AM.

Adult light Intermediate Swainson's Hawk-3/26/13-HC

Some Swainson's moving today-March 25, 2013

Leader:
Hal Cohen
Assisted by: Wes Hetrick, Rose Leong, Richard Yates, Joe Hopkins

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-50

Discussion:
The sky was clear with temps ranging from 60's-70's. The wind was calm. Lift off from the Date Farm at 9:05A. Some of the SW's moved directly west and shortly after the first lift off around 40 SW's kettled up and streamed west. All of the TV's appeared to be locals.

Question: Why is the logo for Anza Borrego Foundation at the bottom? Our major sponsor is the Anza Borrego Foundation. They foundation supports the state park in many ways. We are part of the research wing. They help us with publication of the brochure and equipment.

Here is another look at the nice kettles on March 24  http://youtu.be/yq5aykgdtBg

Evening Watch:
A disappointing evening. At 5:30P a large stream of Swainson's was observed. They continued flying northwest and may have departed the valley. Estimates of around 70 in this group. Another small group came in (another 10 or more) and they flew out of the valley the same direction. It is possible that the birds will backtrack and roost for the night. We did not see them. Around 8-10 Swainson's did fly into the Date Farm.

Prediction:
Once again calm wind is predicted for tomorrow. We hope for the larger group to show up. Around 8 Swainson's are in the Date Farm

Where and When:
Check in at the day site on Di Giorgio Rd south of Henderson Canyon Rd. Scouts will hopefully find the Swainson's Hawks.

Swainson's Hawks sitting in the field adjacent to the solar field-3/24/13-HC

Amazing day for viewing-March 24, 2013

Leader:
Herb Stone
Assisted by: Judy Davis, Hal Cohen, Rose Leong, Wes Hetrick, Laura Webb, Steve Bier

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-379
Turkey Vultures-3

Discussion:
Warm with temperatures in the 70's and a clear sky. Calm wind with some light breezes. A remarkable day for viewing many aspects of Swainson's Hawk behavior. The hawks that flew in last night came down to the ground just after 6A today. Many flew into trees to the east of the day watch site. At least 75 SW's could be found sitting on the cleared ground near the Solar field. Lift off a 9:04A as more than a hundred SW's began to kettle close to the day site. Within a few minutes more than 200 hawks were kettling up and streaming back and forth. Watching from Henderson Canyon Road was mesmerizing. The hawks streamed to the northwest, kettled up at the mouth of Coyote Canyon and then disappeared. Another group of 15 SW's flew by at 10A.

Here is a link to a youtube of today's hawks. Youtube from today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=le-si8ee3h4

Evening Watch:
At 6:30P a small kettle of Swainson's came in to roost at the back of the Date Farm. We counted around 35 hawks.

Prediction:
The wind should be calm to mild tomorrow AM. At least 35 Swainson's will leave the roost and migrate.

Where and When:
The best spot for viewing the hawks is probably Di Giorgio Rd directly across from the Date Farm. The hawks will be airborne between 8:15 and 9:15A.

I've included a look at two test shots of a morph study.

A growing kettle 3/24/13-HC

24 Swainson's-Looks like 10 light; 5 intermediate; 9 dark hawks-3/24/13-HC

Very close view-Looks like 4 light, 3 intermediate and 3 dark morphs-3/24/13-HC

                            

ALERT-Interesting Behavior Today-March 23, 2013

Leaders:
Rose Leong and Wes Hetrick
Assisted by: Steve Bier, Laura Webb, Hal Cohen

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawk-127
Turkey Vultures-26
Rough-legged Hawk-1
Osprey-1

Discussion:
The air was still early with no clouds. Temperatures ranged from low 70's-80. Most of the SW's were lined up in Tamarisk trees on Henderson Canyon Rd. Lift off from a few different roost areas including Ellis Farm, Date Farm and De Anza as well as Henderson. Lift off at 8:40A but not the usual kettling. Most of the hawks used powered flight to fly to Coyote Canyon. We never had the typical large kettles associated with lift off.

Evening Watch: ALERT
Counts ranging from 350 to 600 Swainson's this evening. They were almost directly over the day count site on Di Giorgio Rd. I watched over 75 stream into Coyote Canyon. The rest descended into Tamarisk trees west of Di Giorgio Rd and north of Henderson Canyon Rd.

Prediction:
Calm to light wind is predicted for tomorrow AM. The hawks will probably ring up and head toward Coyote Canyon.

Where and When:
It is best to come to the day site to find out the best place to watch the hawks. The number of hawks tomorrow will probably exceed 400. Many of the hawks are directly west of the count site. They will depart the valley between 8 and 9:30A

Coming into the Tamarisks-3/23/13-HC

Landing in the Tamarisks-3/23/13-HC

A few Swainson's Today-ALERT Tonight-March 22, 2013

Leaders:
Pam Albers, Rose Leong and Wes Hetrick

Migration:
Swainson's Hawks-3

Discussion:
A quiet day with light wind and few hawks. Only 3 Swainson's observed at 9:05A.

Question:
Why Borrego Valley? We don't know for sure. We can only surmise based on the past. The Valley provides great roost sites, food in abundance some years and thermals, updrafts, and wave lift (all associated with open fields, asphalt and the mountain ranges. The air movement provides an elevator to higher altitude and a gliding range with low caloric use. Evidently, Borrego Valley has been a traditional staging area for Swainson's Hawks at least in recent history. We have records that date back to 1957.

Evening Watch:
This evening we had a group of around 30 Swainson's Hawks descend into the Date Farm at 6:30P. At 6:55P we watched a huge kettle of Swainson's Hawks low to the north dropping into Tamarisks near the day count site. Estimated of 120-150 hawks in this group

Prediction:
Tomorrow the wind should be very light to calm (hopefully). If so the 150-200 or more Swainson's will depart the valley between 8-9:15A. Because we have two groups at two locations you might want to go to the day count site on Di Giorgio Rd just south of Henderson Rd.

When and Where to Watch:
Additionally there should be good viewing of the Date Farm birds from both the evening site on Borrego Valley Rd. and Di Giorgio Rd near Big Horn.

Coming in to roost-3/22/13-HC

The first kettle of the evening-3/22/13

Some wind and early lift off-March 21, 2013

Leader:
Joe Hopkins
Assisted by: Pam Albers, Hal Cohen, Rose Leong, Wes Hetrick

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-176
Turkey Vultures-6
Unidentified Buteo-1

Discussion:
Some gusty wind early then settling down. Temperature range from 71-90. Becoming quite hot. A large kettle formed above the Date Farm at 7:25A. This group rose very high before disappearing to the southeast. Later these birds reappeared and moved out of the valley through Coyote Canyon.

Question?
Why are the hawks staying high instead of coming in to land on windy days? Our birds are "Wind Birds". They love wind and will stay up as long as they have some lift. Some studies also suggest that it takes more calories to sit and stay on a perch in the wind (constantly keeping steady) than kite and glide without flapping.

Evening Watch:
Not much happening this evening. 3 Swainson's and 19 TV's were observed.

Prediction:
Tomorrow hopefully will have some surprises however few birds came in this evening.

Where and When to Watch:
Check in at the day site with the sign below on Di Giorgio Rd south of Henderson Canyon. The leader will help you locate birds if they are present.

The Sign on Di Giorgio Rd

A TV on a dead coyote-3/21/13-HC

Watching the SW's early today take off-3/21/13-HC

A Few Hawks Today-March 20, 2013

Leader:
Laura Webb
Assisted by: Wes Hetrick, Rose Leong, Anne Reilly and Pam Albers

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-12

Discussion:
An overcast day with temps around 75-80 and a bit more humid. At 8:35A lift off was from the east, probably near the potato fields. Some of the SW's began to aerial feed on flying ants.

Evening Watch:
An early fly-in  at 5:30P as around 100 Swainson's Hawks showed up from the east. They remained airborne for at least 45 minutes before descending into the Date Farm.

Prediction:
Tomorrow once again the prediction is for strong NW wind. If this does happen, the hawks will probably be airborne by 6:30 or 7A. A strong westerly wind will blow them east before they leave the valley. We might be lucky and they will return to fields near Borrego Valley Road before flying out.

When and Where to Watch:
As indicted above, the wind might come into play tomorrow early. We will have the leader and scouts out around 6:30A or earlier. Yesterday the hawks did get up early but began to fly east before returning to the count area after 8A. Watching lift-off early from the night site would work if the sand from the new solar fields doesn't get in your eyes. Check in at the day site on Di Giorgio Rd to find out where to watch.

The group this evening watching-3/20/13

Little Dots this evening-3/20/13

Crazy Wind Day-March 19, 2013

Leader:
Steve Bier
Assisted by: Rose Leong, Joe Hopkins, Hal Cohen, Karin Vickars, Ann Riley

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-157
Turkey Vultures-14

Discussion:
A wild day with high wind from the northwest. Just after 6A at least 55 Swainson's departed the valley. Additionally around 100 SW's remained in the valley flying far east and reappearing to the west later. Many folks moved about looking for the birds and were rewarded with close views at times. Many hawks were sitting on the ground just off of Borrego Valley Rd. The second large kettle of hawks finally flew through Coyote Canyon and out of the valley.

So the beat goes on. The magic of March 19/20. Another triple digit day on one of these dates. That's 10 years in a row.

Below are photo's of the dump road sign (diagonal road leading to the potato fields). As the season progresses we might see more of the potato fields. Over 20 chemicals are poured into the potato fields to kill insects, fertilize, control weeds and defoliate the potato's at the end of the season. If you eat potato's, eat ORGANIC. Sprouts sells them sometimes at 50 cents a pound. We are concerned that the Swainson's Hawks might begin to spend time in the area of the potato fields, seeking dead and dying insects. We have had over 1,000 Swainson's Hawks in the fallow fields in the past.

Evening Watch:
Very few SW's were observed this evening, perhaps 5 at the Date Farm. Some hawks were spotted in a Tamarisk row east of the potato fields. It is possible that birds did come in but we missed them. Often hawks drop in very late and we can't see them.

Prediction:
The windy conditions are supposed to continue through tomorrow. If so, most hawks will depart very early. We will have scouts out looking for birds at the potato fields as well as at the Date Farm.

Where to Watch From:
Check in at the day count site located on Di Giorgio Rd south of Henderson Canyon Rd. The leader will be at the site by 8A.

The "Hill" watching to the east-3/19/13

5 Swainson's sitting in the field with old grape stakes in the background through a scope shot-3/19/13

Sign on Dump Road

The Dump on Dump Road

Agra-Empire Potato Field in Borrego Springs-3/19/13