The Hawkwatch Season Is Now Over! We Finished With One Lone Swainson's-April 15, 2014

This is the final blog for the season. On April 15th we had our last Swainson's Hawk. A full report will be available in fall. We are indebted to the volunteers that spent countless hours scanning the sky from February 15-April 15. Special thanks to the 3 Hawketeers, Wes Hetrick (from Virginia); Rose Leong from British Columbia and Pam Albers from San Diego. Our sharp-eyed returning veterans included: Steve Bier, Hal Cohen, Judy Davis, Joe Hopkins, Herb Stone and Laura Webb. Assistants this year included Richard Yates, Tommy Antel (and Stella). Thanks to several photographers we had some nice photo's. Our official staff photographer Iris Kilpatrick came through with the shot of the season, see below.

In early December we will be searching for new volunteers for the 2015 season. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact me at Raptorhal3@gmail.com.

The season started and finished on the slow side. However, for several weeks in March we had quite a show. We had great expectations going into the height of the season near the end of March. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate. Exceptionally windy days with huge sand storms might have contributed to our low count near the end of March. Our final count total for Swainson's Hawks was 4,312. Of the 12 years of records, 2014 would rank number 5.

This is the first season that we did not have any feeding activity. There were no caterpillars, grasshoppers or flying ants. Very few of the Swainson's Hawks spent more than a day in the valley. We observed Turkey Vultures every day but the majority of the sightings were of local birds. Only 361 Turkey Vultures were counted. This is the lowest TV count with the exception of 2003 (a partial count season). Strangely as I am writing my comments for the last blog, I received a call from Steve Bier at 4:45P this evening, "There is a large kettle going west over your house". Turns out, they are Turkey Vultures kettling very high and finally streaming out Hell Hole Canyon. There were 66 TV's, equivalent to over 25% of the total TV's we counted this season. And, the TV's flew directly into a thunderstorm! No, we didn't see any rain in the valley!

Here are a few of the many photo's that stand out from the season.

Thanks to the Anza Borrego Foundation and the Anza Borrego Desert State Park for continued support of the Hawkwatch. 

The "Hill", the watchers and Stella in the foreground-Thomas Antel

Last shot of the year from my roof-part of a kettle of 66 TV's-4/18/14

A kettle of Swainson's Hawks-different morphs-HC

Dark Morph SW on a telephone pole-HC

My favorite shot of the year-Rufous Morph Swainson's Hawk with a twig-Iris Kilpatrick

Streaming  Swainson's Hawks-HC

Swainson's Hawks surrounding a plane-Terry Peterson

Evening drop in of Swainson's Hawks-Terry Peterson

And finally, my favorite sunset-HC

Are Swainson's Hanging Around?-Wednesday April 9-11, 2014

Leader:
Laura, assisted by Joe-April 9
Judy, assisted by Herb and Joe-April 10
Joe, assisted by Judy and Herb-April 11

Migration April 9:
Swainson's Hawks-4
Turkey Vultures-3

Migration April 10:
Swainson's Hawks-4
Turkey Vultures-2

Migration April 11:
Swainson's Hawk-1

Discussion:
April 9-Very hot today-80's-upper 90's. Light wind. A Swainson's Hawk was spotted roosting with TV's at the Roadrunner. I spotted a SW near my home. It appears that some hawks may be hanging around town. Below is a shot of a juvenile SW. April 10-11 once again were very hot days, approaching 100 by 11A.

Evening Watch April 11:
Only one juvenile SW was spotted near the day site. A report of around 30 Swainson's came in at 5P. However we are not sure if these were Swainson's Hawks.

Prediction:
Again, we don't anticipate a big migration tomorrow.

Juvenile Swainson's Hawk-Iris Kilpatrick

Surprise Swainson's Today-Tuesday April 8, 2014

Leader:
Steve, assisted by Hal and Joe

Migration:
Swainson's Hawks-79
TV's-1

Discussion:
Very warm today-70's-mid 80's by 10A Wind light from the south with a clear sky. First observation of 9 SW's due south probably coming up from Roadrunner Club. First lift-off at 8:40A. At 9:20A kettles of SW's were observed above the Date Farm and to the southeast. One of the kettles had over 40 SW's. We counted most of the second group of  Swainson's Hawks moving due north along Borrego Valley Road. They exited the valley along Coyote Mountain. We believe that the large kettle probably spent the night further southeast.

Question: What is meant by different morphs? Swainson's Hawks exhibit 3 basic color forms, Dark, Light and Intermediate. There is variety in between these forms. Below are 3 closeup SW's. It is a genetic characteristic and does not change during the hawks lifetime. Data has indicated that western Swainson's Hawks are mostly represented by the dark morph. Our data (Borrego Valley Hawkwatch) has shown a possible departure from the standard of darker western hawks. Using photographs of kettles of SW's we are trying to determine the ratio of each morph type of hawks migrating through Borrego Valley.

Evening Watch:
No apparent migration this evening.

Prediction:
Today we had hawks that roosted much further from our local sites. So perhaps with the calm wind condition the hawks are stopping short of Borrego Valley. If so there could be a late migration around 9:30A tomorrow.

Dark Morph

Light Morph-Iris Kilpatrick

Intermediate (rufous) Morph-Iris Kilpatrick

0Warm Windy Morning Watch-Sunday April 6, 2014

Leader:
Hal

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-3
Prairie Falcon-1
Unknown Raptor-1

Discussion:
A stiff wind from the NW at 12mph and very sunny today. Temps from upper 60's to low 80's. A Swainson's Hawk was present close to the count site this morning. All of the SW's moved low with powered flight to the west. Lift-off of the first SW was at 8:15A. The remaining two left at 8:40 and 9A. NOTE: The blog will be delayed a few days unless we have some migration.

Clarification:
I had visits from two enthusiastic folks today. They expected lots of Swainson's Hawks. They did come out early enough however there were few hawks to observe. We don't have a big migration number every day. Also, the season is quickly coming to a close (only a little over a week left for the official hawk count). We do however have Swainson's flying into May. We encourage folks to check the blog before coming out. Details concerning the number of hawks observed the evening before migration day will help to decide whether it is worth the effort to drive a few hours to the day site. The blog is Borregohawkwatch.blogspot.com and usually is posted before 8P every evening. You also can be part of the ALERT system. When we get lots of hawks in an evening I will post directly to now over 100 email addresses. All you have to do is contact me with your email address and indication that you want ALERTS.

Evening Watch:
Nice evening but not apparent migration into the valley:

Prediction:
Light wind tomorrow and hope for some migration but.......

Dark Morph SW near the count site-4/6/14

Rufous Morph (Intermediate) SW-Iris Kilpatrick

Very Windy Today-April 5, 2014

Leader:
Joe

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-2

Discussion-NW wind steady above 12 mph and gusty to 17. Partly cloudy and temps ranging from 50-low 70's. Lift-0ff from the Roadrunner at 8:30A.

Question:
Where do the hawks go after leaving Borrego? That's a very difficult question. First, we don't get much feedback when our hawks leave the valley. We are the only hawkwatch in California in spring. Occasionally we see a post of a few Swainson's Hawks in southern CA. What happens to hundreds of SW's leaving here? A survey in 2006 indicated that California had a little over 2000 breeding pairs of Swainson's Hawks. We have had almost 9,000 SW's migrate through Borrego Valley (2011). So many of our hawks are on their way to other states. Some of our hawks probably are on their way to Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Canada.

Evening Watch:
Only one Swainson's Hawk was observed this evening. It came out of the Date Farm low and then returned to the Farm. I believe it is a hawk that is lingering in Borrego and is not migrating yet.

Prediction:
Light wind tomorrow so any hawks that might have come in very late this evening will take off between 8 and 9A.

Nice close view of a light morph-Iris Kilpatrick-4/4/14

Another nice shot by Iris Kilpatrick-4/4/14

Great Migration Today-April 4, 2014

Leader:
Joe, assisted by Judy, Herb and Hal

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-172
Turkey Vultures-23

Discussion:
Light wind and 90% clouds with temps in the 60's-70 today. Swainson's Hawks were in the Date Farm and on Mesquite dunes east of the Date Farm early this morning. At 8:40A some of the hawks began to lift-off. Kettles formed over Ellis Farm and to the south. The hawks provided great views of kettling and streaming until 9:20A. Check out the youtube at: http://youtu.be/kkoNBwUEbFg

Evening Watch:
Only 2 Swainson's were counted this evening.

Prediction:
Not much to predict unless we have a surprise tomorrow. NW wind at 8mph predicted. Hawks will be up between 8 and 9A.

Kettling over Ellis Farms-4/4/14

Closer View

Adult Female Light Morph-4/4/14

Another 0 Day At The Hawkwatch-However Around 130-150 Swainson's Came In This Evening April 3, 2014

Leader:
Judy, assisted by Herb, Joe, Hal

Migration Today:
0

Discussion:
Where have all the hawks gone? A good question. There are many alternative routes that the Swainson's Hawks can take in the Borrego Valley area. We don't know what the determining factors are. Wind might play a big part. Food perhaps but we have had good migration without a food source.

Some good news from up north. Debi Shearwater posted this comment: "Elsewhere in the county, I was thrilled to see a returning SWAINSON'S HAWK today in the area where they nested last year. Last year's nest was the first, ever documented nesting of Swainson's Hawk in San Benito County. Let's hope they are successful this year as well. I am unaware of any modern day or historical records of Swainson's Hawk in April. As some folks have noted, this raptor nested for the first time in years in Santa Clara County and a few other places. Most folks seem to think they are "reclaiming" their former range."

We are always pleased when we hear of new nesting territories. 

Evening Watch:
Three Waves of Swainson's came in and settled into the Date Farm. The totals are anywhere from 125-150 SW's

Prediction:
Light wind and overcast predicted for tomorrow. So lift-off might be delayed to around 9A. Best viewing from the evening site on Borrego Valley Road to begin with. 

TV from the Hill-4/3/14

 

Toro Peak with snow from the hill 4/3/14

Another Blustery Slow Day-Tuesday April 2, 2014

Leader:
Laura, assisted by Joe

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-2
Unidentified Raptors-2

Discussion:
Looking at past data we should have some nice migration stats for the beginning of April. 2003 had over 1,000 hawks in April; 2004 over 700 hawks; 2005, 2006 and 2007 over 200 hawks each year; 2008 over 300 hawks; 2011 well over 1,000 hawks. Only 2009 and 2013 had poor numbers for April.

The photo below shows how difficult it is to count during windy/sand blasting days.

Evening Watch:
Once again no apparent hawks at the evening watch.

Prediction:
The wind should die down tonight. We'll be monitoring with hope.

Turkey Vulture in a sand storm-4/1/14

A Few Migrants Still Coming Through-Tuesday April 1, 2014

Leader:
Joe

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-12
Turkey Vultures-1

Discussion:
Despite the lack of birds yesterday evening, 12 Swainson's Hawks migrated today. As the season winds down, some SW's will continue to migrate. The optimistic view would suggest that in the past we have had some days with a few hundred SW's in April.

Evening Watch:
Once again no apparent migration into the valley this evening.

Prediction:
Wind should be picking up again tomorrow. No prospects for migration but a late arrival this evening might have been missed.

Looking East-In the foreground grape stakes and the solar farm. In the background Fonts Point to the left and Anthill to the right. The trees between the solar field and the mountains is Ellis Farms.

Tough Day Today-No Migrants-3/31/14

Leader:
Hal, assisted by Joe and Wes

Migration:
0

Discussion:
After several very nice migration days we had a 0 day. Hopefully we won't have a repeat of last season-very few hawks after this date. A very sunny day with WNW wind blowing up to 12mph.

March totals and highlights: We ended March with 3,869 Swainson's Hawks. The total for the season thus far is 4,032 SW's. We had several days in triple digits in March. Five days of 100-200; 2 days with 200-300; 3 days with 300-400; 1 day over 400 and a big day of 701.

Sorry for the error yesterday-forgot to put the Dragon in-See below. Yesterday evening we had no birds so the dragon was the big event.

Question: Where are Sunset and Indianhead peaks? Below see photo's of Indianhead and San Ysidro Mtn's. Both to the West of the count site. Sunset Mtn. is South of the count site. Often we have kettles forming in the direction of Sunset and Indianhead

Evening Watch:
Apparently no Swainson's Hawks in the valley this evening. Several Turkey Vultures were observed over the Roadrunner Club.

Prediction:
The current wind conditions continue. We are expecting more strong wind tomorrow. We are still hoping for another wave of hawks in the next few days. A front will be moving through the valley in the next few days with the possibility of rain on Wednesday.

The West View-San Ysidro to the left and Indianhead to the right. The line of trees in the foreground are old Tamarisks that are now dying off as the water has been cut off. The Tamarisks were used for wind breaks for the grape orchards. 

The South View-Sunset Mtn. to the left and Whale Peak to the right-The stakes in the foreground are old redwood grape stacks from the 50' and 60's. The white pipes are standpipes for some of the old irrigation (before pvc). 

Australian Bearded Dragon At The Hawkwatch March 30, 2014

Very Windy Today With An Early Departure-Sunday March 30, 2014

Leader:
Wes, assisted by Hal and Pam

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-101

Discussion:
Hawks were on the move very early (6:45A). Migration was in progress when we arrived near the solar field. Hawks were moving low and sideways to the west. During the next 3 hours hawks struggled past the watch. This evening we said goodbye to Wes Hetrick and Pam Albers, both essential to the hawkwatch for their dedication. They are off to other birding experiences-until next year. Check out the youtube from yesterday: http://youtu.be/L_gNspjazvU

Evening Watch:
For the first evening in a few weeks, we had no Swainson's Hawks at the evening site. Nine Turkey Vultures made an early appearance.

Prediction:
Hopefully we will have a surprise tomorrow with arrivals from other roost sites.

A light morph SW from the Hill today-March 30, 2014

Swainson's Hawks Go To Ground-Saturday March 29, 2014

Leader:
Pam, assisted by Wes, Rose, Joe and Hal

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-160
Turkey Vultures-9

Discussion:
We discovered that most of the SW's went to ground from the Date Farm. They were sitting in the sand and on grape stakes (redwood stakes from the 50's and 60's when grapes were a major crop in Borrego Springs). This is the first observation of Swainson's Hawks on the grape stakes. At 8:50A hawks began to power flight to the northwest one at a time. They did not kettle until they reached the mountains to the west. They moved out of the valley through Henderson Canyon and the ridge behind. The initial count was 129 SW's. After 10A 2 kettles of SW's were spotted along with some stragglers that brought the morning count up to 160. Nine Turkey Vultures appeared to be migrating. Check out the youtube from yesterday evening at: http://youtu.be/MIzXjpCqsS4 This evening we said goodbye to our "Eyes". Rose Leong has moved on. She has been responsible for finding well over 75% of the distant hawk kettles this season. She will be sorely missed.

Question: How do the hawks choose a roost site? We are not certain of what motivates the hawks to select a specific roost site. Over the years we have seen some trends however. The hawks almost always select the Date Farm February and most of March. By the last few days of March through April 15, the hawks begin to roost at Ellis Farm and east of the potato fields. For instance, this evening we had hawks drop into Tamarisk trees to the east near the potato fields. Different groups of hawks have affinity to certain sites? They probably are hot wired to seek out roost sites from past years.  

Evening Watch:
At 5P we spotted a kettle of 55 SW's and TV's and followed them northwest. Another small kettle (around 20 SW's) was found at 6P. At 6:45P a group of around 30 Swainson's Hawks was found to the east. In total around 100 Swainson's are in the valley.

Prediction:
The wind is predicted to pick up late tonight into tomorrow. If it is windy early tomorrow, the hawks will take off by sun up. The SW's are spread out throughout the valley in probably more than one roost site. It is hard to predict where they will kettle up tomorrow. We will be out early to try and intercept them.

Swainson's Hawks on the ground-3/29/14

Using a grape stake for a perch-3/29/14-taken through a scope

Light Morph SW through a scope-3/29/14

Finally The Wind Settles Down-More Hawks-150 Dropped In Tonight-Friday March 28, 2014

Leader:
Joe, assisted by Hal, Wes, Rose, Pam and Herb

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-25
Turkey Vultures-1

Weather:
Mostly clear with a very light breeze from the west and temperatures from mid-50's to 70's.

Discussion:
We were surprised by the number of SW's in trees near the day site. Swainson's Hawks came up from several locations today. Apparently the wind dispersed the SW's in the valley. We are now hoping that the settled weather will bring in lots of SW's this weekend.

Evening Watch:
Nice views of at least 4 waves of hawks coming in finally coming together as one big kettle. Around 150 hawks have landed in the Date Farm. Some TV's came in with the Swainson's Hawks.

Prediction:
Light wind tomorrow so lift-off around 8:30-9A. Beat viewing form DiGiorgio Rd about 1.5 miles north of Palm Canyon Rd.

Streaming in above us-March 28, 2014

Dropping into the Date Farm-March 28, 2014

Wind Continues With Lots of Blowing Sand and Dust-Thursday March 26, 2014

Leader:
Judy Davis, assisted by Joe and Wes.

Migration:
Turkey Vultures-2

Discussion:
A windy day with gusts up to 16mph and increasing through the day. Temperature range from 60's to low 70's. Two TV's streamed past the hill heading north. We believe that migration continued throughout the windy period. Historically we are in the middle of the best migration. It is very possible that the poor observing conditions were ideal for migrating raptors. Strong wind from any direction will put the hawks high and moving fast.

Evening Watch:
Once again wind was a factor this evening although not as bad as previous days. At least 3 Swainson's came in to roost at the Date Farm.

Prediction:
Wind should be much lighter tomorrow. We are due for a big migration in the next few days. Expect only a few birds tomorrow early but watch out for hawks that have roosted further south. Check in at the day site on DiGiorgio Rd.

Dark Morph Swainson's Hawk

Very Windy Today With Blowing Sand-Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Leader:
Laura, assisted by Rose, Wes and Joe

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-1

Discussion:
Windy conditions from the W/NW, 65 degrees early with a high of 72. At 9:40A a light morph Swainson's Hawk headed NW against the wind. This hawk might have been one spotted in the sink area to the south earlier today.

Question:
How far do Swainson's Hawks fly in a day? A journey of around 100 miles per day is typical.   A lot depends on weather conditions including wind speed and direction. Transmitters placed on Swainson's Hawks a few years ago indicated that some days a SW could fly as much as 150 miles. The journey from Argentina to here takes 50-60 days.

Evening Watch:
The sand storm that has been in Borrego Springs all day drove the evening hawk watchers away. The photo below is just a sample of the weather. It's actually 10 times worse. Four SW's were observed above the Springs RV park at 2:30P today. A few hardy watchers braved the sand storm to no avail.

Prediction:
There are hawks in town and the wind will continue through tomorrow morning. Winds of 58Mph have been observed in Borrego Springs. Most of the hawks, if any, will depart at first light. Let's hope for an evening filled with hawks.

A Raven playing in the sand storm 3/25/14

Masked People watching for hawks on a windy day-3/25/14

Ready to Go

Another Surprise Migration Today-Tuesday March 25, 2014

Leader:
Steve assisted by Wes, Pam and Rose

Migration Today:
Swainson's Hawks-67
Turkey Vultures-5

Discussion:
Calm wind, sunny and hot today. Lift-off at 8:50A from Henderson Canyon Rd near the count site. More SW's in small kettles began to arrive from an area southeast of Ellis Farms and the Date Farm. Also seen from the watch site was a Prairie Falcon and Kestrel carrying a snake.

Evening Watch:
We observed only 1 Swainson's Hawk this evening. The wind (20mph) from the west made watching very difficult. The next few days should produce some big hawk numbers.

Prediction: Not much to predict unless several SW's came in late.

Nice Light Morphs courtesy of Susie Nishio-3/25/14