Wes, assisted by Rose, Pam and Hal
Migration:
Swainson's Hawks-140
Unidentified Buteo-1
Discussion:
The weather was cool and windy with heavy haze. The haze challenged us to pick up birds from a distance. Three kettles formed just before 9A with a total of 110 SW's. They all kettled up from the Date Farm. At 10:05A another kettle arrived with 30 SW's. Several folks had good looks at the first group of birds. A few of us chased the hawks to the beginning of Coyote Canyon to watch them leave the valley.
A question has come up concerning the number of hawks we have observed so early. Are we experiencing evidence of climate change? Let's see what happens over the next 2 weeks. Will we run out of hawks? The shots below taken by Iris Kilpatrick. This is the first photo's taken of a Swainson's Hawk with a branch in it's talons in Borrego Springs. Early nest construction?
Evening Watch:
This evening we had 19 Swainson's fly in from the south. The hawks were very high and some landed at Ellis Farm and the rest at the Date Farm.
Prediction:
Wind should be calm to light in the morning. Departure probably around 9A. Best viewing again from DiGiorgio Rd.
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| A nice shot of a Swainosn's Hawk with a branch-Iris Kilpatrick |
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| Another shot of the same SW-Iris Kilpatrick |
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