Incredible Migration Today-March 11, 2018-1,313 Swainson's Hawks

Leader:
Hal Cohen assisted Herb Stone, Judy Davis and John Peterson and many other folks

Migration:
Swainson's Hawks-1,313

Discussion:
At least 12 large kettles formed during a one hour migration. Hawks streamed by continuously. The roost sites included the Date Farm (now called Evans Ranch); The Roadrunner Club; And points out east. The hawks took time to find any air movement. They drifted about to the east until the ground warmed up. Some kettles had a few hundred hawks. I am hoping that folks that took videos will share them. Below are a few shots of the large kettles One shot in particular shows the depth and spiral motion of a kettle.

Evening Watch Monday March 12, 2018:
This evening we were treated to several hawks close and low and in Eucalyptus Trees in the Date Farm. Around 100 hawks settled into the trees. Photo's to appear with the next blog.

Prediction:
With light wind predicted the hawks will most likely take off between 7:30am and 9am. We'll start at the evening site on Borrego Valley Rd. 1.5 miles north of Palm Canyon Drive. We'll move over to DiGiorgio Rd if the hawks move straight west.

A shot of a huge kettle twisting upwards-Ted Spriggs

Another angle of a large kettle-Ted Spriggs