Bald Eagle
This Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was one of 36 migrant Bald Eagles recorded at the Boothe Park Hawk Watch on September 20, 2015, breaking our previous daily record of 22 that had been set on September 14, 2014. The next two days in the record books were of 20 Bald Eagles apiece, making it an especially strong Sunday. We have been off to a difficult start considering the record-shattering heat in September, but Osprey have been abundant – in fact, we soared by our yearly record of them already! Bald Eagles have also been strong in numbers overall as both formerly endangered...
Read MoreBoothe Park Hawk Watch 2015 Season
We are now well into the fall hawk watch season as sites across the country are staffed by citizen scientists engaged in counting raptors heading south for the winter. Various hawk, falcon, vulture, eagle, and kite species plus birds like the Osprey, Northern Harrier and even some owls can be tallied on conducive flight days at migratory hotspots often situated along ridges or at the edge of a body of water. Counting these birds helps keep track of raptor populations on an international scale, gauging the health of these important predator species that have often been threatened by human...
Read MoreWind, climate change and raptor migration
Earth’s climate and weather play a direct and constant role in the lives of birds. At no point is this impact from mother nature more widely observable than during migration. Global winds shape the timing and track of bird movements across the continents and the sea. In this case I wanted to take a look at September 2014 and how it seems to have been a climatic “throwback” in the Northeast for our birds. If you talk to folks in many portions of New England the Mid-Atlantic about the weather in 2014 you often hear how it was very average in terms of temperature and...
Read MoreLive hawk watching
Live from the Boothe Park Hawk Watch on lovely and perfect day for raptor migration…except for the total lack of clouds! That means we can’t see much but we have seen 14 Bald Eagle migrants and 10 more local birds with a lot of visitors stopping by, learning about hawks and avian migration.
Read MoreHawk watching and HMANA
Now that we have entered March we are about to hit the beginning of hawk watch season. This year in particular such a statement seems almost absurd considering our weather. On Monday, March 3, we should be seeing nighttime lows plunging to the double digits below zero across Western New York…yet again. The continual arctic intrusion and repeated snowfall events will mean the season will be starting off slowly but birds are beginning to move with a Turkey Vulture or two seen coming up into our area and birds like the Osprey already in multiple locations on the New England Atlantic...
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