Jo Hays Vista – 574 Migrant Raptors!

Today we had 574 raptors migrant past Jo Hays Vista, the biggest one-day count during the fall ever at JHV. The flight was dominated by Broad-winged Hawks, but seven other species of migrant raptor also made appearances. Most of the birds were either really high up or really far out to the north. Although, almost all of the kestrels flew right overhead! The large count today brought us up to 1444 for the season and we still have most of the season to go! I hope we get a few more big Broad-wing days. Below are the totals for today and some photos by Anna.
Osprey – 7
Bald Eagle – 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 12
Cooper’s Hawk – 3
Broad-winged Hawk – 527
Red-tailed Hawk  – 3
American Kestrel – 11
Merlin – 1

American Kestrel - female (Photo by Anna Fasoli)

Broad-winged Hawk - adult (Photo by Anna Fasoli)

One of the local Red-tailed Hawks - juvenile (Photo by Anna Fasoli)