The summer doldrums are over and the crisp fall air has returned......OK, so it was in the high 80's on the summit of Bear Mountain today, but you can tell that fall is in the air. Our intrepid group has begun its yearly monitoring project under the watchful eye of Joe S. Sharon and I are part-time at best, but we always enjoy getting up to the hawkwatch and joining the rest of the crew. Mid-September is the peak for Broadwing hawks and they have not let us down. Last Thursday (when the Bakers were off to a wedding at Montauk Point) the crew had 675 Broadwings for the day. While today was no match for last week, we were at least present to view and photograph the 50+ hawks that flew along the ridgeline.
While most were the broadwings we expected including a couple of small kettles (see photos above), we also had some nice Sharp-shinned hawks (below, a number of ospreys, several bald eagles, and a couple of Red-tails joining in. As time goes on, the cast of characters will change, but each day brings new and interesting sightings. The Bear Mountain Hawkwatch will continue until Thanksgiving, so if you are in SE New York, look us up! Extra eyes are always appreciated.
