Migration: Raptors / Spring

[bccs]

hmmm, tis a short jaunt from home, perhaps the coming week I'll take a drive.

[allikat]

Trained eyes Allikat - all the observers are trained though frequently there are visitors hanging out to learn the ropes so to speak.
It should show at the bottom of each day's observations who where the observers and recorders and it there were guests.

As for the large numbers, you will frequently find that species - say broad-winged hawks - come through in huge flocks together which makes it easier to count them - and they use those hand-held clickers, the kind you sometimes see door greeters or parking attendants at events use to count quickly.

Thank you for the clarification. 
Raptors are still on the move...Great site to visit in the spring!

[bcbird]

I would bet that many have never seen a Turkey Vulture in real life ?
By the Turkey Vulture numbers that are posted I would think that we should be seeing them like Sparrows or Robins... and it makes me wonder just where they end up as we don't see just that many in Manitoba ?
Just my thought.

At least two turkey vultures have now made it to Victoria, BC.  We saw them soaring with their characteristic tipping flight above the ferry terminal as we were leaving Vancouver island this morning.

[The Peregrine Chick]

There used to be a formal hawk watch at St Adolphe but that ended in 2006, now its just birdwatchers who head out there.

The Pembina Valley hawk watch at Windygates is the only formal (ie reporting) hawk watch in the province:

http://hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=646&ryear=2012&rmonth=03

And they list counts per species per day, per month and per migration season.

On March 18th they had bald eagles, northern harriers, sharp-shinned hawks, northern goshawks, red-tailed hawks, roughed-legged hawks and an unidentifiable eagle.  Oh ya, 1 peregrine.  Could have been Jules' companion I suppose ...

[birdcamfan]

When I went to by Daughter's in St. Adolphe on Sat. there were a bunch of people sitting at the St. Adolphe bridge with scopes etc watching the bird migration.

Its a very popular place and one that is close enough to town to do it a few times during migrations.  If anyone hasn't checked it out, days with south winds and no rain are often good times to go.

Did they say what varieties they were seeing?

[Saoirse]

Trained eyes Allikat - all the observers are trained though frequently there are visitors hanging out to learn the ropes so to speak.
It should show at the bottom of each day's observations who where the observers and recorders and it there were guests.

As for the large numbers, you will frequently find that species - say broad-winged hawks - come through in huge flocks together which makes it easier to count them - and they use those hand-held clickers, the kind you sometimes see door greeters or parking attendants at events use to count quickly.

Thanks for the information, TPC -- I'd often wondered how the migration is observed and recorded. It's so interesting to read the various types of bird returning and, in some cases, in such large numbers. Even better to know how the process works!

[The Peregrine Chick]

When I went to by Daughter's in St. Adolphe on Sat. there were a bunch of people sitting at the St. Adolphe bridge with scopes etc watching the bird migration.

Its a very popular place and one that is close enough to town to do it a few times during migrations.  If anyone hasn't checked it out, days with south winds and no rain are often good times to go.

[Moonstar]

When I went to by Daughter's in St. Adolphe on Sat. there were a bunch of people sitting at the St. Adolphe bridge with scopes etc watching the bird migration.

[The Peregrine Chick]

Trained eyes Allikat - all the observers are trained though frequently there are visitors hanging out to learn the ropes so to speak.
It should show at the bottom of each day's observations who where the observers and recorders and it there were guests.

As for the large numbers, you will frequently find that species - say broad-winged hawks - come through in huge flocks together which makes it easier to count them - and they use those hand-held clickers, the kind you sometimes see door greeters or parking attendants at events use to count quickly.

[allikat]

I was checking out the hawkcount migration site over the weekend, and I couldn't believe what I read!

On Saturday, March 17th, there were 2000 unknown raptors viewed at a certain observation site within an 8 hour period and today, Sunday March 18th, there were over 1200 unknown raptors viewed at another site where many raptors are observed migrating.

Is it untrained eyes watching or is it just that the flying patterns are similar to other raptors??..?.  I'm curious!

[allikat]

As of today, the vultures, broad-winged and red tailed hawks are the movers!  Spring, and feathers are in the air!

[photosbydennis]

On my "2-do" list...find a pair of nesting Turkey Vultures. Sorry, "bucket list " is just way over used 
I have seen a couple.

http://www.pbase.com/photosbydennis/trukey_vulture

[dupre501]

When I was growing up, in Manitoba's parkland region, I never saw a turky vulture up close. That being said, every fall when we were killing chickens (fall harvest) we would get about twenty of them circling high overhead--just like in the movies. Since we did not leave out any carcasses (or anything else) for them, they would simply move along.

You could tell from their size, shape and colouring, that they were turkey vultures and not ravens, crows, magpies, hawks, or anything else. That is how we knew they were in the area, but we never saw them at any other time.

[bcbird]

Hey, we have lots of Turkey Vultures in the southern interior of BC.
They aren't here yet, obviously just being spotted migrating, but are fascinating to watch soaring on the thermals in our valley on hot summer days. 

[photosbydennis]

I would bet that many have never seen a Turkey Vulture in real life ?
By the Turkey Vulture numbers that are posted I would think that we should be seeing them like Sparrows or Robins... and it makes me wonder just where they end up as we don't see just that many in Manitoba ?
Just my thought.