Date: 3/10/25 7:25 am From: p c <pcollinsca48...> Subject: [AZNMbirds] SEAZ: Tubac Hawk Watch - Ron Morriss Park, Tubac, AZ 03/09/25
SEAZ: Tubac Hawk Watch - Ron Morriss Park, Tubac, AZ 03/09/25
Season 13: Episode 030925 - “Should I Stay or Should I Go"
TL;DR
Migrating Raptors
Common Black Hawk 11
Red-Tailed Hawk 13
Cooper’s Hawk 2
Peregrine 1
Turkey Vulture 73
Other Raptors
Swainson’s Hawk
Zone-tailed Hawk
Eye crippling pure blue skies all day today at the park. Our real nemesis for the morning turned out to be moderate south east winds nudging migrants toward the north west highway line too far away for satisfying views.
Eager counters tried to conjure an early Black Hawk liftoff in the distant south during the 9 O’clock hour. Our raptor alchemy was insufficient to turn lead into gold as 5 Black Vultures slipped further south and out of sight. Black Hawk Desire and scanning increased.
Black Hawks, like wizards, are never late. They arrive and depart precisely when they intend.Today the first Black Hawk departed in the 10 O’clock hour, traversing the sky low but so far west the photographers did not lift their cameras. A second Black Hawk had the same intentions but was lost in the southwest, escaping uncounted.
Turkey Vultures had their best showing of the season, leading to our first 3 figure raptor day.
At two I slipped off to the Community Center, leaving the park in the capable hands of this year's Hawk Watch International counters and the many visiting hawk watchers. After an hour of viewing the raptors of Columbia and Ecuador I returned to the park, suppressing dreams of Ornate Hawk-eagles and Galapagos Hawks. (Galapa Goshawks?)
Perfect timing to witness our first Zone-tailed sighting, judged to be a returning breeder, heading south to its usual territory. An afternoon Black Hawk led spotters to a surprise Swainson’s Hawk, also southbound.
A late burst of 5 Black Hawks tortured the counters as they took their sweet time deciding whether or not to keep flying past Tubac. In the end they all went as far north as the Golf Resort, leaving us with the day's best looks and first double digit Black Hawk count of the season.
