Other Raptors
Gray Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Peregrine
Golden Eagle
Black Vulture
Blue, dustless skies greeted us at the park this morning. The strong April sun made 50 degrees feel warm as we setup and waited for the day’s flight to unfold. The typical light migration of Zonetails, Swainson’s and Redtails started between 8:30 and 9:00. A few lingering Turkey Vultures joined the parade north.
The hard working National Weather Service, busy with snow storms in Minnesota and tornado outbreaks in the southeast, managed to slip in an accurate forecast for clouds developing later in the day over Tubac. The first clouds, white puffy blobs scattered across the sky, made for pleasant scanning.
A Hawk Watch International volunteer from Salt Lake City hobbled over to the count site giving her new knees a hawk watch visit less strenuous than hiking the 2.5 miles and 1800 foot elevation to the Goshutes hawk watch. We fulfilled her request for a Black Vulture as she was leaving the park. She didn’t seem to mind hobbling back into the park when we threw in a bonus Zonetail.
Clouds continued blanketing the sky. The blocked sun and a light breeze had a Colorado mountain man feeling the bone chilling effect of sitting for hours in 50 degree temps. The weather kept getting worse. The birds? They kept getting better.
After 3:00 the first of two Northern Harriers passed over. A small, high buteo was our first Broadwing in several days. Returning from the restrooms I noticed a small buteo below eye level on my left as I walked down the ramp. This second Broadwing flew north along the fence, crossing into the park and over the counters. Awesome views! Before long a third Broadwing followed, flying at a more expected altitude.
A Golden Eagle moved southwest harassed by a raven, a buteo and something closer to eagle size, perhaps another eagle.
A birder, who turned out to be Golden Gate Raptor Observatory veteran, was strolling towards us from the picnic area. (GGRO just celebrated their 40th Anniversary!)
Almost closing time, we were mentally packing up the site while making final scans. HWI #1 called out something gull-like over the reeds on left side of the waste water treatment plant. Gulls have been absent over the park this season. The three of us jumped forward for a look. We were denied our gull, trading it for a spectacular end of day raptor. Realizing what we had I bellowed “White-tailed Kite”! The GGRO birder had excellent instincts, racing across the park to enjoy some Kite flying with us.
