Date: 7/14/25 10:40 pm From: Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1...> Subject: Re: [EBB-Sightings] Movement of Red-tailed Hawks in Numbers in Wildcat Canyon
PS:
Modest correction to the timing / numbers in my email below: I realized
that the first group of soaring birds was 8 (6 together plus 2 further to
the south) and that we saw 4 additional along Rifle Range instead of 2 as I
said (plus the screeching juvenile). The overall count of 13 was the same,
but I misrepresented when 2 of them were seen. Sorry about that.
Zac Denning
Albany
On Mon, Jul 14, 2025 at 10:24 PM Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Yesterday, Jack Hayden and I birded Wildcat Regional Park from the Rifle
> Range Rd trailhead, covering portions of the Leonard trail (above Wildcat
> Trail) as well as the wooded east-west draws to either side of Leonard
> trail. It was a rewarding morning, with a high count of Lazuli Buntings,
> lots of Grasshopper Sparrows, close views of some very tame fledgling
> Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Ash-throated Flycatchers (in a previously
> documented breeding location), a kestrel, a male Western Tanager and an
> inadvertently flushed Great Horned Owl.
>
> But one thing that seemed notable, was seeing Red-tailed Hawks moving in
> numbers that I'd usually associate with migration here in Sep-Oct. We'd
> been seeing 1-3 at a time throughout the morning (on perhaps 5 occasions),
> including 2 adults and one juvenile which we presumed were local breeders
> and their youngster.
>
> As we returned along Wildcat Trail towards the bottom of Rifle Range Trail
> at around 11:30am, we were surprised to see a kettle of 8
> Red-taileds soaring together, all adults! We at first only noticed a few of
> them, but the more we scanned that area of sky, the more we found. As we
> scanned much further to the south, we picked up an additional 2 more adults
> in that direction - with all 10 visible at once. Those birds were all
> moving SSE, soaring in circles, and as we walked back along Wildcat Trail,
> they disappeared from view far to the south. Perhaps 10 minutes later, we
> saw 2 additional adult Red-taileds, these much closer and moving east to
> west with more direct flight, obviously not part of the first large group.
>
> Since before 11:30am, a juvenile had also been insistently screeching
> nonstop from a perch in the eucalyptus grove to the west of us, bringing
> the total to at least 13 unique individuals that we were sure of! To avoid
> double counting, we included only the 13 that we knew were unique
> individuals, though there could have been more.
>
> Has anyone else been seeing Red-taileds in numbers? I read on Birds of the
> World that their migration is complex, but migration is generally described
> as starting later - with the earliest movements starting with birds much
> further to the north as I understand it. I'd be curious if anyone has
> insight into what's happening here, or if there's some precedent for a
> mid-July movement of Red-taileds?
>
> Here's a link to our checklist, including photos and recordings of some of
> the highlights, as well as 2 of the Red-taileds seen before 11:30am (one
> adult, one juvie):
> https://ebird.org/checklist/S259657947 >
> Happy birding,
>
> Zac Denning
>
>
>
>
