UPDATE: Prediction : Hawk Watch data analysis for the Lake Erie Metropark site shows that by Sept. 16 only 17% of the season's broadwings have gone through but by the 19th that jumps to 85%. With 28% occurring on the 17th and 26% on the 18th. So the strong north winds forecast for Monday should bring many more Broadwings but possibly south of LEMP hawk count site at places such as the Pt.Mouillee Headquarters or even the Roberts Rd. parking lot. For Tuesday the potential for a big day is even greater as it fits the calendar perfectly but the lighter winds are going to lose their northerly component. The LEMP site could experience an excellent count but with winds shifting around mid-day to east-southeast, the birds may cross farther north.
How appropriate that the milestone 100th post on this blog is about Broad-winged Hawks? For it was the Broadwing migration back in 1991 that drew me to Hawk Watch, which led to photographing birds and birdwatching in general.
Yesterday I spent the morning and early afternoon at the Lake Erie Metropark (LEMP) Hawk Watch catching up with old friends and getting a preview of the wave of Broadwings that will pass by in the next week or so. Several times in the history of the LEMP Hawk Watch over 100,000 hawks have been seen in a day.
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| Broad-Winged Hawks at Lake Erie Metropark |
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| Sparring Bald Eagles |
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| Three Bald Eagles |
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| Sharp-shinned Hawk glides past preoccupied Eagles |
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| Immature Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Osprey |
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| American Kestrel |
I left the park about 2 pm and headed back to my house, where I had yet to see a single Broad wing this month. That all changed during the 4 o'clock hour when I had over 500 fly over at a relatively low altitude. Here are the photos (plus video) I took from home.
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| I can see the migration from my house |
And now the movie............
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