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What a week we've had at West Skyline Hawk Count! A record-setting week starting on April 13th, with a new single-day high count of 739 for Turkey Vultures, with the old record being 677 back in 2014. The Red-tailed Hawks had an amazing week, totaling 2,238 in four days, with a good mix of dark morph birds. American White Pelicans are back and staging on the St. Louis River, waiting for the ice to melt on inland lakes to the north. Chamber's Grove City Park is an amazing place to see these birds before their journey. We look forward to more warm spring days with lots of birds still to come! Come visit us at the count! We look forward to seeing you!![]()
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Raptor total for the week: 5,899![]()
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Photo: Dark-morph Red-tailed Hawk
March Count Recap!![]()
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March was an overall cold and cloudy month, with two days cancelled due to weather; but the very beginning of the month was strong, kicking off with some lovely days reaching 50°F and solid numbers of Golden and Bald Eagles. The rest of the month seemed to discourage Bald Eagle flight, landing us at the end with lower-than-average Bald numbers; Goldens were only slightly below average. (Averages were calculated from the years 2018 and after.) ![]()
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Not all species were discouraged by the weather, however—per the trend of the last couple of years, Turkey Vulture numbers blew previous years out of the water, with this month’s total ending at 63, a whopping ~three times the previous March high total of 23 vultures in 2010! Keep those TVs coming! ![]()
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We’ve also had higher-than-average March numbers of Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, and Merlin. Cooper’s Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, and American Kestrel numbers were around average, and Rough-legged Hawk was below average, though that species is highly variable year to year. Some non-raptor highlights included a local Western Meadowlark one day, and a migrating Ross’s Goose on the 30th! ![]()
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Here’s to a birdy April! 🥂![]()
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-Counter, Marie
Want to brush up on your raptor ID? Hawk Migration Association is hosting a virtual Raptor ID workshop today. Free and open to the public but registration required at the following link: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/k8TAMni0S_aABLrMRxbgnw?fbclid=IwY2xjawQwzJVleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRj...
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See the number, speed, direction, and altitude of the birds cruising through the darkness on spring and fall nights by visiting BirdCast.
