Borrego Valley Hawkwatch 2012 - Part II



(Very) Happy Campers

The last week has been great, watching hawks morning and night; enjoying time with friends old and new. I saw a "new bird" recently - a Lesser Nighthawk. Look it up, it has very distinctive white wing bars. Yesterday I also saw a Great Egret fly across the valley; an unusual sight in the desert. Counts for the last week (for me, not the Hawkwatch official total) are as follows:

3/21 - 46 SWs and 8 TVs
3/22 - 465 SWs
3/23 - 711 SWs and 42 TVs
3/24 - 270 SWs and 60 TVs
3/25 - 165 SWs 0 TVs
3/26 - 26 SWs and 1 TV
3/27 - 294 SWs and 12 TVs

As you can see the numbers vary greatly from day to day, as do the viewing conditions. Sometimes they fly right overhead and sometimes they are 1-2+ miles away. I am really appreciating my new binoculars. It makes it much easier to see/count and I can also more readily distinguish hawks from vultures.

In addition to the hawks, I have also seen an assortment of other birds, including Quail, Verdin, Cactus Wren, Kingbird and Kestrel. There is also a pack of 4 Coyotes that we see and hear almost daily at the evening sight. They come fairly close to us and are so beautiful.

I've been lucky enough to do some hawk "chasing" with some of the leaders, going where the hawks are and learning a lot about their behavior and migration. This has provided me with several "up close" views of the hawks. They are so majestic and interesting to watch. I'm hopelessly addicted to this experience!

View from evening site

A beautiful desert sunset and a kettle of Swainson's
(ok, black specks high in the sky)