[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Hawker on 21:23:05 10/14/07
HAWKING CURRY HAMMOCK 10/07 and 10/08/2007
In early September, I was asking advice of my insurance agent and noted birder, Fred Griffin. Fred had two suggestions: get my home inspected for a reduction in hurricane premiums, and attend the Hawk Watch International count at Curry Hammock State Park between October 1st and 10th to see the migrating raptors.
Mr. Griffin s first suggestion netted over $3,000 in savings. Fred s second suggestion netted over 100 birds of prey.
Friday, October 5 Two kestrels and a cooper s hawk were hunting overhead at my work site. Seeing these three birds convinced me that it was time to go hawking.
Saturday Making a peregrination rather than taking the direct route to work, I stopped at Loxahatchee NWR. That spot netted only three birds of importance a snail kite and two limpkins. Darting over to Green Cay for a quick walk produced 16 black-bellied whistlers, more limpkins, a redstart, an American bittern, a red eared turtle (an introduced species), and a loggerhead shrike which made a strike and kill on a frog.
Sunday I arrived at Research Road before sun up and the skeeters were fierce. A leisurely pass by Lucky Hammock yielded several flickers, hunting northern harriers and a few kestrels. Card Sound Road provided a road kill rescue for two common musk turtles. I arrived at Curry Hammock at 10:00 a.m. and introduced myself to John van Dort, Hawk Watch International s official counter, and Mark Hedden, who was the observer for that day. The winds were strong with an easterly component keeping the raptors hunkered down. Some brave avian souls did take to the air. I was ecstatic. This was, to that date, my biggest day ever for peregrines. John was stoic. His disappointment was understandable. On Thursday and Friday the total raptor count was 807 and 637 respectively. Of that two day episode 274 of the 1,444 raptors were the falcon of kings.
Exactly at 4:00 p.m. the counting stopped, and I headed towards the Isle of Bones with a side jaunt to Big Pine Key in hopes of glimpsing even one of the diminutive deer. I had a mammalian lifer within 5 minutes; eventually ending up with five, three bucks, and a doe and with her older fawn.
I bedded down at Cayo Hueso after dinner at Pepe s Cafe. The long day of driving and glassing made sleep come suddenly.
Monday -The Westclox windup went off at 5:30 a.m. and I was heading out of Key West before sun up, picking up two more key deer on the way north.
I came in the gate at Curry Key with John van Dort and Cole Wild right behind me. Cole is the regular HWI observer and a very avid birder. They quickly set up and we were back to counting at 9:00 a.m. Being around those two as they work is a lesson in perseverance and concentration. They start at 9:00 and quit at 4:00 p.m. and take no breaks. They are constantly looking for hawks. Every few moments they scan the area in front and to their sides with optics, looking for that pinpoint in the sky that is a far away raptor. With eyes trained to discern the most subtle of differences, they accurately ascertain the species at distances my 12 x 42 s could barely reveal as a black smudge. Their first estimation as to species seldom has to be altered. Confirmation is then noted as the bird flies in closer. John, Cole, and Mark were very generous with their hard won knowledge. My meager observation skills improved markedly from watching and listening to these experts.
Hawking was the sole goal, but it is nearly impossible to ignore the other species present: magnificent frigates, short billed dowitchers, royal and Caspian terns, a barn swallow, a night hawk, various shore birds, seabirds, gulls, and others that come into your line of sight. You can not spend much time looking at them, because when hawks are your duty, the other birds arejust a pleasant distraction.
At 4:00 we packed up and I was heading north. I had a half a tank of gasoline and a $20 bill left, so there were still possibilities.
9336 held kestrels and red - shoulders. Lucky Hammock produced red tinged harriers hunting in the sundown. Old Ingram Highway had nightjars. A pass by Lucky Hammock on the way out was fruitless, but 9336 to Robert Is Here allowed for shooing off the road a goatsucker and a cotton mouth.
The Hawk Count At Curry Hammock
Sunday 10/07/07 I missed the first hour
Osprey ...2
Northern Harrier 5
Sharp Shinned...17
Cooper s .2
Red Shouldered...1
American Kestrel 3
Merlin .5
Peregrine ...19
Monday 10/08/07
Osprey . .8
Northern Harrier ...6
Sharp - Shinned .....1
Cooper s 4
Broad - Winged .2 (lifer)
American Kestrel .. 6
Merlin ...11
Peregrine ...29
I joined Hawk Watch on Tuesday. I plan to be back at Curry Hammock soon. Now I am hoping for that one special day when the hawk numbers will not be just satisfying, but truly overwhelming. As the drag racing legend, Floridian, and savvy wag Don Gartlis once said, If more is better, then too much should be just about right. I was very happy with my 120 hawk week end, I can t even imagine what a 1,000 plus hawk day would feel like.
Jeff
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]