Hawkwatch & Picnic on Blueberry Hill

The annual Allen Bird Club/Hoffmann Bird Club hawk watch and picnic was held today on Blueberry Hill in Granville.  We were also joined by several members of Massachusetts Audubon from Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton.

We had hoped for a big push of raptors today after the week's dreary weather, but it was not to be (at least not at our site).  Nevertheless, we enjoyed many good looks at an assortment of raptors, and several of the newcomers commented that they learned a lot about the identification of these often confusing birds.

The watch ran from 8:45 AM to 3:00 PM, on a mostly sunny day with balmy, late-summer temperatures.  Species counts are below.
       
       COUNTED AS MIGRANTS:
       Osprey 1
       Bald Eagle 3
       Northern Harrier 1
       Sharp-shinned Hawk 18
       Broad-winged Hawk 98
       American Kestrel 7
       Merlin 2
       Blue Jays 25
       Monarch Butterflies 10
       
       ALSO PRESENT:
       Double-crested Cormorant
       Turkey Vulture 2
       Red-shouldered Hawk 2
       Red-tailed Hawk
       Northern Flicker 3
       Eastern Phoebe
       Blue-headed Vireo (sang briefly)
       American Crow
       Common Raven 2
       American Robin
       Common Yellowthroat (only warbler tallied!)
       Purple Finch 4
       American Goldfinch 2