Sun, Wind, and Hawks!

I spent the morning with the Connecticut Butterfly Association members and other butterfly enthusiasts at Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven.  We gathered this morning to tag some monarch butterflies as they migrate their way south to Mexico.  Monarch numbers were low but it was still an enjoyable time and the best part.... I just walked across the field and did some hawkwatching when we were done!

I didn't bring the camera because I figured I wouldn't need it since the hawks would be too high to get decent images.  For the most part that was true until the afternoon when a male Cooper's Hawk flew over our table, a resident Red-shouldered Hawk made a trip around the field, and an Osprey decided to fly fairly close and check us out.  We has strong winds today, almost making it chilly, but they were coming mostly from the East and not exactly the best for a hawkwatch.  I have no idea what total numbers were but here are the raptors I remember seeing, migrating or not.

Osprey
Northern Harrier
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Red-shouldered Hawk
American Kestrel
Merlin

I picked up a few ID hint/ helps but as one would expect...  I still need a ton more practice.  We are planning on doing a hawkwatch at work this Friday as long as the weather and winds look good for it.  With what we've seen around so far it should be great.  http://birdingwestcampus.blogspot.com/2011/09/hawk-watch-season.html For this past weeks hawks at work.

Baby Hawks

Cooper's Hawk- first sighting

I went over to lunch today at the roomies parent house in Orange, whose yard has many large spruce, hemlock, and white pine trees.  While sitting outside we had a number of hawks flying around the yard or sitting in the trees calling loudly.  At one time there were 2 hawks visible flying through the air, with up to four hawks calling.  I never saw an adult bird but here are a couple shots of the immature birds I did see.  Finely streaked chest, mid-sized bird, and rounded tail indicate it's a Cooper's Hawk (Accipter cooperi).



2nd bird

2nd bird- calling

Not a flattering picture but shows the tail feathers well!