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(Updated
01/24/2010.
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| How Close? |
| This year's Copperhead |
Hook on the Radio (start 9:45) |
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HOOK
MOUNTAIN
The Year of the Bald Eagle
Record Turkey Vultures
First Rough-legged Hawk since 1991!
Broad-winged Hawk: 2 days with more than 2000
Other Species
Northern Harriers: well below average (see graph)
American Kestrel: Cause for Concern!
The two Big G's
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YEAR of the BALD EAGLES - a Record Year! 101 by Oct. 23rd! We have not only broken the Bald Eagle record of 82 last year, but we have counted 101 Bald Eagles, as of Oct 24th! That is certainly more than I ever expected, just a few years ago. Wow, has the BE recovered from its endangered state back in the 1960’s! We have counted BEs on 35 of the 48 days of coverage (73%), with 7 BEs on three different days this year: Sep 16, Oct 6, and Oct 11. And, there may still be big Bald Eagle days yet to come this season. Last year our highest count was 10 on Nov 17.
Other Species Above the 5 Year Average: Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture Other species above the 5 year average include Black Vulture and Turkey Vulture. Our TV record is 557 in 2006. With 459 already, and November still to come, we might still count another 99. During the time period from Oct 24 to Nov 22, we only counted 57 TVs last year and 40 in 2007. But we counted a whopping 444 for the same period in 2006. We will all have to stay tuned to see if 2009 also becomes the Year of the TV. NORTHERN GOSHAWK - We have 3 Goshawks to Oct 24! Keep watching those skies so we can count more! Species Below the 5 Year Average: Harrier, Kestrel, and Merlin Unfortunately 2009 does not appear to be a good year for three species: Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, and Merlins. Harriers are 38% below their 5-year average, Kestrels 40%, and Merlins 37%. The most worrisome is the Kestrel, which has been in a steady decline since 1971, and a strong decline since 1999. This year’s total of 149 to Oct 24 is just 3 less than our total for 2008, so it almost seems as if there is some improvement. But the 2008 count of 152 was our lowest ever! Historical averages for Kestrels are: 489/yr since 1971, 461/yr since 1985, and 353/yr since 1999. See HM trends and interpretive analysis at FI. Be sure to come up to Hook to help us count. Our mission is conservation of raptors. We keep the count to monitor population trends of raptors. Celebrate our counters! Trudy Battaly, compiler |
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BALD EAGLES - almost a Record Year! We are almost there! As of October 8, we have 80 Bald Eagles for the season. The yearly record, set last year, is 82. So, we should have a new record before the end of this next week. With today's rain, it will probably be tomorrow or Sunday. BROAD-WINGED HAWKS - a very good year We are up to 6796 Broad-winged Hawks for the year, the best since 2001. See our Broad-winged Hawk Report. See also: video 9/09 NORTHERN HARRIERS - a low year Twenty years ago we would never have guessed that by October 8th we would have more Bald Eagles than Northern Harriers for the season. Yet, this year we have only 44 Harriers, only a little more than half the number of Bald Eagles, and 41% less than our average of the last five years to this date. AMERICAN KESTRELS - still low numbers Our Kestrel numbers continue to be low. At only 120 American Kestrels so far this year, we are only 55% of the average of 220 to this date for the last five years. See HM trends and interpretive analysis at FI. NORTHERN GOSHAWK - first of the year counted on Oct. 8. We are still waiting for the first Golden Eagle. Be sure to come up to Hook to help us count. Our mission is conservation of raptors. We keep the count to monitor population trends of raptors. Celebrate our counters! Trudy Battaly, compiler |
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| Comparison to average of last five years Our total count so far is noted in the first row of the table below, along with the average cumulative totals since 2004 for dates up to 9/20. These are on the last line, in blue. See also, 2009 count. 46 Bald Eagles |
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Other species All other September species are below the
average of the last 5 years. |
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Hawk watching is great fun everywhere you watch.
At Hook, we watch hawks with a view of the Tappan Zee Bridge and the
Empire State Building to our south, the Bear Mountain Tower to the
north, and the mighty Hudson River below us. We are fortunate
to have volunteers who are devoted to the hawks. They spot the
hawks, identify them, count them, and keep careful records.
While having fun watching these magnificent raptors in action, they
contribute to the better understanding of raptor population trends.
We celebrate
our counters, with special thanks for every data sheet they
submit. And we thank all the hawk watchers who help us spot
the hawks and accomplish our part of the raptor conservation
mission. If you have helped us count, thank you!
If you have never been up to Hook, come join us! We can use
your eyes! |
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Season Update, 10/15/08
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The new season is beginning! The Hook Mountain Fall 2008 season begins on Sunday, Aug 31. The forecast is for NW winds - perfect for a flight of hawks, and Hook Mountain is the perfect place to be. Why? Because you get very close to the hawks! Check out this link: How Close? Then join us up on the mountain. Directions. The path up the mountain from Rte. 9W has been named Paddy's Path. Paddy French helped us with the watch for many years. If you come to our luncheon at the end of the season, you might be lucky enough to sit near him and get to hear some of his wonderful stories about his days on Hook. Stiles Summit is named for Stiles Thomas who started the Hook Mountain Hawk Watch in 1971. Stiles still climbs the mountain to count for us. Thank you Stiles for bringing this wonderful place to our attention. It is a place where you can enjoy the excitement of hawks as they migrate or swoop at the owl, a place where you can enjoy the company of other hawk watchers and naturalists who cherish its natural beauty, and a place where you can occasionally share a few isolated moments during quiet days, just you and the hawks. Join us. You will love it. |
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Join the fun! Directions.
![]() Photos by Steve Sachs - great stuff! |
Cooper's Hawk Video
Fall 2008 Count:
SK!! Record BE, 82! |
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![]() Golden Eagle, 10/19/06: video (6000KB) |
Updated: 01/24/2010
| Records (coming soon) | Hawk Watchers | Report forms: excel, pdf |
| Important Bird Area | Directions | Hook Mountain State Park |
Find the Action here!
Red tail video Slow motion Broadwing fledglings Bald Eagle: photos, 10/7/04 Snowy Owl at Piermont Cooper's Hawk at Nest
Hawk Data for Hook Mountain
Hawks at Hook: Yearly, since 1971 Bald Eagle: seasonal data Sharp-shinned: seasonal data Am. Kestrel: seasonal data If you are a hawkwatcher and willing to keep the count, we need you! Contact Trudy Battaly, merlin@pipeline.com, if you can help. (Unless otherwise noted, photos by Trudy Battaly.)
Updated: 01/24/2010