Eagles Stole the Show at the Hawk Watch

A small group of birders gathered on October 26 for a trip to Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch. It was a cold and clear day with winds from the north. We were very lucky to be the only ones at the hawk watch at 10:00 am with the counter, Jess, and the educational assistance person, Abby. There was a slow but steady pace of birds throughout the day, and Jess and Abby pointed out birds and explained how to differentiate them. There was a very nice, diverse group of hawks with 14 Sharp-shinned and 31 Red-tailed Hawks. We also had three Red-shouldered Hawks and Three Cooper’s Hawks as well as a Northern Harrier, a Peregrine Falcon and a Merlin. However, the highlights of the day were eagles. It was wonderful and amazing to have a kettle of six Bald Eagles circling over the hawk watch at the same time!

Then we had a Golden Eagle. While it was not close, we were able to watch it well for some time. We got to see the white under the tail showing it was a subadult and noticed how the head was smaller proportionally than the heads of the Bald Eagles. It was a life bird for four people in the group.

We also had some nice birds other than raptors including 11 Purple Finches, 20 Pine Siskins, two Black-capped Chickadees, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and six  Common Ravens. We spent about six hours at the hawk watch and had a great time. The full list of species can be seen on eBird:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S281670018.