On the Eve of 5000

By Rafael A. Gálvez

74 Peregrines; Ospreys and Northern Harriers holding steady; 135 migrating raptors total.

It was another moderate day of migration at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch, but no one is complaining. Looking over previous years’ numbers for October, two concepts can be surmised:

• The unpredictable fluctuation of flight peaks for every species from year to year
• The inevitability of having several 2-digit count days during October

Today’s 135 migrating raptors consisted of:

Osprey – 18
Northern Harrier – 10
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 10
Cooper’s Hawk – 3
Broad-winged Hawk – 11
American Kestrel – 6
Merlin – 2
Peregrine Falcon – 74
Unidentifiable raptor – 1

Seasonal totals to date:

Osprey – 622
Mississippi Kite – 40
Swallow-tailed Kite – 18
Bald Eagle – 10
Northern Harrier – 176
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 415
Cooper’s Hawk – 227
Short-tailed Hawk – 3
Red-shouldered Hawk – 24
Broad-winged Hawk – 1358
Red-tailed Hawk – 1
Swainson’s Hawk – 1
American Kestrel – 337
Merlin – 297
Peregrine Falcon – 1450
Unknown Accipiter – 5
Unknown Buteo – 1
Unknown Falcon – 3
Unknown Raptor – 1

Total – 4991

Counters today were Jim Eager and Larry McDaniel.