Hawk Watch

The first Blue Mountain Audubon Field Trip of the season was held on September 22.  Twenty-two people joined Mike and MerryLynn Denny for a Hawk Watch on Bald Mountain in the Blue Mountains.  The temperature was in the 60's and the air was calm and filled with smoke.  Not the best conditions for hawk migration, but we did see 31 raptors of seven different species throughout the day—red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, American kestrel, Cooper's hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, osprey and turkey vulture.  There were other interesting birds in the area too including mountain bluebirds, Townsend's solitaires, yellow-rumped warblers, Cassin's finches and a very cooperative Say's phoebe.  We saw a total of 36 species on the trip.  The mountains are dry – we need a good rain!  Ginger