Border Patrol's not stopping these migrants

[ScottP]

Had over 100 Swainson hawks come in for the evening roost (we're a major stop on their migration route from South America to their breeding grounds in the US and Canada). Sorry for the crummy pics but I couldn't get any closer without flushing them from the trees (which I did; luckily, they came back) and our P&S doesn't have the best optics. Right around dark a pair of Great Horned owls which have been living in these trees started hooting and most of the hawks bolted and headed off to another part of the community we're staying at. The migration's really just starting to pick up steam and should peak over the next 3 weeks so, hopefully I'll get some better pics. Pretty cool birds, when not breeding, their diet consists mainly of insects ; beautiful plumage.


Regards,
Scott

[rayhill190]

I think it is a pretty neat thing to experience something most people never have the opportunity to see.My problem is most of the time no camera but that's OK,I capture it in spirit.

[NewTyer 1]

I have a couple hundred atleast Turkey Vultures that roost near me. It's a pretty impressive sight for sure.

[NewTyer 1]

What do those hawks look like up close? They look rather large.

[ScottP]

Scott,

Here's the local website that monitors the Swainson migration with some much better pics and info:

http://borregohawkwatch.blogspot.com


They're pretty birds, not as big as redtails, but good-sized. They spool up in "kettles" in the morning, mixing with turkey vultures, and then head up the mountain valleys on their way northward to their breeding grounds.

Regards,
Scott

[Panman]

Scott: Just a quick thanks for your post. For years I thought that bird was a Swansons Hawk not a Swainson Hawk.

Never to old to learn.

Tim

[ScottP]

For years I thought that bird was a Swansons Hawk not a Swainson Hawk.

Tim,

Now you have me wondering what was in their pot pies and Hungry Man dinners.

Regards,
Scott

[Uncle Jesse]

Tim, Now you have me wondering what was in their pot pies and Hungry Man dinners. Regards, Scott

Having conducted fire inspections in chicken, pork and beef processing plants, just eat up and don't think about what's went into making it.

[maodiver]

The High School I teach at had a Swainson's Hawk monitoring project for years. Built nest boxes, checked numbers, etc. we are a stopover for them too.
Easy to ID...the leading edge of the wing is white (there is a dark morph of the bird, but is uncommon) in adults. They eat a lot of insects like hoppers...which led to a drastic reduction in their numbers in Argentina in 1996. Over 20,000 birds died in a small area after eating insecticide-laden (monocrotophos) hoppers...
They are coming back strong out here, but we have a smaller population than the midwest and plains states

[ScottP]

I got lucky with birdwatching this year. We came to Borrego Springs this winter so my wife could spend some time with her mom and just happened to hit the Swainson migration, then we head up to Montana in April (where her mom lives) and I'll be spending a week on the leks working Montana Audubon's Sage Grouse study.

Regards,
Scott