Derby Hill Bird Observatory
Mexico, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 27, 2025
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 2 2
Turkey Vulture 1782 10569 10569
Osprey 0 8 8
Bald Eagle 10 165 165
Northern Harrier 4 139 139
Sharp-shinned Hawk 5 336 336
Cooper's Hawk 7 216 216
American Goshawk 0 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 5 710 710
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 0
Red-tailed Hawk 47 1055 1055
Rough-legged Hawk 0 47 47
Golden Eagle 2 50 50
American Kestrel 2 52 52
Merlin 0 11 11
Peregrine Falcon 0 5 5
Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 1864 13366 13366
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 17:30:00
Total observation time: 10.5 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Aishwarya Laghate, Andy Saunders, Antonella Mascaro,
Brandon Brogle, Dave Wheeler, David Barber, Emily Jones,
Gracey Brouillard, Kennedy Sullivan, Mathew Sacul
Visitors:
18, including David Barber and the Hawk Mountain trainees who were
enthusiastic and got to see a great flight in the afternoon, plus Derby
Hill counter emeritus Brandon Brogle!
Weather:
Clear skies to start the day with light westerly winds. The winds kept
shifting more northwesterly due to a lake breeze so at 12:45pm EST we moved
to the South Lookout. The afternoon had moderate northwest winds and
increasing cloud cover.
Raptor Observations:
The flight was a bit slow in the morning with a few hundred Turkey
Vultures, but small numbers otherwise and disappointingly few good looks as
raptors were scattered and hard to spot against the blue sky.
After the lake breeze kicked in harder and we made the move to the South
Lookout it was like a whole different day. The Turkey Vulture groups kept
getting larger and gave good looks. A nice variety of other raptors were
mixed in. Local harriers and kestrels put on a show as well, including a
male American Kestrel with alternate tail pattern (only central pair of
tail feathers orange, the rest banded). Two Golden Eagles, including a nice
sub-adult that streamed over high then circled back to give us another look
before continuing on. The Turkey Vulture flight continued late with several
large groups passing at tree top level after 5pm EST.
By the end of the day we had tallied nearly 1,800 Turkey vultures and
nearly 50 red-tails.
Derby Hill 2025 Daily Summary Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB8baxseGlb44fA7Uio0ifcrbLjT2-GE7
Non-raptor Observations:
North Lookout: Mute Swan, 2 Killdeer, 7 Double-crested Cormorants, Belted
Kingfisher, 2 Eastern Phoebes, Common Raven, Eastern Meadowlark.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S221190412
South Lookout: Sandhill Crane, Killdeer, 5 Wilson's Snipes, 7
Double-crested Cormorants, 3 Common Ravens, Tree Swallow, Eastern
Meadowlark.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S221189941
New species for season: Mute Swan
Predictions:
TOMORROW: Cloudy. High 43F. Winds N at 5-10mph. South lookout. Expect light
to moderate migration, though possibly another good vulture flight once
they get moving.
SATURDAY: Showers early becoming a steady light rain later. High 42F. Winds
NNW at 10-15mph. Expect minimal migration.
SUNDAY: Rain likely. High 53F. Winds ESE at 10-15mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Expect minimal migration.
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Report submitted by David Brown ([email protected] )
Derby Hill Bird Observatory information may be found at:
http://onondagaaudubon.com/derby-hill-bird-observatory/
More site information at hawkcount.org:
https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=358
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