Derby Hill Bird Observatory Mexico, New York, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 30, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 6 12 Turkey Vulture 115 23167 36165 Osprey 3 216 229 Bald Eagle 7 512 719 Northern Harrier 1 413 507 Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 2700 2878 Cooper's Hawk 1 108 300 American Goshawk 0 1 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 87 499 Broad-winged Hawk 433 40098 40098 Red-tailed Hawk 30 1810 2689 Rough-legged Hawk 0 15 68 Golden Eagle 1 36 66 American Kestrel 0 363 428 Merlin 0 38 68 Peregrine Falcon 0 5 9 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 Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1 Total: 605 69576 84738 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours Official Counter: David Brown Observers: Mickey Scilingo Visitors: 4 Weather: Overcast becoming partly sunny with a few sprinkles at the end of the count. Light to moderate WNW winds. Count conducted from the South Lookout. Raptor Observations: Slow for the first few hours then a moderate raptor flight with a flight line that was mostly overhead or not too far off to the sides. An adult Red-shouldered Hawk was a nice highlight in the morning. Small kettles of Broad-winged Hawks throughout the midday for a total of over 400. More than a hundred Turkey Vultures brought the season total to a new record and we still have a month to go! Thirty red-tails and 13 sharpies. An immature GOLDEN EAGLE was a highlight and was a lifer for a few visitors who made a brief stop on their way to Ottawa. The April total was a record high with 69,576 (previously 62,141 in 2019). Turkey Vultures had a record month with 23,167 (previous record 21,778 in 2022). Broad-winged Hawks had a record month with 40,098 (previous record 37,224 in 2025). The Bald Eagle total of 512 demolished the previous April record of 387 (2025). The Black Vulture month total of 6 tied the record. The April Red-tailed Hawk total was the highest since 2017. The American Kestrel total was the highest since 2014. The Peregrine Falcon total was the lowest since 2015. Derby Hill 2026 Daily Summary Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB8baxseGlb6YYCLHXEKtIckpJtq1srVm Non-raptor Observations: North Lookout (morning birding): 3 Surf Scoters, 7 Caspian Terns, 500 Double-crested Cormorants, Northern Yellow Warbler. https://ebird.org/checklist/S329807915 South Lookout: 2 Green-winged Teal, Wild Turkey, 7 Chimney Swifts, 2 Killdeer, Purple Martin https://ebird.org/checklist/S330029204 New species for season: Surf Scoter, Chimney Swift Predictions: TOMORROW: Partly cloudy becoming cloudy. High 51F. Winds WNW at 5-10mph. Weak winds in the morning may mean the raptors have to wait for thermals to get going. We will likely end up at the South Lookout even if we don't start there. Decent conditions. I would expect a moderate flight in the late-morning through mid-afternoon. SATURDAY: Partly cloudy. High 48F. Winds W at 10-15mph. Probably South Lookout. Decent conditions. Expect a moderate flight. SUNDAY: Sunny. High 51F. Winds W at 10-15mph. Probably another moderate South Lookout flight. Spotting may be difficult with the blue skies. ======================================================================== 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 Count data submitted via Trektellen.org - Project info at: https://trektellen.org/count/view/3860/20260430 -- Oneidabirds-L List Info: Visit: http://LISTS.cornell.edu for more information Posting Address: [email protected] Sightings: Please submit your observations to eBird at http://www.ebird.org. --
