Spring 2021 Migration Wrap-Up
Posted on June 11, 2021 in Science
By David Barber, Senior-Research Biologist
The Spring 2021 Migration Hawk Watch at Hawk Mountain came to a close with the last official migrant—a broad-winged hawk soaring north at 3:52 pm on May 15. Trainees, staff and volunteers counted 257 hours over 47 days. The high day was April 17 with 72 birds tallied, including 6 osprey, 3 bald eagles, 46 broad-winged hawks, and 6 American kestrels.
Overall, the count total of 613 birds was 36% below the 10-year average. Several species had counts well below their 10-year average, including osprey (27% below average), sharp-shinned hawk (42%), Cooper’s hawks (38%), broad-winged hawk (44%), and red-tailed hawk (50%). However, there were a couple of bright spots: two grassland species that are undergoing declines, northern harrier and American kestrel, had counts 20% and 26% above average, respectively.
Hawk Mountain was not alone, as other watchsites in Pennsylvania also saw below average total counts, as well as below average counts for osprey, sharp-shinned hawks, and broad-winged hawks. However, one low year isn’t cause for alarm, but does stress the importance of collecting long-term data to assess population trends.
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See below for the full count:
