This time last year I was unemployed and getting a little worried about finding a new career path. I kept myself busy with outing exploring new places and trying new things. Last year I went on my first hawk watch on Hook Mountain in Nyack, NY. I enjoyed it so much, I was worried that with work, I'd never get to go back.
Weekdays provide a smaller crowd (9 people today) and a nicer chance to learn and socialize with others who do this often and have done it for many years. Today was all about sharp-shinned hawks, or "sharpies" as they are affectionately known, and Broadwing hawks.
In my trek up to Hook Mountain I got caught a little off path, but with some common sense and google maps, I found my way up to the overlook, marked by "the owl," a decoy owl that attracts hawks in to the vicinity. Once you see the owl, you know you've made it.
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Sharpie coming in after the decoy owl. The sharp-shinned hawks were plentiful and entertaining today. |
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Same bird as above. |
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Sharpies are hawks that frequent woodlands, their shorter wings than Cooper's hawks allow them to maneuver quickly , like to avoid branches and tree limbs. One Sharpie was weary of the owl, it flew up the hiking trail and zipped past us, real low, maneuvering like a stealth jet. |
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We had all three falcon species today, the American Kesterel (above), merlin, and peregrine falcon, which I got to observe in a full on, impressive stoop down toward the Hudson River below. |
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We also saw this guy, he waved hello. |
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Broadwing hawks were very high and almost seemed like specks. Shape and that banded tail and dark outline of the wings were the markings that identified this species for us. |
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Another Sharpie. |
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When 2 sharpies got close there would always be an interaction, with chasing, diving, and close fly-bys. |
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Got lots of views of turkey and black vultures. |
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Saw 2 mature and this one raggedy immature bald eagle. He was in the area quite a bit, and flying in the wrong direction- probably a local bird. |
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