The winter weather has arrived alongside the migrating raptors! The more northern half of our migration network has received at least a dusting of snow, signaling that the end of migration is fast approaching. Our crews keep busy all season with field work and welcoming numerous visitors, including lots of organized groups from high schools and universities. For those of you yet to drop by, let our crew leads catch you up on the count, exciting sightings, and adventures had this fall.
Bonney Butte HawkWatch, OR
The Bonney Butte crew is enjoying the season so far! Some aspect of counting, catching and banding, or sharing about migrating raptors is new to many our our team, so we are all learning a ton. The season has been a little slower than expected for both counting and banding, but we each and every bird that moves by Bonney Butte. Recent, higher counts have been very fun, and we enjoy sharing our love and passion for these birds with the many visitors we get to the butte. Highlight birds include an adult Red-shouldered Hawk, four Swainson’s Hawks, and banding an adult American Goshawk. We also banded the first adult Bald Eagle ever at Bonney Butte!
In terms of other wildlife, we have a family of Canada Jays sharing our camp area, who like to eat everything but the sunflower seeds we bought for them. A Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel that hangs around our observation site becomes bolder by the day, and likes to dig underground and pull plants by the roots into their tunnels. We also had an incident with a mystery beast getting into the cleaning supplies and tearing up some paper towels, and we all have theories as to who the culprit is.
We’ve also welcomed visitors to the site, including an over-50 visitor day with two wildlife classes from Pacific University and the University of Idaho. It ended up being a great migration day, with lots of birds to see in flight and in the hand.
We do everything together, from cooking (lots of beans) and cleaning to having fun after the count. We are big fans of board games, sitting in the wall tent together reading by the wood stove, and having movie nights when we can.
Commissary Ridge HawkWatch, WY
We’ve been busy counting away, with our total count so far at 4,079! Banding has slowed down a bit, but we are currently up to 129 birds banded, and a shift in the direction of migrating eagles offers better views! The weather has been foggy and cold, followed by bouts of snow/hail showers. We are now in a winter wonderland! Across the majestic (and windy) Wyoming landscape surrounding the site, we’ve spotted badgers, moose, grouse, Snowshoe Hare, elk, Mule Deer, Pronghorn, sheep, and Long-tailed Weasels. A visit by some former Commissary Ridge HawkWatch Crew Members was a special treat! Thanks, Frankie, Elly, Oso the pup, and Kaitlyn, for your delightful visit!
After the work day, we watch the Ultimatum, enjoy communal dinners, and make a playlist suited to the migration season. One of the Commie crew members is slowly becoming the Shai-Hulud (a Dune reference for those of you who don’t know).
Goshute Mountains HawkWatch, NV
So far, our season in the Goshute Mountains has been filled with a steady migration flight, lots of friendly visitors, and a few days of inclement weather. Some highlights for the crew include seeing the variation in Broad-winged Hawks as they pass by the site, and a high number of American Kestrels captured at our banding station. Wild horses are also a common sight around the Goshute range, but this year we’ve had small groups of horses higher up near the site, with some coming in to sniff crewmembers’ tents!
Returning visitors always bring fun stories of past experiences at the Goshute Mountains HawkWatch, and we’ve loved hearing about ways people connect with raptors and nature at the site. We look forward to sharing more memorable experiences with new and returning visitors alike!
When not working, the crew spends their days off exploring the nearby canyons and ridgelines with long day hikes and birding walks around local springs.
This Raptor Month, consider making a gift to support our raptor migration monitoring and population research. Click here to invest in the future of the migration network: https://hawkwatch.org/supportmigration/
This blog was written by Sammy Riccio, our Communications Manager, as well as our crew leads Gracie Sangmeister, Doris Rodriguez, and Skyler Bol. You can learn more about Sammy here.
All birds were handled for the purpose of scientific research under a federally authorized Bird Banding Permit issued by the U.S. Geological Survey and in accordance with all state permitting requirements.
