Tweeterites,

The attached on a new hawk watch site on the Chelan Crest is interesting
and might get some of us excited to go there next fall.

Andy Stepniewski
Wapato WA

----------
> From: Dana Visalli <dvisalli at igc.apc.org>
> To: Andy Stepniewski <steppie at wolfenet.com>
> Subject: Re: hawk id at a distance
> Date: Wednesday, December 10, 1997 11:04 PM
>
> Hi Andy,
> Thanks for your response about broadwinged hawks. I've got an article
> in the computer on Cooper Mt that we are putting in our local natural
> history journal, The Methow Naturalist. It was written by Dan
> Rossman, the young man (26 yo) who manned the station for the month
> or so that it was open. Feel free to use any of it that you want on
> Tweeters:
>
> HawkWatch Counts Migrating Raptors at Chelan Ridge
>
> By Dan Rossman
>
> The name of the location is debated. Some prefer "Chelan Ridge," while
others insist
> on calling it "Cooper Mountain." There's also "Cooper Mountain Ridge" or
"Chelan Crest
> at Cooper Mountain Ridge." Name notwithstanding, the site where I spent
six weeks
> conducting this fall's hawk migration count in the Okanagan National
Forest should now
> be synonymous to all with "great raptor flyway."
>
> Observations at Chelan Ridge were conducted for 29 days between September
5 and
> October 11. During this time, a total of 1,414 migrating hawks were
observed. This is a
> surprisingly high number, considering the relatively short span of days
observed and the
> topography of the Cascade Mountains, which historically tends to diffuse
the migrating
> raptors.
>
> The observation point sits atop a 200-plus-foot cliff. It is an ideal an
ideal
> hawkwatch setting, as southwest winds prevail at the site, creating
excellent updrafts.
> These updrafts brought raptors to within 30 feet of the observers. On
occasion smaller
> birds, such as sharp-shinned hawks and merlins, would buzz within five
feet of us to
> "stoop" (dive at) the owl decoy that was positioned directly over our
heads. A few times,
> I could hear the wind whistling through their wings!
>
> The ridge proved to be an excellent accipiter flyway, with 48 percent of
all raptors
> observed belonging to that family of short-winged "forest" hawks. Three
hundred eleven
> of these birds were identified as sharp-shinned hawks ("sharpies").
There was a fairly
> high number of goshawks at 38. Buteos (soaring hawks), consisted largely
of red-tailed
> hawks, with one rough-legged hawk and a few broad-winged hawks thrown in
for good
> measure. Buteos comprised 15 percent of the count, Eagles and northern
harriers each
> representing 8 percent of the count, while falcons and ospreys each
accounted for 4
> percent. Golden eagles peaked on the last day of observation, with 14
passing through
> on October 11.
>
> The busiest day was September 23, when 138 birds were counted. 10 AM to 3
PM
> were the busiest hours of the day. Noon to 1 PM was the most exciting,
with 245 migrating hawks recorded during this time period throughout the
course of the season.
>
> This season's hawk watch could not have been possible without the help of
many
> Methow Valley residents. Many thanks go to Kent Woodruff of the Okanagan
National
> Forest for organizing the migration count (along with Steve Hoffman of
HawkWatch).
> Thanks also to Sarah Haggerty of the Okanagan National Forest,
> Rick Hendrick for being an enthusiastic and eagle-eyed volunteer, and
Susan Crampton
> for the vegetables in my stew. Thanks to everyone at the Winthrop
Visitor's Center for
> recording my counts every day. And finally, thanks to everyone who made
the trek to
> Chelan Ridge this fall to help spot majestic raptors in the beautiful
North Cascades.
>
>