I spent about 45 minutes scanning the lake and beach from the fishhook pier at Montrose early this morning. Shorebirds continue to be few and far between. The best I could manage were 1 Semipalmated Plover, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, and a heard only Greater Yellowlegs. Just after dawn I had 2 Osprey fly south over the point. One of these came in off the lake and flew low, right over the beach. I also had about 6 bats come in off the lake. This is the time of year to see migrating bats at Montrose.
Tag Archives: Hawks
September 1, 2014
I spent a little over an hour at Montrose Beach this morning, hoping for large shorebirds, especially the kind with long recurved or decurved bills. The only shorebirds I saw were a flyby Ruddy Turnstone, a couple Semipalmated Plovers, a Spotted Sandpiper, and a few Sanderlings. The morning wasn’t a complete bust however. Around dawn a Merlin flew in off the lake with something in its talons. This is my first Merlin of the season at Montrose. I also had about 15 adult Common Terns fly south over the beach. They were coming by in small groups and never landed. A juvenile Forster’s Tern made an appearance too.
May 10, 2014
I spent a few hours at Montrose this morning. It wasn’t as active as May 8 but I still ended up with 86 species, and I had almost 20(!) birds today that I didn’t see on Thursday. Here are my highlights:
Mute Swan – 3 flew in from the south and landed in the lake just off the beach
Northern Shoveler – 3 flying north over the lake
White-winged Scoter – 1 in the lake off the fishhook pier
Red-breasted Merganser – 11
Great Egret – 11, including a group of 8, all flying south
Northern Harrier – 1 immature flying south high over the point
Ruddy Turnstone – 2 on the beach
Laughing Gull – 1 adult flying south over the fishhook pier
Common Tern – 3
Red-headed Woodpecker – 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker – 1 female
Yellow-throated Vireo – 1
Philadelphia Vireo – 1
All 5 swallows, with most of the Cliffs and Banks moving south
Marsh Wren – 1
Northern Mockingbird – 1
Blue-winged Warbler – 1
Black-throated Blue Warbler – 1 male
Blackburnian Warbler – 1
Mourning Warbler – 1
Scarlet Tanager – 1 male, flew in off the lake and landed in the dunes
Lark Sparrow – 1, flew in off the lake and landed in the dunes
Dickcissel – 1 singing male
There seemed to be a fair amount of turnover between today and Thursday, with fewer White-crowned Sparrows, Catharus thrushes, Gray Catbirds, Brown Thrashers, Eastern Kingbirds, and Least Flycatchers today. Warblers are still scant.
Peregrine Falcon with Northern Flicker, September 29, 2013
Peregrine Falcon with Northern Flicker (click to see the larger version)
As I was leaving Montrose on Sunday I noticed some movement almost directly above me just under the canopy of a tall Honey Locust. When I looked with my bins I saw a juvenile Peregrine Falcon grasping a deceased Northern Flicker. The Peregrine had captured the Flicker and was eating it in comfort under the cover of the canopy. I took a few pics and let the bird eat breakfast in peace.
Red-tailed Hawk, March 22, 2013
Red-tailed Hawk (click to see the larger version)
A juvenile Red-tailed Hawk was hanging around the meadow this morning. Red-tailed Hawks are unusual at Montrose at any time. Other than the hawk I saw nothing else of note, and it still feels like winter. Spring is out there somewhere.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
A Red-tailed Hawk has been hanging around Montrose for the past couple days. Both times that I’ve seen the bird its crop has been full, so obviously it hasn’t had trouble finding food, which isn’t surprising considering all the chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits that call Montrose home. A winged Tyrannosaurus rex indeed.