Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch at the Arthur W. Butler Sanctuary!

Cameron Rutt, 2008 Hawkwatcher at Chestnut Ridge

Bedford Audubon is pleased to announce that Cameron Rutt will be the hawkwatcher at the Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch for the Fall 2008 migration.

Cameron has recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree with honors in biology from Messiah College in Grantham, Pennsylvania. He brings considerable field birding experience with him including participation in auditory bird surveys, mist netting and bird banding, and countless hours scanning the skies for raptors at Waggoner’s Gap, Hawk Mountain, and Cape May.

On a personal note, Cameron has recorded close to 600 species of birds in the ABA recording area and has recently been appointed to the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee. Come meet Cameron at the Hawkwatch. He will be on duty from 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Monday–Saturday from August 22 through November 20. (Another Hawkwatcher will be on duty on Sundays.)

Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch Final Update
By Cameron Rutt

As we near the conclusion of the 2008 hawk watching season at Bedford Audubon Society’s Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch, I’ll take the time to look back at this year’s highlights. The watch was initiated on 22 August, a day that despite containing only 20 migrating raptors included 3 Bald Eagles, a sign of things to come. Almost three months later, and with only a few days left to tally
the final raptors (the last count day is slated for 20 November), a number of season records have already fallen. All-time seasonal high counts have been set for four species (Black Vulture, Bald
Eagle, Cooper’s Hawk, and Peregrine Falcon) with only 130 more Turkey Vultures needed to eclipse the previous high mark. The previous Bald Eagle record was set back in 1996 when a total of 51 birds were observed. This year’s 94 birds to date obliterated that prior figure!

Overall, 2008 was an above average year in many respects. Only Northern Goshawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle, and American Kestrel migrated by Chestnut Ridge in less than average numbers. Of these, the only real surprise was the relative lack of truly migrant Red-tailed Hawks. Perhaps northern birds are simply waiting for that next arctic cold front or the onset of consistently cold weather to settle in further north. Whatever the case, the Red-tailed’s smaller, more highly migratory relative, the Broad-winged Hawk, more than made up for any deficiency. An awesome 5473 Broad-wingeds were seen passing by Chestnut Ridge on 18 September, the unequivocal best flight day this season (5579 raptors in total). Perhaps even more impressive was the fact that 4472 of this total was recorded within a mere three hour timespan in the afternoon. All in all, over 8000 Broad-winged Hawks were counted during just five days in mid-September (15–19 September), making this passage a must-see event for next fall.

Aside from raptors, a number of other notable migratory events made this a particularly memorable season. Noteworthy season totals include: Brant (712), Canada Goose (8772), Ruby-throated Hummingbird (284), Cedar Waxwing (2482), Pine Siskin (13,266+), and Monarch butterflies (1497). The Pine Siskin migration, particularly, included an astounding number of individuals and Chestnut Ridge played a leading role in quantifying this perhaps unprecedented invasion. Look for an upcoming article in The Kingbird, New York’s state ornithological journal, detailing the Ruby-throated Hummingbird migration (and perhaps the massive Pine Siskin exodus) in the near future.

Additionally, a few rare avian finds were detected during the three month vigil. Perhaps most unusual was a young Iceland Gull attempting to blend in among a flock of Herring Gulls (23 October), what must be a first sight record from Chestnut Ridge. Only a few days prior (17 October), a Red-throated Loon obliged onlookers by pairing up with a much larger Common Loon in high migratory flight. Lastly, a White-winged Crossbill was observed zipping overhead, calling repeatedly (12 November), hopefully leading the way for what could be a unique crossbill event in the region this fall/winter.

Finally, I would like to thank the Bedford Audubon Society for providing me the wonderful opportunity to participate in and catalog a season’s worth of avian migration. Truly, this was an invaluable experience for me.

2000 Hawkwatch   2001 Hawkwatch   2007 Hawkatch

Photo Courtesy of and Copyright by Richard L. Becker
rlbecker@songstar.org  www.songstar.org

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