September Summary and What to Expect in October
It is October eve and so comes the day I add the summary for the month. I am proud to say that this project has reached a whooping 386 observations so far, which is far more than I expected. All I can say is, keep up the good work. Here's some of our stats for the month.
Top Five Species Observed (Overall)
Red-tailed Hawk: 139 obs
Swainson's Hawk: 47 obs
Cooper's Hawk: 30 obs
Osprey: 28 obs
American Kestrel: 24 obs
Top Five Species Observed (September)
Red-tailed Hawk: 59 obs
Cooper's Hawk: 14 obs
Turkey Vulture: 12 obs
American Kestrel: 11 obs
Sharp-shinned Hawk: 11 obs
Total Species Observed (Overall): 24 species
Total Species Observed (September): 20 species
Species Still Not Sighted: (11) White-tailed Kite*, Broad-winged Hawk*, Rough-legged Hawk, Barn Owl, Flammulated Owl*, Western Screech-Owl, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Spotted Owl, Barred Owl and Gyrfalcon
- I'm putting these species on the high alert list. If we miss these species during the month of October, our chances of seeing them otherwise is slim because of migration. Help us find these species.
Counties Still Needing Observations: (5-- 1 in WA and 4 in OR) -- Ferry County (WA), Sherman County (OR), Gilliam (OR), Morrow (OR) and Wheeler (OR)
What October Has To Offer: I probably say this every month, but this month should be great for raptors. October will offer the first of the winter raptors including Rough-legged Hawks, Harlan's Hawks and for those really lucky Snowy Owls and Gyrfalcons. Owling is still going to be a huge thing too and will be so until the end of the year. If you are willing to take the time, go 4-wheeling your local forests after dark and listen to owls. For the most part, if any surprising raptors migrated through the two states, they're probably already gone but if it is still possible to get wintering Eastern and Northern Red-tails, so keep an eye for thin patagial or dark bellyband Red-tails. Merlins will also start becoming a common sight in certain areas and if you see one, check the subspecies. Though most are Taiga subspecies, I've had a few Prairie (aka Richardson's) and a Black Merlin in the search zone. Good luck raptor watchers!