Looking For Hawks From The Hilltops

There's a two week period every September when hawk migration is at it's peak. I could do things the right way and go to an established hawk watch site an hour away but I hold out hope that I'll be able to find a kettle of Broad-winged Hawks from out local hilltops. I went to the nearby town of Middlefield for my search.

It's amazing how the scenery can change so much just by driving 10 minutes into another town. I parked above Lyman's Orchards and set up a chair. There were some migrating warblers and sparrows traveling from tree to tree. The wind was from the north and a few clouds in the sky which makes for perfect hawk-watching conditions.

Well after 3 hours I counted  up a total of about 20 birds of prey including 10 Broad-wings, not what I hoped for. I found myself looking at kites and picking pears from the orchard. Hawk-watches are like meteor showers. Unless everything is just right-time, conditions, locations etc. then you might be disappointed. I'll just have to borrow one of my photos from an old hawk-watch. this is the type of scene I hope to see.

 I wasn't disappointed though because it was such a beautiful morning with temperatures in the low 70's, a light breeze and low humidity. I'll continue to watch the skies because you never know when they'll be passing overhead.