Diario del proyecto Inland Pacific Northwest Raptor Migration 2022

04 de enero de 2023

Final Summary

The fourth year of the IPNRM is complete! I'd like to think everyone again for their help and support of this project and helping us learn a little more about raptor dynamics in the Columbia Basin and Blue Mountains. Here's some of the year-end stats:

Top 5 Species (December):

  1. Red-tailed Hawk -- 89 obs
  2. American Kestrel -- 37 obs
  3. Bald Eagle -- 30 obs
  4. Rough-legged Hawk -- 24 obs (+1)
  5. Cooper's Hawk -- 10 obs (new to Top 5)

Overall List:

  1. Red-tailed Hawk -- 435 obs
  2. Turkey Vulture -- 129 obs (+4 from last year)
  3. American Kestrel -- 121 obs
  4. Bald Eagle -- 103 obs (-2)
  5. Osprey -- 90 obs (+3)
  6. Swainson's Hawk -- 73 obs (+3)
  7. Cooper's Hawk -- 70 obs (+5)
  8. Great Horned Owl -- 65 obs (-1)
  9. Northern Harrier -- 62 obs (-5)
  10. Rough-legged Hawk -- 41 obs (-4)
  11. Sharp-shinned Hawk -- 35 obs
  12. Golden Eagle -- 30 obs (-2)
  13. Merlin -- 23 obs
  14. Prairie Falcon -- 18 obs
  15. Peregrine Falcon -- 12 obs (+4)
  16. Red-shouldered Hawk -- 9 obs (+1)
  17. Broad-winged Hawk -- 8 obs (+8)
  18. Northern Goshawk -- 7 obs (+2)
  19. Burrowing Owl -- 7 obs (+9)
  20. Western Screech-Owl -- 6 obs (+4)
  21. Northern Pygmy-Owl -- 6 obs
  22. Ferruginous Hawk -- 5 obs (-7)
  23. Long-eared Owl -- 3 obs (+3)
  24. Barn Owl -- 3 obs (-8)
  25. Great Gray Owl -- 2 obs (-3)
  26. Barred Owl -- 2 obs (-8)
  27. Northern Saw-whet Owl -- 2 obs (-4)
  28. Short-eared Owl -- 1 obs (-1)
  29. Boreal Owl -- 1 obs (not seen last year)

Total Species: 29

Species Missed: White-tailed Kite, Flammulated Owl, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Spotted Owl, Gyrfalcon

Subspecies: (If not listed, then there was no evidence of multiple subspecies seen throughout the project)
Western Red-tailed Hawk (ssp. calurus) -- 429 obs
Harlan's Hawk (ssp. harlani) -- 5 obs
Eastern Red-tailed Hawk (ssp. borealis) -- 1 obs

Top 5 Observers (Obs):

  1. birdwhisperer -- 398 obs
  2. @danithedeer -- 161 obs
  3. @draginous -- 154 obs
  4. @cgates326 -- 66 obs
  5. @redband_ -- 59 obs

Top 5 Observers (Species:):

  1. redband_ -- 16 species
  2. cgates326 -- 16 species
  3. birdwhisperer -- 16 species
  4. danithedeer -- 14 species
  5. draginous -- 13 species

Counties Missed: None

Publicado el 04 de enero de 2023 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

25 de diciembre de 2022

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas folks! I hope you had a good day and that you can enjoying some time with family and loved ones. It's been a long time since I've posted, it's been a crazy month and I've been running all the place working overtime. But let's do a quick review of the past weeks.

Week 23 -- Dec 2-8
Only 35 observations from 10 species, the first full week of December was slow for the project. Observation of the Week goes to @redband_ for a photo of a juvenile Bald Eagle in Kittitas County, Washington. This species is super common in the Columbian Basin during the winter and I'm a little surprised we don't have more reports.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143831969

Week 24 -- Dec 9-15
Week 24 was our worst week throughout the entire project; only 15 observations, yet somehow still maintaining a 10 species count. The Observation of the Week goes to @pcjimi for submitting our first Short-eared Owl observation of the year, spotted in Wallowa County, Oregon. I've tried for this species a couple times this year but so far can't seem to get any luck. But with my Christmas Bird Count coming up this New Year's, I'm going to search pretty hard for one.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143831969

Week 25 -- Dec 16-22
We get up numbers back up to reasonable numbers this week, obtaining 58 observations from 14 species. Observation of the Week goes to @shearwater13 for an excellent daytime photo of a Great Horned Owl during what I presume to be the Walla Walla Christmas Bird Count. I have nothing to say about this except it's an amazing photo.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/144774902

We officially have 7 DAYS LEFT until the project comes to end, and we finish this year's survey. It is important to know that we have not broken the all-time record like I projected. We ended 2021 with 1,281 observations, meaning we are 34 observations behind. Let's end the year with a bang and photograph some hawks, kestrels, eagles, owls, you name it. Thank you all for the help and Happy Holidays!

Publicado el 25 de diciembre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

07 de diciembre de 2022

November Summary

Top 5 Species (October):

  1. Red-tailed Hawk -- 95 obs
  2. American Kestrel -- 28 obs (+2)
  3. Bald Eagle -- 26 obs (+2)
  4. Northern Harrier -- 16 obs
  5. Rough-legged Hawk -- 15 obs (new to Top 5)

Top 5 Species (Total):

  1. Red-tailed Hawk -- 353 obs
  2. Turkey Vulture -- 129 obs
  3. American Kestrel -- 88 obs (+2)
  4. Osprey -- 88 obs (-1)
  5. Bald Eagle -- 77 obs (return to Top 5)

Total Species: 28

Top 5 Observers (Obs):

  1. birdwhisperer -- 349 obs
  2. @draginous -- 120 obs
  3. @danithedeer -- 88 obs
  4. @redband_ -- 59 obs
  5. @cgates326 -- 59 obs

Top 5 Observers (Species):

  1. redband_ -- 16 species
  2. cgates326 -- 16 species
  3. birdwhisperer -- 15 species
  4. draginous -- 13 species
  5. danithedeer -- 11 species

Species Still Not Observed: White-tailed Kite, Flammulated Owl, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Spotted Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Gyrfalcon -- 7 left

Species Added in October: Barred Owl

Counties Needing Observations: None!!!

News and Updates:

With November at a close, we only have one month left before we say goodbye to the 2022 season of counting raptors. It's bittersweet but all good things must end. Right now, we are on pace to end the season with 1,377 observations, which will be an all-time high since I started this project. But that doesn't mean we can slack and say, we're going to break the record anyway. December is a great month to photograph raptors so keep up the good work.

I am several weeks behind so stay with me. For Week 21 (Nov 18-24), 63 observations from 11 species were submitted. The highlighted observation is a juvenile Rough-legged Hawk from Harney County, photographed by @jnelson. I'm surprised we're not seeing as many of these hawks as we should, but it really makes for a treat when you do see one.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/142554824

Week 22 (Nov 25-Dec 1) has 58 observations from 11 species also. The Observation of the Week goes to @philkahler for a photo of a Walla Walla Prairie Falcon. From my experience, Prairie Falcon is a tough species to get in Walla Walla, especially compared to eastern Oregon where they are a dime a dozen. You can see the photos here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/143006550

Observation of the Month goes to redband_ for a Long-eared Owl spotted in Grant County, Washington. Despite being an absolutely awesome owl, these owls are at risk because of birders like us. When it became apparent to the general public that many of these owls live in the Columbia Basin, many birders and photographers started spooking them, causing them to be predated by Red-tailed Hawks or Great Horned Owls. When looking for Long-eared Owls, be exceptionally cautious.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141849786

That is all. Keep it up, we're almost through this. Only 140 observations to the all-time record. Look out for Gyrfalcons and Snowy Owls, I have a good feeling about them. Also, think about participating in your local Christmas Bird Count.

Publicado el 07 de diciembre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

20 de noviembre de 2022

Breaking 1,000

There is only six weeks left, and in the twentieth week of this project, we added 77 observations from 15 species. That's a really good week for us, good job!

Observation of the Week goes to @elkedavis for an excellent photo of a male American Kestrel in Umatilla, Oregon. The kestrel is proving to be a rather common species this year and perhaps our only chance for a third species surpassing the 100-observation mark. If you want to see a kestrel, you can find them in just about any open field on a telephone wire. You can see the photo here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141756688

While we are on the topic of kestrels, I've got some more good news to share. We have officially broken 1,000 observations for the project. And that observation that broke this milestone just so happens to be a kestrel, photographed by @danithedeer in Jefferson County, Oregon. You can that observation here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/142403178

The only other news I have for you is that our first Barred Owl was reported. We are 60 observations away from breaking our 2019 record, which we can easily get this week if we repeat our success.

Publicado el 20 de noviembre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 1 comentario | Deja un comentario

13 de noviembre de 2022

Cold and Windy

Week 19 is over and done with. Winter has fully set in northeastern Oregon, I'm not sure how everyone else is coping. Over the past week, 68 observations from 14 species were submitted to the project. I also have some big news coming up.

Observation of the Week goes to @fishaspey for a photo of a female Rough-legged Hawk spotted near Flora, Oregon. I have a particular fancy for these hawks, and I hope we see a few more in the coming weeks. You can view those photos here:

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/141659241

Folks, it is official, we have broken the 2020 record for observations. With 931 behind us, we now need to target our 2019 record of 1,066. We are only 130 observations away and if we can keep submitting photos at the pace we are, we can sure to break it in about two weeks. Let's do it!

Publicado el 13 de noviembre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

04 de noviembre de 2022

October Summary

Top Five Species (October):

  1. Red-tailed Hawk -- 81 obs
  2. Turkey Vulture -- 23 obs
  3. American Kestrel -- 21 obs (+2)
  4. Northern Harrier -- 13 obs (new to Top 5)
  5. Bald Eagle -- 11 obs (return to Top 5)

Top Five Species (Overall):

  1. Red-tailed Hawk -- 236 obs
  2. Turkey Vulture -- 127 obs
  3. Osprey -- 88 obs
  4. Swainson's Hawk -- 67 obs
  5. American Kestrel -- 51 obs (new to Top 5)

Total Species: 27

Top Five Observers (Obs):

  1. birdwhisperer -- 273 obs
  2. @draginous -- 93 obs
  3. @cgates326 -- 42 obs
  4. @danithedeer -- 39 obs
  5. @redband_ -- 24 obs

Top Five Observers (Species):

  1. birdwhisperer -- 13 species
  2. cgates326 -- 12 species
  3. draginous -- 11 species
  4. redband_ -- 11 species
  5. @philkahler -- 10 species

Species Not Observed: White-tailed Kite, Flammulated Owl, Snowy Owl, Northern Hawk-Owl, Spotted Owl, Barred Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Gyrfalcon -- 8 left

Species Added in October: Rough-legged Hawk and Boreal Owl

Counties Needing Observations: WA (2) -- Douglas and Asotin

News and Updates:

Wintering is still continuing to pound on us. Despite this, I was all over the states for work and when I had time, I was looking for raptors. Umatilla county was particularly good this week. I also found what would've been the latest Union County record of a Turkey Vulture, but the bird was unfortunately, the vulture was recently deceased, likely a victim of our first snowstorm. All in all, 55 observations from 12 species were submitted in Week 18. That' pretty darn good if you ask me.

Observation of the Week goes to @eblanton5704 for a photo of an adult Bald Eagle in Okanogan County, Washington. Though they breed sporadically throughout the project's perimeters, most of eagles are wintering migrants from Canada, and as winter continues its course, we will see more eagles. Keep out an eye out for them!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/140611679

Observation of the Month goes to @thrashedout for a Red-tailed Hawk in Klamath County, Oregon. I don't really have much to say about this obs except that it's an exceptional photo. But sometimes, even the common species need the spotlight.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/140274388

Not much to say in the way of news. I personally haven't seen my Rough-legged Hawk yet, and owling hasn't been too kind to me. We are however, precisely 80 observations behind our 2020 stats. I know we'll break that in two weeks, but let's push it. Find some raptors and let's break that record.

Publicado el 04 de noviembre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

29 de octubre de 2022

Storms Brewing

This week, over 10 inches of snow was dumped about 5,000 ft in the Blues/Wallowa Mountains. This first sign of winter is probably here to stay and that means a whole new collection of raptors are dribbling into the Washington or Oregon. During Week 17, we had 28 observations submitted. Not great but better than last week.

Observation of the Week goes to @sphyrapicus for submitting our first arctic species, a juvenile Rough-legged Hawk. A common winter visitor, you can often find these hawks hovering over fields like a kestrel. They can be discerned by other Buteos but the carpal patches on the underwings and the fully feathered feet. Keep an eye out for them, they're going to be all over.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/139998367

We also broke the 800-observation mark for this project. This means we are just 100 shy of our 2020 totals. So, keep those observations going, find some cool raptors and I'll be submitting a monthly report at the end of the weekend.

Publicado el 29 de octubre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

22 de octubre de 2022

Slow Week

Only 22 observations made an appearance in Week 16. This is a little below my expectations since October is supposed to be one of our best months.

Observation of the Week goes to @redband_ for an absolutely fantastic photo of a Western Screech-Owl in Kittitas County, Washington. Though this is only the fourth observation for the project, screech-owls are rather common and are often seen in any riparian habitat. Try looking for some and you'll likely find them.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/139202135

The last full week of October is ahead of us, let's finish off strong. Find some raptors, photograph them and let's get Rough-legged Hawk added to the list this coming week.

Publicado el 22 de octubre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

15 de octubre de 2022

Tundra Migrants

Week 15 brought us 56 observations from 11 species. This pushes the total project observation count to 749. If we continue at this pace, we'd break our 2020 observations count in three weeks. But I say let's we get ambitious. Let's get to 929 by the end of the month!

In regard to the Observation of the Week, I've chosen to spotlight @redband_ and his photo of an intermediate morph Red-tailed Hawk in Kittias County, Washington. I wanted to showcase this because the photo is absolutely fantastic and can be used as a great example to differentiate juvenile intermediate morph Harlan's and Westerns (ssp. calurus). This is a really tough pair to discern but id comes down to two features: the fingers and the tail banding.

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/138170151

  1. Harlan's intermediate/dark morph typically have white emarginated primaries (or fingers) with barring on the tips. Western Red-tails always have black primaries. Though this feature will not always guarantee a correct id (due to individual variation), it can resolve about 90% of disputes.

Harlan's:
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/398438851
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/30995091
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/189423231

Western:
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/188961501
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/178043761
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/241040371

  1. Tail pattern is super important for a Harlan's. The variation in Harlan's tail is quite a bit more than in Western, but Harlan's almost always have, wavy or slanted tail bands with white "webbing" in the inner margins. Take a look at these tails:

Harlan's:
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/440886631
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/327964681
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/319094701

Western:
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/321147631
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/321146441
https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/245729861

Though we haven't gotten a Harlan's for the project yet, they are coming, and I hope you guys get to see some. They are, in my humble opinion, one of the coolest raptors in the world, and it's so unfortunate it's a subspecies of the Red-tailed. But I guess that's why we dream right?

Publicado el 15 de octubre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 0 comentarios | Deja un comentario

09 de octubre de 2022

Backyard Birding

Fourteen weeks have passed since this project started, and in the past seven days, 62 reports came in from 15 species. Some migratory species are still going strong, but we are also seeing an uptick in owl sightings, and I'd like to keep that going.

The observation of the week without a doubt goes to @shearwater13 for finding one of our rarest species. This amazing raptor is the Boreal Owl, seen in Columbia County, Washington. This observation in every way makes me envious since I found one myself last year in Oregon (the first sighting in the Oregon Blues since 2001) but my Boreal only sang twice, or in other words, no way I could make an RG iNat sighting. Future observers swung by and were also unsuccessful in getting a recording of the skewing owl. But this observation, surpasses all of my expectations and hopes. And now I'm itching to do some owling!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/137815189

Publicado el 09 de octubre de 2022 por birdwhisperer birdwhisperer | 4 comentarios | Deja un comentario
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