Derby Hill Bird Observatory
Mexico, New York, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 26, 2026
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 1 6 12
Turkey Vulture 276 22476 35474
Osprey 5 148 161
Bald Eagle 33 337 544
Northern Harrier 3 356 450
Sharp-shinned Hawk 25 2063 2241
Cooper's Hawk 5 96 288
American Goshawk 0 1 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 85 497
Broad-winged Hawk 3067 27984 27984
Red-tailed Hawk 28 1706 2585
Rough-legged Hawk 0 15 68
Golden Eagle 0 32 62
American Kestrel 1 320 385
Merlin 1 36 66
Peregrine Falcon 0 4 8
Unknown Accipitrine 0 0 0
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 1
Total: 3445 55666 70828
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:30:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Bill Sutorius, Dave Wheeler, Don Metzger, John Heidecker,
Kennedy Sullivan
Visitors:
25, including a scout group
Weather:
Mostly sunny with light to moderate NNW winds. Count conducted from the
South Lookout.
Raptor Observations:
A nice flight that started overhead then shifted inland in the afternoon.
Broad-winged Hawks were most numerous with just over 3,000. Turkey Vultures
had a moderate flight with 276. Other notable totals included 33 Bald
Eagles and 28 Red-tailed Hawks. A BLACK VULTURE was the 12th of the
season.
Derby Hill 2026 Daily Summary Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB8baxseGlb6YYCLHXEKtIckpJtq1srVm
Non-raptor Observations:
North Lookout (morning birding): Northern House Wren, Brown Thrasher, 2
Palm Warblers, 8 Yellow-rumped Warblers.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S327704034
South Lookout: 4 Killdeer, PECTORAL SANDPIPER, 4 Savannah Sparrows (one
landed on my head)
https://ebird.org/checklist/S328184980
No new species for season
Predictions:
TOMORROW: Mainly sunny. High around 65F. Winds light and variable. Will
probably start at the North Lookout but a lake breeze is likely and will
send us to the South Lookout. Probably another big broad-wing flight.
TUESDAY: Cloudy with occasional afternoon rain. High 61F. Winds SSE at
15-25mph. Great winds. Probably a big flight, though conditions become
questionable in the afternoon with the possibility of rain. Should be an
influx of new species and a big non-raptor morning flight as well.
WEDNESDAY: Cloudy with rain later. High 57F. Winds SW at 5-10mph. A good
wind direction but weak and possibly gloomy. Should be some action but
probably not a big flight.
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Report submitted by David Brown ([email protected] )
Derby Hill Bird Observatory information may be found at:
http://onondagaaudubon.com/derby-hill-bird-observatory/
More site information at hawkcount.org:
https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=358
Count data submitted via Trektellen.org - Project info at:
https://trektellen.org/count/view/3860/20260426
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Oneidabirds-L List Info:
Visit: http://LISTS.cornell.edu for more information
Posting Address: [email protected]
Sightings: Please submit your observations to eBird at http://www.ebird.org.
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