Derby Hill Bird Observatory Mexico, New York, USA Daily Raptor Counts: May 18, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 1 13 Turkey Vulture 668 2884 39049 Osprey 4 55 284 Bald Eagle 84 379 1098 Northern Harrier 11 104 611 Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 561 3439 Cooper's Hawk 0 7 307 American Goshawk 0 0 2 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 500 Broad-winged Hawk 636 4312 44410 Red-tailed Hawk 13 202 2891 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 68 Golden Eagle 0 2 68 American Kestrel 1 16 444 Merlin 1 12 80 Peregrine Falcon 0 3 12 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 0 1 Total: 1422 8539 93277 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours Official Counter: David Brown Observers: Dave Wheeler, John Heidecker, Kim Steininger Visitors: 40, including a class field trip from SUNY ESF Weather: Some morning clouds then mostly sunny with cumulus clouds developing. Winds moderate from the southwest became variable in direction as the wind battled it out with a lake breeze. Eventually the wind settled into a westerly direction, then eventually had some north in it that sent us to the South Lookout at 4pm (3pm EST). Very warm with temperatures reaching 91F! Raptor Observations: A steady flight for most of the day with over 600 each of Turkey Vulture and Broad-winged Hawk. Good Bald Eagle day with 84. Smaller numbers of other species including 11 harriers. The flight was very high but mostly overhead or slightly to the sides. In the mid-afternoon we lost the flight line inland, and at the south lookout we picked up a light to moderate flight at scope distance inland for the final two hours. Derby Hill 2026 Daily Summary Videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB8baxseGlb6YYCLHXEKtIckpJtq1srVm Non-raptor Observations: 113 total bird species today: https://ebird.org/tripreport/525162 North Lookout: Common Gallinule, Sandhill Crane, 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, Alder Flycatcher, 1,940 Blue Jays, SEDGE WREN, Orchard Oriole, 22 Baltimore Orioles, 16 species of warbler including 5 Blackpoll Warblers and a Wilson's Warbler, 15 Scarlet Tanagers, 6 Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, 8 Indigo Buntings. https://ebird.org/checklist/S341982706 South Lookout: 2 Wild Turkeys, Killdeer, Blue-winged Warbler. https://ebird.org/checklist/S341983369 New species for season: Alder Flycatcher, Sedge Wren, Blackpoll Warbler, Wilson's Warbler Predictions: TOMORROW: Mostly cloudy then partly cloudy. A stray thunderstorm possible. High 82F. Winds WSW at 5-10mph. Overnight songbird migration should be good again, leading into a good non-raptor morning flight, and at least a moderate raptor flight. WEDNESDAY: Morning showers then partly cloudy. Cooler. High 61F. Winds W at 10-20mph. Probably South Lookout. Perhaps a bit of a cleanup flight. Expect light to moderate migration. THURSDAY:Sunny. High 58F. Winds NNW at 10-15mph. South Lookout. Expect light to moderate migration. ======================================================================== 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/3860/20260518 -- 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. --
