Golden Eagle.
Photo by Michael Sciortino

A small group of birders gathered on October 26 for a trip to Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch. It was a cold and clear day with winds from the north. We were very lucky to be the only ones at the hawk watch at 10:00 am with the counter, Jess, and the educational assistance person, Abby. There was a slow but steady pace of birds throughout the day, and Jess and Abby pointed out birds and explained how to differentiate them. There was a very nice, diverse group of hawks with 14 Sharp-shinned and 31 Red-tailed Hawks. We also had three Red-shouldered Hawks and Three Cooper’s Hawks as well as a Northern Harrier, a Peregrine Falcon and a Merlin. However, the highlights of the day were eagles. It was wonderful and amazing to have a kettle of six Bald Eagles circling over the hawk watch at the same time!

Then we had a Golden Eagle. While it was not close, we were able to watch it well for some time. We got to see the white under the tail showing it was a subadult and noticed how the head was smaller proportionally than the heads of the Bald Eagles. It was a life bird for four people in the group.

We also had some nice birds other than raptors including 11 Purple Finches, 20 Pine Siskins, two Black-capped Chickadees, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and six  Common Ravens. We spent about six hours at the hawk watch and had a great time. The full list of species can be seen on eBird:  https://ebird.org/checklist/S281670018.

The post Eagles Stole the Show at the Hawk Watch appeared first on Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.

The post Eagles Stole the Show at the Hawk Watch appeared first on Loudoun Wildlife Conservancy.