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From: bob@delphi.uchicago.edu (Robert S. Lewis, Jr.)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: Hawk Count
Message-ID: <1991Feb26.173124.4146@midway.uchicago.edu>
Date: 26 Feb 91 17:31:24 GMT
References: <1991Feb25.192307.13085@athena.mit.edu>
Sender: news@midway.uchicago.edu (News Administrator)
Reply-To: bob@delphi.UUCP (Robert S. Lewis, Jr.)
Organization: University of Chicago
Lines: 27

In article <1991Feb25.192307.13085@athena.mit.edu> kim@athena.mit.edu (Kim Carney) writes:
>This weekend I drove ~70 miles from the Mass Pike to Rt 495. I counted
>over 12 Hawks along the highway and in the median. This is
>about 1 bird per 5 miles. 
>
>I was very surprised at the number. Is this unusual? I was driving
>about 1-1.5 hours before sunset.


I think this is a pretty good number for Massachusetts. I was visiting
my family in Massachusetts about two weeks ago and, while driving from
Medway to Haverhill on 495, only saw three or four redtails.  I am from
Mass., but I'm living in the midwest now.  I have been amazed at the
tremendous number of hawks one sees when driving along the Mississippi
River in northern Illinois or central Iowa.  This weekend we saw over
40 redtails in a 30 or 40 mile stretch from Dubuque to Sabula.  We
also saw three or four roughlegs (two dark phase birds) and more than
60 bald eagles.  In past trips through this area this winter I have
seen red-shouldered and cooper's hawks as well.  I would say that one
averages one redtail per mile of road traveled, a little more than
one bald eagle per mile, numerous kestrels, and about one additional
species of hawk every five or ten miles when driving along the
Mississippi in winter.  Some of the redtails are dark phase birds,
which adds to the excitement.  


Rob Lewis