Nature Done Wright

Heading home from a visit to Greenbrook Sanctuary on Sunday, I just had to stop at Stateline Lookout in Alpine.

The day was winding down, but got nice views of a few resident Ospreys (one was eating a fish) and a pair of resident Black Vultures that afforded amazing views (see right).

Scott Haber reported a much more-thorough report on Saturday, which follows. (Thanks, Scott!) 

Scott writes: Although there wasn't a huge hawk flight [Saturday] morning, the passing of the cold front [Friday] and the brisk NW winds [Saturday] still brought in a nice variety of migrants (both raptor and otherwise) at State Line Lookout in Alpine.

Although Sharp-shinned Hawks were the dominant species in the raptor flight from 10AM to noon, the last of the Broad-wings were still trickling through in ones, twos and threes, joined by handfuls of Cooper's Hawks, Harriers, and Kestrels.  The local residents also put on quite a show, with Red-tails, Ospreys, Bald Eagles, Turkey and Black Vultures, and Peregrine Falcons often passing quite low over the lookout, occasionally joined by the local pair of Ravens.

Other migrants included a juvenile Red-headed Woodpecker which was associating with a juvenile Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, several large skeins of Canada Geese (with a few Snow Geese interspersed), many Flickers and Blue Jays, a few Bobolinks, and a nice assortment of neotropical passerines including no fewer than eight species of warbler (mostly Palms), a few Red-eyed Vireos, and two each of Rose-breasted Grosbeak and Scarlet Tanager.