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September 15, 2006 [LINK / comment]
Broad-winged hawks: awesome!
I took a casual stroll along Bell's Lane late this afternoon, and was
startled to spot a large kettle of Broad-winged hawks approaching from
the north. Soon another group joined them, creating an awesome tornadic
swirl, and I estimated at least 130 altogether. This was at 5:15 PM. The hawks
gradually headed south, not southeast, so it is possible that they did
not pass through Rockfish Gap, where the hawk watch coordinated by Brenda Tekin is taking place. I'll have to get up there soon...
I also saw:
- Mockingbirds
- Carolina wrens
- Phoebes (2, prob.)
- Hummingbirds (4+)
- Yellow-bellied flycatcher (prob. LIFE BIRD!)
- Brown thrasher
- Downy woodpecker
- Yellow-billed cuckoo!
I got a good look at the flycatcher from about 30 yards away. It was definitely a member of the Empidonax family, and the yellow color on the breast and belly were distinct enough that I am confident of the species ID. The habitat, dense wetland bushes, is also characteristic of that species. In addition, I saw an adult Black rat snake 
crawling out of one of the nest boxes built for Bluebirds.
The hummingbirds have almost disappeared from our back yard, sadly. Goldfinches have been dropping by more often, though, and today I saw three of them on the thistle feeder next to the window, including a juvenile that was alternatingly feeding itself and begging from its father.
Posted (or last updated or commented upon): 16 Sep 2006, 12: 09 AM
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Hits on this page (single blog post) since July 2, 2007: 
Category archives:
(all years)
Baseball
Politics
Latin America
War
Wild Birds
Culture & Travel
Science & Technology
This (or that) year's
blog highlights
January 7, 2006 ~ DeLay gives up majority leader post
January 12, 2006 ~ Alito withstands Dems' "torture"
January 16, 2006 ~ Michelle Bachelet wins in Chile
January 19, 2006 ~ Views on Iran's nuclear ambitions
January 24, 2006 ~ Fallout from Canada's election
January 31, 2006 ~ Second (& third) thoughts on Iran
February 1, 2006 ~ The State of the Union, 2006
February 8, 2006 ~ D.C. Council votes "yes," but...
February 18, 2006 ~ Checks and balances in wartime
February 22, 2006 ~
Neocons & Neolibs: chastened alike
February 28, 2006 ~
The Dubai Ports World uproar
March 14, 2006 ~ New D.C. baseball stadium unveiled
March 24, 2006 ~ In the footsteps of France?
April 7, 2006 ~ Immigration compromise fails
May 16, 2006 ~ Bush militarizes Mexican border
June 6, 2006 ~ Alan Garcia triumphs, once again
June 9, 2006 ~
Zarqawi: The death of a terrorist
July 3, 2006 ~
Election in Mexico: too close to call
July 5, 2006 ~ North Korea goes ballistic
July 28, 2006 ~ Garcia prepares to lead Peru, again
August 4, 2006 ~ Israel invades Hezbolland
September 6, 2006 ~ "Crunchy conservatives": for real?
September 25, 2006 ~ Nationalists thwart conservation
October 3, 2006 ~ Nationals: Year in review
October 29, 2006 ~ Virginia's marriage amendment
November 7, 2006 ~ The people render their verdict
November 8, 2006 ~ Republicans lose big time
November 9, 2006 ~ Allen concedes / Election post-mortem
November 13, 2006 ~ Toward consensus on Iraq?
December 1, 2006 ~ Realism and our goals in Iraq
December 6, 2006 ~ Latin America & U.S. trade policy
December 8, 2006 ~ Iraq Study Group reports
December 22, 2006 ~ Yuletide political roundup
Blog highlights have been compiled for the years 2010-2012 thus far, and eventually will be compiled for earlier years, back to 2002.
Explanation
The "home made" blog organization system that I created was instituted on November 1, 2004, followed by several functional enhancements in subsequent years. I make no more than one blog post per day on any one category, so some posts may cover multiple news items or issues. Blog posts appear in the following (reverse alphabetical) order, which may differ from the chronological order in which the posts were originally made:
- Wild birds (LAST)
- War
- Science & Technology
- Politics
- Latin America
- Culture & Travel
- Canaries ("Home birds")
- Baseball (FIRST)
Also see: My blog practices.
Blog errata (Nobody's perfect.)
crawling out of one of the nest boxes built for Bluebirds.