In anticipation of the cool front that was predicted for yesterday morning I made a trip out to Smith Point, a little peninsula that sticks out between Galveston Bay and Trinity Bay where the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory conducts three and a half months of raptor surveys each fall to monitor the migration of raptors as they travel south for the winter. At the peak of the migration it can be an unbelievable spectacle with tens of thousands of hawks in the sky above the “hawk tower.” It can be a little difficult to predict exactly when the big days will happen but if you are fortunate enough to hit the raptor jackpot, it will likely be something you will never forget.

Yesterday I didn’t hit the jackpot, but I was rewarded with some nice views of several raptor species. This young Sharp-shinned Hawk was one of several birds that made me glad I made the trip out. Even when the skies aren’t loaded with birds it is always fun to catch up with friends; the tower can definitely serve as a fun gathering place to geek out about birds.


www.texastargetbirds.com

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Accipiter striatus