September 29th was Outdoor Exploration day here at Kiptopeke State Park. It was a fun day of festivities, and we enjoyed having visitors of all ages stop by the platform to learn about CVWO's raptor research and look for hawks with us.
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| Julia showing the identifying characteristics of the American Kestrel to a visiting school group (Brian Taber) |
There was an amazing Northern Flicker flight on September 29th and 30th. 1,284 flew south on Saturday and 1,403 on Sunday, often flying in quick succession one after another over the observatory. It gave the passed around role of "Flicker Clicker" a run for their money. 36 Bald Eagles were counted on September 29th, which tied the observatory's second highest record (the highest was 38).
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Northern Flicker (Steve Thornhill)
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Bald Eagle (Julia Magill)
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October 1st saw good numbers of high flying Ospreys, Bald Eagles, and Peregrines, as well as 3 Red-Shouldered hawks. Light winds from the South on October 2nd led to a relatively slow raptor day for Kiptopeke. We did see a wonderful kettle of 50 Broad-Wing Hawks however.
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| Broad-wing Hawk (Julia Magill) |
The Tuesday lull gave us the opportunity to observe other interesting sights around the platform. We observed a gorgeous Long-tailed Skipper at the CVWO butterfly garden...
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| Long-tailed Skipper (Julia Magill) |
Praying Mantis predation...
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| Praying Mantis eating a grasshopper (Julia Magill) |
and Yellow-billed Cuckoos feasting on Tent Caterpillars
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| Yellow-billed Cuckoo (Julia Magill) |
A cold front will be passing through on Friday, which is a good predictor of a good flight day. We hope to see you at the observatory!
-Julia
