Cold morning for hawk watching - Yesterday, was my third stint on the tower at Magee, and it turned out to be the best so far. I've been lucky my first three times on the tower, because I've had south winds each time. The temps at 9:00 A.M. yesterday were around 20 degrees. I stayed until about 2:00 P.M where the temperature was up to a balmy 34. It was overcast early, then sunny, then mostly cloudy. The winds were from the southwest at 10-15 mph. I was never cold. I was layered up like an onion. I cannot stand or sit still very long, so my constant pacing on the tower helped to keep me warm too. At 11:10, things started happening. The first bird was a Cooper's Hawk, which was immediately followed by two Red-tailed Hawks, and a Turkey Vulture. When I left, I had observed the following migrating raptors: 20 Red-tailed Hawks, 5 Red-shouldered Hawks, 4 Cooper's Hawks, 1 Turkey Vulture, and 1 Northern Harrier. I saw three local Bald Eagles and a couple local Red-tailed Hawks. A lone Sandhill Crane flew overhead at a medium height. The raptors were low. Most were below 100 feet, with many below tree-top height. Not a lot thermal activity, of course, when it's 25 degrees. Several flew close to the tower, so it was a good day.

Apparently, a Northern Shrike was spotted at Magee last weekend. While on the tower yesterday looking north, a bird flew east to west, and without my binoculars, I thought the bird looked different, because of its flight. I put my binoculars on it while it was still flying, and I noticed flashes of white. It landed in a tree, but it was not close. I could see its side profile, however, and it definitely had a long tail. After a few minutes, it flew to another tree, putting it even further away from me. It then flew back to the east and went low and disappeared from my view.