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HAWK CLIFF FOUNDATION
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Broad-winged Hawk
(Buteo platypterus)
Migration Timeframe:
Broadwings are “September Migrants”. A few individuals are observed in
August and October, and even the odd Broadwing in November
(see below). Serious migration occurs in September at
the beginning in the first week, then increasing “big-time”
from the 7th to the 21st, peaking
approximately between the 14th to the 20th.
They prefer NW winds, but during the middle part of
September they'll migrate regardless of wind direction
|
Year |
Peak Week |
Avg |
|
2002-2007 |
Sep 15-21 |
26,526 |
|
Year |
Peak Week |
Count |
|
2008 |
Sep 15-21 |
100,033 |
|
Year |
Earliest
Obs |
Count |
Year |
Latest
Obs |
Count |
|
2002-2007 |
Aug 31 2007 |
1 |
2002-2007 |
Nov 05 2001 |
3 |
|
2008 |
Aug 25 |
8 |
2008 |
Oct 04 |
6 |
Where to Watch:
Like all the buteo species,
Broadwings can be seen
virtually anywhere along the roadway just inland of the cliff to
several km's north back towards St. Thomas. The key to seeing
Broadwings
and possibly large kettles is finding their flight line and getting
yourself underneath it. This can be difficult with Broadwings given
their typical extremely high
flights.
Because buteos use the lift of thermals of rising
air off the warmer ground it is usually best to find a vantage point
in front of an open field to the east of the road. You'll find
kettles over these fields, and if you're lucky these swirling masses
of hawks can number in the 100's or even 1000's Broadwings. And keep
a sharp eye out for the oddball in the group as we've had cases of
dark morph or dark phase Broadwings in the mix.
High Counts:
Though Broadwings numbers did not reach record levels in 2007, they
certainly cooperated in putting on a great migration display. This
was especially true on the first of our September "Hawkwatch
Weekends" (Sep 15-16) with 25,441 Broadwings passing through to the
delight of at least 2,000+ visitors.
|
1-Year |
Count |
1-Month |
Count |
|
2000 |
135,336 |
Sep 2000 |
135,329 |
|
1-Day |
Count |
1-Hour |
Count |
|
Sep 16 2000 |
130,640 |
Sep 17 2002 |
33,400 |
Yearly Totals:
The 2008 yearly total was just over 100,000 and approached the best
ever count back in 2000. We were significantly higher than either
the 10-Year
and 5-Year averages. (averages are based on 1998-2007 and
2003-2007 counts).
|
Year |
Count |
Year |
Count |
Year |
Count |
|
1995 |
12,400 |
2000 |
135,336 |
2005 |
34,424 |
|
1996 |
47,548 |
2001 |
3,577 |
2006 |
43,083 |
|
1997 |
3,999 |
2002 |
67,138 |
2007 |
41,018 |
|
1998 |
11,296 |
2003 |
5,320 |
2008 |
100,354 |
|
1999 |
11,333 |
2004 |
14,900 |
2009 |
N/A |
|
10-Yr Avg |
5-Yr Avg |
|
36,743 |
27,749 |
Interesting Facts:
-
Broadwings are the smallest of our buteos. Their scientific
name…Buteo platypterus…comes from the Latin word “buteo”,
which refers to a kind of hawk and the Greek words “platys”,
meaning broad or wide, and “pteron”, meaning wing.
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They migrate during a very small timeframe in September
every year (see migration chart above) and usually in large
groups forming often massive kettles.
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Broadwings are definitely a long distance migrant.
Disregarding rare exceptions, they winter south of the
Canadian border, and the majority winter in South America
and Central America (Peru, Columbia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and
southern Brazil).
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A good number, mainly juveniles, winter in southern Florida.
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There have been “claims” of rare winter sightings in
Ontario, but these have never been documented.
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