Carter Hill Raptor Observatory - New Hampshire Audubon

Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus)
Season Total: 86* High Count: 15 (Oct. 9)*
When watching a Northern harrier leisurely work a patch of Phragmites in a coastal habitat, one
might not peg this graceful, long-winged raptor as being champion migrants. Their buoyant flights and
exaggerated wing beats make them appear more like giant butterflies than like raptors. From a
hawkwatch, they show their true mettle: long-tailed pin dots impossibly high overhead, determined
flyers powering on past the sunset when everything else has gone to roost. This season provided many
memorable sightings, from a pair riding a nearby thermal to the last bird of the day on the Big Sit, one
of only two raptor species observed during this particular year‟s International Big Sit.
Northern harrier. Photo by Katrina Fenton
Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipeter striatus)
Season Total: 1267* High Count: 166 (Oct. 5)* November – 9
The ubiquitous sharp-shinned hawk, frequenter of backyard feeding stations and woodland
edges, could well be called the lifeblood of the site. Only the broad-winged hawk posted higher
numbers, but, unlike their Buteo cousin, sharp-shinneds make up for the discrepancy by passing
overhead throughout the entire season. You can always count on a sharpie to come through when
nothing else is flying, or to lend excitement on a slow day with its pestering antics, dive-bombing larger
birds and other sharp-shinneds with reckless abandon. If there is another bird in the sky, it seems a
sharp-shinned can't help itself from bothering him. The local passerines didn't escape unscathed, either,
and during the height of sharp-shinned migration, hunting forays into the forest edges were a frequent
sight. Migration peaked with an amazing 573 birds coming through between October 2 nd and October
13 th . On October 5 th , conditions were perfect, with record numbers of several species. The 166 sharpshinned
hawks counted on that date may well be a record high daily count for the entire state!