Carter Hill Raptor Observatory - New Hampshire Audubon

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus)
Season Total: 93* High Count: 23 (Oct. 25)* November – 7
The jump in numbers of the red-shouldered hawk from prior seasons was certainly notable.
Some of this may have been partly due to an increased familiarity with the species among this year‟s
counters. The vast majority of the red-shoudereds counted came through in October, with only 14 of the
100 birds counted in either September or November. Red-shouldereds are arguably one of the most
beautiful raptors in the Northeast, more streamlined and delicately proportioned than the larger redtailed
hawk. An adult red-shouldered hawk in good lighting shines like a mosaic of garnets, onyx, and
quartz, with a rusty blush through the breast and a strikingly barred tail. Red-shouldereds begin their
migration later than many species, younger birds beginning to come through towards the end of broadwinged
migration, with most of the adults showing up later in October, when comparisons with redtailed
hawks are easy to find on many days.
Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus)
Season Total: 3671 High Count: 1130 (Sept. 20)
Just as it does for the annual „running of the bulls‟ in Pamplona, anticipation runs high for the
annual flight of the broad-wings in the Northeast US. The relatively-small, reclusive Buteo keep a low
profile for most of the year, but come migration, broad-winged hawks pour out of the woods and forest
edges of the US and Canada, destined for South America. Who can forget their first large „kettle‟, a
dance of swirling hawks marking the space of an invisible thermal? 2012 brought the second highest
broad-winged hawk numbers recorded for Carter Hill, but there were no historically massive flights
comparable to last season‟s. Migration peaked between Sept. 16 th and Sept. 22 nd , with 2,414 birds
counted, 1,130 of them on a single day for the third highest daily total on record for the site. Mark your
calendars accordingly to catch the spectacle of squadrons of broad-wingeds marching across the sky!
Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
Season Total: 273* High Count: 29 (Oct. 24)* November – 40
This common roadside Buteo represented the fourth most abundant species of this season. Local
birds found good hunting in the orchard, as did a few of the migrants, some of which temporarily
suspended their travel plans to forage for hours – or days. Separating true migrants from “locals” in
mid-October when many of the birds are moving through was a challenge both loved and loathed by the
regular observers, but a form of late-season excitement, nonetheless. The young red-tails that come
through earlier in the month seem to take delight in tormenting turkey vultures, fulfilling the roles
usually reserved only for merlins and sharp-shinned hawks.
Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)
Season Total: 2* High Count: 1 (Nov. 2, Nov. 9)
A bird of the far northern tundra, the rough-legged hawk has already traveled farther than nearly
any other raptor by the time it crosses into New Hampshire. There had only been a couple of records for
this species for Carter Hill prior to this season, and this was the first year where multiple birds (2) were