You’ll
find members of the Greenville County Bird Club “Wing Nuts” at the Caesars Head
State Park overlook this time of year, volunteers participating in the count of
migrating hawks. The Hawk Watch starts in early September and runs through
November, during which time the hawks are on their way to Central and South America
on their migration route. The geography of the Blue Ridge Escarpment provides
ideal air currents and thermals for the migrating birds of prey, and the 3,266
ft Caesars Head overlook affords a dramatic view of the Mountain Bridge
Wilderness Area and the thousands of migrating raptors.
We had
planned a day to meet some friends up on Caesars Head for a morning of
birdwatching, with hopes of learning some of the general characteristics that
distinguish hawks from eagles, vultures and other birds of prey. For weeks the
Upstate had seen clear, blue skies with no rain, so it was to some dismay that
we awoke to a forecast of thunderstorms. Upon our arrival a thick fog rolled
in, and although the kids were thrilled to be up in the clouds, visibility dropped
to less than 50 feet. In hopes that the fog would soon burn off, we started at
the picnic tables with this printout from Clemson University that shows the silhouettes
and coloring of some of the birds most often seen during Hawk Watch. Armed with
more extensive bird identification books (such as my go-to Peterson’s Field Guide), we colored in our booklets and discussed wing formations before heading
on a short hike down to the viewing platform that looks at Caesars Head in
profile.
The
fog was still steadily blowing in and only Caesar’s nose was visible, and so
we didn't spend much time there and instead climbed up through the Devil’s Kitchen to the overlook. Members of the Wing
Nuts were in already in place despite the foggy conditions, and as we waited
for a break in the weather we queried them on this year’s Watch.
According
to our newfound (and very patient!) friend Mr. Brady, the previous week’s tally
included a Peregrine Falcon and a dozen Bald Eagles. On a good day in
September, hundreds even thousands of raptors might be seen passing through,
but it was obvious that we would not be seeing much of anything on our visit. We
learned that it is not unusual to see 200 to 300 hawks at one time soaring or
circling in a thermal overhead which is known as “kettling” or a “kettle ” of
hawks. We also discovered that the highest single day count to date was over
5,200 birds. Suddenly there was a break in the crowds, and two large birds
soared directly overhead and into the fog.
It was
just a brief glance, but the guess was Turkey Vultures, a more common (but no
less exciting to watch!) sight for us here in the Upstate. We saw almost a
dozen of these large birds during the 2 hours we were watching, as well as two
of the local Ravens. The majority of the fall count consists of Broad-winged
Hawks (in 2001 more than 10,000 were seen from the overlook during fall
migration), but other species documented include Ospreys, Sharp-shinned Hawks,
Cooper's Hawks, Merlins, American Kestrels, Mississippi Kites and Black Vultures.
The fog did lift near the end of our vigil, and just as we were leaving Mr.
Brady was studying a bird in the distance with his binoculars – a Bald Eagle.
(Note, the day’s tally includes 14 Broad-winged Hawks that passed by later in the day, just before the thunderstorms…)
On our
way back down the winding road that descends the edge of the Escarpment we
stopped at Bald Rock Heritage Preserve for a different perspective on the
Upstate. The first leaves are turning in the Foothills, and I’m looking forward
to returning every couple of weeks to see the progression into winter; our Hawk
Watch experience and the foggy morning on Caesars Head was a great kick-off to my
favorite season in South Carolina.
For
more information on Hawk Watch, visit the Greenville County Bird Club website.
For
the current year’s tally and archive results since 2007 visit the HawkCount
website.
For the
Clemson Caesars Head Hawk Watch brochure click here.
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