The Sharp-shinned Hawk. Recently, I was asked what their name means. Seeing that “sharpies” (my preferred nom de plume) do have an awfully strange name, I found it to be a fine question, the answer to which is fairly straightforward. They have sharp shins.
Granted, this does sound like a punchline to a corny joke, but it is true. The scaling on their featherless legs is sharply keeled and, in hand, a defining characteristic. Can you see this characteristic with the naked eye? Under typical viewing conditions, no, not at all. At best, their legs will appear quite spindly, and somehow the name Spindly-legged Hawk just does not have the same ring to it. However, no matter what We call them, to songbirds, it’s like looking at death on a toothpick!
This past weekend we had a 30 kph tailwind that brought an onslaught of these tiny Accipiters (the family name to which these hawks belong) out of the south. Through my binoculars, squadrons appeared and in my mind I queued up Wagner’s “Flight of the Valkyries.” It was an epic soundtrack befitting of the spectacle. These hawks fly in no particular formation, and in chaotic fashion they assault the senses. They stretch along the horizon. Some touch the clouds, others shoot low into the trees, and the rest fill the space between in a tempest of energy harnessed straight from the wind. Is this some sort of coldly calculated tactic devised by a hive mind? I wonder, do they create a bedlam of death and danger designed to elicit a flight response from some fear-filled goldfinch? Amid the whirlwind, I have no time to entertain such whimsical notions. I have been doing my own cold calculations, and my thoughts are all about numbers. Keeping an accurate count while discerning adult vs. juvenile plumage is my main focus as dozens zip past me. All the while I keep alert for the Kestrels, Merlins, Harriers, and Eagles that are also taking advantage of the favorable winds. In short, the circus has come to town, and I am not exactly sure who the ring leader is! I thought it was me, but I am starting to think these raptors have their own grand designs.
This particular day ended with over 750 sharpies crossing the Point, just surpassing my high count from last week. But wait, there’s more! I haven’t even mentioned the Broad-winged Hawks yet; the high count for them this past week was 650 on Friday, a wonderful scene perfect for a beautiful, sunny, warm May 1, but I have a feeling I’m going to see much bigger numbers of them in the next couple of weeks. So, I will save that ramble for another blog — I hope you don’t mind. Until next time, may all your shins be sharp!
Author: Rich Couse, Hawk Counter Spring 2020
Photos: Rich Couse
A young Sharp-shinned Hawk sits below a bird feeder — it hasn’t quite gotten the concept of “ambush” yet.
If you are considering visiting the Point, please read this important message from Michigan Audubon and WPBO Field Staff.
Maneuvering the ever-changing implications of COVID-19 has necessitated constant adaptation and evaluation for us all. Michigan Audubon and WPBO have been proactive in taking measures that protect our staff, our physical community in Paradise, and the Michigan birding community, and we have found American Birding Association’s recent guidelines on birding and social distancing a useful resource for guiding bird-related travel decisions. While there are hopeful signs that we are rounding the corner with this virus, Michigan Audubon does not want to sow precocious optimism that encourages long-distance travel. Please take a minute to read these ABA guidelines, and to imagine them through the lens of the eastern Upper Peninsula, which does not have the medical resources of Michigan’s more-developed areas. Chippewa County and its adjacent counties have just three hospitals, and only one of these has more than 100 beds; they all are at least an hour’s drive from the Point. WPBO appreciates and requests your continued conscientiousness as the season’s migration begins to ramp up, and does not condone birding travel that is not local. Keep in mind that the Owl’s Roost Gift Shop and public observation of owl banding are currently closed. In the meantime, we will virtually share the Point with you as best we can until it is safe for all parties to enjoy it together. We hope that will be soon.
