Hook-billed Kites at Santa Ana NWR, 3/25/10

It was a clear, beautiful, still morning at Sant Ana NWR....perfect for Hook-billed Kites from the hawk tower. Actually I was hoping for Mississippi and Swallow-tailed but no doing on them. The north winds of yesterday did not allow for a big landing last night so there was no great hawk passage. Might be good tomorrow.

The first to show were a distant two Hook-billed Kites to the south that we could just make out in the scope. Later two appeared over Willow Lake and seemed to be a pair.



Later the scruffy youngster from earlier in the week appeared.



Then at about 10:30 AM three Hook-bills came up and did not include the scruffy one so there were a total of at least four Hook-billed Kites ranging across the refuge. Here's the male.





Other raptors included one Cooper's Hawk, one Zone-tailed Hawk, two Gray Hawks, a Red-shouldered Hawk, one Swainson's Hawk and about 60 Broad-winged Hawks.