Hawkwatch oct 2

Went out to Beechey Head today in east sooke to the hawkwatch site. on the way out there, I found about a dozen meadowlarks in the old gravel pit along Metchosin road. they were singing and chasing each other all over the brush covered pit. Further along metchosin in one of the large sheep fields were 7 Greater White-fronted geese with a couple of Canada's. On the way out the trail to the lookout, in the deep woods  was a Barred Owl, and I stopped to look for my Pine Mushroom in the usual place. Last year someone else got it first, but this year I was successful and managed to get two very nice shaped Matsutakes, still in the button stage.( I see in the store by our place they have them selling for $25 a pound. Mine were in much nicer shape. France made some

fantastic pine mushroom Risotto last night, wow! that was awesome.

The first while at the lookout was not very promising. There were about 160 vultures flying by north of the Babbinton ridge but not much else around. I could hear the Murres calling from down on the water, and I counted 100 sport fishing boats out there towards sooke as well.   about a dozen Ravens came over and soared  and played in tandem groups for a few minutes. Then, finally the hawks started to pass over the ridge, about 20 or 30 red-tails, 3 cooper's hawks, and about 20 Sharp-shinned's kept me busy for about an hour. A juvenile Peregrine flew  close over my head but kept on going to the east. Evening Grosbeaks also made an appearance for abit, 5 of them circled the outcrop and disappeared to the north. On the way back to the car in the meadow I could see about 500 Vultures circling the hill tops out over Rocky Point Bird Observatory a few miles past beecher Bay.