Raptor Counting

Raptor Watch is more than just an event, but it will always be about the activity of monitoring the raptor migration. Our team of dedicated volunteers and staff have been watching the skies and recording crucial data to feed into our research, understanding, and knowledge of the numbers, distribution, and species involved in this great exodus, for more than 20 years.

This year’s raptor counting start from 9 March 2020 to 31 March 2020. This is made possible, thanks again to the leadership and spirit of our Raptor Study Group of the MNS Bird Conservation Council and members of the Selangor Branch Bird Group. However, the challenge lay in the securing of funds needed to support this research and the available volunteers that were willing to spend their time up at the lighthouse counting raptors. Other challenges included the haze conditions that impeded the view as well as prevented the raptors from flying across. Although it’s not possible for us to draw conclusions from the data received to date, it is noted with concern that the numbers of raptors counted seem to far from the spectacular counts recorded in the early 70s, and seems to be on a worrying downward trend.

Raptor Count 2018

Oriental Honey-Buzzard – 26011 , Chinese Goshawk – 4, Japanese Sparrowhawk – 8, Grey-faced Buzzard-69,  Black Baza- 43, Peregrine Falcon – 4, Osprey- 1, Booted Eagle -1

Raptor Count 2019

Date	Raptor Count
Sunday – 24/2/2019	oriental honey buzzard – 665
Monday – 25/2/2019	oriental honey buzzard -790, Japanese sparrowhawk – 3
Tuesday -26/2/2019	oriental honey buzzard – 210
Wednesday -27/2/2019	oriental honey buzzard – 1,759 and 1 gray-faced buzzard
Thursday -28/2/2019	oriental honey buzzard 477, gray-faced 24 and osprey 1
Saturday – 9/3/2019	Oriental Honey-Buzzard 1,417, Chinese Goshawk 2, Japanese Sparrowhawk 3 , Grey-Faced Buzzard 8

Raptor Count 2020

Monday – 9/3/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard-1089 Japanese Sparrowhawk – 3 Grey-Faced Buzzard – 8 Black Baza – 1 Chinese Goshawk – 1 Total – 1099
Tuesday – 10/3/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard- 797 Japanese Sparrowhawk – 3 Unidentified Accipiter- 2 Total – 802
Wednesday – 11/3/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard – 528 Peregrine Falcon – 1 Total- 529
Thursday – 12/3/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard – 2,162 Japanese Sparrowhawk 1 Gray Faced buzzard 1 Total 2,164
Friday – 13/3/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard- 2,856 Gray-faced Buzzard – 1 Total – 2,857
Saturday – 14/3/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard- 1,051 Chinese Goshawk – 2 Japanese Sparrowhawk- 1 Peregrine Falcon-1 Total – 1,055
Sunday – 15/3/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard- 577 Chinese Goshawk- 17 Japanese Sparrowhawk- 5 Gray-faced Buzzard- 3 Peregrine Falcon- 1 Total – 603
Total Count for 2020 (7 Days) 9/03/2020 – 15/03/2020	Oriental Honey Buzzard -9130 Chinese Goshawk – 20 Japanes Sparrowhawk – 13 Black Baza- 1 Peregrine Falcon-3 Unidentified Accipiter – 5 Unidentified Raptor 3