Warm. Light NW winds to start the count shifting to the W by 13:00.
Visibility was limited to a haze for the entire count over Stone Valley
limiting views to Warrior’s Ridge. Clouds came and went, but built steadily
again in the afternoon. Despite a forecast of thunderstorms and rain, all
that weather stayed over the Allegheny Front. Low temperature of 21 C at
08:00 and a high of 29C by 13:00. The count was called off at 15:00 due to
flight tapering off.
Raptor Notes
OS 1 (52) BE 3 (104) NH 1 (36) SS 12 (191) BW 47 (1316) RT 1 (277) AK 1
(63) UR 1 (39) Total 67 (2631)
Arrived early on to mop up the last BW’s of yesterday’s movement. Lift off
didn’t disappoint as my first bino pass I got a SSHA and second pass
yielded a BW. Based on that, I am sure raptors were moving right at dawn as
it was very warm and the winds were good all night. I had 44 of the 67
raptors for the day by 09:30 which is when the count is usually supposed to
start. BW’s led the flight, however there was a nice push of SS’s too. By
noon I couldn’t find a migrating raptor no matter how hard I scanned either
in bins or out over the Stone Valley. I may have been limited on the Stone
Valley side though as a heavy haze had developed.
Resident raptors detected were of course the RT’s and BE’s. The resident BW
was out on Leading Ridge zipping around during the afternoon. I tracked it
down onto the W face of Leading Ridge and got to watch it perch through the
scope.
Non-raptor Notes
On the walk into the cut I was greeted by many BTNW that may have arrived
overnight on the warm S winds. Lots of zee zee zee zee zo zeet going on.
EATO was on territory holding down the fort when I arrived at the cut. He
was belting out his song and could care less as I set up my gear. He then
descended into the bushes to get his hop scratch on. I heard some loud chip
notes directly behind me and got on a BAWW looking sharp. It got its
nuthatch on by foraging under branches upside down.
duck sp. 1
Chimney Swift 1
Double-crested Cormorant 14
Great Blue Heron 1
Black Vulture 1
Turkey Vulture 10
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Downy Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Blue-headed Vireo 1
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Black-capped Chickadee 2
Tufted Titmouse 1
Tree Swallow 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1
Barn Swallow 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Red-breasted Nuthatch 1
Brown Creeper 2
American Robin 2
House Finch 1
Purple Finch 6
American Goldfinch 3
Field Sparrow 1
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 7
Common Grackle 2
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 5
Visitors
None
11 hikers
3 runners
Next Day Forecast
Mostly sunny, with a high near 67. North wind 5 to 8 mph.
