Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: AB
Observers:
Visitors: Jon Kauffman came out to take the sign down. I visited with a nice family from DE who had spent the morning down at Shavers Creek. I was happy they got to see a BW while up at the cut.
Jon Kauffman
5 hikers
Weather: Warm day, but with nice S breezes it didn’t feel as hot as yesterday. Light, but inconsistent SE winds didn’t help the flight much at 6-11kph. Visibility was good again like yesterday with views to Stone Mountain during the entire count. Mostly high cirrus clouds to begin the count, but these burned off by 11:00. By noon a few low cumulus clouds drifted in from the SW, but most burned up as the pushed over the ridge. Low temperature of 17C at 08:30 and a high of 30C by 15:00.
Raptor Observations: TV 2 (286) OS 2 (80) BE 5 (123) SS 4 (226) CH 2 (52) RS 1 (46) BW 11 (1470) RT 1 (314) UR 1 (42) Total 29 (2944)
Another slow day at the cut. The flight looked promising in the 10:00 hour with BW’s getting moving and a few SS’s. However, by 11:00 the flight had slowed to a trickle for the rest of the day.
Another BW exhibiting resident behavior was detected at 09:36 with a few primaries missing. At 09:59 the immature RT flew S along the ridge top. At 11:37 a BW parachuted down onto Leading Ridge to perch in the forest. At 13:18 the SS flew S through cut below the canopy of the forest.
Non-raptor Observations: Several nice size flocks of BLJA migrating through. They seem to stage together before venturing across the cut which is interesting.
Mourning Dove 3 Chimney Swift 1 Double-crested Cormorant 9 Great Blue Heron 1 Turkey Vulture 11 Broad-winged Hawk 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Blue-headed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 54 American Crow 1 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Tufted Titmouse 1 Tree Swallow 4 Barn Swallow 1 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Eastern Bluebird 1 House Finch 1 Purple Finch 3 American Goldfinch 5 Field Sparrow 2 Eastern Towhee 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 5 Common Grackle 8 Ovenbird 1 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Palm Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 10
Predictions: Showers likely, mainly after 2pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
