Surprisingly cool in the morning with NW winds at 12-19kph and clouds in
place. Visibility was excellent for the entire count as the air quality was
superb after the rain again last night. Mostly cloudy skies giving way to
partly cloudy high cirrus clouds in the afternoon. Low temperature of 11C
at 08:00 and a high of 20C at 14:00.
Raptor Notes
OS 4 (76) BE 1 (115) CH 1 (48) BW 12 (1452) RT 2 (310) Total 20 (2882)
No lift off occurred which isn’t surprising considering how cool it was
this morning. The flight was slow and steady, peaking in the 09:00 hour
with BW’s and one RT migrating out over Stone Valley.
Resident raptors were quite active during the count. At 08:13 a COHA was
spotted out near Stone Mountain performing its wing display flight. At
08:38 an AK shot through the cut low on the S side of the ridge heading
south. At 13:03 a RSHA was heard putting up a fuss and it eventually
appeared low in the cut heading S. At 14:30 a SSHA shot across the cut from
right behind me.
Non-raptor Notes
OVEN on the walk into the cut this morning. The CATE had me pondering what
they were late in the afternoon. Three of them flying together on the line
the COLO tend to take. A FISP was quite active in the low bushes on either
side of where I stand. At one point I was sitting on my rock seat and I
believe he may have made a friend as they hung out just feet away together.
Later in the day one of them was singing from the EATO’s spot, but became
quiet suddenly. It was giving the bird side eye and was in an alert
posture. Seconds later a SSHA shot though the gap just behind it, never
seeing the FISP.
Mourning Dove 1
Caspian Tern 3
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 8
Downy Woodpecker 1
Hairy Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 2
Blue Jay 1
American Crow 1
Common Raven 2
Black-capped Chickadee 3
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
European Starling 2
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 1
House Finch 1
Purple Finch 2
American Goldfinch 3
Field Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 2
Common Grackle 4
Ovenbird 2
Black-and-white Warbler 2
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 7 y
