SE winds at 12-19kph. Visibility was limited to Warrior’s Ridge due to a
haze in Stone Valley. Mostly cloudy skies for the entire count made for
excellent spotting conditions. Low temperature of 15C at 08:00 and a high
of 22C by noon.
Raptor Notes
OS 2 (82) SS 3 (229) CH 1 (53) BW 3 (1473) ML 1 (10) UB 1 (20) Total 11
(2955)
Any hopes of cracking 3k for the season were quickly dashed by the
lackluster flight. Despite this I enjoyed each and every individual that
passed by the cut this morning. A favorite sighting was a MERL low near the
blinky cell tower at the base of Leading Ridge. I was able to get on it in
the scope and watch the dark mysterious falcon’s wings flapping gracefully
like pistons. It made the flight special by flying right up the cut head on
before blinking out over the canopy.
I thought perhaps the Leading Ridge BW had found a mate as two soared into
view close downhill in the cut at 11:20. However, the one kept climbing
higher before peeling out to the NW. The other returned to its forested
ridge. Perhaps another day soon it will find its mate for the season. At
11:38 the COHA was again performing its wing display over Stone Valley.
Non-raptor Notes
Another nice pulse of COLO in the morning hours. Several flocks of 12 -15
BLJA’s again migrated past the cut. I have enjoyed hearing a call they make
before rallying across the cut or from Leading Ridge onto the Flanks of
Tussey Mountain.
Mourning Dove 3
Killdeer 1
Common Loon 12
Double-crested Cormorant 3
Great Blue Heron 2
Black Vulture 2
Turkey Vulture 11
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Pileated Woodpecker 1
Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1
Eastern Phoebe 1
Blue Jay 56
American Crow 1
Common Raven 1
Tufted Titmouse 1
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Eastern Bluebird 2
American Robin 1
Purple Finch 1
Pine Siskin 1
American Goldfinch 4
Field Sparrow 2
Eastern Towhee 2
Brown-headed Cowbird 6
Common Grackle 3
Ovenbird 3
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 2
Black-throated Green Warbler 6
Visitors
None
Next Day Forecast
Scattered showers, mainly before 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 69.
West wind 5 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of
precipitation is 50%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an
inch possible.
