Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: AB
Observers: Jacqui McKee
Visitors: Jacqui and Dave McKee joined me late in the afternoon to help spot a few migrating raptors. They gave me a really nice card and gift which I greatly appreciated. They have been great help late in the survey season helping spot migrating BW’s. It has been awesome sharing some great flights with them this season and I hope our paths cross again. Certainly, when I reflect on my time spent on Tussey Mountain it will include great times with them and many others.
Jacqui and Dave McKee
Weather: Scorcher. Light NW winds at 6-11kph for most of the count. Really good visibility to Stone Mountain for the entire count. Partly cloudy skies to begin with, high cirrus. These burned off by 13:00 leaving the blue sky of death to locate high flying raptors in. Low temperature of 10C at 08:00 and a high of 27C by 15:00.
Raptor Observations: TV 5 (284) OS 2 (78) BE 3 (118) SS 5 (222) CH 2 (50) RS 3 (45) BW 7 (1459) RT 3 (313) UB 2 (19) UR 1 (41) Total 33 (2915)
Slow but steady flight that peaked in the 10:00 hour. It is interesting to note that more than half of the day’s raptors were picked up low moving down Stone Valley. It wasn’t until 11:20 that I saw my first BW up on the ridge. Late in the afternoon I lucked out getting on some sky-high BE’s under a cloud that had formed directly above the ridge. Jacqui McKee also picked up some extremely high TUVU following the same line which helped the numbers out to close out the day’s effort.
At 10:12 the resident COHA was performing its wing display over Stone Valley. At 11:07 three adult BE’s were in a skirmish over Leading Ridge. At 15:30 the first resident OSPR of the season was spotted flying S over Stone Valley probably enroute for Lake Perez and a tasty trout.
Non-raptor Observations: The resident FISP has secured a mate. I see them together several times during the day. I also think EATO has secured a mate as I hear some interesting calls coming from the same shrubbery. A PAWA visited the cute briefly, possibly migrating through. I heard its call note, then got eyes on it in time to get a good look. It then flitted off the N side of the ridge.
Mourning Dove 4 Double-crested Cormorant 2 Great Blue Heron 2 Turkey Vulture 10 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker (Yellow-shafted) 1 Blue-headed Vireo 1 Blue Jay 7 American Crow 1 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 3 Tufted Titmouse 1 Tree Swallow 2 Northern Rough-winged Swallow 1 Barn Swallow 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1 White-breasted Nuthatch 1 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1 European Starling 6 Eastern Bluebird 1 American Robin 1 House Finch 2 Purple Finch 1 American Goldfinch 14 Field Sparrow 2 Eastern Towhee 4 Red-winged Blackbird 2 Brown-headed Cowbird 3 Common Grackle 2 Ovenbird 1 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Palm Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1 Black-throated Green Warbler 15
1 helium balloon, a shiny blue star with some ribbon attached.
Predictions: Mostly sunny, with a high near 81. Calm wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon.
======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
