Bake Oven Knob 2 miles North of Germansville, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 27, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8.03 hours
Official Counter: AB
Observers: Rick Gaeta, Travis Rennig
Visitors: Rick Gaeta came up in the afternoon and was great help spotting picking up our 3rd OSPR of the day. Travis Rennig rotated in when Rick departed and picked out many sky-high migrants. His efforts were greatly appreciated as it helped with finishing the day strong. He picked out a near adult SS that locked in on one of our songbirds and it shot right into the canopy in front of us.
3 hikers
Weather: An unseasonably cool day at the North Lookout. Steady NNW winds for the entire count starting at 8-12mph in the morning. By 11:00 they had slowed to 4-7mph for the rest of the survey. Visibility was excellent at 30 miles for the entire count. Cumulus clouds built in slowly from the North and by 09:00 it was 40% cloud cover. Low temperature of 12C at 07:30 and a high of 18C by 13:00. With the constant NNW winds and cloudy skies, it was cold enough to wear a windbreaker during most of the survey.
Raptor Observations: North Lookout
8.03 hrs (96.38)
BV 4 (26) TV 14 (152) OS 4 (29) BE 12 (47) SS 5 (17) CH 2 (8) BW 15 (50) RT 5 (25) AK 1 (3) Total 62 (378)
BAEA (12): 08:44 I, 08:45 A, 09:44 A, 09:52 A, 10:11 I, 10:18 I, 10:21 I, 10:25 A, 10:32 A, 11:13 I, 11:25 A, 15:23 I
The consistent NNW winds brought a decent flight to the North Lookout at Bake Oven Knob. The flight got underway in the 08:00 hour with a total of 3 migrants coming through with BE’s leading the hour. In the 09:00 hour the flight continued to build and I enjoyed seeing a SS come through like a bullet completely folded in. This viewshed at the North Lookout allows views of migrating raptors that is similar to sites I have observed at in Montana. As I have told many of the longtime observers at this site, I thoroughly enjoy mountain top sites such as Bake Oven Knob. Watching the migrants feed into the pipe off the slope of 5 and make their way to the OP across the notch will never get old. The BW’s started to pick up in this hour as well. The 10:00 hour saw the morning peak with a total of 11 migrants coming through with BE’s and BW’s neck and neck in numbers. The flight then slowly tapered through the remainder of the count.
I detected the first resident immature BW of the season at 08:37 dogfighting with a CORA to the west. Both dropped down into the valley. RT’s were seen making excellent use of the NNW winds throughout the count often kiting in place quite close near the Notch over potential prey. The first resident OSPR of the season was spotted flying up ridge at 14:11. At 15:05 an adult BE was spotted flying up ridge.
Non-raptor Observations: RTHU migration has apparently begun. At 10:51 a CORA was spotted with some tasty morsel doing its best RT kiting impression it could. It was soaring nearly in place with its legs down stretched with something in its claws. Whatever it had, it had to keep reaching its claws to its beak to readjust its grip. I’m pretty experienced in bread stuff ID’s, but this appeared to be a fuzzy item. It then parachuted down into the forest on the Notch near where the TV’s like to perch. Picked up a GREG briefly to the north of the notch. The warbler diversity continues at the North Lookout.
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 4 Mourning Dove 2 Chimney Swift 2 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 7 Great Egret 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Downy Woodpecker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 2 Northern Flicker 1 Eastern Wood-Pewee 1 Red-eyed Vireo 5 Blue Jay 4 American Crow 1 Common Raven 8 Black-capped Chickadee 2 Tufted Titmouse 1 Tree Swallow 1 Barn Swallow 2 Red-breasted Nuthatch 1 Cedar Waxwing 27 American Goldfinch 3 Black-and-white Warbler 1 Blackburnian Warbler 2 Pine Warbler 3
Predictions: Mostly sunny, with a high near 74. Calm wind becoming southwest around 5 mph in the afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Bake Oven Knob information may be found at: www.lgnc.org
