Observation start time: 07:30:00
Observation end time: 17:30:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: Maili Waters
Observers: Alan Bloom, Brad Carlson, Bridget Watts, Daena Ford,
Dominic Sherony, Jessie Barry, Luke Seitz, Mike Tetlow,
Mitch Barry, Robin Morey, Roger Clark, Rosemary Reilly,
Stephen Menzie, Vid Killius
Visitors:
45
Weather:
The morning started out in the low 50s with SSW winds at 15-20mph. It was
mostly cloudy to start, but became mostly sunny as the day progressed. The
temps reached a high of 68F. Winds were consistently SW and had some pretty
strong gusts at times.
Raptor Observations:
The raptor movement didn�t really get going until around 10:30am. Over the
course of the day we tallied a total of 558 individuals representing 12
different raptor species! The most abundant species for the day was Turkey
Vulture with a total of 284. Red-shouldered Hawks were the next most
abundant species with a total of 155. Almost 70 Red-tailed Hawks were mixed
in with today�s flight. All three falcon species were seen again today!
Non-raptor Observations:
The non-raptor highlights of the day were the sheer numbers of geese and
swans migrating. Along with thousands and thousands of Canada Geese, there
were over 20 Cacking Geese and several dozen Snow Geese. Throughout the
morning, Tundra Swans were migrating west in flocks, ending up totalling
over a thousand individuals! The waterfowl diversity on the bay was stellar
with 26 different species including two early Blue-winged Teal. There was
also an early Tree Swallow!
Predictions:
Tomorrow�s weather: Cloudy with occasional rain in the afternoon. Temps
will reach a high in the mid 50s. Winds in the morning will be out of the
west at 5-10mph, but then it will shift to a north onshore breeze in the
afternoon. There could be a few birds moving in the morning, but it will
depend on how cloudy it is and when the winds shift to the north. The rain
along with the northerly wind in the afternoon will probably cut off any
flight there may be.
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Report submitted by Maili Waters (<mailirwaters...>)
Braddock Bay information may be found at:
http://www.bbrr.org/
