Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Eric Mueller
Observers: Carole Powers, Jack Miano, Laura de la Flor, Mark Burns, Susan Moses, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: At least 150 hikers, bikers and sightseers, including a class from Clinton High School. Our friend Carl and several other people brought up their binoculars to check out the birds and the view.
Weather: A beautiful day on the mountain with almost clear skies that gave way to that "Goldilocks" amount of puffy cumulus clouds (40-60%) which yields lots of light but a great background against which to see the birds and help others locate them. High humidity made for hazy air at the start of the day, but that eased off by noon, so the Boston skyline and the VT mountains became visible. The winds were in a near-Goldilocks mode, coming from the WNW at 5-7 mph with occasional gusts to 12 mph.
Raptor Observations: 31 migrating birds today - the best total of the season so far. Broad-wings dominated the count, but we spotted 6 other species as well. We were hoping for more Bald Eagles, but two promising migrants teased us by heading SW for quite a distance, only to turn around at the last minute and head back north - there's 10 minutes that I'll never get back again. The birds came at us from all different heights and angles.
Non-migrating raptors: Black Vulture - 1 TV - 19 (all rising together from NE of the mountain just before 10 am EDT) Bald Eagle - 3 (1 Ad, 1 Imm, 1 Juv) Sharp-shin - 1 Cooper's Hawk - 1 Broad-wing - 3 (2 Ad, 1 Juv) Red-shoulder - 1 Red-tail - 4 (2 Ad, 2 Juv - maybe more) Amer Kestrel - 1 Unident Accipiter - 1
In celebration of our 50th anniversary year on Wachusett, here's a look back to this date in 2020. Rod Chase wrote: �The afternoon added an AK (Kestrel), 3 ML (Merlin), the last BE (Bald Eagle), BW (Broad-wing) and and The Surprise. Two distant birds went by from NE to NW then back to the east before approaching and passing very high over our tower. They could have been classified as unidentified until, finally, on the west side, they came down and circled just long to show some form and the reddish color underneath on the body and out onto the wing coverts and a long, squared tail that, in maneuvers, showed a flare and hard-to-see light stripes; also 'fingers' at the end of the long and narrow wings. Two immature Mississippi Kites, fer sure! Non-raptor Observations: Non-raptors: gull sp-1 (likely a Herring Gull), Cedar WW-5, R-T Hummer-1, Chim Swift-2, Blue Jay-1, Comm Raven-3, R-E Vireo-1, D-E Junco-1, E Towhee-2.
Predictions: Saturday's forecast has improved from this morning. Rain is now expected to hold off until 2 pm or later, so we should be able to get in most of a full watch. Skies are expected to vary between partly and fully cloudy, with 6-8 mph NE winds. Temps should be cooler, topping out at 68 F, with relatively high humidity. I'm hoping for another good count. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
