Observation start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Bill Rasku, Eric Mueller
Observers: Bill Rasku, Don Singleman, Paul Roberts, Ted Purcell, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: Thanks to our excellent crew today for picking all of these birds out of a clear blue sky.
Several hundred hikers, bikers and leaf peepers, plus an interesting mix of dogs. Bruce and his cat-on-a-leash Wild Thing put on their daily show.
Weather: Much like yesterday, another day with a high pressure system over us that gave us clear blue skies with very light winds from various directions. Moisture from overnight frosts rose as thin fog in many places and turned into a light haze that persisted throughout the day, even intensifying a bit in the afternoon, although all of the major landmarks were easily seen. Temps rose from 51 to 57 F.
Raptor Observations: An excellent count for October here, with 240 raptors in total. This is the 6th highest daily October total in our history. The 223 TV total is the 2nd highest daily TV count ever here, with double-digit kettles of 42, 21, 15, 13 and 12 birds as well as plenty of smaller ones. Like yesterday, the vast majority of the TVs passed to our east. And also like yesterday, with the lack of winds, the flight didn't get going until 9:20 am EST when the thermals formed up.
Non-migrating raptors: Black Vulture-6, TV-4, Bald Eagle-5 (1 Ad, 2 1-yr Imm, 2 Juv - maybe more), Sharp-shin-1, Red-shoulder-3 (2 Ad, 1 Juv), Red-tail-4 (2 Ad, 2 Juv). The local Red-shoulder adults gave us some beautiful views in the bright sunlight.
In celebration of our 50th anniversary year on Wachusett, here's a look back at events on this date in previous years In 2014, the 12th largest Merlin count (5) in Wachusett Mt history, tied with 16 other dates.
In 2018, Rod Chase wrote: "6 hrs for 7 birds. One early bird was a RT at 8:59. Three others appeared between 11:58 and 12:02 [TV, CH, RT] and the last three [2 TV, 1RT] between 1:08 and 1:21. All were taking advantage of lulls between mostly gusty periods. The last lull ended at 1:30 and by 2:00PM we cried 'Uncle' and headed home." Other observer Bill Rasku.
In 2022, the 19th largest Turkey Vulture count (95) in Wachusett Mt history, tied with 2 other dates. Eric Mueller wrote: "The day was surprising on a couple of levels with a total of 116 migrants counted. First, that we would get so many birds moving against such strong headwinds. The sub-freezing temps nearby and farther north were probably a strong incentive. Second, that we got so many birds after a slow, late start to the day's flight. Third, that this number put us over the 20,000 migrant mark for the season, several days before we expected to reach that mark. This is only the 2nd time that our site has reached the 20,000 bird mark for the season since 1988."� Other observers: Bill Rasku, Chris Eddy, Julie Roberts, Paul Roberts In 2024, Eric Mueller wrote: "The big thrills were the separate sightings of two Golden Eagles, one an immature and the other an adult (which is an extra-rare occurrence here.) Paul Roberts made the first solid calls on both birds, and Paul Vanderhoof and I chimed in with what we saw on each to help lock down the IDs." Other observer - Lisa Burwell.
Non-raptor Observations: Canada Goose-108, Herring Gull-3 (1 Ad, 2 Juv), duck species-2, Blue Jay-2, Comm Raven-10, E Bluebird-1, E Towhee-1 (haven't heard a Towhee call up here in a couple a weeks.)
Predictions: For Tuesday, continued clear sunny skies, with NNE winds at 9-12 mph with gusts to 20 mph. Temps from 50 to 60 F, and moderate humidity. We expect to see more eagles and large raptors up in the strong winds. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
