Date: 4/16/24 6:58 pm From: Andrew Bechdel <andrewbechdel...> Subject: Tussey Mountain Hawkwatch - April 16th, 2024
Hey y'all,
Today's watch involved some serious neck craning as *180 Broad-winged Hawks rode thermals on the S side of the ridge into the stratosphere*. Normally, some stronger wind would help break up the thermals, but today's WSW wind was too light. Nonetheless, we honed in on the flight path and began picking out the high specky birds. As the sun shifted to the W, the birds switched sides and began flying on the right side of the ridge later in the day. At this point, many birds began to come down, and we counted 64 in the final 30 minutes (1/3rd of our daily total).
In other bird news, we heard the *Qwah *of a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 5 Purple Finches moved along, emitting more staccato flight calls, a Brown Creeper sang its sweet jingle, and 7 Common Loons acted a bit loony. Black-throated Green Warblers continue to sing and chip and are increasing in numbers.
A very special thanks to Kyle Smith, who observed his first Broad-winged Hawk, and Judy Sinn, whose impeccable scanning and spotting skills helped us capture the most sky high BWs. Judy has a wonderful habitat of visiting the watch on full sun, low wind days and is particularly adept at spotting raptors nobody else can see.
Tomorrow will be a wash and possibly Thursday too. Friday could be a great day if the rain holds off. I will let y'all know Thursday if the forecast looks favorable.
See you at the Watch!
-Andrew
*Tussey Mountain Hawk WatchState College, Pennsylvania, USADaily Raptor Counts: Apr 16, 2024SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason TotalBlack Vulture000Turkey Vulture4119190Osprey03037Bald Eagle31953Northern Harrier01314Sharp-shinned Hawk1106156Cooper's Hawk0925American Goshawk000Red-shouldered Hawk0535Broad-winged Hawk180460460Red-tailed Hawk881195Rough-legged Hawk000Golden Eagle012161American Kestrel02035Merlin023Peregrine Falcon003Unknown Accipiter015Unknown Buteo002Unknown Falcon012Unknown Eagle001Unknown Raptor025Total:1968801382Observation start time:08:30:00Observation end time:16:30:00Total observation time:8 hoursOfficial CounterAndrew BechdelObservers:Judy Sinn, Kyle Smith, Nick BolgianoVisitors:Judy Sinn, Kyle SmithWeather:Nearly full sun with a few clouds and very warm all day. Wind started light ESE then quickly switched to light SW then WSW and was calm at times. Wind Speed: calm-3mph. Temperature: 13-26 Celsius.Raptor Observations:No Golden Eagles. Broad-winged flight almost entirely on the S side of the ridge and over the ridge and very high. In many cases, birds were difficult to spot and probably beyond the limit of detection. Non-migratory Raptors: 1 Black Vulture, 6 Turkey Vulture, 2 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Broad-winged HawkNon-raptor Observations:Notable Birds: 5 Purple Finch, 3 Chimney Swift, 1 Fish Crow, 7 Common Loon, 1 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker eBird Checklist: ebird.org/atlaspa/checklist/S168977156 <https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Febird.org%2Fatlaspa%2Fchecklist%2FS168977156&data=05%7C02%<7Cscbirdcl...>%7C96b83d81b790410abb3e08dc5e81c8e5%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638489158715348162%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=MjLZxulJYLF32u51Wuog3AW%2BgMjrlHCMqicdmA%2F3LPI%3D&reserved=0>Predictions:Uncertain; Tomorrow and Thursday will bring rain and likely be a wash. Friday could be a good day if rain holds off.*
