HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (14 Nov 2009) 29 Raptors

[reports-4]

Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 14, 2009
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture                0              0              0
Turkey Vulture               0              0              0
Osprey                       0              0            211
Bald Eagle                   2              3             75
Northern Harrier             0              2             14
Sharp-shinned Hawk           2              3            814
Cooper's Hawk                1              3            130
Northern Goshawk             0              0              1
Red-shouldered Hawk          5              6             15
Broad-winged Hawk            0              0          12069
Red-tailed Hawk             18             62            176
Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0
Golden Eagle                 0              1              1
American Kestrel             0              0            123
Merlin                       1              1             12
Peregrine Falcon             0              0             16
Unknown Accipiter            0              0              1
Unknown Buteo                0              0              6
Unknown Falcon               0              0              4
Unknown Eagle                0              0              0
Unknown Raptor               0              0              7
Mississippi Kite             0              0              1

Total:                      29             81          13676
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Observation start time: 11:00:00
Observation end   time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 4.5 hours

Official Counter:        Multiple Counters

Observers:        Brenda Tekin, Rose Thomas, Vic Laubach

Weather:
Light rain and fog early morning, with gradual clearing by 10:30 a.m.
Brisk winds WNW shifting to NNW to N and then WNW, diminishing to 10-12km/m
by mid-afternoon.  Low clouds moving out , clearing to zero cloud cover by
2 p.m.  Temp: 13.c increasing to 17.5c at top of noon hour, slowly dropping
to 15c.  Humidity: 74%<60% climbing back to 71%.

Raptor Observations:
It was nice to be out in the sunshine after days of overcast skies and
rain.  Quite a few vultures milling around, back and forth throughout the
day, that is until around 3 p.m. when not much of anything was in the air.
Quite a few non-migrating Red-tails observed, many low out over the
Piedmont to the East.  Rose Thomas spotted the season's 74th Bald Eagle, an
adult, circling very low out past the cut-through of I-64 to the East.  It
continued circling for a good 5 minutes it set its wings and flew directly
toward us, heading NW in front of the observers for a great close-up.  It
turned, heading south at 1:34 p.m.  A second adult BAEA was located low out
to the east in about same area as the first.  This one stayed on the east
side of the ridge, eventually heading south at 2:58 p.m.  This is the 2nd
highest season and 2 more will tie the all time high of 77.

A nice showing of Red-shouldered Hawks, including two that flew in
together.  A third following soon thereafter.

Non-raptor Observations:
Fish Crow - 2 flocks heading east (49, 36)

Predictions:
sunny, less wind and a bit warmer
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Report submitted by Brenda Tekin (bt8x@...)
Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA information may be found at:
http://www.rockfishgaphawkwatch.org


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