Harvey's Knob
Roanoke, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 05, 2007
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 189
Bald Eagle 0 0 68
Northern Harrier 0 3 48
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 25 782
Cooper's Hawk 1 7 137
Northern Goshawk 0 1 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 7 26
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 9633
Red-tailed Hawk 18 159 576
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 1 2 8
American Kestrel 0 0 101
Merlin 0 1 21
Peregrine Falcon 0 1 23
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 2
Unknown Buteo 0 0 10
Unknown Falcon 0 0 2
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 20
Mississippi Kite 0 0 1
Total: 22 207 11649
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Observation start time: 10:15:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Mike Purdy
Observers: Baron Gibson, Bill James, Jim Hylton, Katie James
Visitors:
A few parkway travelers stopped to inquire about what we were doing. Fellow
birder, Seth Williamson, made a brief stop.
Regular hawkwatch dogs present today were Suzy and Chance.
Weather:
Sunny day, no clouds. Light to moderate winds starting from the NW,
becoming variable, and finally settling down to a strong breeze out of the
East. Temp. ranged from 49-58F. Visibility was good.
Raptor Observations:
Somewhat of a strange day, after reading about the big flight of Redtails
(400+) at Rockfish Gap yesterday, we anticipated a decent flight at
Harvey's today, but that never materialized, as we only managed to spot 18.
Also, we probably saw more northbound raptors today than southbound,
including a Northern Harrier. There is at least one Sharp-shinned that has
set up temporary residence at the hawkwatch, most certainly due to the
large numbers of Juncos and other woodland birds coming to the feeders.
The last bird of the day was a sub adult Golden Eagle that passed the
overlook at 4:20pm.
Non-raptor Observations:
The prettiest Blue-headed Vireo I have ever seen. Also Ravens, WB
Nuthatches, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Chickadees, A. Goldfinches, Pileated
Woodpeckers, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Predictions:
Forecast is for gusty winds 20-30 mph out of the NW. High temp. only in the
40's. Surely the Redtails won't pass up an opportunity like this.
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Report submitted by Mike Purdy (MikeLPurdy@xxxxxxx)
Harvey's Knob Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://bijame.googlepages.com/home
