Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 04, 2007
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 0 0 170
BE 0 0 86
NH 0 1 44
SS 3 54 1522
CH 1 15 161
NG 0 1 1
RS 2 12 31
BW 0 0 15214
RT 411 605 842
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 1 2
AK 0 0 199
ML 0 1 18
PG 0 1 16
UA 0 0 7
UB 0 1 16
UF 0 0 1
UE 0 0 0
UR 0 1 18
Total: 417 693 18348
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 09:15:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 4.25 hours
Official Counter: Brenda Tekin
Observers:
Visitors:
one visitor stopped by briefly.
Weather:
Morning it was completely overcast, at times with thicker gray clouds
moving through. Extreme thick haze out over the western valley reduced
visibility. Light wind,6-15km/h out the west for most of the day,
dimishing somewhat by mid-afternoon.
Temp: 9c > 11.5c;
Humidity: 43% < 36%;
Bar.Pressure: 1014;
Afternoon clouds moved out for mostly sunny and few white puffs here and
there.
Raptor Observations:
First migrating raptor, a Sharp-shinned, sailed past at 10:11 a.m. The
first vulture of the day appeared 10 minutes later. An hour later the last
migrating raptor was the 10:11 a.m. Sharpy. That's right, only 1 in almost
2 hours. Inbetween one local Red-tail and local Cooper's. I decided to
take off and check back IF the clouds diminished or if wind picked up.
Broad band of clouds slowly moved on out and by 12:30 I was back to find
bright sunshine and few clouds and the birds were flying. Instead of
wasting time hauling equipment to rear of hotel I set up in parking lot
next to car. For the next 2.5 hours it was non-stop flight of Red-tails,
at times 20 or so stretched across the sky at one time. No falcon or
eagles. Last bird of the day was a high circling Red-shouldered that flew
directly overhead across the parking lot.
The majority of the Red-tails were sailing high overhead with a few
actually dipping and going past below eye level. Things pretty much came
to a screeching halt by 2:30 p.m. and quite a few Red-tails were observed
dropping down into the trees to the north.
Afternoon flight of Red-tails: 12-1pm:198; 1-2:165; 2-3: 138
Non-raptor Observations:
Several small flocks of Pine Siskin (8; 11);
Cedar Waxwing - several flocks including one with 75+;
Dark-eyed Junco - one flock of 50+;
American Robin - one flock of 40+;
Predictions:
sunny
========================================================================
Report submitted by Brenda Tekin (bt8x@xxxxxxxxxxxx)
Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA information may be found at:
http://home.ntelos.net/~btkin/rockfish_gap_hawk_watch
