Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 18, 2005
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 9 58 75
BE 2 5 19
NH 1 15 17
SS 10 74 89
CH 0 20 24
NG 0 0 0
RS 1 1 1
BW 191 1915 2099
RT 6 32 67
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 0
AK 10 54 57
ML 0 1 1
PG 0 0 0
UA 1 1 3
UB 1 4 11
UF 0 1 1
UE 0 0 0
UR 1 8 8
Total: 233 2189 2472
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Observation start time: 07:45:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 8.75 hours
Official Counter: Brenda Tekin
Observers:
Visitors:
Lots of visitors and helpers including:
Pat Alther, Rose Thomas, Robert Plank, Howard Davis, John and Jan
Zimmerman, Bonnie Sexton, William Leigh, Dave Hunter, Ed Lewis, Donna
Lewis.
Special "Thanks" to Bruce Grimes and Clyde Kessler for giving pointers on
identifying butterflies and dragonflies. And when things slowed down, we
were treated to a picture slideshow of butterflies and dragonflies.
Weather:
Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with breezy NW wind throughout the
morning into early afternoon. For two hours clouds moved out to all blue
skies as we looked northward. Clouds began to roll back in by 3 p.m. Wind
began to shift to more out of WNW by 11 a.m. standard time. Temp: 20c >
26.5>;
Humidity: 67% dropping to 45%
Bar.Pressure: 1015>1017;
Visibility: hazy on both sides of the ridge throughout most of the
morning. Things began to clear out as front pushed through.
Raptor Observations:
First bird of the day was a male American Kestrel perched atop the teepee
on north side of gap. It flew off heading SW at 7:55 a.m.
Things began to roll between 9-10 a.m. standard time with BW coming up to
form small kettles or streaming out single file. With darker, thickening
cloud cover, things really slowed down by 1 p.m. Last push was between
3-3:30 standard. During morning most of the birds were low and easy to
spot but as day wore on, we noted birds were almost microdots. By end of
the day the neck and shoulder muscles were screaming!
The two BE: 1 at 3:06 p.m. Standard Time; 2nd, a basic/subadult I, at 3:11
p.m.
Broadwing hourly flight today (standard time): 8-9:2; 9-10:54; 10-11:44;
11-12:43; 12-1:19; 1-2:3; 2-3:9; 3-3:30: 17
Non-raptor Observations:
Black-throated Green Warbler
Palm Warbler
Red-headed Woodpecker - 3
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 3
Bruce Grimes and Clyde Kessler were on hand not only helping in spotting
migrating raptors, but also counting and identifying the many species of
butterfly and dragonfly that included:
Varigated Fritillary
Gulf Fritiallary
Gray Hairstreak
Red-spotted Purple
Orange Sulphur
Clouded Sulphur
Silver-spotted Skipper
Monarch Butterfly - 38 (make that 37 after one was captured by a Preying
Mantis)
Black Saddlebag
Predictions:
sunny
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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
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