Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 2008
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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 13 90 106
Bald Eagle 2 19 29
Northern Harrier 5 14 16
Sharp-shinned Hawk 52 190 208
Cooper's Hawk 10 31 35
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 1
Broad-winged Hawk 3396 12930 13173
Red-tailed Hawk 6 17 17
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 1 1
American Kestrel 2 60 64
Merlin 0 1 1
Peregrine Falcon 0 5 5
Unknown Accipiter 0 1 1
Unknown Buteo 0 2 2
Unknown Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 2 3
Mississippi Kite 0 1 1
Total: 3486 13365 13663
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 18:15:00
Total observation time: 11.25 hours
Official Counter: Multiple Counters
Observers: Brenda Tekin, Rose Thomas, Vic Laubach
Visitors:
Many, in excess of 35 throughout the day included Dave Hunter, Gordy
Adamski and daughter, Barb,; Wade Hildredth, Harold Dunning, Bill, Tyler
Turbin and group from Richmond Audubon, group from Virginia Living Musuem,
Nancy & George, Sarah Splaun, Marlene Condon, Robt Butler, Allen Larner and
Janice Frye, Ed and Donna Lewis, Elmer and Jennifer Gaden, Lois Gebhardt,
Mike and Evelyn Shank, and many, many others.
Weather:
Heavy dark cloud cover for most of the morning extending up and down the
ridge with pockets of blue and sunshine and brighter skies to the east and
west. A low heavy haze over much of the valley early morning made it near
next impossible to locate the distant morning flight of Broadwing. Cloud
cover gradually diminished by mid afternoon. A bit chilly, especially when
sitting in the shade with low of 15c increase to 21.5c.
Humidity: 61<49>69%;
Bar.Pressure: holding steady at 1021;
Raptor Observations:
At the end of yesterday�s late afternoon Broadwing flight, a kettle was
observed disbanding and dropping down to the trees to our north. Counters
were on hand by 7 a.m. EST hopeful to catch an early morning liftoff.
There was just the hint of a westerly breeze at times shifting from the NE
and a thick haze hung in the air. The first hour was null and void of
migrating raptors. The counters and visitors trickling in that first hour
spent time watching several species of warblers and other migrating
passerines as they flitted about the hillside vegetation.
It would be another hour before the first Broadwings of the day were
spotted, And then the gates opened up and it was pretty much a continual
flow of kettling and streaming BW out over the western valley. Hundreds
upon hundreds were seen rising up out of the trees, circling and climbing
higher forming tall swirling columns with birds eventually streaming out
onto to form more kettles as they drifted SW. It was difficult at best in
keeping the birds in view using spotting scopes as they would flicker in
and out and altogether disappear in the thick haze. Two counters
positioned with spotting scopes and clickers counted off over 1300 BW. By
9 a.m. EST, over 35 observers were on hand to see over 900 more before
things slowed down for the next several hour, at times trickling in one at
a time. By late afternoon, after strained eyes were screaming for relief,
small groups were emerging out of the clouds, some slowing down to kettle
before streaming across the gap and overhead. A few kettles contained over
50 birds, swirling higher and higher, slowly drifting SW out over
Waynesboro to the NNW. By 5:15 EST the last group of birds swirled over
the western slope with the bulk of the birds turning east and dropping down
into the trees, joining the earlier group of birds.
Today�s flight of BW: 1361(8-9); 967(9-10); 52(10-11); 113(11-12);
26(12-1pm); 113(1-2); 20(2-3); 512(3-4); 221(4-5); 11(5-5:15)
BAEA: adult at 3:29 and a 3rd year at 4:15 p.m.
Non-raptor Observations:
Black-throated Green Warbler (quite a few, including 4 in same bush);
Prairie Warbler, Mourning Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, American Redstart,
American Redstart, Scarlet Tanager (female); Indigo Bunting (several);
hummingbird: 1
Red-headed Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Predictions:
sunny and a bit warmer
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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
