Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 25, 2004
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 4 73 83
BE 1 12 19
NH 0 10 14
SS 63 221 238
CH 6 25 33
NG 0 0 0
RS 0 2 2
BW 466 4399 4556
RT 0 21 41
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 2 2
AK 2 25 31
ML 0 5 6
PG 3 6 6
UA 0 4 5
UB 0 2 4
UF 1 3 5
UE 0 0 0
UR 0 5 9
Total: 546 4815 5054
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Observation start time: 07:30:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: Brenda Tekin
Observers:
Visitors:
Many! Special thanks to all the visitors and observers today, most of whom
were rewarded with some spectacular sites of close, kettling BW!
Tom Lord, Karen Shank, Martha Koogler, Shirley Knicely, John Todd,
Jonathan Todd, Charles Ziengenfus, Bonnie Sexton, Gordy Adamski, Donna and
Ed Lewis, Mark Adams, Laura, Liz, Lynn, Dave Hunter
Weather:
Early morning most of the thin layer of clouds created by numerous
contrails that provided great backdrop.
Light wind 1-5 km/h throughout the day out of the South increaseing to
approximately 7-9 by last hour.
Temp: High was 25c at top of 10am EST; Temperature dropped to 24c by 11am
EST and remained at 24c for at least 2 1/2 hours.
Cloud Cover: Thin layer of cirrus with layers of contrails and smaller
cumulus clouds by late afternoon.
Haze returned to both sides of the ridge.
Observations:
A great day with just enough wind and clouds to keep birds relatively low
throughout the day. Most easily seen without binoculars once we saw then
overhead.
Morning liftoff with over 100 birds streaming through between 8-9 EST.
Several small to medium-sized kettles early on as birds took to the air
looking for ridge lift. More kettles all through the day.
Broad-wing hourly count:
7:30-8am: 1; 8-9am: 136; 9-10am:29; 10-11am:66; 11-12pm:157; 12-1pm:13;
1-2pm: 3; 2-3pm:42; 3-4pm: 12; 4-4:30: 7
A pretty good day with Sharp-shinned with several small groups coming in.
Bald Eagle - probably 1-2 yr bird at 11:35am EST.
Northern Flicker - starting to move through in small numbers
Blue Jay - many flying over throughout the day
Red-headed Woodpecker - 4
Hummingbird: 2
Double-crested Cormorant - 2 flying West over Shenandoah Valley
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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
***Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA - Established 1976***
The Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch is held on the grounds of the Inn at Afton,
located on the southern side of Rockfish Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains,
just above where I-64 (exit 99) intersects with the southern end of the
Skyline Drive and the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, just east of
Waynesboro, VA and approximately 22 miles west of Charlottesville, VA.
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