Mendota Fire Tower
Mendota, VA, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2018
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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 1 9 9
Bald Eagle 0 0 0
Northern Harrier 0 0 0
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 5 5
Cooper's Hawk 0 4 4
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 847 2743 2743
Red-tailed Hawk 1 7 7
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 1 5 5
Merlin 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Accipiter 0 5 5
Unknown Buteo 0 0 0
Unknown Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 850 2780 2780
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Ron Harrington
Observers: Clancey Deel, David Schlabach, Freddie Osborne,
Ronnie Vickers
Visitors:
Dave Jennings, Abingdon, Va; Drew Collins and Michael Skeens, Gate City,
VA; Gay Gardner and Judy Vickers (who also helped as an observer), Hiltons,
VA; Brandon Moore, Hansonville, VA; and Tom Laughlin and his Vertebrate
Zoology Class, East Tennessee State University: Erica Stout, Heather
Godsey, Erin Helbert, Taylor Wilson, Craig Campbell, Laura Moffatt, Amber
Hanson, Nikki Williams, John Mullins, Nathaniel Wyatt, Emilie Madgewtt,
Alyssa Markel, John Livesay, Kristen Heck, Erika Hale, Ash Sanabria, Connor
Lynch, Rudy Gyorkei.
Weather:
Clear and sunny all day with a fairly steady wind out of the S/SE. Speeds
varied from a gentle breeze of 8-12 mph to moderate breeze of 13-18 mph
most of the day but dropped off late in the afternoon. Visibility was good
with only light haze. Only a few "thermal" (cumulus) clouds here and there.
Temperature varied from 66 F in the am to low 80s by the afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
Broad-winged hawks were up and on their way by 8:35 am (EST). They were
easily spotted during the morning on the East side of the mountain, most
riding the wind at first, then the thermals as it warmed up. Numbers by the
hour: 8:00: 60; 9:00: 251; 10:00: 110; 11:00: 46; 12:00: 25; 1:00: 108;
2:00: 216; 3:00: 30; 4:00-4:30: 0. Hawks were very high again in the
afternoon,and due to a high, clear blue sky, many beyond unaided vision.
Only an occasional cumulus cloud to serve as a backdrop. Saw some local
Red-tailed hawks, and the usual array of Black and Turkey vultures.
Non-raptor Observations:
Monarch Butterfly: 43
Other birds of interest: Black-throated Blue Warbler, Black-throated Green
Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Red-headed WP (1),
Least Flycatcher, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, and Common Raven.
Predictions:
The weather is calling for mostly cloudy conditions in the morning with
increasing chance of thunderstorms later in the day.
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Report submitted by Ronald Eugene Harrington (roneharrin@xxxxxxx)
More site information at hawkcount.org:
http://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=706
