FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] Mendota Hawk Report for Monday, September 17, 2007

[RonEHarrin@xxxxxxx]

Mendota Hawk Report for September 17, 2007

It was one of those truly great days at the Mendota Hawk watch-for most of 
the day we had what seemed like a continuous stream of Broad-winged hawks. It 
was a day that resulted in lots of eye and neck strain from counting hawks 
flying so high that you had to lay on your back and look up to find them. It 
was a 
day with few lulls and side trips to chase down warblers, or take a nap. 

Allen Gill and I arrived at the tower and began our watch at 9:00 a.m. Tom 
Hunter arrived around 11:00 a.m., followed by Kevin Pierce of Kingsport at 
11:30 
a.m. Our special guest today was Tom's wife, Laverne. We quit at 6:30 p.m. 

The sky was clear with some haze as the day warmed up. Temperatures ranged 
from 62-80 degrees. The wind was out of the East/Southeast at 10-15 mph, 
becoming variable and calmer as the day progressed. Most of the morning hawks 
were 
relatively easy to see, but they got much higher as the wind calmed and the 
temperature increased. We counted 961 BWH by 1:00 p.m.  

As of this report, I had not received the hawk report for Sunday, September 
16, 2007, and thus the Year-To-Date Totals do not contain this data. I heard 
that they had a big day too including 5 Am. Bald Eagles and around 1000 BWHs. 
Just have to wait and see.

Broad-winged hawk:  1609      YTD:   1724
Osprey:                       2        YTD:    8
Am. Kestrel:               1         YTD:    3
Sharp-shinned hawk:  1          YTD:    2
Cooper's hawk:          2          YTD:   7
Peregrine falcon:        0          YTD:   2
Am. Bald Eagle:         2         YTD:   2

We also counted 16 Monarch butterflies today, heard two E. Screech Owls, and 
saw five C. Ravens. We had lots of vultures and a couple of local Red-tailed 
hawks.

Correction:  The last hawk report I sent out dated September 14 should have 
been September 15. The watch was rained out last Friday, September 14. 

The Mendota Hawk Watch is held at the Mendota Fire Tower (Elevation 3020), 
located on Clinch Mountain at the Washington/Russell County line, three miles 
north of Mendota, VA. Come join the fun. No experience is necessary. OJT 
provided. If you need directions, let me know.

Ron Harrington
Bristol, VA



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