FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch Raptor Counts, Sep 04, 2002

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Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Waynesboro, VA, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 04, 2002
===================================================================

Species            Day's Count    Month Total      YTD Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV                           0              0              0
TV                           3              3              6
OS                           1              3              4
BE                           0              0              0
NH                           1              1              1
SS                           2              4             14
CH                           1              1              9
NG                           0              0              0
RS                           0              0              0
BW                           4             15             18
RT                           1              3              7
RL                           0              0              0
GE                           0              0              0
AK                           2              2              6
ML                           0              0              0
PG                           0              0              2
UA                           0              0              1
UB                           0              0              0
UF                           0              0              1
UE                           0              0              0
UR                           0              0              0

Total:                      15             32             69
======================================================================

Observation start time: 08:00:00 
Observation end   time: 18:00:00 
Total observation time: 10 hours

Site Coordinator: Brenda Tekin

Observers:        Brenda Tekin, Gordy Adamski, Jean Brodwater, Robert Plank

Weather:
Wind:  6-19 km/h (gusts late afternoon)
Wind Direction:  N to NW
Temp (Hi):  32c between 9-10 a.m.; dropped to 29.5 for most of afternoon.
Humidity:  61.8 dropping to 31%
Bar.Pressure:  1015 dropping to 1013
Cloud Cover zero to mostly cloudy back to zero by late afternoon.
Visibility:  hazy in morning; very clear late afternoon


Observations:


Massive flight of Common Nighthawk and thousands of Chimney Swift with
Northern Rough-winged Swallow thrown in for good measure.


And to think I almost didn't go up to the hawk watch after work this
afternoon.  Due to a full work schedule and family commitments taking up
my evening hours, I had not been able to monitor any movements of Common
Nighthawk this season.  I had read earlier reports and discussions of
nighthawk movements including the recent report by Ken Klotz from this
area of the nighthawks heading NE.  Tonight, that inner voice said "GO."

I arrived around 6 p.m. EDST and met up with Gordy Adamski who had been on
board for about an hour.  A steady breeze from the NW, less than 10% cloud
cover and comfortable temps at 28c.  It was going to be a gorgeous night!

Chimney Swifts were steadily moving across the gap from S and SE heading
NW into the valley out over Waynesboro.   By 6:15 Gordy decided to head
home disappointed he wasn't going to see any nighthawks.  

(Note:  Before posting this report I telephoned Gordy and left a message. 
You know, one of those "I wanted you to hear it from me first instead of
hearing it on the news..")

Had he looked out over the valley while he was in the parking lot, he
would have seen an amazing sight.  The entire sky over the valley floor
was almost a solid mass of birds consisting of thousands upon thousands of
Chimney Swift and hundreds and hundreds of Common Nighthawk.  Folks, I'm
talking about a heck of a lot of birds here.

Unfortunately I was unable to catch Gordy as he drove down off the
mountain unaware of the spectacular flight over Waynesboro.

At 6:23 p.m. (EDST) the first wave of 38 nighthawks passed over.  A
single, high sailing Osprey came out of the NE heading SW at 6:26 p.m.  By
6:45 a total of 307 nighthawk had passed.  Looking out over the valley
floor they were still coming.  By 7:05 the count was up to 591 and they
were still coming.  There would be a small wave of 20-30 or some upwards
to 75-80, most heading SSE sailing overhead without slowing down avoiding
mid-air collisions with the increasing numbers of Chimney Swift that
continued to head towards Waynesboro to the NW.  Excuse me, coming
through!    Also heading NW in among the Chimney Swift I observed several
Northern Rough-winged Swallows.  By 7:10 the NW winds had increased and I
quickly realized nighthawks seen over the valley weren't passing overhead.
 I walked to the NE corner of the building and was met with strong gusts
of wind out of the NW that was enough to feel resistance when walking. 
The nighthawks were splitting up, with large numbers coming up the western
slope on north side of gap and moving East, a steady stream flowing into
the base of an incredible swirling column of several hundred nighthawk
reaching high in the sky.  The swirling column drifted a little more to
the east before they began to head out going SSE on the eastern side over
the Piedmont. 

Further to the west I caught a large wave of nighthawk flying low heading
southward before they disappeared.  I'm sure I missed quite a few based on
the 75 in just that one group.

Thankfully the wind gusts diminished and the nighthawks began heading in a
more southerly route directly over the site.  By 7:36 the setting sun was
casting shades of red and orange on the "Blue" ridges almost giving them a
"halo".  Looking out over the valley I could see no swifts or nighthawks. 
A couple visiting from Pennsylvania were staying over for the night and we
had a pleasant chat with an occasional nighthawk passing over.  By now it
was getting difficult to see anything in the sky except a for an
occasional bat.  The visiting couple had been down in North Carolina and
had driven up by way of the Blue Ridge Parkway today, stopping at Harvey's
Knob Hawk Watch to our south. 

The last nighthawks observed were two flying over the building together at
7:46 p.m. (EDST).  The final total count was 1,036. I know I missed quite
a few.   This is by far, the most incredible flight of Common Nighthawk I
have ever experienced.  They do migrate along the Blue Ridge crossing
Rockfish Gap and in good numbers.    Tonight was the "motherlode".

Shortly before 8 p.m. we began watching a large storm cell to the
southeast slowly moving ESE quite possibly following the James River. 
There were no other clouds in the sky and the impressive thunderheads were
bright white against the sky except for a center cap that glowed red.  We
were captivated by the lightening within the storm cell with occasional
lightening bolts like a long arm with fingers reaching out horizontally
from the cloud bank into the dark sky.

Other sightings:
Monarch Butterfly - 3
Red-spotted Purple Butterfly - 3
Chimney Swift - thousands (heading NW)
Northern Rough-winged Swallow - 26 (heading NW)
Common Nighthawk - 1,036
========================================================================
Report submitted by 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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