FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (07 Sep 2003) Raptor counts (total=28)

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Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 07, 2003
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Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV                           0              0              0
TV                           0              0              0
OS                           4             10             16
BE                           1              4              9
NH                           0              2              2
SS                           0              3              9
CH                           1              3              4
NG                           0              1              1
RS                           0              0              0
BW                          18             37             90
RT                           2              4              9
RL                           0              0              0
GE                           0              0              1
AK                           2              2              7
ML                           0              0              1
PG                           0              0              0
MK                           0              0              1
UA                           0              0              1
UB                           0              0              1
UF                           0              0              0
UE                           0              0              0
UR                           0              1              1

Total:                      28             67            153
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Observation start time: 08:15:00 
Observation end   time: 16:30:00 
Total observation time: 8.25 hours

Official Counter: Brenda Tekin

Observers:        Ed Lewis, Jean Brodwater, Pat Alther, Robert Plank

Visitors:
Bob Thompson
Bob Anderson from Kiptopeke


Weather:
Wind:  Morning started with NNW 20-28 km/h changing to southerly flow by 12
p.m. (EST) and then NO wind.
Temp:(high) 30.5C
Humidity: 61% decreasing to 50%
Bar Pressure: 1015 dropping to 1014 
Cloud Cover: party cloudy with period of mostly cloudy

When winds changed to variable and then NO wind and heavier cloud cover,
there was nothing to help move birds along -- no wind and no thermals.  No
hawks observed after 2 p.m. EST!

Observations:
Morning birds were far off to east.  First imm. Bald Eagle (2nd-3rd year)
of the season between 10-11 a.m. (EST).  

ANHINGA - By 10:15 a.m. winds seemed to be diminishing.  Ten minutes later,
at 10:25 (EST), I was standing next to Robert Plank who was seated to my
left when I heard him say what sounded like "comrade".  I responded with a
 "Huh?"   "DC" he replied, "Over tepee."  It registered -- DC Cormorant
over the tepee located across I-64, north side of the gap.  

I immediately picked up the bird through the binoculars and noted a large,
black-bodied bird.   It was less than a glass off top of ridge and coming
straight on heading south; it was not flapping but sailing on fully
extended longish, broad, black wings.  When it reached the gap it turned
heading east.  As it began moving eastward following top of the north
ridge, it slowly circled, gaining a little more altitude to approximately
1.5 glasses by the time it reached the "twin trees".  This was NO DC
Cormorant! I flew over to my scope and quickly picked it up, confirming
what I had seen in my 10x42s.  "Oh my God, it's an Anhinga!" I shouted. 
In profile I could see the long slender neck with small head/long slender
bill that was more like an extension of the neck and the head/neck
extension appeared close in length to the long "tapered" tail, that
reminded me of a turkey's tail.  The underside appeared uniformly dark
except head/neck that appeared buffy beige.  On one of the turns I thought
I saw what looked like a narrow "white collar" around the upper breast
near base of neck that seemed to blend in with the buffy beige neck. It
did not extend down the underside like that of an imm. DC Cormorant.  Was
that a play of the light?  There was a slight downward angle where head
seemed to join the neck and there appeared to be a small knob on underside
of the long neck that I likened to an "Adam's apple."  The slight downward
angle in no way gave it the appearance of a heron's crooked neck.  By the
time the Anhinga reached the far right rollover near the towers on the NE
side of the gap, it was now approximately 2.5 glass above top of ridge. 
It made one last circle and without flapping, turned facing ESE and with
the NNW wind to its back, it quickly sailed across the interstate,
continuing out-of-site not flapping a single stroke, crossing over small
section of Nelson County into Albemarle County at 10:31 a.m.

Having lived in Northern Florida for 10 years, visiting many times since
returning to my hometown (Charlottesville) and participating in CBC's in
Jacksonville, Florida I have observed many Anhinga. 

DC Cormorant (1 imm) - late afternoon heading west towards Waynesboro on
steady, stiff but shallow wingbeats.

Yellow Warbler - 1
Chimney Swift - small numbers pushing through
Bank Swallow - 
Am. Tree Swallow
Red-headed Woodpecker - 1 adult male heading south
Northern Flicer - 1
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - 4 (including 1 im. male, 1 female, 2 un.)


Monarch Butterfly
========================================================================
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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