Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 12, 2006
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 0 0 0
BE 0 0 0
NH 1 1 1
SS 4 4 4
CH 0 0 0
NG 0 0 0
RS 0 0 0
BW 1 1 1
RT 0 0 0
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 0
AK 0 0 0
ML 0 0 0
PG 0 0 0
UA 0 0 0
UB 0 0 0
UF 0 0 0
UE 0 0 0
UR 0 0 0
Total: 6 6 6
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 3.5 hours
Official Counter: Robert Plank
Observers: Gordy Adamski, Rose Thomas
Visitors:
Tyler Turpin, Richmond
John L. McGee
Weather:
Pleasantly cool, and at times chilly, with slight breeze out of the NE to
N.
Wind: NE to N, 1-5 km/h;
Temp: 21c > 25.5c;
Humidity: 59%>68% then droping to 45%;
Bar.Pressure: 1066 < 1017 with passing of cold front;
Cloud Cover: partly cloudy most of the day;
Visibility: crystal clear by mid-morning as front pushed through.
Raptor Observations:
AS A REMINDER, ALL TIMES ARE IN EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
The start of our 31st year officially kicked off today with Gordy Adamski
and Robert Plank at the helm, ably assisted by Rose Thomas.
Mid-August is a slow time for us but nonetheless, raptors do pass through.
Today was no exception including a record-setter. A single Northern
Harrier spotted by counter Robert Plank broke the early record last set on
8/17/1999.
Robert also spotted the season's first Bald Eagle, northward bound at
11:06 am. Try as he might, he could not get that bird to turn and not
able to put on the day's count.
Less than 10 miles south down the ridge, volunteer counter Brenda Tekin
was spending the day with family at Sherando Lake nestled down in a
hollow. A sporadic check of the skies yielded 1 AM.Kestrel and 6
Broad-winged pushing through heading in a S to SSW direction and in all
liklihood passed over Rockfish Gap to the north. The counters at RGHW
that day reported an adult Broad-winged Hawk between 10-11 am with very
worn feathers. An adult BW with heavily worn feathers appeared over
Sherando Lake at 12:40 pm EST and was actively feeding on dragonflies high
overhead.
Non-raptor Observations:
Monarch Butterfly - 3
Predictions:
Sunny and mild
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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
Site Description:
***Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA - Celebrating 30 years of Hawk Watching
HOLIDAY FOR HAWKS weekend event - September 22-24, 2006. For more details
and registration forms, go to the following web link:
http://home.ntelos.net/~btkin/rockfish_gap_hawk_watch/html/RGHW-2006LinkPage.htm
Directions to site:
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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