[va-bird] HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (12 Sep 2004) 153 Raptors

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  • To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: 12 Sep 2004 07:09:02 -0400


Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 12, 2004
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV                           0              0              0
TV                           0              0              0
OS                           8             25             35
BE                           1              3             10
NH                           4              8             12
SS                           5             19             36
CH                           1              3             11
NG                           0              0              0
RS                           0              1              1
BW                         128            389            546
RT                           3             11             31
RL                           0              0              0
GE                           0              0              0
AK                           1             12             18
ML                           1              1              2
PG                           1              1              1
UA                           0              0              1
UB                           0              0              2
UF                           0              1              3
UE                           0              0              0
UR                           0              0              4

Total:                     153            474            713
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 08:00:00 
Observation end   time: 16:45:00 
Total observation time: 8.75 hours

Official Counter: Brenda Tekin

Observers:        Gordy Adamski, Pat Alther, Robert Plank,
                  Wm. (Bill) Gallagher

Visitors:
Thanks to the visitors and observers helping to spot the high sailing
specs.
Pat Alther, Buddy, Sarah Splaun and her birding buddy Holly Mathews, Nancy
Davidson, Vijay Panjeti, Samatha Price, J.Davis, and Bruce Grimes


Weather:
Morning fog over the Piedmont soon made its way up the ridge socking it in
for about an hour.  
Wind started out out of the north 6-11 km/h changing to SE which brought
the fog up out of the Piedmont from the east side of the ridge.  By 9:45
EST fog was moving out.

Afternoon lower level wind was 12-19 km/h at times out of SE decreasing to
6-11 km/h.  Upper level winds seemed to be coming out of the NNW.
Temp:  29c(High)
Bar.Pressure: 1021>1022<1021<1020<1019(by 3 p.m. EST)
Cloud Cover: ranging from mostly sunny to overcast with dark threatening
storm clouds to the east then clearing up to party sunny.
Fog in morning; haze afternoon

Observations:
Once the fog lifted we began to see birds.  Between 9:45-11a.m. EST we
managed to locate 57 BW, most already small specs high up in the sky.  It
was going to be one of those days.  We figured BW were flying over the fog
and then by mid-day they were too high up to spot.  What few we managed
rest of day were very difficult if not impossible to see without
binoculars.

We managed a 2nd triple-digit day.

Another good showing of Northern Harrier with four more, a total of 8 for
the weekend.  

Between the hour of 9-10 EST, we spotted what appeared to be two vultures
soaring together, close off the ridge to the east.  One was a dark
(black!)-phased Red-tail.

Season's first Peregrine at 3:21 p.m. EST.

Osprey, er I mean Bald Eagle, an adult, at 12:55 p.m. EST.

Monarch Butterfly numbers are drastically down.  Only 3 for the day!
Chimney Swift
Eastern Phoebe
Gray Catbird meowing
Hummingbird - 3

Predictions:
Hopefully more sunshine and lot less fog.
========================================================================
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


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  • » [va-bird] HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (12 Sep 2004) 153 Raptors