[va-bird] HSR: Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (26 Sep 2003) Raptor counts (total=547)

Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 26, 2003
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV                           0              0              0
TV                           0              0              0
OS                           3             79             85
BE                           0             20             25
NH                           1              8              8
SS                          15            144            150
CH                           5             33             34
NG                           0              3              3
RS                           0              1              1
BW                         516           7939           7992
RT                           2             24             29
RL                           0              0              0
GE                           0              0              1
AK                           1             46             51
ML                           2             11             12
PG                           1             11             11
MK                           0              0              1
UA                           0              5              6
UB                           1              4              5
UF                           0              1              1
UE                           0              0              0
UR                           0              5              5

Total:                     547           8334           8420
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Observation start time: 08:00:00 
Observation end   time: 17:00:00 
Total observation time: 9 hours

Official Counter: Brenda Tekin

Observers:        Brenda Tekin, Gordy Adamski, John Irvine, Tom Pendleton

Visitors:
Duke Guinn
Craig Taylor from Chicago, IL
Pete & Angela Nebel from Waynesboro;  Thanks Angela for great spotting!
Western State Hospital birding group
John Irvine
Tom Pendleton
Nancy Davidson


Weather:
Cold front must have stalled.  More clouds today with steady breeze out of
the SE throughout the day.  Interesting to note there appeared to be no
upper level winds and birds flew low, most easily seen without binoculars.
 

Temp (high):  24C
Humidity: 66%
Bar.Pressure:  1015 dropping to 1013
Hazy over Piedmont to east and valley to west.

Observations:
Slow morning but birds were low providing some very good looks.  
Broad-wings as the day progressed (in EST):
8-9 a.m. - 6
9-10 a.m. - 6
10-11 a.m. - 44
Then things dropped off:
11-12 p.m. - 8
12-1 p.m. - 21
1-2 p.m. - 16
2-3 p.m. - 66

Just before 3 p.m. (EST) John Irvine and Tom Pendleton, who had been on
hand most of the day, left for their long drive back to Harrisonburg.  It
was probably no more than 10 minutes after their departure when Gordy
Adamski spotted a "few" birds over the NE corner.

They started streaming through, most coming along the ridge and as they
started to cross the gap more to the SW (left of the building) they turned
south following ridge, and sailing overhead, most easily seen without
binoculars.  At one point, they were spread all the way across the ridge
to our north and still coming up.  65 in the first wave that started out
with a couple of kettles.  Next big wave was 263.   Total BWs for the hour
between 3-4 p.m. EST, with bulk coming between 3:10 and 3:25, was 348.  

The next hour only one BW.

Blue Jay - quite a few "single" birds and one flock of 8
Red-headed Woodpecker - 2 adult males
Ruby-throated Hummingbird - one zipping by found by Tom Pendleton
Double-crested Cormorant - flock of 9 flying overhead from SW to NE corner
over towers.  They circled, gained altitude and then flew off heading
east.
Palm Warbler - 1

I left behind the names of two special visitors from New Jersey I believe
who identified the following butterflies enjoying all the sweet nectar
along the hillside:
Tiger Swallowtail
Orage Sulfer
 Orange Sulfer (white)
Pearl Crescent
Sachen
Wild Indigo Duskywing
Great Spangled Fritilary
Monarch Butterfly - 35+


Predictions:
Hopefully this long awaited cold front will push through.
========================================================================
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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