Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Waynesboro, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 13, 2005
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 2 3 3
BE 0 0 0
NH 0 0 0
SS 0 0 0
CH 0 0 0
NG 0 0 0
RS 0 0 0
BW 19 19 19
RT 5 5 5
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: 26 27 27
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Observation start time: 10:15:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 5.75 hours
Official Counter: Brenda Tekin
Observers: Gordy Adamski
Weather:
To sum it up, Hazy, Hot and Humid!
During late morning and early afternoon, sitting on NE corner in shade, it
was actually pleasant with light breeze out of the W. Wind died down around
12 p.m. (EST) and it felt every bit of the 97 degrees plus heat index. Wind
picked back up coming out of the SW by 1 p.m. and we shifted to east side of
buiding to catch a breeze in the 97% degrees (in shade!);
Wind: 6-11km/h out of West, changing to 0-5km/h out of SW then from South;
Temp: 31c increasing to 36c;
Humidity: 52% > 53%
Bar.Pressure: 1011 dropping to 1009;
Cloud Cover: started with no clouds, not even contrails; by 1 p.m. EST
increase in clouds 16-50%. Hour later cloud cover back down to less than
15%;
Visibility: 10K throughout the day due to very thick haze over the valley
and to the east out over the Piedmont.
Observations:
Surprising! Decent showing of both Broadwing and Red-tail. Not only that,
we broke early record for both! Counter's first migrants for the season
were pair of adult BW first spotted low over Valley, circling and swooping
down on each other. They finally headed on at 10:40 a.m. A few pairs but
most were single BW passing through. Once winds shifted to out of SW and S,
flight changed to more overhead. At 2:11 p.m., a pair of Osprey were
discovered high overhead, circling above a small kettle of vulture
A nice assortment of butterflies, including Clouded Sulpher, Spicebush,
Eastern Swallowtail (yellow and dark), and four Monarch!
Lots of swirling Barn Swallow and it appeared they were on the move.
Not many dragonflies but sky was filled with small flying insects that
appeared to be Lady Bugs.
Predictions:
The Dog Days of Summer coninue.
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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 - 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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