Mendota Fire Tower Mendota, VA, Virginia, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 0 Turkey Vulture 0 0 0 Osprey 0 11 11 Bald Eagle 0 16 16 Northern Harrier 0 0 0 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 12 12 Cooper's Hawk 1 18 18 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0 Broad-winged Hawk 194 4046 4046 Red-tailed Hawk 0 15 15 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 0 American Kestrel 0 15 15 Merlin 0 2 2 Peregrine Falcon 0 4 4 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 2 Unknown Buteo 0 2 2 Unknown Falcon 0 2 2 Unknown Eagle 0 3 3 Unknown Raptor 0 2 2 Total: 196 4150 4150 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Jennifer Meade Observers: Susan Greear Visitors: Abigail Jantzi arrived with Jennifer and Susan at 9:45. She provided valuable assistance in sighting hawks until approx 1:00 pm. Allen and Josh Alley arrived at approximately 12:30 pm and remained until approx 3:30 providing keen eyes and identification skills. Additional visitors during the day were: Rusty and Kim Short, Holly and Luke Reed, Donna Linkous, Tina Linkous, Joe and Sharon McClellan, Macy, Josey, and Lily. Weather: Weather began cool, light winds, and variable cloudiness and haze. Clouds continued all day with an approx 60-80% coverage of clouds from cirrus, to cumulus, and altocumulus clouds. As the afternoon progressed, the clouds thickened into altostratus type clouds filling the sky to approx 90+%. Raptor Observations: Steady flow of BW Hawks today with a marked spike in activity from 1-3 pm. During the 4 o'clock hour, the last 3 BWs of the day were seen, very low, flapping and down below eye level. They came in very close to Clinch Mountain in the low dip just east of the tower with an Am Kestrel harrasing them. The 3 BWs passed beneath tower in the powerline clearing and appeared to go into the trees on south slope of Clinch Mountain just west of tower at approx eye level. Non-raptor Observations: A few Monarch butterflies fluttered past. During the 12 o'clock hour, a flock of approx 20 geese were far to the east moving from a north to south direction... they were visible only with binoculars 10X. Predictions: Rain showers Monday and our reporting may be over if no one else has time to help this week. ======================================================================== Report submitted by John D Whinery (Fall.Branch.Tn.Bird@xxxxxxxxx) =========================================================== Mailing List For Buchanan County Bird Club website: www.bcbirdclub.org Archives: //www.freelists.org/archives/bcbirdclub =========================================================== Administrative contact: donc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ===========================================================