Hi Folks: September 14, 2004 Summary: I was at the tower alone from 9:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. It was a very slow day. I only had five Broad-winged hawks all day. The morning was mostly cloudy with heavy haze, but it cleared up later in the day. The wind was from the East at 5-10 mph, and it was cool. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the vista and the solitude. On the way up the trail I saw a Rose-breasted Grosbeak, and during the afternoon I enjoyed watching 7 Ravens in one group playfully flying up and down the ridge (According to my records and others I have spoken to, this is the largest group seen on the mountain in recent years. If anyone has a higher number, let me know). September 15, 2004 Summary: The flying conditions improved considerably today. The skies were clear and the East wind, which was 10-15 mph in the morning, slacked off to a light breeze in the afternoon. Good thermals developed, and the haze also lifted, so visibility was 30 miles or so. Most birds were riding high and out over the North Fork Holston Valley. And we had more folks show up to help: Bob Quillen, Dr. Malcolm Jones, Ron Pendleton; and Violet and Harold Larkins down at the gap. The numbers for year-to-date are in parentheses: Broad-winged Hawk: 237(629) Sharp-shinned Hawk: 0 (4) Cooper's Hawk: 1 (3) Osprey: 5 (11) American Bald Eagle: 1 (3) Goshawk: 0 (1) Red-headed WP 1 (8) Hawk Fever. Catch it and come visit us on the mountain. Ron Harrington Bristol, VA ************************************************* BRISTOL BIRDS NET LIST Bristol Birds Net Photo Gallery located at: http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/jwcoffeyy/album?.dir=/efd5 This is a regional birding list sponsored by the Bristol Bird Club to facilitate communications between birders and bird clubs of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee. -------------------------------------------------- You are subscribed to Bristol-Birds. To post to this mailing list, simply send an email to: bristol-birds@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx To unsubscribe, send an email to bristol-birds-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the one word 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field. -------------------------------------------------- Wallace Coffey, Moderator wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (423)764-****