It was a beautiful day at the tower with clear, blue skies, a cool, light breeze out of the West/northwest, and seasonable temperatures. I arrived and started watching at 9:30 a.m., followed by Tom Hunter (Lebanon, VA) who arrived at 10:40 a.m. We stayed until 6:15 p.m. It was a "high sky day" which means that hawks riding high on the wind and/or thermals would be hard to see. This proved out as most of those seen were very high and some far out over the valley. The visibility was 30 miles or more, and the view was great. Unfortunately, only a few "early bird" Broad-wings showed up. We did have a better than average day for Ospreys. But they were also flying high and getting higher. Watching for these hawks sometimes is like waiting for the fish to bite. You have to be patient, and always remain confident for tomorrow. They'll be here eventually. So come on up and join us. Help us keep the Mendota Hawk Watch tradition alive. Weather permitting, the Broad-winged hawk flights will gradually increase and then peak sometime next week. Last year we counted 3558 Broad-wings during the two weeks. In 2005 we counted 6303. And don't forget the Mendota Hawk Festival September 22. More details later. Totals: Broad-winged hawk: 5 YTD: 12 Osprey: 4 YTD: 5 Am. Kestrel: 0 YTD: 1 Sharp-shinned hawk: 0 YTD: 1 We also saw 5 Common Ravens doing their usual routine, and 2 local Red-tailed hawks paraded up and down the range. Approximately 8 Monarch Butterflies were seen. The Mendota Hawk Watch is held at the Mendota Fire Tower (Elevation 3020), located on Clinch Mountain at the Washington/Russell County line, 3 miles north of Mendota, VA. If you need directions let me know. Come join us and catch "hawk-watching fever." Ron Harrington Bristol, VA ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com