Hi Folks: Mendota Hawk Watch Update 9/20/05 It was another good day at the Mendota Hawk Watch: We had partly cloudy skies, good thermals, and enough help "to see what we were missing." The first Broad-winged hawks started coming by the tower around 9:30 a.m. It was sunny early but then light clouds rolled in until around noon. It was mostly sunny the rest of the day. We had just enough clouds floating around to serve as a good backdrop to see hawks. Bob Quillen and I were at the tower from 9:15 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Those helping for part of the day included Dr. Malcolm Jones, Zellie Earnest, and Ted Dingler. Ted volunteered to stay late, but I don't have his report as of this posting. He may have more numbers to add to these: Species: 9/20/05 Year-to-Date Northern Harrier 1 2 Broad-winged Hawk 645 3174 Coopers Hawk - 8 Am. Bald Eagle - 3 Osprey 4 17 Am. Kestrel 1 2 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 7 Red-shouldered Hawk - 1 Other: Red-headed WP: - 2 Man Hours: 28 Come join the fun. And don't forget the third annual Mendota Hawk Festival, Saturday, September 24, at the Mendota Community Center. The Mendota Hawk Watch is held at the old Mendota fire tower, atop Clinch Mountain (3018 elevation), about 3 miles from Mendota, VA. If you want directions, let me know. Ron Harrington Bristol, VA