Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 17, 2004
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 3 9 102
BE 1 5 24
NH 0 7 21
SS 196 529 827
CH 22 74 109
NG 0 1 1
RS 1 2 4
BW 0 13 4582
RT 25 73 114
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 2
AK 9 18 51
ML 2 5 11
PG 1 3 9
UA 1 2 7
UB 1 1 5
UF 0 0 5
UE 0 0 0
UR 1 8 17
Total: 263 750 5891
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:45:00
Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Brenda Tekin
Observers: Gordy Adamski
Visitors:
Cricket Barlow
Weather:
What a day!
Very brisk NW wind 29-38 km/h with even stronger gusts throughout the
morning dimishing to 15-20 km/h.
Beautiful bright blue sky with no clouds. Jet contrails by early
afternoon merged to form nice backdrop. However, most of the birds were
very low today, many well below eye level as they cannon balled across the
gap. Now you see them, now they're gone!
Temp: Bit chilly with high of 12.5c
Humidity: 34%
BarPressure 1008 increasing to 1011
Visibility: 40km+
Observations:
This was a day we had been waiting for! Brisk NW wind after front pushed
through and cool temps. It was non-stop throughout the day. The mid-day
lull -- forget it! Majority of the Sharpies ridge-hopped and IF they
neared the western slope they shot out to the east across the gap, gone in
a split second. A very good showing of Cooper's today including one with
very full crop!
It was so much fun and we even tried to telephone a few of the weekday
counters to invite them up. We really needed extra eyes!
Hourly count for Sharp-shinned (EST):
9-10: 43; 10-11: 33; 11-12: 36; 12-1: 20; 1-2:32; 2-3: 23; 3-3:45: 9
Several highlights including a partial albino Sharp-shinned! This was a
first for both Gordy and me. Very striking bird!
Bald Eagle - 4+ year old at 11:35 a.m EST,
Osprey - 3 today (9:26am; 11:26am; 2:43pm);
Peregrine Falcon - 2:51pm
Chimney Swift - 1 (a single bird flew in close in among a small flock of
American Tree Swallow around 3 p.m. EST)
Red-winged Blackbird - a single adult male flying against the wind heading
west through the gap.
American Tree Swallow - several small flocks
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Palm Warbler
Gull species - 2 large gulls circling and flying together heading east.
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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
***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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