Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, VA
Waynesboro, VA, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2002
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
BV 0 0 0
TV 0 0 0
OS 2 82 83
BE 0 10 10
NH 1 20 20
SS 5 95 105
CH 0 16 24
NG 0 1 1
RS 0 0 0
BW 16 3548 3551
RT 0 15 19
RL 0 0 0
GE 0 0 0
AK 1 11 15
ML 1 3 3
PG 0 6 8
MK 0 1 1
UA 0 2 3
UB 0 1 1
UF 0 3 4
UE 0 0 0
UR 0 11 11
Total: 26 3825 3859
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Observation start time: 08:30:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Site Coordinator: Brenda Tekin
Observers: Brenda Tekin, Gordy Adamski
Visitors:
Robert Plank and brother Wallace Plank
Mary Smith
Wade Hildredth
Nancy Davidson
Bob Thompson
John Spahr
Weather:
Wind speed: 6-11 km/h
Wind Dir: South
Temp: (hi) 26.5c
Humidity: 77%
Bar.Pressure: 1015 > 1013
Precipitation: Hazy (thick!)
Welcome to warm tropics! Very thick hazy with increasing cloud cover and
threat of rain by late afternoon.
Observations:
Dark-morphed Broad-winged Hawk: 11:43 a.m. - flew over close to observers.
First thought to be odd shaped crow flying across gap a little above eye
level. There was very little light on this bird. The odd "bulge" we saw
as it approched sailing straight on was a very full crop. Observed
through Kowa Scope w/30mm lens; very impressive crow-like Broad-winged
Hawk. Could not detect much of a contrast in underside of wings observed
in other dark-morphed BWs like that of underwings of TVs.
Female Merlin was observed harassing a murder of crows; she was relentless
in going after one and then another. One crow made the mistake of
retaliating and the Merlin continued divebombing and chasing back and
forth along the north side of the ridge. Minutes later the one remaining
crow took off across the gap and Merlin followed but gave up on crow.
There was more game in site -- a Red-tail and Broad-wing. She first
dive-bomed the RT; RT took off after BW; Merlin went for BW; BW turned on
Merlin for an attitude adjustment.
Tree Swallow - 8
Chimney Swift - small numbers continue to move through
Northern Flicker
Tern - large tern with long, deeply forked tail initially identified as a
Royal Tern.
Predictions:
Improving weather should be a good BW flight day because things surely were
not moving today.
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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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