Mt. Peter Hawkwatch, 10/24/14

Sharpies and sharp eyes were the story today at Mount Peter Hawkwatch. I counted 41 migrating Sharp-shinned hawks, but I don’t know how many of them I would have missed without a little help. Many of the birds today were passing by to the east of the viewing platform. For those who have never been to Mount Pete, the view on that side is obstructed by a number of trees, so it can be difficult to pick up the birds as they pass through the smaller windows between the groups of trees. Kyle Dudgeon spent most of the day at the watch with me, and this guy can find and see hawks naked-eye better than I can with binoculars. Oh to have young eyes! Then, in the afternoon, Ryan MacLean, official counter at Quaker Ridge Hawkwatch joined me, finding several birds during the hour or so he was there. By the end of the day, I had totaled 62 migrating raptors – a pretty good day! Here’s my report:

Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter Matt Zeitler
Observers:

Visitors:
Kyle Dudgeon, Karen Miller, Diane Bliss, Linda Scrima, and Ryan MacLean.

Weather:
Cloudy and cool with temperatures starting at 3 degrees Celsius and rising to 11 degrees. There was a northeast wind for most of the day, which shifted to southwest in the afternoon.

Raptor Observations:
Migrating Raptors: (2) Adult Bald Eagles. Red-shoulded Hawks included (2) adult, (1) immature, and (2) unknown. Non Migrating Raptors: (1) Adult Bald Eagle flew northeast.

Non-raptor Observations:
American Robin (25), Blue Jay (18), American Goldfinch (7), Black-capped Chickadee (5), Tufted Titmouse (2), Eastern Bluebird (3), American Crow (12), Yellow-rumped Warbler (12), Northern Cardinal (1), Common Raven (5), Dark-eyed Junco (10), Ring-billed Gull (2), Canada Goose (18), Pileated Woodpecker (1), Northern Flicker (1), and Rock Pigeon (3).