Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours
Official Counter: Eric Mueller
Observers: Visitors: About 50 visitors on a chilly, cloudy day. Several of them pointed out rising birds to me.
Weather: The mountain was covered with fog/clouds until just before 11 am EST. The base of the clouds rose above the level of the North Rd observation point around 10 am, so I spent the first hour there, then moved to the summit. The cloud base rose to about 2800 ft for two hours and then rose to around 5000 ft. The clouds became thick cumulus type with dark bases which really limited the light on the land below until around 2 pm. The limited light aggravated the humidity-cause haze. Temps from 57F to 62F and then dipped back down to 58F. Winds from the ENE varied from 4-7 to 8-12 mph with gusts as high as 16 mph. The outlines of most of the landmarks were visible, but not Mt Greylock or the VT mountains.
Raptor Observations: A slow day that was at least partly due to the extended low clouds and fog that lasted until midday. The local Bald Eagles and Red-tailed Hawks enjoyed the gusty wind, with repeated appearances throughout the watch. It's possible that we lost some birds above the cloud cover.
Non-raptor Observations: Non-raptors: Blue Jay - 19 (14 migrants at North Rd)) Comm Raven -6 BC Chickadee - 4 T Titmouse - 2 DE Junco - 2 Pileated WP - 1 (North Rd) Yellow-rump Warb - 1 (North Rd) Amer Goldfinch - 1 (North Rd) E Towhee - 2
Workers were chipping the trees that had been thinned around the summit and blowing the chips back into the same area, so the summit passerines were mostly absent.
Predictions: Another cloudy day with east winds, but only 4-7 mph. Temps from mid-50s to low-60s, so observers should dress warmly. If the cloud base is above the summit height in the morning, we should see more birds come through. Check the Wachusett ski area's Base Lodge and Summit cams at https://www.wachusett.com/the-mountain/media-center/webcams/ for conditions near the summit. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
