Observation start time: 07:15:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8.75 hours
Official Counter: Caroline Fegley, Mark Timmerman
Observers: Chuck Carlson, Mark Timmerman, Tom Momeyer
Visitors: 265 including 150 highschool seniors from Amherst
Weather: Mostly cloudy, strong W/WNW/NW winds. Rain/sleet from 12:00-12:15. 4-8 C, (39-46 F). Mostly cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds with some very nice lenticular clouds late in the day.
Raptor Observations: Started with the first migrant being a close adult peregrine. An exciting sight! Raptors seemed to struggle to fly south in the afternoon. During the last two hours, multiple birds were seen facing W into the strong headwind while drifting S. The larger raptors, ospreys, harrier, and turkey vultures migrated far in the distant west.
Nonmigrants: 1 juvenile bald eagle, 2 turkey vultures, 1 Red-tailed hawk and 2 sharp-shinned hawks fluttered around North Pack during the last hour taunting me without migrating
Predictions: Mostly cloudy with NW winds. Time to start packing gloves and thermals!
On this day in Pack history ... "2007: A record-setting 22 Northern Harriers are counted on a perfect October day. Official Counter Lance Tanino had this to say: 158 raptors in October!? Are you kidding me? For those of you who thought raptor numbers will start to decline in October, shame on you...just kidding.
Raptors were very high and very low, up close and very far away, far to the east and far to the west, and everywhere in between. The sky never felt so big today. There was no reliable area in the sky to depend on for seeing incoming raptors. The entire sky had to be checked constantly.
Big time daily total for northern harriers and red-shouldered hawks. Oh what fun it was counting them today.
For the first time at Pack Monadnock this year and second time ever, five species recorded double digits on a single day. " ======================================================================== Report submitted by Caroline Fegley (<cgfegley...>) Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory information may be found at: www.harriscenter.org
