Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Caroline Fegley
Observers: Chuck Carlson, Glen Chretien, Mike Gebo
Visitors: 76 including young bird enthusiast Quinn from Massachusetts
Weather: Mostly clear skies with good visibility. WNW/W/WSW winds, heavier in the afternoon. -2-5 C (28-41 F)
Raptor Observations: Much less non-migrant activity than yesterday, but a red-tail still was often seen kiting above the right camelhump for several minutes at a time. The goshawk streak picked back up, with one low migrant.
Non-raptor Observations: A flock of 17 canada geese and 1 cackling goose flew close over the hawkwatch. Glen Chretien and Caroline Fegley scoped the birds far to the west, noting "the third from the right seems really big.", then moments later "the fourth from the middle seems really small!". The large goose with stiff wingbeats turned out to be a chunky canada goose with a big area of secondary feathers missing, explaining the weird flight. The smaller bird was a cackling goose with its stubby bill and slightly lighter coloring from underneath. Thankfully, the birds flew close overhead for photos. Canada geese totalled 79, inching us closer to the seasonal goal of 3000+
Predictions: Lighter winds from the NW, sunny, but a little chilly
On this day in Pack history... "2013: PMRO's first (and to date only) Short-eared Owl migrates through. Katrina Fenton: ""Shortly after noon a migrant popped up in front of Pack, flapping with purpose to stay above its raven escorts. Long wings tipped in black and highlighted by ebony crescents rose and beat from a stocky, short-tailed body that circled to show yellow eyes darting from their facial disks. The Short-eared Owl worked itself higher and higher until it was little more than a pale tan and brown speck with wings far overhead, trailed by a swirl of ravens, the first of its species to be recorded at the hawkwatch in the nine years of the count."" 2006: Julie Tilden and Phil Brown met at Pack. " ======================================================================== Report submitted by Caroline Fegley (<cgfegley...>) Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory information may be found at: www.harriscenter.org
