Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Craig Jackson
Observers:
Visitors: Thomas Monaco stopped by to discuss the hawk watch and what birds pass through my site.
Weather: Moderate to strong (3-4)NNW-NW winds with gusts up to 21 km/hr in the morning and increasing to 28 km/hr in the last hour of the watch; Temperature went from 2-8° C; Cloud cover -- for most of the watch the only clouds were on the southern and western horizons going from 20-25%; around noon the eastern sky started getting some clouds, but at no time was more than 10% of the eastern sky cloudy
Raptor Observations: Only one migrating raptor, a probable adult Golden Eagle, but a bird which will have to be left as an unidentified eagle. I first saw what seemed to be a brown buteo on the western horizon flying southwest toward the tower. As it passed the tower (a kilometer away) the bird was clearly farther than the tower and flying away. I assumed it was a large buteo since the head was considerably shorter than the tail (eliminating in my mind the possibility it was an immature Bald Eagle). However, although I initially thought it was a Red-tailed Hawk the ID did not seem right. Since the tail was not reddish, it should have shown "wing windows," but in fact the wing pattern was very different. As the bird banked while soaring the dorsal view of the bird was very different. From 1/3-1/2 of each outer wing was dark, while the inner half of each wing and the mantle was a much paler brown. As the bird was flying away and in a glide, the wings were slightly curved downward. The bird hardly flapped at all, and when it did the wing beats were not very deep. Finally, I did not note any whitish markings on the wings or on the tail.
As I watched the bird fly away I went through the characteristics of various raptors. Although the wings were curved downward, the wing pattern and lack of crescents eliminated Red-shouldered Hawk. My only views of Golden Eagle in over 20 years have been of immatures, and those have always flown with noticeable dihedrals. Since this bird had no wing patches and its wings were curved downward, and definitely not in a dihedral, I also eliminated Golden Eagle in my mind. Thus, as the bird flew away I was still in a quandary.
Looking at my copy of Dunne and Sutton's Hawks in Flight, I noted that first year birds showed a somewhat similar dorsal pattern on their wings with very dark outer wings contrasting with the lighter inner wings. Thus, despite not noting a large head projection, I initially thought it must be an immature Bald Eagle that doesn't show any white markings. Still, not completely satisfied, despite the bird's wings not being a dihedral, I decided to check the pictures of Golden Eagle in the same book. When I did so, I saw that the dorsal view of the adult Golden Eagle's wings was even more similar to what I had seen. On the following page I then noted Dunne's statement "Curiously, the dihedral is rarely seen on the East Coast .... Most Golden Eagles seen at coastal watch points fly flat-winged." I was now pretty much convinced that the bird I had see was probably a Golden Eagle.
Since I also had Liquori's Hawks at a Distance, I also checked that reference as well. Although several of his photos of juvenile Bald Eagles were similar to my bird, his photos of adult Golden Eagles were more so. He also noted that "Golden Eagles typically show dropped wings ..."
Given all the above, I am pretty sure that the bird I saw had been an adult Golden Eagle, but will record it as an unidentified eagle, since it is not a certain ID.
Non-migrating raptors -- One adult Bald Eagle and an immature Red-tailed Hawk
Non-raptor Observations:
Predictions: Tomorrow's winds will again be from the NW, getting stronger around noontime before moderating slightly. Sunday's winds will also be from the NW but less strong. As NW winds are the best winds for this site, notwithstanding the scarcity of raptors today, both day's hold the promise of migrants. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Craig Jackson (<crleja1949...>)
More site information at hawkcount.org:https://hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=239
