Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours
Official Counter: Eric Mueller
Observers: Visitors: Only a single hiker and one deer hunter passed by today.
Weather: A bit warmer than previous watches with temps between 38 and 47 F, and very light wind from the East when it blew at all. The high, thin stratus cloud cover at the start let through plenty of light until just after noon when the clouds from the approaching rain storm turned the landscape dark. The high humidity cut down on the visibility a bit, but I could still make out the VT mountains.
Raptor Observations: The Red-shoulders that were missing from the last session re-appeared today and brought our season's count up out of the bottom 10 of all time (whew!) We're now solidly settled in at position #37 out of 49 seasons here. Besides today's 4 migrating Red-shoulders, I counted our first accipitrine in a while (11/27) - a Coop.
The winds were apparently too light for the local eagles because the only non-migrating raptors that I saw were 3 Red-tails.
Non-raptor Observations: Non-raptors: Canada Goose - 109 (in 6 flocks ranging in size from 7 to 26) Comm Merganser - 6 gull sp - 12 Hairy WP - 1 Downy WP - 1 Blue Jay - 2 Amer Crow - 1 Comm Raven - 1 BC Chickadee - 2 T Titmouse - 2 WB Nuthatch - 2
Predictions: No watches are planned for several days due to various combinations of rain, fog and strong southerly winds. Friday would be the earliest. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
