Date: 1/17/25 4:03 pm From: Thomas Kuehl <tjk.kuehl...> Subject: Westmoreland WRS Greensburg-Latrobe 38 Raptors - Northern Harrier and Merlin
Greg and All,
This was the third year for this route that begins at Lynch Field in Greensburg and winds its way east to Latrobe. The area is very good WRS habitat and is within a triangle formed by Rt. 119 from southwest to northeast, Rt. 30 to the south and Loyalhanna Creek to the east. Slow to start and then we did very well on this day that started cloudy and cleared to mostly blue skies. We were certainly delighted to see a Merlin at point-blank range (in a cemetery, of course) and dumbfounded with a Northern Harrier doing a great imitation of a soaring Red-tailed Hawk over the City of Latrobe.
The 39 raptors was a new high and the Northern Harrier and Merlin were new species for the Route today. Past year totals were 27 in 2023 and 30 in 2024.
County: Westmoreland
Name of route - Greensburg-Latrobe / PSO map number: 658
Date – January 17, 2025
Observers - Tom & Janet Kuehl + Jim Kellam
Hrs: 3 Mins 24
( Please be as precise as possible on total time)
Start/End: 10:02am / 1:52pm (20 minutes of break time)
Approx. Miles on route: 46.9
Avg Temp.- 32F
Clear/Pt cloudy/Cloudy- Mostly Cloudy, transitioning to Mostly Clear
Wind – Calm/Light/medium- Calm
Avg. Inches Snow cover- 6
# Harriers (age/sex if poss.)- 1 ND as very distant
# Red-tails- 31 (A new high after 25 in 2024)
# Kestrels- TOTAL # 4 (#M = 3/F/ND =1 ) (WE had a crazy 9 in 2023)
# Bald Eagles- TOTAL # 1 Ad= 1/Imm.
#Cooper’s - 1 Adult
#Merlin – 1 ND
UA # 1 - A distant bird seen by Janet
** Greg, I will later share photos of the Harrier and Merlin if they can help with Sex/Age ID
COMMENTS?
Nice to see 17 Wild Turkeys in corn stumble, one of the two Common Ravens was very entertaining, several Mockingbirds, several sightings of American Robin and a bit surprised to have just one sighting of Eastern Bluebird.
