Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch State College, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 10, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.23 hours
Official Counter: Adam Bradley
Observers: Bob McLaughlin, Kevin McGrath, Margaret Brittingham
Visitors: Margaret Brittingham was up for her first visit this spring. Bob McLaughlin stopped by in the afternoon to help scan. My good friend and legendary Westchester County birder Kevin McGrath made the trip out from White Plains. Looking forward to getting him on some GE’s tomorrow. We hope the rest of the Chestnut Ridge crew can join us next year or later this season. Gary Miller and Mary Knipe got to see many of the resident raptors during their visit. Jim Ruth and Stacie Bird were up to celebrate her father’s birthday.
John Donoughe Margaret Brittingham Bob McLaughlin Kevin McGrath Gary Miller and Mary Knipe Jim Ruth and Stacie Bird
2 hikers.
Weather: Warm day on Tussey Mountain. Light SW winds to begin the count at 11kph. By 13:00 they had shifted to the WNW at 19kph. Visibility was good to 12km. Very little cloud cover over the horizon. Low temperature of 6C at 08:30 and a high of 19C by 14:00.
Raptor Observations: TV 4 (84) SS 3 (10) RT 1 (18) GE 5 (81) UB 1 (6) UR 1 (3) Total 15 (288)
GE A 09:50, A 10:11, A 10:54, A 11:02, A 12:37
GE led the flight again today with the first one detected low on Leading Ridge. There was light winds and good thermal activity, but the eagle remained low soaring down Stone Valley. The next three came through on very similar flight lines on top of the ridge. Fortunately, with light winds and good thermals the eagles didn’t come through fast. They had to work thermals rising off the different rock outcrops along the ridge. Scanning around the eagles also helped with locating a few SSHA’s. The flight lulled briefly around noon, then picked back up again in the 13:00 hour. About the midway through the 13:00 hour the flight came to an abrupt halt.
The Leading Ridge resident RTHA was detected several times soaring high over its territory. It also performed its roller coaster display along the ridge. At least 2 adult BAEA were in a skirmish with another BAEA out over Warrior’s Ridge a little before noon. At 14:43 the resident COHA was seen soaring in a kettle of TUVU on the N side of the ridge. It later was spotted escorting a juvenile RTHA away from the gap. The juvenile RTHA has been trespassing across multiple occupied territories, but appears to be tolerated by the local RTHA.
Non-raptor Observations: There is a BCCH that has a territory adjacent to where I conduct the count from. It was quite vocal and didn’t appreciate my singing back to it in its territory. The resident CORA showed up around closing time, but didn’t get the official Tussey Mountain protocol memo on DST. They wanted to perch on the powerline tower and were caught off guard by my presence.
Canada Goose 453 Tundra Swan 30 Mourning Dove 3 Killdeer 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 American Crow 10 Common Raven 16 Black-capped Chickadee 3 Horned Lark 1 White-breasted Nuthatch 2 Eastern Bluebird 4 American Robin 2 American Pipit 1 House Finch 1 Pine Siskin 2 American Goldfinch 1
Predictions: Sunny, with a high near 68. Calm wind becoming southwest 5 to 9 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
