Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch State College, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 15, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.17 hours
Official Counter: AB
Observers: Deb Rittelmann, Nick Bolgiano
Visitors: We had a large group of visitors today from Bald Eagle State Park who were taking part in the Golden Eagle Voyage. I really appreciated their tenacity and fortitude coming out to the site in the stiff winds, cooler temps and fog. I hope for those that visited we may see them again during more favorable conditions. Later in the afternoon Jacqui and David McKee came out to visit me as they noticed I picked up the one GE. Unfortunately no more materialized in the fog for the remainder of the survey.
33 Golden Eagle Voyage Tour Deb Rittelmann Nick Bolgiano Jon Kauffman Jacqui & David McKee
3 hikers.
Weather: Strong SE winds, cooler temps and fog covered the ridge along Tussey Mountain. SE winds starting at 40kph in the morning, then peaking at 50kph in the 10:00 hour. No visibility on the south side of the ridge until a shortly after noon when the fog lifted rapidly. From noon until the end of the count visibility was limited to Leading Ridge. Low temperature of 4C at 09:20 and a high of 7C by 13:00.
Raptor Observations: GE 1 (116) Total 1 (442)
GE A 14:04
Only one migrant GE was spotted today at the top of the 14:00 hour. I was lucky to spot this bird as I was taking weather and just noticed it clearing the trees to the north of the cut. It was hugging the ridge top close. It made me curious if today would have been a possible good day to have counted just below the cut at a pull out on the highway. The fog was coming and going all day just about 200ft below the OP and it would have been interesting to know if migrants were moving below the fog along the ridge. Seeing this one kind of appear out of nowhere then disappear into the fog made me curious to know if a few birds were migrating today in the strong favorable winds.
The first raptors moving were a small group of 3 TUVU low on Leading Ridge. I then briefly spotted our resident RTHA down there as well. Other than these brief observations no other local raptors were detected.
Non-raptor Observations: Mourning Dove 4 Pileated Woodpecker 1 American Crow 1 Common Raven 1 Black-capped Chickadee 1 American Goldfinch 1 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 7
Predictions: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. High near 64. South wind 13 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 37 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
