Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch State College, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 25, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours
Official Counter: AB
Observers:
Visitors: None
1 hiker
Weather: Primarily W winds for the entire count peaking at 12-19kph from 11:00 – 14:00. Visibility was good for the entire count. Clouds drifted over Tussey Mountain for the entire count with bouts of sunshine in between. The clouds helped with spotting migrating raptors. Low temperature of 2C at 08:00 and a high of 12C by 13:00.
Raptor Observations: TV 3 (171) BE 3 (58) SS 3 (48) RT 3 (162) AK 1 (17) UR 1 (10) Total 14 (695)
A little pulse of migrating raptors was moving early in the morning when the winds were light. There was a lull in the 10:00 hour, then in the 11:00 hour the flight picked up again with another 4 raptors moving through. There was no predominant flight line today. Some were coming through the gap on a NW route, some were flying up Stone Valley. Later in the day there was a sky-high BE I was lucky to get on as I picked it up on the edge of some high clouds.
The Leading Ridge RTHA was on territory later in the afternoon. An immature RTHA spent some time kiting to the N side of the ridge in the cut. An immature BE came right through the cut over the OP from S to N. I enjoy sitting on my rock seat in full camouflage to experience these close encounters.
Non-raptor Observations: Mourning Dove 2 Black Vulture 4 Northern Flicker 1 American Crow 3 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Eastern Bluebird 1 American Robin 1 House Finch 1 American Goldfinch 2
Predictions: Partly sunny, with a high near 43. West wind 6 to 11 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph.
======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
