Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch State College, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 28, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: AB, NB
Observers: AB, Jon Kauffman
Visitors: Jon Kauffman stopped in during the morning hours and picked us out a OSPR and the first migrating COLO of the season.
Jon Kauffman
6 hikers
Weather: SSW winds for the entire count at 12-19kph at 10:00. Visibility was good for the entire count. Mostly cloudy skies for the entire survey and a few brief periods of rain. By the end of the count at 17:00 a rain had developed over Tussey Mountain. Low temperature of 6C at 09:00 and a high of 15C by noon.
Raptor Observations: TV 7 (197) OS 2 (9) SS 2 (50) RT 2 (168) ML 1 (2) Total 14 (736)
I was surprised the flight was as slow as it was considering the first S winds in several days. I was lucky to pick up the second MERL of the season way out on Leading Ridge soaring. It then cut out via powered flight crossing Tussey Mountain in a matter of seconds.
Two adult BE’s were dogfighting over Leading Ridge at 12:46. At 13:05 two adults seemed to appear out of nowhere from the N of the OP to escort another local adult BE back S along Tussey Mountain. The interloper didn’t want anything to do with these two and retreated in a hurry S of Leading Ridge.
Non-raptor Observations: 4 COLO migrated through the gap at 11:05. AMCR were the corvid of the day flying through the cut from N to S with a tasty morsel in their beak. An accomplice was in tow. The morsel didn’t appear to be baked goods.
duck sp. 4 Common Loon 4 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Hairy Woodpecker 1 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Eastern Phoebe 1 American Crow 4 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Tree Swallow 2 House Finch 2 American Goldfinch 2 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 5
Predictions: Mostly sunny, with a high near 78. West wind 9 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
