Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 12:30:00 Total observation time: 5 hours
Official Counter: Bob Secatore
Observers: Visitors: Dan Prima stopped by to say that he'd stopped at the North Pool Overlook where he had spotted a blurry white lump sitting on ground in the dense fog. At first, he thought it was a buoy or some other object brought in by the tides but finally realized it was a Snowy Owl. Other visitors: John and Andrea Cannizzo, Tom Graham, Dave Salt and Ms Herlihy whose given name I neglected to jot down.
Weather: Plum Island and the surrounding area was fogged in completely with visibility at 100 meters at the start of the watch period today more or less guaranteeing that few migrants would be observed until conditions improved. Unfortunately, although the forecast called for the fog to burn off within an hour or so of the start, the pea soup lingered (i.e., visibility stayed at 100 meters) for the next three and a half hours. To. make matters worse, an onshore breeze started very soon after the start of the watch and increased in velocity thereafter, reaching 8 mph by the end of the period. As a result, temperatures posted at online weather websites were several deg F higher than those that existed at our platform.
Raptor Observations: Given the initial conditions and the fact that they continued for so long, it's not surprising that no migrants were counted for the first three hours of the watch, after which visibility improved a bit and a single Kestrel was spotted. But the lion's share of the birds were seen during the 11:00 AM hour when visibility increased to 5+ Kilometers. In all 12 migrants were recorded: 6 Harriers (including 2 adult males), 1 immature female Sharp-shin, 2 Kestrels, 2 Merlins and 1 Unidentified Raptor. All of these were recorded only after the fog began to clear, so many birds may well have passed through unnoticed and uncounted during the three plus hours early on.
Only three Turkey Vultures were observed today. None migrated through. Three or four Harriers were seen but failed to migrate.
Non-raptor Observations: A large flock of 40+ Double-crested Cormorants, 8 Goldeneye on the river, 2 Jays, intermittent flow of Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds.
Predictions: Moderate (12 to 17 mph) winds all day, temps in the high forties (degrees Fahrenheit) and sunny skies. So, this is a favorable forecast for us.
======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
