Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: AB
Observers: Shelly Culbertson
Visitors: Shelly Culbertson was out visiting from Nevada. She was great help spotting as always and found the one GE of the day.
3 hikers.
Weather: NW winds to start the count at 1-5km. By 10:00 the winds had shifted to the SE at 6-11kph which was ideal. The winds then became light and variable at noon for an hour. From 13:00 on the winds were primarily NW at 6-11kph. Visibility was good, although in the afternoon a haze developed. At one point late in the afternoon some heavy smoke started to move into Stone Valley from the vicinity of Sideling Hill. High cirrus and a few lower cumulus clouds developed by 11:00 which helped with spotting birds. Low temperature of -2C at 09:00 and a high of 10C by 16:00.
Raptor Observations: TV 6 (259) OS 1 (22) BE 2 (73) NH 2 (22) SS 7 (85) CH 2 (28) BW 1 RT 6 (217) GE 1 (141) AK 3 (34) UB 2 (16) UR 3 (21) Total 36 (970)
GE Immature 15:51
Slow start to the days flight with only a few raptors migrating between 09:00 – 11:00. At the top of the 11:00 hour the flight got under way with a nice pulse of 5 SS’s. There was a lull in the noon hour, then the flight picked up again in the 13:00 hour with some nice diversity. The first BWHA of the season was spotted in the gap rising higher and higher on a good thermal. It then folded in and broke out to the N of the tower. 3 AK’s also came through in this hour. The flight remained pretty consistent for the next couple hours peaking again in the 14:00 hour with some more nice diversity. RT’s in particular picked up and the one GE of the day was spotted far out over Stone Valley quite high. As with many migrating raptors during the latter part of the afternoon it had already gained altitude somewhere out of sight to the S and just materialized as it was passing by the OP. The immature eagle was already folded up and streaming by quite quickly.
The resident raptors were fairly active as well making good use of the thermals. There were a few RT skirmishes over Leading Ridge and two BE’s got in a skirmish here as well at 10:57. Later in the afternoon there were 4 BE’s involved in a skirmish in this same vicinity.
Non-raptor Observations: Awesome flight of COLO during the survey, nearly besting the raptor flight. They flew over Tussey Mountain during the entire effort. The largest group totaled 7 individuals at 11:17. The COLO were flying sky high, frequently flying large arcs to gain even more altitude over Tussey Mountain late in the afternoon. Resident songbirds were quite subdued surprisingly considering how nice a day it was. One HETH was spotted on the walk in to the site.
Mourning Dove 3 Common Loon 27 Black Vulture 1 Turkey Vulture 7 Red-bellied Woodpecker 1 Hairy Woodpecker 2 Pileated Woodpecker 1 American Crow 1 Common Raven 2 Black-capped Chickadee 1 Tree Swallow 5 White-breasted Nuthatch 4 Hermit Thrush 1 American Robin 1 Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 7 Red-winged Blackbird 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 1
Predictions: Rain before 9am, then rain and snow between 9am and 10am, then rain after 10am. High near 47. Southeast wind 3 to 8 mph. Winds could gust as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
