Waggoner's Gap 40 km W of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 15, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- BV 0 0 0 TV 0 0 0 OS 2 43 75 BE 6 80 147 NH 3 18 26 SS 59 137 153 CH 3 21 29 AG 0 0 0 RS 0 2 3 BW 87 2477 2623 RT 2 33 97 RL 0 0 0 GE 0 0 0 AK 4 19 28 ML 0 5 5 PG 0 2 6 UA 2 6 7 UB 0 1 6 UF 1 1 1 UE 0 0 0 UR 1 5 7 SK 0 0 1
Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 32.98 hours
Official Counter: Dave Grove, Jess Cosentino
Observers: Dave Grove, Eric Gogola, Gene Wagner, Pat Freed, Ron Freed
Visitors: 4, Kirk and Marie Callison
Weather: A comfortable high of 78 F by afternoon, with a variable north wind early on shifting to east and ESE by afternoon; Cloud cover was more abundant than recent days, moving in heavier by noon onward
Raptor Observations: The eastern portion of the Kittatiny Ridge saw good numbers of Broad-winged Hawks moving south today; however, those kettles did not make it far enough west to be observed at Waggoner's Gap
However, the day did see the best Sharp-shinned Hawk flight of the season to date. While the morning lift of Broad-wings was absent, the early morning hours began with individual and pairs of Sharp-shinned Hawks pushing southward along a similar flight line north of the ridge which lasted for a few hours. Over the day, Sharp-shinned Hawks found considerable altitude and were passing as distant specks high above us well into the late afternoon.
A great mix of raptor diversity throughout the day, as eight different species moved south
Non-raptor Observations: Chimney Swift 4, Cedar Waxwing 36, Tree Swallow 17, Cape May Warbler 2, Magnolia Warbler 2, Chestnut-sided Warbler 1, Black-throated Green Warbler 2, Scarlet Tanager 1, Rose-breasted Grosbeak 1, warbler sp. 5, Monarch 3
Predictions: Similar temps tomorrow as today (high 70s F) with northeast wind early on shifting to east later in the afternoon
Chance of rain showers the next day, Wednesday, with northeast wind
Today saw BIG Broad-winged Hawk flights to the north at various sites, including the Great Lakes (see: Detroit River at 24,000+) and almost 5000 more Broad-winged Hawks passing along the Maine coast at Clarry Hill
The next wave of Broad-winged Hawks to the north is on its way south, and should hopefully arrive on the ridge in the coming days ======================================================================== Report submitted by WG Counter ()
