Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Nate Marchessault
Observers: Chuck Carlson, Keith & Andrea Badger, Meade Cadot, Mitch Heydt, Tom Momeyer
Visitors: 26 people came to enjoy the weather, scenery, and some of the birds flying by.
Weather: Beautiful day with sunny skies, temps from 12-16 C and light winds from the southeast turning northeast by the end of the survey period.
Raptor Observations: A nice steady trickle of a diverse array of birds made counting today a treat!
A surprising 6 local red-tails were lurking east of North Pack, sometimes making their way over to Pack to hunt.
1 imm NOHA
Non-raptor Observations: Red-breasted Nuthatches continue to keep us company, along with the pair of towhees and a few juncos.
3 Monarchs were observed migrating (80 for the season total) as well as 3 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds (41 for the season total).
Predictions: Winds are forecast to have a consistent northerly component for the next few days, and we're getting closer to peak broad-wing migration... things could get interesting!
On this day in Pack history: 2018: The eariest date that 1000+ migrants have been recorded in a day, 1040 birds in total, 975 of them Broad-winged Hawks. Henry Walters: "For most of us, it had been at least a year since we'd seen these dense pockets of Broad-winged Hawks dancing around a cloud like fruit-flies around last week's apple core. There was nothing rancid about it, though: 900+ birds in kettles of up to 82, most in loose groups of 12-20, no longer making lazy summer circles, now busting down the skyline southward in earnest. A record-setting day for Bald Eagles: today's 22 migrants shatters the record of 15 recorded in 2006. At one point, seven eagles could be seen at once in all different parts of the sky, most of them migrating right alongside groups of broad-wings. Much more of this to come in the days ahead!" ======================================================================== Report submitted by Nate Marchessault (<nate...>) Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory information may be found at: www.harriscenter.org
