Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.62 hours
Official Counter: Brian Rusnica
Observers: Visitors: A truly special group of folks shared the summit with us today, faces both new and familiar. My thanks to Jeff Kirk, Barry Johnson, Andrew Bolton, Rich Crouse, Tom Miles, Randy M., Elliott McManis, Billy Hickey, Alex Hickey, Erin Clark, Michele Abercrombie, Devon Berry, John Pratt and Lizzie Crawford.
Weather: Warm and slightly humid, with partly cloudy skies that shifted shape throughout the day. Winds started very lightly out of the NW but were soon virtually non-existent. Raptor Observations: We had a brief few moments of inspiration today while picking out large Broad-winged Hawk groups out of the cumulus clouds this afternoon. Our largest group of the season, around 50 birds, delighted all visitors to the summit. Unfortunately our big groups were sparse and a consistent flight line failed to develop over our airspace. Birds took a while to get going again today, so we started off relatively quiet. We had a couple nice hours mid-day before the flight completely stalled again in the late afternoon. Altogether, it was a fine typical showing of other raptor species, again with strong Sharp-shinned Hawk counts, a handful of Northern Harrier, and our typical charming looks at Bald Eagles headed in both directions. Ultimately, it was our best flight of the season but frustrating results compared to what seemed possible in today's conditions. Non-migrant raptors: Turkey Vulture 34 Bald Eagle 11 Red-tailed Hawk 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 Cooper's Hawk 1
Non-raptor Observations: Common Raven 18
Predictions: Warm and mostly clear with light winds with a vaguely easterly component. Anything could happen with conditions like these; hopefully some more Broad-wings kick over our skies. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Brian Rusnica (<brian_rusnica...>) Mount Watatic information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
