Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Armas Hill, Brooke Cherry, Carol Spease, Frank Rohrbacher, Kim Steininger, Lana Glass, Sarah Zaritsky, Sheryl Johnson
Visitors: 14
Weather: Partly cloudy with fewer clouds to end the day. Light and variable winds, but mostly northwesterly. Some gusts at times. Warm.
Raptor Observations: Light migration throughout most of the day, though a nice mix of species. Migrants were high altitude in the afternoon.
A few broad-wings in the mid-afternoon. Around 3:30pm clock time (2:30pm EST) we got the news from Militia Hill that they had a group of 79 broad-wings which was the first decent sized group in the region this fall. We stayed late in case they reached us today. As Kim S. walked off the hill around 5:15pm I spotted a few broad-wings off to the right and called down to her so she came back up. This turned out to be lucky timing because we had another small group of broad-wings then Kim spotted a group of about 60 kettling out in front of us that then glided by to our right. This was our first kettle in two years, due to last year's record low broad-wing season and the slow start this season.
Other highlights were 24 sharpies and 11 kestrels. A harrier was the final migrant and only the second of the day.
Non-raptor Observations: Morning hike: Philadelphia Vireo, 2 American Redstarts, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Black-throated Green Warbler. https://ebird.org/checklist/S274018952
New species for season: Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Chipping Sparrow
Predictions: Tomorrow: Sunny. Very warm. High 86F. Winds NW at 5-10mph. A good wind direction, though fairly light. Overall similar to today, but a bit warmer and fewer clouds. Spotting may be difficult when the raptors get up high. The late-day broad-wings today give us hope that more may be nearby.
Saturday: Mostly sunny. High 78F. Winds ENE at 5-10mph. Decent conditions again, though a less favorable wind direction for pushing broad-wings into the region.
Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds. High 74F. Winds E at 5-10mph. Decent conditions again. ======================================================================== Report submitted by David Brown (<davidebrownpa...>) Ashland Nature Center information may be found at: www.delnature.org
