Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Brian Rusnica
Observers: Visitors: None
Weather: No sign of the possible early showers; instead we saw the cloudy boundary of the low already well off to our east at the start of the watch. It was very still to start, but fresh westerly winds built very slightly throughout the day. The watch hours were dominated by the dreaded cloudless ice-blue sky overhead. Slightly muggy throughout and downright hot as the day went on.
Raptor Observations: Overall, a forgettable tally of migrants, with the exception of a few highlights: - In the first few minutes of the watch, 3 American Kestrel, migrating together, danced above the decoy owl. - During the mid-afternoon doldrums, I gave up fighting the urge to take a brief nap, and lied down on my back on the rocks. As soon as I got into position, a stream of 7 Broad-wings (our only group of the day) passed by overhead at the upper limits of my vision. That was a wake up call! - In the 4pm hour, I found another BLACK VULTURE turning high over the summit. Within a few minutes, it had found a traveling partner, and the two headed southwest below the faint crescent moon. - Our first Peregrine Falcon of the year migrated over the true summit in a swift glide. As it passed, I noticed a second, larger Peregrine trailing behind and slightly above it. Twice as nice! As the birds passed the SW corner of the summit and headed towards the horizon, I noted a third (!) smaller (presumed male) Peregrine in formation as they faded from sight. I believe that was my first time seeing a party like that during migration at Watatic. Not bad!
Predictions: The next 2 days could be make or break for the Watatic '25 count...we have clear, dry weather with NW winds heading through tomorrow, as a dry cold front passes through the state. Both Friday and Saturday look to be optimal forecasts for Broad-winged Hawk movement. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Brian Rusnica (<brian_rusnica...>) Mount Watatic information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
