Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Bob Rufe, Frank Rohrbacher, Ian Teaell, Jeff Buler, Jim Lewis, Joe Sebastiani, Kim Steininger, Lana Glass, Pauletta Brown, Sarah Zaritsky
Visitors: 14
Weather: Sunny except for some afternoon clouds. Light northwesterly winds. Very warm.
Raptor Observations: Finally the kind of day we have been waiting two years for! Broad-winged Hawks stole the show today. Up until two days ago we had had the slowest start ever for broad-wings with only 29 total. Yesterday we added another 88 and today the flood gates opened with nearly 3,500 broad-wings! With the majority of yesterday's birds seen at the end of the day we were hopeful for a morning liftoff and we got a decent one with some nice looks at low kettles for the first few hours of the count. By the early afternoon we had reached 1,000. The broad-wings continued off and on as we did our best to spot groups which were at times extremely high or off to the sides. We managed to get several hundred each hour with a peak hour of nearly 1,000 broad-wings in the mid-afternoon. There was a decent late-day descent, though the main group (400+) was to the east.
Other raptor highlights included 54 sharpies and 23 kestrels.
Hawk Watch: 25 Common Nighthawks, 3 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, 15 Double-crested Cormorants, 2 Red-headed Woodpeckers, Philadelphia Vireo, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tennessee Warbler, 2 Black-throated Green Warblers, Scarlet Tanager,59 monarchs. https://ebird.org/checklist/S274317482
New species for season: Connecticut Warbler, Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Predictions: Tomorrow: Mainly sunny. High 78F. Winds ENE at 5-10mph. Easterly winds are less favorable for bringing broadwings into our region, but with the overall good conditions and the number of broadwings already nearby another big day is certainly a possibility. The large numbers that continued late in the day today could signal a good morning liftoff. Spotting may be difficult as we get into the afternoon if there are few clouds. Plenty of broadwings are still in the pipeline north of us as shown by a big flight today at Quaker Ridge (CT). In any case it is likely the best chance of a large broadwing flight for the rest of this season.
Sunday: Mostly cloudy then partly cloudy. High 74F. Winds E at 5-10mph. Decent conditions overall. We'll assess the possibility of broadwings after we see tomorrow's flight, but it should be a decent day of hawk watching.
Monday: Partly cloudy. High 77F. Winds SE at 5-10mph. A less favorable wind direction but good conditions otherwise. ======================================================================== Report submitted by David Brown (<davidebrownpa...>) Ashland Nature Center information may be found at: www.delnature.org
