Bake Oven Knob 2 miles North of Germansville, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 25, 2025 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 12:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 3.12 hours
Official Counter: AB
Observers:
Visitors: 6 hikers
At 15:26 a pink star helium balloon was spotted to the N of the notch moving SW.
Weather: Off and on rain throughout the morning and afternoon delayed the initiation of the count. Around 11:30 the ceiling started to lift rapidly, but unfortunately a stubborn fog kept forming down slope. This kept Bake Oven Knob in the fog late into the afternoon. At 12:45 a count was initiated with SE winds at 4-7mph. At 13:30 the fog lifted and the ceiling was lifting fast. By 14:00 the S winds had picked up to 8-12mph which helped with blowing the fog away. Visibility was decent at 12 miles by 14:00. Cloudy skies for the entire count. Low temperature of 20C at 12:45 and a high of 21C by 15:00.
Raptor Observations: South Lookout
3.12 hrs (345.12)
TV 12 (581) BE 1 (195) SS 3 (455) CH 1 (59) PG 1 (15) Total 18 (16447)
BAEA (1): 14:15 A PEFA (1): 14:57 A
My arrival was about spot on as the last bands of fog drifted free of Bake Oven Knob. A small pulse of raptors came through in the 14:00 hour with a COHA being the first. It appeared right over my head as I was in my camouflage windbreaker. I could make out the full crop of this juvenile accipiter and it seemed interested in BG, but too full to take a swipe before continuing SW. A few SS’s trickled through with most at eye level. A BE was spotted out on the slope of 1. All migrants were taking the same line as yesterday and hugging the ridge. The best detection of the day was a migrating PEFA out on 5. The resident SS was taking swipes at it which is the first time I have seen that. If I was the SS I would maybe reconsider my location in the food chain. The PEFA seemed to be attracted to all the TRES and it was cool to watch them distance themselves from the powerful falcon. At the end of the 14:00 hour the flight came to a halt.
At 13:27 an adult RTHA was spotted flying up ridge through the bowl. At 14:25 a SS was spotted soaring close to the OP trying to get close to the TRES. The TRES formed a protective bubble around it and the SS gave up and moved up ridge. It is likely this individual that was spotted later taking repeated swipes at the PEFA. At 15:26 an immature PEFA was spotted in close to the OP checking out the owl decoy. I enjoyed seeing how dark it looked in the low light. It finally picked up on the fact I was moving and it moved up ridge through the bowl. I last saw it crest 1 and go into stoop possibly trying to catch an unsuspecting TRES.
Non-raptor Observations: While waiting out the last of the fog to lift I noticed two small warblers below the cliff at the OP. A MYWA was displacing a PAWA repeatedly. TRES nearly filled the sky from the notch, thru the bowl and out over the Lehigh Valley.
Mourning Dove 1 Chimney Swift 7 Pileated Woodpecker 1 Blue Jay 2 American Crow 1 Common Raven 2 Tree Swallow 850 Palm Warbler 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle) 1
Predictions: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Northwest wind around 5 mph.
======================================================================== Report submitted by Adam Richardson (<poecile.gambeli...>) Bake Oven Knob information may be found at: www.lgnc.org
