Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:15:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Carolyn Holland, Ian Teaell, Jim Lewis, Joe Sebastiani, Kim Steininger, Lana Glass
Visitors: 20, including a group visiting from Paris, France
Weather: Clear skies to start becoming partly cloudy then mostly cloudy, before becoming mostly sunny again at the very end. Moderate WNW winds. A bit chilly with the wind.
Raptor Observations: A steady flight and clouds helped with spotting, though the flight was mostly high altitude. Another good Turkey Vulture flight with 131. An increasing number of Black Vultures around (including wing tag 247), but no obvious migrants. One late Osprey. Excellent Bald Eagle activity with 17 migrating. Moderate Accip numbers with 30 sharpies and a dozen Coops. Increasing Buteo numbers with 11 red-shoulders and 17 red-tails (including 1 'northern'). For falcons we had two kestrels and a Merlin.
The highlight was a late day juvenile GOLDEN EAGLE that soared up in front at 4:30pm clock time (3:30pm EST). It stayed in sight for 10+ minutes, long enough for a lingering member of a group visiting from France to see it then chase down the rest of the group and bring them back up to see it too.
Non-raptor Observations: 60 Canada Geese, 5 Chimney Swifts, Common Loon, 31 Double-crested Cormorants, Fish Crow, 2 Common Ravens, 150 Tree Swallows, 2 American Pipits, 40+ Purple Finches, 40 Brown-headed Cowbirds, 2 Rusty Blackbirds, 5 Palm Warblers, 10 Yellow-rumped Warblers, no monarchs. https://ebird.org/checklist/S281149237
New species for season: American Pipit, Common Loon
Predictions: Tomorrow: Generally sunny with a few afternoon clouds. High near 60F. Winds NW at 5-10mph. Should be a pleasant day to be out. The wind is a good direction, but fairly weak so that may hold migration back a little. Spotting may be difficult if there aren't many clouds. Expect moderate migration.
Sunday: Partly cloudy. High around 60F. Winds light and variable. Expect moderate migration.
Monday: Partly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. High 58F. Winds NE at 5-10mph. Expect light to moderate migration. ======================================================================== Report submitted by David Brown (<davidebrownpa...>) Ashland Nature Center information may be found at: www.delnature.org
