Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Kate McKay, Mark Timmerman
Observers: Chuck Carlson, David Wiedner, Julie Brown, Katrina Fenton, Levi Burford, Mark Timmerman, Nathan French, Nora Hanke, Phil Brown, Steven Lamonde, with many more...
Visitors: The Big Soup was today! Five tasty soups were entered in this year's fun contest with Katrina Fenton's "Golden Dahlicious" winning first place. Full list of the soups below:
We had 100 visitors come by, several of them pausing to taste the soups and vote on their favorites. Hello to Jim, Eric, & Robin and welcome to hawkwatching, Rhys!
Weather: Pleasant November day with temperatures in the forties. The wind was from the west today. Although the summit was covered in mist for much of the morning, it eventually became mostly sunny.
Raptor Observations: Good day for migration, with six species of raptors on the wing. Around 1 pm, Phil Brown called out two eagles flying near Crotched Mountain. Everyone flocked from the tables of soup to the hawkwatch platform to catch a glimpse. One, an adult Bald Eagle, obligingly flew by fairly close but the other, an immature Golden Eagle, seemed to disappear. Fortunately, it soon reappeared and gave many observers a good look as it glided majestically through the valley. Right after the eagles, three Snow Buntings circled low overhead, completing the exciting few moments. Late in the day, an unusual red-tail with lots of white on its back was seen flying around.
Non-raptor Observations: Nice mix of birds around including a Mourning Dove, a female Northern Cardinal, a male Downy Woodpecker, three Golden-crowned Kinglets, and three Snow Buntings. A couple of rabbits and many tiny snow fleas hopping about on the rocks.
Predictions: Cloudy tomorrow with a chance of precipitation. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Kate McKay (<northernjay444...>) Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory information may be found at: www.harriscenter.org
