Observation start time: 10:00:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours
Official Counter: Eric Mueller
Observers: Visitors: Approx. 40 hikers and 10 dogs. Several hikers stopped to ask how the watch was going. One dog stopped to see if I had any treats for it.
Weather: Gusty winds from the WNW, averaging 8-12 mph but gusting regularly to 18-21 mph in the first hour, and then easing off a bit after that with occasional gusts up to 17-18 mph. Temps from 39 to 41 F, mostly sunny skies until the last hour when the clouds coming in from the NW really thickened up and cut off most of the sunshine. Visibility was good, but the 3100-3700 ft cloud base blocked views of the top of Stratton Mt and the mid-NH mountains.
Raptor Observations: A slow day, which wasn't surprising at this time of year, especially with very gusty winds. Even the local birds only popped up once or twice. I ended the session early after going almost 2 hours without seeing anything in the air except a single local Red-tail.
Non-raptor Observations: Few non-raptors either: Blue Jay - 2 Snow Bunting - 3
Predictions: 10-15 mph SW winds and cloudy skies are predicted so we probably won't conduct a watch on Tuesday. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
