Date: 12/18/25 2:07 pm From: Gyekis, Joseph Peter <jpg186...> Subject: Re: cancel Arb owl walk and Re: Stone Mt Hawk Watch summary 2025
For anyone who missed that cool presentation about Osprey platforms:
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From: Nick Bolgiano <nickbolgiano...>
Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2025 4:53 PM
To: Gyekis, Joseph Peter <jpg186...>
Cc: <SCBIRDCL...> <SCBIRDCL...>
Subject: Re: cancel Arb owl walk and Re: Stone Mt Hawk Watch summary 2025
Many raptor people tend to believe that Bald Eagles are causing the Osprey decline in the interior via competition and predation of young. That is what I am inclined to believe. But we are not 100% sure. No other good alternative has been proposed for this decline.
Several years ago, a speaker from New York state talked to the State College Bird Club about his power company providing Osprey platforms around the Finger Lakes, improving their ability to tolerate Bald Eagles. I think that the competition is intense on many lakes in eastern Canada and the Northeast. Coastal Ospreys, as those in Florida, are probably not facing the same kind of intense competition.
Nick Bolgiano
On Thu, Dec 18, 2025 at 2:03 PM Gyekis, Joseph Peter <jpg186...><mailto:<jpg186...>> wrote:
Hi Everyone,
Two things, first the owl walk at the Arboretum for 6 pm on Friday is cancelled due to predicted 20 mph winds.
My experience in Cape Cod and the Everglades lines up with the strong increases shown there (they were super abundant, nests everywhere), and I've heard from locals in Maryland about the severe decline of nesting Osprey in the Chesapeake (how much this has to do with the absurd density of Bald Eagles there, I don't know, but there were very few eagles in Cape Cod where the Osprey were shining).
The thing I hadn't known about and am not sure if the data is dense enough to verify is the downward trend in Osprey in the Canadian interior (note the pale red wash across Ontario and Quebec in the link above). I wonder why. Again I wonder if Bald Eagles have anything to do with it.
Joe
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From: State College (PA) Bird Club <SCBIRDCL...><mailto:<SCBIRDCL...>> on behalf of Grove, Gregory William <gwg2...><mailto:<gwg2...>> Sent: Thursday, December 18, 2025 12:32 PM
To: <SCBIRDCL...><mailto:<SCBIRDCL...> <SCBIRDCL...><mailto:<SCBIRDCL...>> Subject: Stone Mt Hawk Watch summary 2025
2025 season Stone Mt summary : Records since 1995.
Stone Mt. is on the Huntingdon/Mifflin border, between McAlevys Fort and Allensville.
2025:The Good: Another big year for Bald Eagles. Above avg. (over 31 years) for Broad-wings and Golden Eagles.
A Swainson's Hawk - seen two days:Oct 14 (Nick Bolgiano, Pedro Miranda) and Oct 15 (Jen Lee, Connor Schmitt)
The Bad: Record Low #s for FIVE species despite above avg. coverage. Considering 31 years of data, five record lows is astounding IMO. I blame some of it on frequent unfavorable wind, but one must wonder about declining numbers, for Osprey and Kestrel in particular.
Osprey, Sharp-shins, Cooper's, Red-shoulders,, Kestrels. - record lows
Averages below are TEN-YEAR RUNNING average
Hours of observation – 479; avg = 485
Osprey – 30; avg = 50 Record low
Best day - 5 Aug 29
Bald Eagle –294; Avg = 217 Second highest
High day 19 on 9/7
By month: Aug - 14, Sept - 78, Oct - 85, Nov - 113, Dec - 4
Northern Harrier – 36; avg = 43. (18th straight year below long term 31 year avg).
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 389; Avg = 702. Record low
Best day was 43 on Oct 10
Cooper’s hawk – 47; Avg = 80. Record low
N Goshawk. – 0; Avg = 2. Fourth straight year with zero. (endangered in PA).
Best day 32 on 10/27 ( a remarkably poor "high-day" count)
Rough-legged Hawk - 0; Avg = 1.
Golden Eagle - 126; Avg= 145
Best days- 12 on 11/16 and 11/27
American Kestrel– 29; Avg= 71. Record low
High day - 5 on 10/8
Merlin – 19; Avg = 35.
Peregrine Falcon – 14; Avg = 26.
Unidentified = 22
Turkey Vulture - 301
Black Vulture – 11
Total raptors excluding vultures = 3806; Avg = 4705
Greg Grove (compiler), Pedro Mirana, David and Trudy Kyler, Nick Bolgiano, Jen Lee, Ron Crandall, Connor Schmitt, , Jon Kauffman, Doug Wentzel, Jen Anderson, Josh Potter, and staff from Shavers Creek.
