Date: 3/19/26 5:42 pm From: Thomas Filip <thomasfilip0660...> Subject: Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch (19 Mar 2026) 7 Raptors
*Tussey Mountain Hawk WatchState College, Pennsylvania, USADaily Raptor
Counts: Mar 19, 2026SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason TotalBlack
Vulture000 Turkey Vulture01536 Osprey000 Bald Eagle13336 Northern
Harrier112 Sharp-shinned Hawk01417 Cooper's Hawk088 American Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk02223 Broad-winged Hawk000 Red-tailed Hawk05359
Rough-legged Hawk011 Golden Eagle5162171 American Kestrel088 Merlin022
Peregrine Falcon000 Unknown Accipitrine002 Unknown Buteo011 Unknown
Falcon011 Unknown Eagle001 Unknown Raptor011 Total:7322369Observation start
time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 8.25
hoursOfficial CounterThomas FilipObservers: Nick
BolgianoWeather:Unexpectedly variable conditions throughout the day. Cloudy
when I first arrived and for most of the day. Around 11:00 the clouds
started to clear and there was about an hour of mostly clear skies around
13:30-14:30. Wind direction started S, shifting to SSW at 10:00, SW at
13:00, and then back to S at 14:00. Wind speed was generally 6-8 in the
morning, rising a little to 10-12mph at 13:00 and then falling again 3-5mph
by the end of the day. Low of -1.2℃ and a high of 12.4℃.Raptor
Observations:5 GOEA today.*
*2 adult 13:52, 14:3*
*2 sub-adult 13:38, 15:34*
*1 unknown 15:30*
*A surprisingly good day late in the season likely due to both the
unexpected shift in weather conditions in the afternoon and the good
conditions we had yesterday afternoon. The GOEAs today were almost as
variable as the weather conditions. Our first GOEA at 13:38 was a sub-adult
soaring on the S side of the ridge. The next one at 13:52 was an adult and
did not stick around, gliding quickly and leaving the ridge right away
while heading straight N over the valley. At 14:36 another adult came
through, this time sticking to the ridge top and soaring briefly before
moving on. Our last 2 at the end of the day, an unknown age at 15:20 and
another sub-adult at 15:34, came through on the S side of the ridge after
the clouds rolled back in. Their flying was noticeably more labored without
strong wind or thermals and they were likely looking for a place to roost
for the night.*
