Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch State College, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 19, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Thomas Filip
Observers: Nick Bolgiano
Weather: 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℃.
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.
Other migrating raptors include 1 immature BAEA and 1 female NOHA. The NOHA is only our second of the season.
We had a very bizarre but very fun MUSW flyover today, a first for the site ever. We first heard its strange sounding wingbeats and then saw it high and heading NNW. For those interested I've uploaded a short audio clip of the wingbeats onto eBird. We also had a GBHE at the end of the day, the first I've seen at the site this season.
Predictions: Tomorrow looks to be mostly cloudy with rain later in the afternoon and SSW/SW winds. It doesn't look like it will be a good day, but there is always a chance there could be a brief shift in weather like today that could lead to better conditions. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Thomas Filip () Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
