Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch State College, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Mar 21, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 8.75 hours
Official Counter: Thomas Filip
Observers: Nick Bolgiano
Visitors: Alan, Mark
Congrats to the young couple that came up to the watch near the end of the day and got engaged.
Weather: Another day with very variable weather. The morning started off mostly cloudy with moderate NW winds up to 15mph. After 10:00, the clouds slowly started to clear but the winds sifted N and slowed down to just 1-3mph by 12:00. Around 15:30, the winds quickly shifted to SSW and it became cloudy again. A warm day throughout with a low of 7.0℃ and a high of 15℃.
The morning started off slow with only a RTHA and TUVU in the first 3 hours. Around 11:00, which was when the clouds started to clear, we started to see some more action with a few BAEA but still no GOEAs and the wind slowed and raptor activity came to a halt again. Our first GOEA, a juvenile, finally arrived a few hours later at 14:02. At 16:02, I spotted a very high GOEA coming over the ridge. The nearby kettle of TUVU also spotted it and they immediately cleared the area. They must have been really afraid of the incoming GOEA as I have never seen TUVU flap so hard and fast to get away from something like these were today. The last GOEA of the day, another juvenile, almost slipped past but luckily it chose to soar overhead momentarily and I was able to spot it before it moved on.
Other migrating raptors include 6 BAEA, 6 RTHA, 2 SSHA, 2 COHA, and 13 TUVU. The majority of these raptors came in the afternoon after 13:00.
2 BHCO and 1 EAPH were seen this morning, both firsts for the season. 2 HOLA were heard in the morning and 3 TRES were seen in the afternoon. A good number of AGOL flyovers were seen and heard throughout the day with a total of 26.
Predictions: Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. SW winds shifting to WSW by the end of the day. Wind speed looks like it will start off low and gradually get stronger as the day goes on. Looks like a thunderstorm will roll in later in the day around 17:00. If the forecast holds true, I think the best chance of seeing GOEA will be later in the day when the winds shift direction and get stronger. It is possible some GOEAs will try to get through before the storm comes in. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Thomas Filip () Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch information may be found at: tusseymountainspringhawkwatch.org/
