Date: 3/30/26 7:41 pm From: Thomas Filip <thomasfilip0660...> Subject: Tussey Mountain Hawk Watch (30 Mar 2026) 39 Raptors
*Tussey Mountain Hawk WatchState College, Pennsylvania, USADaily Raptor
Counts: Mar 30, 2026SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason TotalBlack
Vulture000 Turkey Vulture27116137 Osprey177 Bald Eagle05760 Northern
Harrier256 Sharp-shinned Hawk13235 Cooper's Hawk11414 American Goshawk000
Red-shouldered Hawk02223 Broad-winged Hawk000 Red-tailed Hawk6122128
Rough-legged Hawk011 Golden Eagle1193202 American Kestrel01414 Merlin022
Peregrine Falcon000 Unknown Accipitrine002 Unknown Buteo011 Unknown
Falcon011 Unknown Eagle023 Unknown Raptor011 Total:39590637Observation
start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time:
8 hoursOfficial CounterThomas FilipObservers: Deb Rittlemann, Joe Sabo,
Nick BolgianoWeather:Mostly cloudy for the first hour and half, after which
it cleared up to partly cloudy for a few hours until 13:00 when it started
to get mostly cloudy again. Wind direction started at SSW, shifted SW
around 10:00, then briefly to WSW for an hour around 12:00, before shifting
back to SW and then SSW by the end of the day. Wind speed was generally at
7-9mph throughout the day with a few brief periods at 4-5mph. It was a warm
day with a low of 13.7℃ and a high of 21.2℃.Raptor Observations:1 GOEA
spotted today.*
*adult: 14:21*
*Unlike the rest of the raptors today flying high over the ridge, our GOEA
caught us by surprise and came through low on the S side over the valley.
We initially thought it was a TUVU until we took a closer look. Joe, who
had come here from Pittsburgh and had been patiently waiting hours to see a
GOEA, got up quickly when Nick called out that it might be a GOEA. It was
already about half way past at this point and both Nick and I were
frantically trying to get him on the bird, and for a few seconds it looked
like it was going to slip by when it got past the last wire. Nick
eventually told him to just come over to his scope to see it. Thankfully
the eagle showed some mercy and decided to soar instead of rushing past
like most GOEA, and Joe was able to get a good look at it for a short time
before it moved on. Nick and I both let out sighs of relief when he finally
got it.*
