Observation start time: 08:45:00 Observation end time: 13:45:00 Total observation time: 5 hours
Official Counter: Rob Woodward
Observers:
Visitors: 41 with a couple of big - and loud- groups together, causing me to retreat to the far side of the mountain. The first Brown Elfin of the year was spotted.
Weather: Essentially a cloudless hawk eating blue sky until afternoon when some cumulus rolled in; light NE winds; 57 - 73 F.
Raptor Observations: When nothing moves until after 10:00 you know you are in for a slow day. On a day when I needed every Broad-wing I could get, FIVE seen were not migrating.
Non-raptor Observations: Where were those large black ashes falling all around coming from? I couldn't see or smell smoke but something was burning nearby. When is the peak for spring Broad-wing migration. When I looked at records for 3 other spring watches in the region, namely, Bradbury Mountain, Pownal, Maine; Adam's Farm, Athol, Mass; and Hook Mountain near Nyack, NY, I found that the peaks are all between the 15th of April and the 29th. The 3 most comon days for a peak count are on the 17th, 18th, and 19th. We had a good count here on the 17th but then it was topped by a later count on the 25th. Two of the biggest spring counts in NH have come on the late dates of 26 April 1961 (355) and 27 April 2011 (586). The latter may have been the product of an unusual weather phenomenon. So I feel satisfied that we know the peak time for spring Broad-winged Hawk migration. Next year we will look at the influence of weather.
Predictions: Tomorrow I take the day off and then after that I may watch on a few "select"days through the first week of May. On 3 May two years ago I had 57 Broad-wings with 63 more the following 2 days so May can produce some good flights. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Rob Woodward (<toucanrob...>)
