Observation start time: 05:00:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 10 hours
Official Counter: Maili Waters
Observers: Daena Ford, Dominic Sherony, Mike Tetlow, Pat Lindsay,
Roger Clark, Sheryl Gracewski
Visitors:
10
Weather:
Wow�today was incredible! It�s been a while since we had nice southerly
winds. The day started with mostly cloudy skies and strong SW winds at
20-25mph. Birds were already on the move just after dawn. A band of rain
started to hit in the late morning, which shut down the flight for a couple
hours. After 1:00, the birds picked up again, and the floodgates really
opened between 3:00 and 5:00pm as the sun peeked through a bit. Temps were
pretty warm for the entire day, ranging from 60F to 66F. Winds remained
strong S for the entire day, with gusts of over 40mph.
Raptor Observations:
It was a magical day for Sharp-shinned Hawks, with a total of 1,621 seen!
They were flying at all heights, from almost within touching distance of
the platform to sky-high at the top of towering kettles of Broad-wings.
Bald Eagles also put in an amazing show today, with a total of 162. And, of
course, there were lots of Broad-winged Hawks! Our total for the day was
4,990, of which around 4,500 were just in the last two hours of the day.
Other highlights included great numbers of Northern Harriers (88), two
Rough-legged Hawks, and three Golden Eagles.
Non-raptor Observations:
Non-raptors: an incredible flight of blackbirds today, with over 4,000
Rusty Blackbirds. A couple thousand Blue Jays were also on the move. More
Chimney Swifts arrived, and there was a noticeable uptick in the number of
Barn Swallows.
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Report submitted by Maili Waters (<mailirwaters...>)
Braddock Bay information may be found at:
http://www.bbrr.org/
