Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Eric Mueller, Jack Miano
Observers: Bill Ulmer, Carole Powers, David Brown, Deb Gustafson, Jack Miano, Jean Hampel, Jennifer Glagowski, Joanne Hart, Julie Roberts, Lisa Burwell, Marilyn Cugini, Megan Gately, Paul Roberts, Scott Wahlstrom, Ted Purcell, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: Thanks to all of the observers listed above for staring at a mostly clear sky all day. Also thanks to Joe and Lillie Luongo and Bobbye Sandahl for their help, along with others whose names I failed to get. We were so busy that I didn't pay much attention to the hikers and sightseers, but there were quite a few on this relatively nice day, although they didn't stay on the tower very long because of the chilly wind.
Weather: Cooler temps (57-72 F) than yesterday, moderate to low humidity. A light haze left all regular landmarks visible.Winds from the NW to WNW were stiffer than predicted, with frequent gusts of 12 to 16 mph. The only clouds were around the periphery. Raptor Observations: A good, solid count after 2 days of bupkis. A pleasantly surprising number of Bald Eagles passed through, including one loose group of 8. There were no really big kettles of Broad-wings (6, 15, 5, 11, 5, 6, 5, 8, 9, 20, 6, 8, 6, 10, 8, 10, 10, 5 & 11) but birds kept moving through steadily after 9:00 am EST. Many of the birds were distant or very high - tough spotting with few clouds to help.
Non-migrating raptors: Black Vulture-1, TV-6 (maybe more), Bald Eagle-5, Red-shoulder-2, Red-tail-4
In celebration of our 50th anniversary year on Wachusett, here's a look back at events on this date: In 1985, the 22nd largest Broad-wing flight (4,842), 15th largest Sharp-shin flight (108) and 20th largest daily count of all raptors (5,050) in Wachusett Mt history
In 2001, no migrating raptors were counted. Authorities evacuated the summit, fearing that the communications equipment there might be harmed after the hijacking and crashing of 4 airliners by terrorists.
In 2017, Rod Chase wrote: Up until 2pm our hourly counts ranged from 45 to 451. Most kettles formed and quickly blew apart. Then at 3pm the skies filled with BW's in huge peels and groups of 250, 370, 515, 650 with a steady supply of smaller groups high and low! 2700+ BW's in a 1/2 hr. stretch in middle of hour; 3148 birds for the hour and a most beautiful kettle near the end from ground to clouds in the west!! In the last hour: not one bird of any kind in the sky; there was a perched Eastern phoebe ... Counter: Rod Chase. Observers: Paul Roberts, Dave Brown, Kevin Ryan, Mark Morris, Bill Rasku, Colleen Tank, Bill LaFleche, Christie Restell, Susan Williamson, Ursula and Dave Goodine, George Cove, Mike Beath, Steve Farrell, Mark Milnamow, Joseph Drega, Marty McNamara, Steve and Kathy Olson. (Eric�s note: 4,894 Broad-wings counted, 21st largest in Wachusett Mt history; 4,935 total raptors, 22nd largest daily count) Non-raptor Observations: Blue Jay-1, Comm Raven-19 (all in one group), Cedar WW-5, Gr Catbird-1, D-E Junco-1, E Towhee-2.
Predictions: Another cool start to the morning with temps in the upper 50's to lower 70's, with low humidity. Clear skies in the morning and partly cloudy after noon, with 5-7 mph winds from the SE to SSW. The birds are moving well now, so mild southerly winds shouldn't be much of an impediment. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
