Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Jen Lee
Observers: Diane Stewart
Visitors: No visitors, but a great group of hawk watching chicks on the mountain! Deena, Carol, Jo and Diane were FANTASTIC scanners of the skies for today's big count!!
Weather: A beautiful fall day! High of low 70s. Moderate winds from NNW all day. Very few clouds early but they gradually built up to help us spot the raptors.
Raptor Observations: BWs were streaming early. Saw my first few about 2 mins after arrival and boom, the clicker was humming!. Streaming at high naked eye level, straight down the ridge to start. Birds went from high naked eye to mid/high binocular view fairly quickly. They also used both sides and middle of the ridge, with some streams starting on one side, crossing over and finishing on the other side. A few kettles up to 40-50 birds. Steady flow of birds all morning, tapered down from noon onward. We hoped for a late fallout but struck out. My first Harrier (female or imm.) of this season. 1 Am.Kestrel swooped in to check out our owl and landed on the top of the telephone pole 15 ft away. Later 2 Am. Kestrels came in an landed on the old tower for a few minutes.
Non-raptor Observations: First Cormorants (13), TVs/BVs not counted, Modo, raven, cedar waxwing. Chim.swifts, Goldfinch, chickadee, hummers. Tree swallows, towhee calling, rb.nuthatch beeping.
Predictions: Just might be another big day with the more favorable, for Jack's, SSE winds being forecast!! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Darrell Smith (<oleagleye...>)
