Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Ian Teaell, Jim Lewis, Joe Sebastiani, Kim Steininger, Lana Glass, Laureen Eick-Benson, Walt Blackwell
Visitors: 14
Weather: Mostly cloudy with some periods of more clouds and some sunnier periods. A moderate to strong northeast wind that weakened later in the day. Another cool fall-like day.
Raptor Observations: A light but steady flight throughout the day, though quite a bit less than yesterday. The late-day flight was still quite high due to the tailwind, which made me suspect that birds were moving at high altitude and just hard to spot. Again we saw all species that are expected for this date.
Sharp-shinned Hawks were most numerous with 39, plus 7 Cooper's Hawks. Another moderate kestrel flight with 13, plus two Merlins and a Peregrine for another falcon trifecta. Fewer big raptors today with only three Ospreys and five migrating Bald Eagles. The only two harriers migrated together late in the day. Only six Broad-winged Hawks, but one juvenile gave a great look as it glided over low.
The sweet stray cat "Kittiwake" was captured, checked out at the vet, and adopted by a loving home :)
Predictions: TOMORROW: Partly cloudy. High 72F. Winds NNE at 10-20mph. Overall similar again. A favorable wind direction, but fairly strong. The sun and wind direction may send the birds high again, but hopefully we'll have enough clouds to help spot them. I would expect another moderate flight.
SATURDAY: Partly cloudy. High 64F. Winds N at 10-20mph. Another similar day. Looks like the showers may hold off until after the count.
SUNDAY: Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers. High 63F. Winds NNW at 10-20mph. Gloomy conditions would normally hold back the flight but those winds may keep the powered fliers moving. ======================================================================== Report submitted by David Brown (<davidebrownpa...>) Ashland Nature Center information may be found at: www.delnature.org
