Bake Oven Knob 2 miles North of Germansville, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Andre Vu
Observers:
Visitors: 11 visitors today at south lookout, most of which did not stick around long in the wake of Antmageddon.
Weather: 62-71 F, overcast all day. Zero wind at all recorded from the Knob, probably because the woods were in the way of the already weak southwest winds reported. When I arrived, the clouds had rolled themselves into a beautiful dimpled pattern right out of an O'Keeffe painting.
Raptor Observations: Movement was late to start today, and only really occurred during small breaks where sun peeked through the clouds. All raptor activity completely stopped once the sun and thermals disappeared.
Non-raptor Observations: If my body is a temple, today was a day of worship for every damn insect in Lehigh County.
Although the ants were in the highest numbers they've ever been, they're kind of fun to have around on their own. Unfortunately, the stinkbugs I've been told so much about finally joined them, and it was awful. I was constantly peeling them off my face and pulling them off my belongings, all of which they've blessed with the vague odor of... moldy cucumber? Even the lanternflies, who had been declining these last couple days, were back out in force. I now know how Kong felt swatting planes on the Empire State building.
However, I was happy to see a tardy green darner and monarch, a stickbug, a couple mantises, a chestnut weevil with a ridiculously long proboscis, and a beautiful male Bold jumping spider.
Enjoying the abundance of insects were lots of warblers, who finally returned to giving eye-level views in the trees. 3 blackpoll, 2 Cape May, a black-throated green, and a yellow-rumped, along with phoebes, a pewee, and a pair of late-ish swifts feasting on ants.
Predictions: Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming south around 5 mph in the afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Lehigh Gap Nature Center (<mail...>) Bake Oven Knob information may be found at: www.lgnc.org
