Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5.75 hours
Official Counter: Chris Eddy, Eric Mueller
Observers: Chris Eddy, David Brown, Eric Mueller, Hayley Morway
Visitors: Thanks to regulars Hayley and David who knowingly braved the wind and cold to help find the birds. We also got much appreciated help from Danielle Gamache. There were at least 100 hikers and sightseers, and several large dogs who demanded to be petted. We got to talk about our mission with quite a few people.
Weather: It was another windy day on the mountain, with even colder air than yesterday adding to the fun. The WNW winds averaged 12 mph most of the day, but frequent gusts of 15-20 mph made bungee-cording the tripods a must. Temps started at 40 F and barely made it into the 50's by the end of the session. Clear blue skies made finding any birds much higher than the horizon a challenge, but the strong winds seemed to keep most of the birds low. We did get one strip of clouds in the last 2 hours. Visibility was very good with just a hint of haze in the air.
Raptor Observations: The birds found the strong winds almost as much of a challenge as we did, but we managed to spot 22 migrants. All came through in ones or twos. Distant birds accounted for a higher than normal percentage of Unidentifieds. We're still waiting for the big TV push to start. Non-migrating raptors: TV-4, Bald Eagle-3 (2 Ad, 1 Imm), Red-tail-2 (maybe more)
In celebration of our 50th anniversary year on Wachusett, here's a look back at events on this date in previous years: In 2018, Rod Chase wrote: "Heavily fogged to the N & W. Visibility declined to less than 5 Km." "Most consistent migrants: Monarchs 6. Zoo atmosphere on tower, ski lift brought many visitors. (Oktoberfest at the ski area)" "Internationally sought after EMHW Kestrel magnets still in supply ($5). Enhances any holiday tree." :-)
In 2021, the 2nd largest Cooper�s Hawk count (25) and the 13th largest Turkey Vulture count (122) in Wachusett Mt history. Eric Mueller wrote: "After 4 days of wind, rain and fog, finally a good day." "A very good October day for this site - 221 migrants from 11 species. The Turkey Vultures have really started to move - 122 today. Also nice totals for Sharpies and Coops." Other observers: Mark Morris, Rod Chase, Judith Covey, Joanne Hart, Steve Farrel, Jim Gallipeau (repeat visitor from RI), Jean Hampel, Chris Eddy, Dave Brown, Lisa Burwell, and new contributors Barb Hager and Bob Young.
In 2024, Eric Mueller wrote: "A fine day for sightseeing, but just OK for hawk migration." "Numbers-wise we had an OK day with 67 migrating raptors counted. What made the day extra special was the appearance of our first Golden Eagle of the season, a juvenile or 1-year old with the classic bold white underwing markings and white tail with a broad black terminal band. We'll post some photos on our eBird report later. While not the earliest that we've ever seen a GE here (9/5/20, 9/18/08, 9/22/05), it was still earlier than normal for our site. The Pack Monadnock hawk watch reported seeing a juvenile GE very late yesterday, so this is likely the same bird." "Other observers: Alicia Carillo, Lisa Burwell, Scott Carlson, Steve Arena and Tom Gottschang. We also got help from John Sisk, Tatyana Kalani and Evan Griffith (formerly from the UP), Ernie and Janice Cuadra, and Karen Gottschang." Non-raptor Observations: Non-raptors: Comm Loon-1, Blue Jay-1, Comm Raven-4, DE Junco-3, E Towhee-1
Predictions: For Wednesday, completely sunny skies are in the forecast again. Temperatures and winds are expected to moderate a bit from today, with temps from 45-62 F and SW winds at 6-11 mph. There are freeze warnings tonight throughout middle and upper New England which should get some birds moving. Humidity is expected to be quite low so visibility should be very good again. We'll just have to see if the cold overnight temps are enough to make the birds get up and tackle the headwinds. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
