Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:30:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Autumn Heil, Frank Rohrbacher, Kim Steininger, Lana Glass, Pauletta Brown, Walt Blackwell
Visitors: 14
Weather: A warm day with temps reaching the low-70s. Morning fog lingered into the midday with calm winds. Some afternoon clearing with increasing southwest winds. Sudden late-afternoon clearing with the winds dying off. A line of storms to the north as the sun was setting. The rain hit after dark as a cold front brought a shift to northwest winds.
Raptor Observations: A slow start to the day other than a Merlin rocketing through. Increasing raptor activity as the fog cleared. A midday adult Peregrine Falcon was spotted far out in front then disappeared before popping up and coming over the lookout low. A decent total by the end of the day but the majority was Turkey Vultures (115). Other highlights included two Ospreys, two harriers, and a juvenile Broad-winged Hawk.
Predictions: TOMORROW: Cloudy early with partial sunshine later. High 53F. Winds N at 10-20mph. Excellent winds following a strong cold front. Don't see any reason why it wouldn't be a big day. Clouds will help with spotting. Still plenty of Accips and falcons on the move, plus increasing numbers of late-season Buteos, and eagerly awaiting the first Golden Eagle of the season. Expect moderate to good migration.
SUNDAY: Sunny. High around 60F. Winds NNE at 5-10mph. Still a favorable wind but weaker. Raptors will rely more on thermals and may be hard to spot against the blue sky. Expect moderate migration.
MONDAY: Partly cloudy. High near 65F. Winds NNE at 5-10mph. Similar to Sunday but clouds will help with spotting. Expect moderate migration. ======================================================================== Report submitted by David Brown (<davidebrownpa...>) Ashland Nature Center information may be found at: www.delnature.org
