Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 12:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours
Official Counter: Eric Mueller
Observers: Visitors: At least 100 hikers and bicyclists came up to the platform, and didn't linger very long in the strong wind.
Weather: A very windy day with repeated gusts at 25-33 mph. Clouds came and went during the first 3 hours. High humidity in the morning caused moderate to thick haze, that began to disperse as the humidity dropped. The Boston skyline and the VT mountains began to appear about 11 am EST. Temps from 56 to 59 F. Raptor Observations: No raptors, migrating or otherwise, were seen from the summit from 9 am to noon EST.
In celebration of our 50th anniversary year on Wachusett, here's a look back at events on this date in previous years: > From the daily records that I have available (1978, 1983, 1988 and 2002-2025), we only show watches held four times on Oct 30. In 1988, 2 Goshawks were seen on Wachusett Mt at the Oxbow viewing site.
In 2022, Eric Mueller wrote: "A warm, sunny day with mild SW winds. Yet another day with a temperature inversion (32F at 400 ft elevation, 51F at 1400 ft) but thermals soon formed and birds were getting good lift." (note: 29 migrating raptors counted) Other observer: Jon Skinner Non-raptors of note: "Amer Pippit - 1 (flyover, thanks to Jon for knowing this call)" Visitors: "Jon had a very nice conversation with a possible future birder named Carey, and showed him how to use binoculars. Carey saw a pair of Ravens in flight among other things."
Non-raptor Observations: At the summit, 2 Common Ravens poked their heads above the oaks twice starting at 10 am EST, and a flock of 10 Snow Buntings flew by the summit quickly.
Predictions: Saturday's forecast calls for sunny skies, low humidity, temps in the 40's(F), and 9-11 mph NNW winds with gusts to 20 mph. This wind direction should bring some birds in our direction. ======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
