Observation start time: 07:15:00 Observation end time: 13:45:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Bill Rasku, Eric Mueller
Observers: Bill Rasku, Eric Mueller, Tom Gottschang
Visitors: At the summit, hundreds of hikers, bicyclists and attendees from the BooFest down at the ski area who rode up on the ski lift. Still, it was much less crowded than last weekend when the road was still open. Lots of Halloween costumes were being worn by both kids and adults. At the North Rd overlook, several hikers, two women on horseback and Bill's friend Heidi Lahey stopped by. Heidi came by twice on her 8.5 mile hike with her dog Shadow.
Weather: Sunny skies, temps from 37 to 45 F, and moderate to low humidity. NW winds were moderate, mostly in the 5-8 mph range with occasional gusts to 12 mph (not the 20 mph that had be predicted.)
Raptor Observations: We observed from both the summit (Eric & Tom) and the North Rd overlook (Bill & Tom). Locations of the observations are noted in the hourly summaries, and only one duplicate (RT at 10:20 EST) was discovered and just counted once. Bill counted 23 migrants at the North Rd site, while Eric counted 13 at the summit. The mix of species was normal for this date, although we were a bit disappointed by the absence of any Golden Eagles.
In celebration of our 50th anniversary year on Wachusett, here's a look back at events on this date in previous years: In 2014, Steve Olson wrote: "A Special note of appreciation to Bill Rasku who took the time and effort to make this report available to all raptor watchers around the world. His efforts are a source of inspiration to all of us hawk watchers. A great job!" (Eric�s note: 61 total raptors, including 24 TVs and 26 Red-tails.)
In 2020, the 8th largest Red-shouldered Hawk count (17) in Wachusett Mt history. Rod Chase wrote: "Migrating: GE (Golden Eagle) 1 and RL (Rough-legged Hawk) 1 most notable; TV 29, RT (Red-tail) 28 and RS (Red-shoulder) 17 were the most numerous on our 103 raptor day." "Observers: Eric Mueller, Tom Gottschang and Bill Rasku all made the hike. Chris Eddy and I also showed but the climb is no longer an option for my knees! Chris and I bought ski lift tickets but, at the last moment, a phone call from the Wachusett State Park requested the ski lift to not drop people off at the summit due to very slippery conditions on the summit.(Tickets refunded with a smile.)"
In 2023, the 18th largest Turkey Vulture count (100) in Wachusett Mt history.
Non-raptor Observations: At the summit, Snow Bunting-16, Raven-4, DE Junco-2, Blue Jay -1 At North Rd, the same Ravens, duck species-5, Blue Jay-1, Amer Crow-298 (11 groups of 4 to 78 birds each), BC Chickadee-1, Downy WP-1, Amer Robin-1, DE Junco-25.
Predictions: On Sunday, we're expecting slightly warmer temperatures (mid-40's to mid-50's) with continued low humidity and sunny skies, and 7-8 mph WNW to NW winds.
Portable toilets are still available at the summit parking lot, and are still being cleaned and restocked.
======================================================================== Report submitted by ERIC MUELLER (<ericmueller1912...>) Wachusett Mountain information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
