Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: David Brown
Observers: Cindy Kindle, Kim Steininger, Lorenzo C., Lynn Bergmeyer, Mike Tetlow
Visitors: 10, including a reporter from Channel 8 WROC
Weather: Overcast to start the day with light southerly winds and warm temperatures. Rain associated with a cold front shut the flight down for about 45 minutes mid-morning. Afterwards it was partly sunny with moderate northwesterly winds and cooler temps that slowly warmed up again throughout the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: An excellent day overall with the second highest total so far this season.
In the second hour we had a push that included 300 Turkey Vultures and an adult male Rough-legged Hawk ahead of the rain of a cold front.
After the front passed the sun came out a bit and launched a huge flight of Turkey Vultures, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, and other expected migrants. The flight was fairly low and had multiple lines spread out, but many birds were fairly close. The difficulty in counting was mostly due to the volume, not the distance.
The highlight was a dark-morph SWAINSON'S HAWK that passed slightly to the lake side just after 12pm EST. We also had the first Broad-winged Hawk of the season!
Another light-morph Rough-legged Hawk went over in the afternoon. The flight slowed considerable in the last hours.
We ended the day with over 2,700 Turkey Vultures. Other notable totals included 58 Northern Harriers, 279 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 38 Red-shouldered Hawks, 113 Red-tailed Hawks, and 46 American Kestrels.
Non-raptor Observations: East Spit: EURASIAN WIGEON, Great Egret, Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 2 Fish Crows, Brown Creeper. https://ebird.org/checklist/S167984422
New species for season: Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Broad-winged Hawk, Swainson's Hawk
Predictions: TOMORROW: A steady rain in the morning. Showers continuing in the afternoon. High around 70F. Winds SE at 15-25mph. Chance of rain 100%. Hard to predict. Steady rain would prevent a raptor flight, but during periods of light or no rain the strong southeast winds may be enough to get birds moving, especially now that sharpies, kestrels, and harriers are on the move in good numbers. Southeast winds are a headwind and tend to keep the birds low. Depending on the exact conditions there could be very little activity or a huge flight with close looks. I plan to be out to find out which it will be.
FRIDAY: Rain showers early then remaining overcast and windy. High 59F. Winds SW at 20-30mph. Chance of rain 50%. A great wind direction, though perhaps slightly stronger than ideal. These winds can often overcome the gloomy conditions and produce a good flight. We'll check the forecast again tomorrow. Expect moderate to good migration.
SATURDAY: Cloudy and windy with periods of light rain early. High 53F. Winds W at 25-35mph. A somewhat favorable wind direction, but very strong. There will probably be a moderate flight but we may have to shelter behind the platform. ======================================================================== Report submitted by David Brown (<davidebrownpa...>) Braddock Bay information may be found at: http://www.bbrr.org/
