Date: 4/10/24 5:26 pm From: Andrew Bechdel <andrewbechdel...> Subject: Tussey Mountain Hawkwatch - April 10th, 2024
Hey Bird Nerds,
There isn't much raptor news to report on today. It was pretty much a dead flight. So, I thought I'd recap yesterday as I was unable to submit a report. Tuesday's flight was heavily concentrated in the morning in what seemed to be a continuation of Monday's good flight. 20 of our 30 Sharpies arrived in the first 2 hours. Our first "kettle" of 3 Broad-wingeds was spotted high above the S side of the ridge (At Tussey, I believe this qualifies as a kettle. However, counters at Veracruz might disagree as they see 1000s in just a few hours). As the morning progressed, the raptors kept soaring higher and higher, almost beyond detection. With full sun conditions, Broad-winged Hawks are adept at getting impossibly high in the sky, making life difficult for the diminutive human hawkwatchers atop the ridges. After I left at 1pm, Nick and Deb continued counting. It seemed to slowly tapered off after this point. Hopefully we can enjoy another good flight like Monday and Tuesday before the end of the season.
In other bird news, Common Loons continue to make their routine late morning flight N. Some of these loons were seen acting "loony", diverting from their linear path and circling over the powerline. Additionally, we had some FOY birds including the loud, ground scratching Eastern Towhee, the diminutive Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and the sweet singing Blue-headed Vireo.
Thanks to Deb Rittlemann and my parents for showing up and supporting the watch. Debs photography skills have helped us id birds in the past and her spotting skills are always welcome at the watch.
The next 2 days will likely be a wash and Saturday will be bringing winds too strong for raptors. The next possible good watch day is Tuesday. I'll let y'all know if anything changes in the forecast.
See you at the Watch!
-Andrew
*Tussey Mountain Hawk WatchState College, Pennsylvania, USADaily Raptor Counts: Apr 10, 2024SpeciesDay's CountMonth TotalSeason TotalBlack Vulture000Turkey Vulture8108179Osprey02431Bald Eagle0943Northern Harrier11011Sharp-shinned Hawk084134Cooper's Hawk1925American Goshawk000Red-shouldered Hawk0535Broad-winged Hawk03535Red-tailed Hawk153167Rough-legged Hawk000Golden Eagle07156American Kestrel01429Merlin012Peregrine Falcon003Unknown Accipiter004Unknown Buteo002Unknown Falcon012Unknown Eagle001Unknown Raptor014Total:11361863Observation start time:08:30:00Observation end time:16:30:00Total observation time:8 hoursOfficial CounterAndrew BechdelObservers:Visitors:Kathy and Dave BechdelWeather:Overcast with very light SW/WSW wind for a majority of the day. Cloud cover dissipated some around 1500. Wind speed: calm-4mph. Temperature: 15-20 Celsius.Raptor Observations:No Golden Eagles Flight was dead for majority of the day. A few raptors began to move once the clouds parted late in the day.Non-raptor Observations:Notable Birds: Great Blue Heron, FOY Blue-headed Vireo, FOY Ruby-crowned Kinglet, N. Rough-winged Swallow, 15 Brown-headed Cowbird, 15 Common Loon: (4)9:42,(8)9:46,(2)9:51,10:37Predictions:Uncertain; tomorrow might be a wash along with Friday. Next possible good day will be Tuesday.*
