Observation start time: 09:15:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 3.75 hours
Official Counter: Ted Mara
Observers: John Cannizzo, Kathryn Chihowski, Paul Roberts, Peter Duffy
Visitors: Visitors: Kay Cardarelli, Julie Roberts, and Andrea Cannizzo
Weather: Initial SW winds turning to the SSE, ESE and finally directly E. Temps rising from 12 to 18 deg Centigrade. !00% CC diminishing to 20% by end of watch.
Raptor Observations: "10 migrants: OS 3, SS 1, AK 1, MK 5. At 1010 hrs observed 5 raptors migrating high along the coastline for a good 5 minutes. After a minute I eliminated the usual suspects and observed an immature male MK. The closest one had longish tail and bars and had the same silhouette as the other 4. At first I originally thought it was a large SS but with longish thin wings. Overcast skies but I could just make out the white head. Consulted my Hawk guides and matched them with Mississippi Kite. These raptors were kitting for the many insects in the slow wind as this group slowly migrated north. I wonder if these raptors were the NH colony heading to their breeding area. Later my conversation with Paul Roberts, my Hawk mentor, reaffirmed my confidence in this sighting." Ted Mara
Raptors that failed to migrate: many breeding OS, 4 BE, TV 4
Non-raptor Observations:
Predictions: Poor prospects with unfavorable wind directions (ENE and E) at 4 to 10 mph. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Robert Secatore (<rs8843829...>) Plum Island MA information may be found at: http://www.massbird.org/emhw
