Bill's Still Faithful

Clear skies all the way to Watt's Bar and Kingston Steam plant!!
(Bill's pictures today.)

Bill Haley sent the following 3 reports, with pictures:
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The other night, while channel surfing, I ran across the movie Forrest Gump. Ended up watching it for the umpteenth time. I really like the movie, no matter how many times I've seen it. One of the most memorable lines is "Momma said life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you'll get."

Everyone has their favorite in a box of chocolates, and their least favorite. My least favorite is the hard caramel. I pick a piece, hoping perhaps for maple, cherry or chocolate creme fillings. The chocolate coating  is good on the outside, but when I bite through that delicious coating......hard caramel. A bit of a disappointment. It is still candy and it is good, but I would rather have had something else.

It strikes me that hawkwatching is also like a box of chocolates - you never know what you'll get. My last three times on the lookout have been "hard caramel days". I got something, but definitely not what I hoped for.

What I've been waiting for was a day when I would see the crossbow shapes of many southbound Red-tailed Hawks passing overhead and more hawks stacked up over the north ridge on their way towards the lookout. This scenario depends on the weather getting bad up north with lots of snow and ice - forcing the bird's south. It just hasn't happened this year. There have been some lake effect snows in the upper NE and Great Lakes states, but the states between there and Tennessee haven't experienced much snow yet. The "tails" have had no reason to come this far south. Thus, a "hard caramel" late season flight.

 

 

I've been lax about getting reports sent in, so will  combine Nov. 25, Dec. 1 and Dec. 2 in this report.

Nov. 25, 2016 - the day after Thanksgiving:

I arrived at 11:00 and stayed until 3:30. When I got there wind was NNW 2-5, clouds were 85%, visibility 55K,  temperature of 55F,  and the barometer read 30.30. By noon it had begun to clear some with 50% clouds, wind N 5-10 and barometer dropping to 30.28. At 3:00 clouds were 35%, temperature was 63F, winds had shifted back to NNW 2-8 and the pressure was 30.22.

I saw my first Sandhill Cranes of the fall, with groups of 10, 3, 4 and 18. They were going in a generally southerly direction. Seems to me they are late this year.

I had two small groups of migrant Turkey Vultures, with 15 total birds.

Only one Red-tail was countable, an immature bird. After a lengthy glide south it dropped low over the valley below before spiraling back up into the sky. The picture this hawk made against a fall backdrop of burnt orange, gold and red foliaged trees was stunning! My favorite thing of the day.

An adult Bald Eagle at 2:52 was the last raptor counted.

Totals for Nov. 25, 2016

Bald Eagle 1

Red-tail 1

Turkey Vulture 15

 

Sandhill Crane 35

"When this bird flew overhead on Nov. 25, all I could do was point my phone

 where I thought the bird would be. I got half of it!"

LOL

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Dec. 1, 2016 report:

Arrived 9:15. Wind NE 1-2, clear, visibility 60K,  temperature 45F,  barometer 30.06 and rising. By 10:00 the wind had shifted to the NW, and then W, where it stayed for the remainder of the day - getting stronger with some gusts up to 15 mph. Temperature when I left at 1:30 was 52F and the pressure had stayed steady.

Two small groups of Sandhill Cranes (5 and 2), appeared to be coming from Hiwassee Refuge and were flying west.

Counted only 2 Red-tails.

A total of 5 Bald Eagles kind of saved the day, but they were all pretty distant. There were 3 adults and 2 immature. 

Totals, Dec. 1, 2016:

Bald Eagle 5 (3 ad., 2 imm.)

Red-tail 2

 

Sandhill Crane 7

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Dec. 2,  2016 Report:

Arrived at 10:00. Wind was S 1-3, clear, visibility 50K,  temperature 43F , barometer 30.28 and rising. The wind was variable but changed to NW before I left the lookout at 1:30. By then the temperature reached 54F and the pressure had dropped a bit to 30.25.

The first raptor of the day was a beautiful adult Bald Eagle, which soared over the north ridge for awhile, but then flew back north, so was not countable.

At 11:58 I spotted a buteo out over cell 2, and it proved to be a nice adult Red-shouldered Hawk. It spiraled high and then sailed on south. It turned out to be the only hawk counted today.

Total, Dec. 2, 2016:

Red-shouldered Hawk 1

I may try to get up there this coming Saturday. A severe cold front is expected, and it won't be pleasant on the lookout. A good hawk flight might make up some for the discomfort though. I'm still hoping for those Red-tails and still looking for a Golden Eagle. Unfortunately, time is running out this year.

Reporting: Bill Haley

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Grand Total these 3 days is 25 Raptors.

 

When, lately have you seen 25 raptors in 3 days?  Even "small" numbers indicate that birds are still in transition from N to S.  However slowly they are coming through.  Several days of rain, and definite cold taking over this weekend, may cause the final push.  So Bill hopes to get up at least one more time.  If it isn't too cold.

 

Thanks again for every hour spent.  I am looking forward to seeing our Grand Total for the year. And I want to compare it to some of our earlier years.   There are a few places still posting to http://www.hawkcount.org/, mostly up North>   (Ck the left sidebar for the easy to find link.)

 

 

So it is never too late to

 KEEP LOOKING UP!!!

 

 

Dec. 5th's reports:

Allegheny Front (PA)                                     2
Bethany Hawkwatch (MN)                          123
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (PA)                      4
Hitchcock Nature Center (IA)                       18
Lighthouse Point (CT)                                 NA
Second Mountain (PA)                                    9
Waggoner's Gap (PA)                                   13
Washington Monument State Park (MD)       9