WHAT A DAY!!!

So proud to bring you this report.  Bill had a wonderful day on the Hill! He broke longstanding records with this count! * Here's the report:

"My apologies to Forrest Gump, but I'm going to change one of his favorite quotes just a bit. Hawkwatching is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you'll get. That was never more true than today.

Not since I visited the storied Cape May hawk platform in 1997 have I experienced such a day! That day I was awed to be able to look around the sky and find hawks of several varieties everywhere almost all day long. 

Our days at Soddy Mountain are usually not so action-packed. We see a hawk, or hawks during BW season, and then there is "in-between time". Sometimes a good bit of time in-between each counted bird. 

Starting eight minutes after I arrived today at 12:45, there was almost no in-between time, and it began with a close-in Merlin. Every time I scanned the sky I found a hawk, or hawks. Crazy combinations like a Merlin, 3 Sharpies and an Osprey. Or watching 2 Sharp-shins soaring together when a Peregrine Falcon flew between them. Man it was fun! 

At this stage in the migration, as usual, I was by myself.  I could have used some help today! All our hawk watch regulars know that old mantra we often tell novices during BW season: After several days of bad, cloudy weather, when a cold front moves in and it clears you'd better be up there because the hawks will be backed up and they'll be coming through thick.  Guess what? That works even AFTER Broad-wing season! While the actual cold front will arrive tonight, we've had several cloudy days. With the clearing and steady winds today, hawks were definitely moving. 

Hint: Cold front moving in over night.  Winds forecast N 5-15 and temps 15 degrees cooler tomorrow. Our best cold front of fall 2017 so far.  It could be VERY interesting.

Raptors by the hour:

12:45-1:00: SS 1, ML 1

1:00-2:00: NH 1, SS 18, CH 2, BW 1

2:00-3:00: NH 1, OS 1, SS 21, CH 1, ML 1, PG 1, TV 45

3:00-4:00: SS 12, AK 1, ML 1

4:00-5:00: SS 8, AK 3, TV 16

5:00-5:30: 0

Turkey Vulture - 61

Northern Harrier - 2

Osprey - 1

Sharp-shinned Hawk - 59

Cooper's Hawk - 3

Broad-winged Hawk: 1 (imm)

American Kestrel - 4

Merlin -3

Peregrine - 1

Total raptors: 135

Weather: Clouds: 75% @ 12:45, 50% @ 2:00, 40% @ 3:00,  25% @ 4:00, 10% @ 5:00. Wind SE all afternoon 10-15 mph. Temperature: 72 F, gradually increasing to 81F. Barometric pressure: 30.17 @ 12:45, decreasing gradually to 30.01.  Humidity: 81%-60%. Visibility: 10K @ 12:45, 30K @ 3:00.

First Turkey Vultures of the fall counted when 45 came through between 2:50-2:57, all headed south. Another group of 16 @ 4:24.

Close looks at the immature Broad-wing. Will there be any more late ones?

Two of the Merlin came in close to the lookout, affording great looks. Not sure when we've had 3 Merlin in a day.

Counter : Bill Haley,  12:45-5:30

Reporting : Bill Haley"

 

It's a shame there isn't a button he can push that says: "HELP!" on a day like that.  Surely someone could have made it up.  I know we hate missing the fun.  Congrats on a great day.

Here's the Facebook message to explain which records were broken:

"I had to ck the records but Bill's counts for Sunday broke records. His 135 Raptors for the day, was setting new records for Falcons on our watch: 1 bird brought us to 17 Peregrines which broke our previous record of 16 for any previous season. Our new total of 9 Merlins (3 of them seen Sunday) broke our precvious record of 8 in any one Fall count. 3 Merllins in one day may be a record, will have to do some research. And his Sharp-shinned Count was one of the largest single day counts in recent years, maybe the largest since the 90's. Also, we just crossed 86,000 total raptors for all time with a new total of 86,084 and rising! Congratulations Bill. What a milemarker for the watch!"

 

There are still good days to come...

 

so

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!