Post Thanksgiving Raptors On The Move!

I have a couple, at least, of posts from Bill from over the holidays, which I need to put here today. But before I transfer his emails, I just wanted to tell you a quick story.

 Jimmy went to the mailbox Saturday. We have placed a couple of lawn seats at the end of the walkway where it joins the drive. Jimmy sat a moment to open the mail and rest before coming on up the hill.  He has a good view of he North sky from there, so he noticed a kettle of vultures forming over our neighbors roof line.  He decided to watch and see where they went. In just a little while he had counted more and more as small groups formed in that same area.

I began to wonder if he was OK, so I went to sit with him. And he told me about the vultures as he opened the mail.  In no time we were seeing more. I watched with him as each new group peeled off the top, heading south and sometimes formed up again as they got just past our SW roofline. But they could be seen streaming south strung out across the southern skies. At one point the skies to the south had a vulture anywhere you looked. Since we seldom see more than 4 or 5 Vultures over our area in a day, it was obvious these were migrants. We stayed until he was tired of looking up, but he had asked for a pen and kept a tally.  So here is our report from the yard. LOL

Saturday
11/25/2017
Wilkerson Home Watch

30% clouds, temps - hi 60's,  slight N winds at ground, faster at cloud level, moving clouds quickly through.

TV - 19, 9, 15, 2, 2, 2, 2 - 53
IM BE - 1
BV - 34, 10, 1 - 45

Total Raptors 99 :)
3:45 to 4:45 p.m.
Jimmy and Cynthia Wilkerson

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Now for the real counts:
Wednesday

11/22/2017

 

"Weather: Clouds 0%, Wind: ENE 5-10, Temperature : 52 F, Barometric pressure : 30.14, Humidity: 46%, Visibility : 45K.

Hawks by the hour:

1:45-2:00 - 0

2:00-3:00 - RT 2

Counter: Bill Haley,  1:45-3:00

 

Reporting : Bill Haley"

&
Thanksgiving Day
Thursday
11/23/2017

"Weather: Clouds: 65% @ 9:45, 75% @ 11:00, 85% @ 12:00. Wind : E 5-10 @ 9:45, changing to NE 2-5 @ 11:00. Temperature : 37 F @ 10:00, 45 F @ 11:00. Barometric pressure: 30.12. Humidity : 73%.Visibility: 40 - 45K. 

No migrant raptors today. Saw two local Bald Eagles, one local Sharp-shinned Hawk and one local Red-tailed Hawk. On the bright side, while taking a bathroom break in the pines south of the lookout I spotted a bird species that  has never been documented at the lookout. I noticed a couple of small birds dining on pine seeds and they proved to be Pine Siskins!

Sandhill Cranes - 14. 

American Robin - (35) 10:45, (57) 10: 50.
Also saw a Common Checkered Skipper butterfly.

Counter: Bill Haley,  9:45-12:00

Reporting : Bill Haley"

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Of course we won't include our home count in the Soddy Lookout Count because we are quite a few miles away.  But what we always say, is you can count from where you are.  Our view on the mountain affords us wonderful views of migrants taking advantage of the updrafts formed along the ridges.  But many migrants don't specifically seek the mountainsides, all the time.  Vultures are one of those species which can be readily seen anywhere along their migration, much as you would see Sandhills for instance. Our experience shows that anyone can enjoy the miracle of migration if you ___

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!