"Bill called the season as of his last report and also sent a review of his stats for the post BW numbers. For him, the migration seemed slow, and since weather plays a vital role in the movement of many of all bird species, lack of fronts, and Northern cold or snow with so many days above normal temps...there wasn't the movement he hoped for. Let his numbers give you a picture.
Although, this is the final report, it is not the final post this year. I still have Totals and charts to post before we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Here's Bill's last report for 2017 -
Sunday
Dec 10, 2017
This will be the last report for the fall 2017 season. Clear blue skies this afternoon, but no hoped-for late migrants
"Weather: Clouds: 0%. Wind: SSW 2-5 @ 12:30, W 8-12 @ 1:00. Temperature: 41-42F. Barometric pressure: 30.29-30.25. Humidity: 43%. Visibility: 70 K.
Hawks - 0.
Counter: Bill Haley, 12:30-2:00.
Ten minutes before I planned to leave, two local adult Red-tails put on a show. Circling very close together, suddenly the top bird dove on its mate and they plummeted very close to the treetops on the north ridge. They immediately looped back up into the sky, where a couple of minutes later their white undersides flashed as they executed another aerial tumble. Shortly after that, the maneuver happened for a third time! This was probably pair - bonding behavior before nesting season, which will start up a short two months from now.
It was a reminder of how lucky I am to witness pieces of the lives of these magnificent raptors! Every hawk season contains many such treasured moments.
Now here I am at the ending of my 27th fall hawk watching season, 25 of them at Soddy Mountain. First one was as a casual observer at Signal Point and Grays Mountain, where I was bitten by the "hawk bug". Wanting a lookout I could call my own, Bill's Rock, on Raccoon Mountain fit the bill for one year, but wasn't an optimum situation. Then I found the Soddy Mountain site, which had what I was looking for - an almost 360 degree view on a mountain bluff and unobstructed views of the Tennessee Valley to the east. As they say, "The rest is history".
Good Lord willing, I'll be back next year.
Reporting: Bill Haley"
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When Bill analyzed his data, he made these observations:
"I went through my October and November data and pulled out some statistics from what proved to be the poorest late season hawk flight I’ve ever experienced.
October - 15 days with at least some coverage, 60.00 hours total:
Turkey Vulture - 142
Northern Harrier – 5
Osprey – 1
Bald Eagle – 1
Sharp-shinned – 103
Cooper’s – 11
Broad-winged – 3
Red-tailed – 4
American Kestrel – 5
Merlin – 4
Peregrine Falcon – 5
Total raptors: 284 (4.72 / Hour)
Take away the TV, which accounted for exactly half of the raptors counted = 142 (2.36 HPH)
Best day by far, and my most memorable day of fall 2017, was Sunday, October 15. I’ll always remember it as the No In-Between Day, as there was almost no waiting time between hawk sightings. I didn’t arrive until after church at 12:45, and I was all by myself. In 4.75 hours, I counted 47.5% of all raptors seen in the entire month of October! If you take out vultures and just count the hawks (74), that day accounted for over half (142) of the total hawks counted in October. That memorable day’s totals follow.
61 Turkey Vultures
2 Northern Harriers
1 Osprey
59 Sharp-shinned Hawks (possibly a 25 year daily record)
3 Cooper’s Hawks
1 Broad-winged Hawk
4 American Kestrels
3 Merlins
1 Peregrine Falcon
Total raptors, 10/15/17 = 135.
Question: Is climate change a factor? The lowest temperature I recorded on any day in October was 50 degrees F (10/26). The highest temperature recorded was 88 degrees F (10/9 and 10/10).
Days starting temperature was in the 50’s: 4
Days starting temperature was in the 60’s: 4
Days starting temperature was in the 70’s: 6
Days starting temperature was in the 80’s: 2
Temperatures to the north of Tennessee were generally 10-20 degrees F above normal, with little to no snow reported.
November – 14 days with at least some coverage, 38.00 hours total:
Turkey Vulture – 196
Black Vulture - 10
Northern Harrier – 3
Bald Eagle – 6
Sharp-shinned Hawk – 8
Northern Goshawk – 1
Red-shouldered Hawk – 4
Red-tailed Hawk – 28
Merlin – 1
Total raptors: 257 (6.76 / Hour)
Take away the TV and BV = 51 (1.34 HPH)
Again the climate change question. Lowest temperature recorded was 37 F (11/23). Highest temperature recorded was 70 F (11/2).
Days starting temperature was in the 30’s: 1
Days starting temperature was in the 40’s: 5
Days starting temperature was in the 50’s: 6
Days starting temperature was in the 60’s: 1
Hard to believe only 28 migrant Red-tailed Hawks were counted the entire month of November, when historically their fall migration peaks in November.
Reporting: Bill Haley"
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Thanks for supporting us this season!
KEEP LOOKING UP!!!
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