Two Biggies Today ~ So Excited for the Counters

Bill started the early evening by sending this teaser email, but I was at the grocery and couldn't get it up.  So now I am going to give you the whole story, as they say:

Soddy Mountain, TN hawk report
Fri., Sept. 27, 2019

Time on lookout: 0930-1600 = 6.5 hr.

Counter: Bill Haley

Visitors: Jayne Trapnell 1015-1530

                Charles Murray 1415-1600

Don't have time for a complete report right now, but thought I'd give a taste of our day totals. Still wasn't a red-letter day for Broad-wings, but we ended up with 69.

Got the first Merlin of the fall. 

Also got a really big surprise, an adult Golden Eagle!!! It flew directly over our heads at a fairly low altitude, so we all got good looks. I did not arrive at this identification lightly! More later.

Reporting: William G. (Bill) Haley "

..........................................................................

 

A little later he forwarded a message from visiting watcher, Jayne Trapnell, who included a beautiful picture:

 

"Thank you for a delightful time today at the Soddy Mountain Hawk Watch, and for showing me “the ropes!”

I enjoyed it very much, and was tickled to see a Golden! 

Here is my best underwing shot of the Turkey Vulture that flew overhead.  Nature’s vacuum cleaners which play such an important role.

Maybe I’ll be able to head up again before the season is over, and maybe it might be a WEE bit cooler then.  

Thanks again Bill,

Jayne "

Turkey Vulture by Jayne Trapnell

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Turkey Vultures have the white feathers all along the trailing edge of those wings it holds in a dihedral, or upturned v shape as it wobbles through the sky. It's one of the first birds new hawk watchers cut their teeth on, when learning IDs.  Thank you Jane for the great shot, and the great spot on the Golden, noting it wasn't a vulture!.)

 

But now for the rest of the story ~ 9-27 Part 2:

 

"Soddy Mountain, TN hawk report,

Fri., Sept. 27, 2019

Time on lookout: 0930-1600 = 6.5 hr.

Counter: Bill Haley 0930-1600

Visitors: Jayne Trapnell 1015-1530

                Charles Murray 1415-1600

Weather report:

0930 Clouds 20%, wind S 1-3, visib. 15K, temp. 72F. 1000 Clouds 25%, wind ENE 1-5, temp. 74F. 1100 Clouds 15%, wind E 1-3, temp. 79F. 1200 Clouds 10%, visib. 25K, temp. 85F. 1300 Clouds5%, visib. 35K, temp. 90F. 1400 Clouds 40%, wind ESE 2-8, temp. 92F. 1500 Clouds 50%, wind ESE 2-10, temp. 94F.

Raptors by hour:

0930-1000: 0

1000-1100: BW 1

1100-1200: BW 18

1200-1300: BW 10

1300-1400: SS 1, BW 12

1400-1500: BW 23, ML 1

1500-1600: GE 1(adult), BW 5

Total raptors:

GE 1

SS 1

BW 69

ML 1  

__________________

 72 total raptors 

Largest kettles of BW's: 10 @ 1308, 11 @ 1405.

I was joined by my good friend Jayne Trapnell for most of the day. She has helped me with many butterfly counts this summer - good training for dealing with the heat. It was her first time on a hawk lookout and we saw a good number of hawks, including a "bonus" bird - a seldom-seen adult Golden Eagle. Very few people who have ever visited Soddy Mountain hawk lookout have been that lucky...and she did it her first time out! I thoroughly enjoyed her company and she had a good time. I will work hard to get her back up there when it cools off a bit.

Charles Murray showed up about 2:15, so he got to see the Golden, the Merlin and a few Broad-wings (he said closer in than ever before). It was good to see him. (Yeah, Charles!)

Merlin was not close. Small, dark falcon observed from north ridge traveling in a straight line southwest very fast. At first I mistook it for a Chimney Swift coming head-on. Flight was very direct, not "fluttery" like an American Kestrel.

The biggest surprise of the day came at 1512. Jayne Trapnell reported a hawk flying with a Turkey Vulture over the north ridge. When I looked, the bird did indeed look like a large buteo, but I noted it was all dark, and it was big. I asked Jayne if she thought to note that it was the same size as the nearby TV, and informed her it was probably an immature Bald Eagle, as it definitely didn't have a white head or tail. However, I was a bit suspicious when it circled. I wasn't seeing the usual white speckling on the breast or underwings that you expect with immature BE. Lucky for us, the bird headed right for us and passed directly overhead, probably 200-300 feet up. We all saw clearly that there was NO white speckling on either the breast or underwings. In fact the entire bird was a uniform dark brown color. An adult Golden Eagle! This was a big surprise, as I consider Golden Eagle to be a late season migrant. I immediately consulted Hawks in Flight and the photos and descriptions of an adult Golden versus any stage of immature Bald Eagle confirmed the identification to all of us.

It was a fitting high note at the very end of an entire week on the lookout that has often been frustrating because of poor hawk flights.

I must return to work tomorrow, just when it seems the hawks may finally be moving in larger numbers. It would be nice if there is someone up there to document it! The temperatures are sure to continue breaking records, like they've done yesterday and today, so spending time up there is not easy. Hydration, sunblock, a wide-brimmed hat and sheer determination is vital. Who knows? For some intrepid person who is game, the payoff could be huge! Knowing what is possible is what keeps me coming back. And what

 

 KEEPS ME LOOKING UP!

Reporting: William G. (Bill) Haley"

 

You said it Bill!