As Bill Said, He might make it up a few times more

Bill decided it was just too nice not to spend a little time on the watch as he gets a chance. Cold weather approaching might send some birds south. I know Nashville Radar shows large flocks moving through their area. Here's what Bill saw on Wednesday the 29th. NOvember 29,'23

CONSIDERING ENDING THE SEASON, FEW BIRDS MOVING THESE DAYS

Thursday November 16, 2023 --In Texas they report one of the greatest years they have ever had. Seems just enough snow fell into the western flyway to push tons of migrants through early. They closed their watch this week, however. The warmth up north and all across the east has not pushed late raptors across our watch such that Bill can see them. Lot's of time spent, but disappointing results in comparison to the past. Here's his report:

Tuesday, Nov 14 23 A little too warm to believe

Here's the report:

Sandhills Are Showing Up - Monday November 12, 23

Vultures still moving: Monday's Report

Sunday Brings A New Wave

Power shut off my computer, and it took a bit to get it back up, and then get the program I use to post reports back up. But We are proud to give you Sunday's Report:

Saturday, November 11, 23

We add 32 raptors today from Saturday's report:

Thursday Is The Last Day Before the Rainy Days Coming

I Believe a few Vultures got busy. Bill's report for Thursday is up:

Record Breaking Hot Temps for November

I remember one year that it was beautiful and warm weather all the way til after Christmas. There are just years like that. Sometimes, I am gungho for snow at Christmas, and some years I am just thankful for an easy Loooonnnngggg fall. I really am loving this one. But does it mean more? Here's Bill's report:

Tuesday, November 7th

Bill's report is a couple pages, but added a new species for the year:

Warm Weather Returns ~ Feels Like Spring

Actually it is like early summer if it weren't for the fall leaves. Here's Bill's report:

The Vultures are ON THE MOVE

Vultures can move in large numbers, and today was a great example of them ready to go. (correction to the email: the sharpie was seen in the last hour.

He's BACK

Bill is Back from his break, and wow what a break! Here's his first report back, and the weather is getting COLD! Tues's report:

Big Variety Ahead of the Storms!

Bill says these are the days he longs for in Fall. Just ahead of storms last night, 38 Raptors decided to skoot by the watch. We crossed the 1400 mark on total Raptors seen this season. And the big number is today's numbers put us slap dab on top of 105,000 hawks for an all time total thus far, over the 30 yrs. As we have said before, it doesn't compare to some sights but is a super bit of data for Tennessee. Here is Thursday's report:(click on the report to make it larger)

A DAY TO RIVAL SATURDAY

Topping Saturday's 24 Raptors with 27, Wednesday was a great day for Raptors. Here's Wednesday's report:

It Snowed In the Mountains! Wow!

I am not sure how snow last night affected the hawks that might be moving our way, but I am surprised Bill saw anything. Here's Tuesday report:

Poor Conditions Sunday and Monday

Weather was 100% overcast yesterday, Oct. 15. There was a big meeting at church from 1200-1430, so with the poor flight weather, I decided not to go to the lookout. 0 raptors Bill

Great Day In October!

As we inch ever nearer to breaking our all time record of 105,000 birds, Saturday's post brought our digits into the 104,900's. We are now 70 birds away. Bill records his first double digit day for Sharpies, and at least rivals an all time daily high for Merlins. Great Day! Here's his wonderful 2 page story of the day: Saturday Oct 14, '23 Click on the post to view larger.

Thursday - Friday when Rains Began About Lunch

Today we are editing in a Thursday report and keeping Friday's half day on the same report. A few hawks in the afternoon on Thursday, a few in the am on Friday before the rains. Here are the reports: Thursday_

A short day on the hill, Friday. ( Resolved - We are lacking a report for Thursday, cking with Bill to see if he sent one or was also rained out. We will post to this story as an edit if we find we should have had one. Otherwise,) Here is Friday the 13th's report:

No Countable Hawks

For the time Bill had, it was a strike out. The weather was a crazy mix of fighting systems. A wanna be subtropical storm cuming across Florida bringing rains skirting south of us, and a huge dipping trough dragging rains across west of us left migrants with a not so nice path to make their way south. It was probably a rest day for some. But certainly for any who might otherwise have crossed Bill's path. Here's the Wednesday report:

Did Anyone Say Bald Eagles?

Wow! Super nice day. Tuesday's report:

Uht Oh. Skunked...

Well, not really. The clouds closing in to almost full cover throughout the day in the valley had me wondering if Bill even went up. Not expecting birds, not really skunked. LOL Here's the report for Sunday as the first week of October begins the second:

Our First Harrier of '23

Sunday was a very windy day in the valley. So probably worse at times on the mountain. Not many clouds either, and boy was it cold suddenly in the night. Bill was lucky to pick up the Harrier. Here's the report:

Counting the First Red-Tailed Hawk this season

Man it got cold overnight! Way more than I expected, and I was not ready for 40 degrees at all. That should spur some Hawks to move. LOL Sunday has potential, but Bill will arrive after Church. Saturday's report:

Some Thoughts From Bill on A Rain Out Day

Putting in the hours brings the stories and data, and rewards. It is difficult perhaps for people to find the time these days, and like us, health just keeps getting in the way. I am so slow at getting just the easy stuff done, that I can't get caught up. But the major reason Jimmy and I can't be with Bill more is the lack of bathroom facilities, and I don't have the ability to drag it with me and set it up and take it down, and keep it clean the way I used to. So alas, we understand when people can't spend a lot of time on the watch. But fronts usually bring on a push for migrants, especially a rain out like Friday. I hope Bill has a great weekend, even though Today, Saturday is predicted to be entirely blue skies all day long. But the birds he hopes to see often fly in at a good viewing range as weather cools. So if you are able to spend a little time Saturday or Sunday, chances are good. Here are Bill's thoughts:

A Pergrine Story

Tomorrow will be clouds, maybe rain. So did the incoming front push a few things through? Here's the report for Thursday:

A Change In Weather Is Coming

We are expecting the night temps to get into a slightly lower than normal pattern in a few days. It is beginning to look a bit like fall these days. Lots of leaves dropping. There has been so little rain. But the winds are shifting, and raptors continue to drive their way south. Here's Bill's report:

Blue Sky of Doom, AGAIN

Accipiters are great, but pointy-winged falcons are better. LOL Good looks at a Peregrine can be hard to come by, because they are often counted with wings tucked in a hard glide, riding the wind like a racing a ghost down the valley. Well They bullet through tiny and pretty high. Yesterday was a 5 species day. Today only 3. Here's Tuesday's report:

The Raptor Parade Begins!

I am calling October the beginning of the Raptor Parade, because more species begin showing them selves on a regular basis at our watch. The variety makes IDing the birds more fun. And sometimes a little tricky. Bill says it's his favorite time to count. THE POST BW season is here. Here's the report:

Tough Afternoon but Not Skunked

After church on Sunday, a few hours of watching produced only one migrant:

Hi Barometer Strikes Again

Last week when Hazel Bazemore had a top 5 day with over a quarter million hawks passing through, they reported that the Barometer just kept falling. Sherwood above us on their short stint in the mountains near Pigeon Forge had extremely high hawks, but always noticed the borometer was falling by the evening hours, and they stayed to get the late lowering kettles. We have also done that a time or two, because the barometer was falling. So Bill states a high Barometer and blue skies made for a few nearly impossible days. Here's the report for Saturday: (note the following was edited for error from 11 to 12 hour for BW numbers of 5.)

A Few zero hours

A little break in the day, was on a good day to take it. Here's the report:

A New Peregrine to Report

Thursday's Report will be short and sweet. Thank you Rick for your help on Thursday! Always a treat to add a Peregrine Falcon. Here's the Report:

Bald Eagles and Broad-wings, Never a Bad Pairing

Welcome Hawk Help - Jennifer Martin and Tom and Fran Moreley. A Hawk site up near Pigeon Forge, TN, called Sherwood Forest Hawk watch, kept some long hours and did some scope birding this week. They were able over the last 10 days to find over 5000 migrants, most of them being BWs. Their perspective was that the birds they saw got way higher as the day progressed, but then began to lower altitudes as the evening cooled a bit. They saw hawks up until 7pm a day or two. A second notable watch was at Hazel Bazemore Park, in Corpus Christie, TX where counters who have counted there for years, had one of their top 5 counts on Wednesday. Seeing over a quarter million BW's and hig numbers of American Kestrals as well. Both can be seen on Hawkcount.org . This is the site where we also report our meager but rewarding findings.I featured both counts on our Facebook page. Now - Here's the report:

Onesies, Twosies

Welcome John Dever to the hawk watch. Thanks for coming!! Tuesday was a day of hunting. Large sky, infrequent hawks. Adding Eagles to the totals is fun. Here's the report:

The End of HMANA Celebration Week

Hawk Migration Association of North America ended its celebration week with a note from Julie that the reports showed the greatest numbers from early in the week. It was true for or watch as well. I hope to, at the end of the month, show a few of the reports from watches across the migration lookouts. To view these numbers visit Hawkcount.org. I had a minute before we leave today to put up Monday's report:

The 1300 Hour put us over 1000 BWs

Thank you Tim, Barb, Alice, Thomas and Tami! Welcome visitors to the watch; hope you enjoyed your day. And thanks again to Tami for covering the watch while Bill was at church. You are a blessing. More clear weather and a lot of heat put hawks high in the sky if they move past the watch many times. Little by little some are beeing seen. Our watch group put us over 1000 BWs for this season today in spite of it being a tad slow. 1300 WAS THE MAGIC HOUR. LOL! Great job to all!

HERE'S THE REPORT:

We Are Now Over 1000 for Hawks Seen This Season

Bill and Tami hit the 1000 hawks target on Saturday. They only needed one. But 27 will be needed to hit that same mark for BWs. Thank you Tami, for the help. Tami is another counter who has filled out reports for HMANA over the years. She's a veteran and a welcome team member any time she can come. Bill goes to church on Sunday mornings, so he probably won't be on the watch early on Sunday, but Tami sometimes covers a bit when she's able. There isn't a front bringing rain predicted until Wednesday, so no hawks backed up immediately above us. So the question today, is will the Tropical Storm Ophelia, going up the coast, push some birds from the coastal flyway further our way onto the mountain migration path. Because the storm came in on NC coast and remains inland in Virginia, there might be birds making that turn that will bring them across from a more easterly to s-westerly path. Hope it is so! Here's the report:

Blue Sky with Friends

There are days, as we have said before in years past, which should be days to see thousands of hawks, but the skies are blue. Even with lots of great help, either the hawks are too high to see, or don't stand out against the blue, or the weather just has them tracking elsewhere. Friday was that day. I am so sorry to the 4 precious people who came to help. We thank you so much for coming. Bill was hoping to cross the 1000 bird mark for Broad-wings, but the 1000 bird total would have been nice too. But with only 8 hawks seen, he is at 999 total hawks. But while I am on numbers, we crossed over into 76,304 BWs for all time, and 104,594 hawks of all species for an all time total. In this our 30th year, 105,000 is a very real possibility this year. Bill would say I just jinxed him. But one good BW or TV flight could get him there before season's end. BTW, we have had crowds a day or two in the past and zero hawks for the day. But the company is always good. Click on the reports to view them.

Here's Friday's report: