Hawkcount final spread sheet for 2024

This is the final tally and December's Totals for 2024 in a clip from Hawkcount.org, where we record our Data officially With the Hawk Migration Association of America. Also I put up a clip of the Rolling Totals I keep on the right side bar of the blog, (when in Computer version) that identifies the daily totals updates as we add them, always listed in order first seen. It is a great counter to help both myself and Jimmy notice errors in the count. I can double ck myself on Hawkcount, or can tell Jimmy if I catch an error from my end. In the end the numbers should always match. Thirdly, I am putting up a clip of the Grand Totals Box for this year compared to last year, which helps us further keep a double ck. Because if the totals don't add up when added to last years count there is an error somewhere. I will add this years totals to last years Grand to see if it matches with my running totals as logged in our paper record. So counts are verified 4 ways when documented.

LAST DAY OF FALL SEASON 2024

Bill reached his goal of breaking his all time high number for Migrating Turkey Vultures over our watch during the count, by one bird. !!!!!! But he did it. YAY!!!! And he officially closed the watch for this season. First the report for Thursday, where the wind blew his chair over followed by his closing words, and final report for 2024. I will post final numbers and the clip from Hawkcount soon. Congratulations Bill. Thanks for the kind words, and Thanks to Those who have helped from Day one! Have a very Merry Christmas and may all your Holiday festivities, however you celebrate, be fun and meaningful!

Zero Countables on Thursday. 20's In the Night

Soddy Mountain, TN Hawk Report Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024 Duration: 1100, -1230 = 1.5 hrs. Observer: Bill Haley Weather: 1100 clear, wind NW 5-10 mph, temp 40 F, hum 37%, baro 3019, visib 50 K. 1200 wind NW 5-15, very gusty, with some gusts above 15. Zero migrating raptors today. Northwest wind increased after 1145, with some gusts strong enough to blow over my wooden ladderback chair when I wasn't sitting down. Only birds seen were 2 local BV and 1 local TV. Strong NW or W winds typically produce poor migration results at Soddy Mountain, so I decided to call it a day at 1230. Reporting: William G. (Bill) Haley

Will Thursday Be The Last Day of the 2024 Season?

Wednesday was a day which Bill is just hanging in there to break his all time high of Turkey Vultures, But God sent him a little gift so he wouldn't be discouraged. About 1 15pm an Immature Golden Eagle flew right over his head! What a gift! I wanted to include in this post the number of times we have had Goldens reported from the hawk watch, but I don't have time to do an exact count today. However I am going to do a quick rough count from Stats from the past, and Hawk Count. It might be fairly close. Check the chart below. But let me shift to other stats: Bill only needs 8 TVs after this post to beat his all time high records of that species. He only needs 17 Raptors of any sort to get us to 108,000 for our all time count total, which I will NOT hold him to. His Golden is the first in several years. I single of any bird out of almost 2500 are high odds. It used to be of both Eagles, Golden and Bald, but thankfully Bald Eagles have recovered to a point that they are not such a scare anymore. However they remain at about 1 -1.5% or less of our yearly counts.An interesting note is that our High count of 3 Golden Eagles in 1998 occurred only 1 year following his high count of Turkey Vultures in 1997. Bill will not spend many more days on the ridge. Maybe not even one past Thursday. It isn't quite worth it. but to be so close, I hope God obliges to help with the win. LOL

Tuesday, NOvember 3 2024 - 18 TVs Will Beat Bill's All Time Record!

At the end of the day Tuesday, Bill has a TV count of 1498. With his record standing at 1515 Birds in 1997, it's been a long time since he came anywhere near that count. I can honestly say it is Bill's record, because Jimmy and I could not count into November most of the years we were manning the lead on the watch. Bill's has consistently said that the yearly totals were incomplete with out a more filled out calendar. He always says the season isn't over until he calls it, because he always wants to add these later numbers whenever possible. Before I post his report for Tuesday, however, I am going to say, we just received a call from him that has him so excited about tomorrow's count, and it doesn't involve TVs. But I'll bet he is so glad he is up there chasing TV numbers in this cold today. Stay tuned for tomorrow's report. It's a good one. Congratulations Bill for continuing to Brave the weather. God sent you a gift. Bundle up real good!!!

Very Cold, Deciding Whether to Try and Break the TV Record 12 2 24

Monday, December 2 24, Bill has sent an email, about whether to try and break his all time TV record in the cold. As he expresses, in his last 2 reports, it is very difficult. No matter how close it isn't worth frost bite, especially if the Raptors are not moving, because unlike a Christmas Count, where you get into and out of a car all day, there is no place to escape on the watch without going down to his vehicle. Here's the report for Monday:

Catching up on the Hawkcount situation

About this time of year as things are winding down, some watches have closed, and others just closed this week. Right now, on Monday morning, Dec. 2 2024, I noticed only 13 sites had reported. That number of sites reporting has been under 45 - 50 for several days, and this holiday week was under 25. Some sites were showing late reports in progress so that might change. But there was a definite trend in numbers as well across the board. Except for one report from Cape May, NJ, on Nov. 30 with 73, the only numbersover 50 raptors came from Minnesota on 2 separate sites only one day each. Numbers which are larger from Panama and CRI, ususally up in the thousands,afer ours slow, have also now slowed, with only one report from CRI being 1401 on Nov 28th. Below is a clip from Hawkcount.org with the counts as they stand in the changeover from November into December. Possibly with Soddy being only one of 13 sites still reporting in the US. Some sites only put up numbers once a week, so that might change a bit, but Bill will not be alone if he calls the counts. However, we must be reminded that snow will hamper many northern counts, and as it is continuing to snow there across the midwest from the Great Lakes south, that is not likely to change for a while. Snow is expected to dip as far south as Tennessee this week, so Hawks are not likely to fly from those areas. They will have needed to push through into the area today or in the morning to count anything. Not to say they won't get up and going here, because we won't have the snow, it is not likely anything will move in the snow to get here. Not that they can't or won't move when snow is laying on the ground and the sun has allowed their wings to dry. So it depends on how long the actual snows last and how patchy the snow is falling. But we are expected to be the only area all around us that will not get snow. So it could funnel what is able to push through. That is never a given that they go near the watch, but it sometimes gives us an advantage. Especially out over the river. Here are some clips from the Hawkcount page:(click on the clips to read them.)

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!!

Back Up After The Holiday/ Beginning a New Month

December 1 is here. First day of the last month of Historic 2024. The freezing cold is about to set in. But we have braved cold with Bill down to 14 degrees in the past counts. But it is rough on your body. Jimmy sat out on the deck for just a few minutes one day this past week, and saw quite a few Vultures, several kettles, a sharp-shinned hawk and something else. So we can't count out migrants yet. But Bill says it must wind down for him soon. For now, Nicole went up on Sunday morning, and Bill did the afternoon sit.Thank You Nocole!! So here's their report:

Wednesday the 27th, Before Turkey Day HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Nov 27, 2024, Wednesday, Nicole was able to join Bill and she brought her friend Jess. I'll include a few pictures. The 3 of them had a good day with variety. Thank you for coming up to help. Also a friend from the Aquarium, Drew, dropped by. Thanks for coming and welcome. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. Let's learn about their day:

Nicole Spicer, Bill Haley, and Jess Garby

Click on the report to view it in a larger size

No Watch on Monday, But Great Adds on Tuesday!

Tuesday November 26 2024 - Bill just might set his best ever Turkey Vulture count record with numbers like today. Let me just let him tell you:

Snows to Our North and East

Sunday November24, 2024 - Bill spent a couple of hours ckg to see if the Snow,s north and East of us, had some big numbers pushing through the valley. TVs don't leave the roosts early like so many raptors, so midday to early afternoon is a great time to ck. Unlike BWs, they won't drop out of the extreme heights, about close of day, after a hot one. It is November after all. They will pop up any where a breeze is blowing. They will use the upddrafts and kettle, but they often just gather and ride the winds. Seeking out friends they glide in from all over the sky to take a casual circular loop and all head to another spot in the sky. It's the lower slower version of kettling, you might say. And luckily, if there are clear skies, without haze, their size makes them easy to spot. It's the tiny accipiters that might be hiding in the kettle you have to keep an eye out for. Because we have always said that where there are vultures, there may also be other raptors among them, above them, around them just zipping by. They are the beacons of the skies for air movement. (excuse my dangling participle...it's just a blog.) Here is 'sunday's report:

SECOND BEST TV NUMBERS OF ALL TIME SO FAR

SO FAR THIS IS BILL'S SECOND BEST TV COUNT OF ALL TIME. IN 1997 HE SAW 1515. HE IS NOT FAR FROM BREAKING THAT HIGH!!! about 100 off. However, we finally are having a cold front that seems like fall changing to winter. It's been tough to watch for Bill. So many very warm days, finally relinquished to more fallish days, for a few. But, these last couple and the ones coming for at least a week will be near nights in the 30s at least, and staying under 70 at most. But the winds certainly are making it feel colder. I got the little hoop house buttoned up and the heater is working to keep it at 57. I should lower the temp a bit I guess, cause the plants can take it, even if we don't want to. But Bill attempted to rough it a litte while one day, and went up on Friday, only to decide, Nope, too cold to stay. Not worth it. Hope he isn't or doesn't get sick. My son and I certainly have been sick here at the house. This one set me DOWN. The day I went out to pull things into the greenhouse, I almost passed out twice. But it had to be done. ~ THE IMPORTANT THING ABOUT THE WATCH IS THAT BILL IS CLOSE TO HIS HIGHEST RECORD FOR TVS. I HAVE BEEN ON COUNTS WHERE WE SAW OVER 800 SET DOWN IN TREETOPS AND FLYING OVER AT ONCE. SO I KNOW THE NUMBERS ARE OUT THERE IN MIGRATION OR WINTER FLOCKS. BUT TO BE ABLE TO OFFICIALLY COUNT THE MIGRATION OVER THE WATCH AND GET THE DOCUMENTED MIGRATION MOVEMENT OF THEM THERE which refects those numbers IS A SIGNIFICANT THING FOR ONE PERSON BASICALLY. A TEST SAMPLE SO TO SPEAK OF A STEADY MOVEMENT OVER THE WATCH THIS YEAR. ~ I am certainly not going to push for him to go for the record! Here is the last report, and there was not one on Friday, since he went home after about 10 minutes, thinking maybe later. I don't blame him. There's no shelter up there. Cold winds over that edge, Brrrrr.

The Month is Quickly Drawing Near to Thanksgiving Week! Oh MY!

Bill sent this report just as the cold weather reaches the valley. The colors around are gorgeous, although the leaves are falling and many trees are nearly bare. Here is the Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 report:

6 Bald Eagles

Bill said in a phone conversation that the days had been quite nice lately, temps wise, fallish overall, and nice. I have been sick but trying to keep the reports up. This is so far Bill's second best TV year. If it keeps up, it has a chance to be his best. After the sad BW season, it's refreshing. But the stinky little beetles...eewwww. YUCK Here's Monday's report- 11 18 24:

Sunday 11 17 24

After a few days off, Bill picks up a few hours following church. Here's the Sunday report:

Sandhill Cranes and Pelicans on The Report

I love the days when Sandhills, Pelicans and other large migrating birds can be seen. So fun being where these can be seen from a Hawkwatch. Here is Wednesday's report:

Tuesday 11 -12 -24

Fall has finally arrived. Some cool nights, leaves almost off many trees. Brisk winds continue into Wednesday when I am posting this. Let's see what the Report is for Tuesday, clue- Red-tails take the prize:

Monday 11 11 24, Veteran's Day and A Good Hawk Day

Still warm during the days in November. Hawks are being seen in various areas still making the shift south as slowly colder weather creeps into the states north of us. I even saw one watch counted 2 BW's this late. Wow. But the real numbers are all the way into Mexico and Panama, as well as Costa Rica. Migrating masses have passed into the southern climes now, and even the numbers down there are not in the hundreds of thousands anymore. Here's Bill's report:

Bill Noticed He Had the Largest Count For the Nation, Except Corpus Christi

Saturday's numbers were the highest count for the day, anywhere other than Corpus Christi, TX. That's quite an honor. Snow, cold, storms to our west, plus this front pushing in for Sunday, to bring our rains on Monday, had those birds centered on our watch! Great news! Something to get excited over, for sure. Nicole went up on Sunday and got a few more birds in before this front hit, so she helped us cross the 2000 bird marker for this season. Her 2,000th bird? Well, ck out her report!

Largest Single Day This Season

Until Saturday, the largest single day, this season, was 377 migrants. But Saturday's super turnout of Turkey Vultures made for an exciting day! Long time in coming for our watch this year, our new largest day is 512 Raptors in one day. I will post this report from Bill, and later get up a new report from Nicole for Sunday, which also brings great news. Our new Season Total at this point, is 1,999. What will our 2,000th bird be? Here's November 9, 24's report:

Beautiful Sunny Fall Days

Friday November 8 2024 Hawk Report

A Break For Rain, and A Full Day

Bill had an excellent day today. Thursday 11 7 24. Multiple birds of multiple species, makes for fun. Today's total settled us in to a tidy Grand Total migrating raptors seen for the all time high of 107,000 moigrants counted. Yay! Here's the report:

Monday, November 4 24

Bill was back on the watch on Monday and had a good day. Here's the report:

Just Before Bill Takes A Few Days Off 10 30 224

On Halloween eve, Bill spends a little time on the watch before his planned days off. Insulator show is calling. Here's the report:

A Very Good Mix

A great normal day! Bill loved the mix of species. More fun. He will not be on the lookout Thurs. thru Monday. Nicole might get up. We will watch for her report! Here is Tuesday's report for 10 29 24:

More Vultures Than Broadwings

Bill's report says it all - finally a day worth the wait!

Friday and Saturday Reported Today - 25th and 26th

October 25th and 26th on one report today. Bill says there are simply very few raptors to see, seeming like they have taken a totally new route. RAin came in the second half of the day here on Saturda, and has set into a slow steady rain, which we desparately needed. The Harrier is nice. I have a busy week next week. Definitely may have to report a day later at least once I am certain.

Blue Skies Are Killing Me

Thursday Oct. 24, Bill says the blue skies are murderous. As I am writing this a day later, not only are there rich fall blue skies, clear from horizon to horizon, there is also gusty wind. Bill is spending bits of time as he is able, but long days on these days, make no sense at our watch. So the records remain, but the hours are often few each day. After over 30 years of watching, you do what you love for as long as it makes sense.

Turkey Vultures Will be the Theme for a while

Thank You Susan Schott for going up with Bill today! Here's the report:

Nicole To Save The Day

Bill is having truck mechanical problems, so Nicole was able to get in about 2 hours to save the day. Thank you, so much!!! Here's her report:

TVs, SSs, BE on Sunday 10 20 24

Sunday 10 20 24 The report is remarkably similar to Saturday, but actually too co-incidental to be the same birds. The likelihood Bill would have the exact same birds come over the watch looking like migrants, would mean all of them would have flown back North and come down the pike looking like migrants twice. So funny coincedence...TVs and SSs were exactly the same today as Saturday. LOL Here's the report:

Vultures and Sharp-shins Up Their Flights

Friday October the 18th and Saturday the 19th bring an influx of Sharpies and Vultures to migration over Soddy Daisy. Nicole Spicer was along to see. Thank you Nichole for the extra eyes. It had to be a little exciting to see the sharpies at least. I am putting up the reports for both days! Yay.

Two Days Counts Oct 16 and 17th

WEdnesday and Thursday the 16th and 17th of October are getting chilly weather. Here are the reports:

Winds and Cold Rains!

Skunked - and Bill hates it. Oct 14 and 15 were zero migrant days. He called me just before he left the watch to talk about what was going on. We talked about the way whole areas of the mountains as far N as West VA have had areas washed away, and wondered if the Hurricane's effects had altered their paths. We talked about how raptors seemed to know when they needed to flee. We have seen evidence, by researchers, of song birds altering course for thousands of miles to avoid storms. He and I talked about weather patterns, warming, and the dip in the Jet Stream. The extremes of everything. The heights of revolving clouds and funnel that reach 60000 feet now. How long it has stayed so hot. So many things different this year. And the numbers probably lowest ever. So if other sites North see plenty, why not over our site. We believe they have been diverted by things like the jet stream, God giving them a sense of peril, and air currents designed to keep them further west, to preserve them. But Bill grows weary some days with no raptors anywhere except locals. It's about to turn cold! Into the 30's tonight. Hoping I don't lose a lot of plants. Gotta repair my green house. Here are Bill's last two days. Still important to the record. How would we know the difference if there was no one to notice?