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: