[BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch
Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Fri, 23 Oct 1998 18:51:23 -0400
Backyard Hawk Watch (est. 1992), Fall 1998
Site: 3812 White Ave., between Belair Rd. and Walther Ave. - northeast
Baltimore City in the Gardenville section.
Topography of the Site: The prominent peak in the area is a steep ridge
about 180-200' above Belair Rd. and about 260' above sea level. It runs
northeast to southwest and is the first ridge west of the Chesapeake
Bay. It is about 12 miles from the bay, and is about 5 miles northwest
of the head of Back River, an arm of the bay, and about 6 miles north of
Baltimore's Inner Harbor. There is a long narrow old-growth of woods
about 3+ acres on top of the ridge. My hawkwatch site is about 150
yards west of the ridge. From the west side of the ridge, going west
past my site, the topography continues to rise for about 6/10 mile to a
height even higher than the ridge. The only road that runs along side
of ridge is Fairwood Ave., that connects from White Ave. to Parkmount
Ave.
The hawkwatch is located in my backyard. Most of the hawk flights
arrive from the northeast and a few from the north and northeast-east.
Reports: Kevin Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Counter: Kevin Graff
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 9am-6pm until daylight sav.time
SPECIES 10/23 SEASON 1997
Turkey Vulture 36 183 362
Black Vulture 3 23* 13
Golden Eagle 0 1 (imm. - 10/12) 3
Bald Eagle 0 18* (7 ad. & 11 imm.) 9
N. Harrier 1 44* 25
Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 177* 106
Cooper's Hawk 4 99* 82
N. Goshawk 0 1 (imm. - 10/22) 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 6 37 51
Broad-winged Hawk 2 11,781* 4,324
Red-tailed Hawk 6 76 339
Rough-legged Hawk 1 3 13
Osprey 0 48* 20
Am. Kestrel 0 61* 23
Merlin 0 11* 7
Peregrine Falcon 0 3* 2
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 (imm. light phrase - 9/16) n/a
Unidentified Accipiter 0 3 4
Unidentified Buteo 0 2 3
Unidentified Falcon 0 1 0
Unidentified Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 65 12,573* 5,338
Weather: A nice day with clear blue sky all day. Not a single cloud. It
was warm for a while, but became chilly with wind from NWN and then to
W.
Raptor Migration Highlight: Nice day for Turkey Vulture, with two large
flocks of 10 and 18. A new single day record for Red-shouldered Hawk,
last year has 3 tied of 5 in a single day.
Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: A good view of 5 Common Flicker flyby
and also two Tree Swallow. Blue Jay still going south with 4 so far
today and two Am. Goldfinches flyby too.
Note: A lonely male winter plumage Am. Goldfinch seen in one of old
maple and a Ruby-crowned Kinglet still seen again.
Questions or comments on this report to Kevin Graff at
ggraff@erols.com
Kevin Graff
Baltimore, MD
ggraff@erols.com