[MDOsprey] [BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch

Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Tue, 07 Sep 1999 23:04:37 -0400


Backyard Hawk Watch (est. 1992), Fall 1999

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 
between 3-5 acres on top of the ridge. My hawkwatch site is about 150 
yards west of 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 (Sept. 7th - 10:05am-12:30pm & 12:50pm-1:35pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 8am-7:30pm (Sept.), except 
Mon.-Thurs. 8am-2pm)

SPECIES                9/07      SEASON        1998      1997
TV                       1           5          525       362
BV                       0           1           49        13
GE                       0           0            1         3
BE (1 ad. & 4 imm.)      0           5           22         9
NH                       2           4           48        25
SS                       2          11          260       106 
CH                       1           4          153        82
NG                       0           0            1         2
RS                       0           3          108        51
BW                      12          36       11,782     4,324
RT                       0           7          526       339
RL                       0           0            7        14
OS                       0          13           48        20
AK                       1          17           64        23
ML                       0           1           15         7
PF                       0           0            4         2
SH                       0           0            1       n/a
UA                       0           0            3         4
UB                       0           1            3         3
UF                       0           0            1         0
UR                       0           0            0         0
                        19         108       13,621     5,338

Non-Raptor             9/07      SEASON        1998   
Great Blue Heron         0           1            4
Short-billed Dowitcher   0           9          n/a
Ring-billed Gull         0          14          467
Common Nighthawk         0           8          188
Chimney Swift           11          81        4,486
Ruby-th. Hummingbird     0           1            1
Belted Kingfisher        0           1 (male)   n/a
Least Flycatcher         0           1          n/a
Eastern Kingbird         0           3          n/a
Purple Martin            1           5          n/a
Barn Swallow            53         146*           3
Tree Swallow            38          67*           5
N. Rough-winged Swallow  2          32          n/a
Red-breasted Nuthatch    0           2          n/a
Am. Robin                0           4          866
Cedar Waxwing            0          13           30
Yellow Warbler           0           1 (imm.)     1
Black-th. Blue Warbler   0           1 (female) n/a
Black-and-white Warbler  0           1          n/a
Am. Redstart             0           4          n/a
Bobolink                 0           3          n/a
Chipping Sparrow         0           4           ?
Swamp Sparrow            0           1          n/a
Unid sparrow sp.         0          33           ?
Common Grackle           0          41          n/a
Am. Goldfinch            0           4           50
Unid. non-raptor sp.     0           5        4,283 (including sparrow)
                       105         486       14,539 (33 species)

Butterfly              9/07      SEASON        1998
Monarch                  6          65        7,399
                         6          65        7,399

Weather: am=MC      pm=PC     :Temp in the mid to upper 80's. Gray 
clouds in early am prevents hawkwatch until 10:05am. Became partly 
cloudy in late am with few sun. Wind from the SW and W and sometimes to 
NWW. 

Raptor Migration Highlight: Finally got some early small kettles, first 
Broadwing with 5 at 12:15pm headed SWW and 2 seconds later, 3 at 12:15pm 
headed SE.

Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: Major movement of swallows in am with 
at least a dozen in pm. Seen 13 warblers species at the ridge yesterday.

Butterfly Migration Highlight: n/a

Standard hawk species identifier codes used: TV= Turkey Vulture, BV= 
Black Vulture, GE= Golden Eagle, BE= Bald Eagle, NH= N. harrier, SS= 
Sharp-shinned Hawk, CH= Cooper's Hawk, NG= N. Goshawk, RS= 
Red-shouldered Hawk, BW= Broad-winged Hawk, RT= Red-tailed Hawk, RL= 
Rough-legged Hawk, OS= Osprey, AK= Am. Kestrel, ML= Merlin, PF= 
Peregrine Falcon, SH= Swainson's Hawk, UA= Unidentified Accipiter, UB= 
Unidentified Buteo, UF= Unidentified Falcon, UR= Unidentified Raptor.

Sky codes: S= Sunny, MS= Mostly Sunny, MC= Mostly Cloudy, PC= Partly 
Cloudy, R= Rain

Questions or comments on this report to Kevin Graff at
ggraff@erols.com


                Kevin Graff
                Baltimore, MD
                ggraff@erols.com