[MDOsprey] [BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch - new BW record

Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Sun, 19 Sep 1999 21:31:51 -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.

Note: This is a Saturday report (Sept. 18th). Went to Cromwell Valley 
Park at 8am and went back to my backyard at 9:50am. Many BW's seen take 
off at the park at 9am.


Reports: Kevin Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Counter: Kevin Graff (Sept. 18th - 9:50am-12:00pm & 12:20pm-6:30pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 8am-7:30pm (Sept.), except 
Mon.-Thurs. 8am-2pm)

SPECIES                9/18      SEASON        1998      1997
TV                       2          24          525       362
BV                       0           3           49        13
GE                       0           0            1         3
BE (3 ad. & 9 imm.)      2          12           22         9
NH                       1           6           48        25
SS                       4          34          260       106
CH                       2          16          153        82
NG                       0           0            1         2
RS                       1           6          108        51
BW                   7,002*      9,672       11,782     4,324
RT                       0          10          526       339
RL                       0           0            7        14
OS                       8          27           48        20
AK                       4          32           64        23
ML                       1           6           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       n/a
UR                       0           1          n/a       n/a
                     7,027*     10,031       13,621     5,338

Non-Raptor             9/18      SEASON        1998
Great Blue Heron         0           1            4
Canada Goose            50          50        2,934
Short-billed Dowitcher   0           9          n/a
Ring-billed Gull         0          14          467
Common Nighthawk         1          50          188
Chimney Swift            6         279        4,286
Ruby-th. Hummingbird     1           7*           1
Belted Kingfisher        0           1 (male)   n/a
Eastern Phoebe           0           2 (date unknown -2 weeks ago?)
Least Flycatcher         0           1          n/a
Eastern Kingbird         0           3          n/a
Purple Martin            0           5          n/a
Barn Swallow             1         170*           3
Tree Swallow             0          92*           5
N. Rough-winged Swallow  0          34          n/a
Red-breasted Nuthatch    0           2          n/a
Am. Robin                0           9          866
Cedar Waxwing            0          53*          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          66           ?
Common Grackle           0          41          n/a
Am. Goldfinch            2           7           50
Unid. non-raptor sp.     3          60        4,283 (including sparrow)
                        64         959       14,539 (33 species)

Butterfly              9/18      SEASON        1998
Monarch              3,066       3,442        7,399
                     3,066       3,442        7,399

Weather: am=PC    pm=PC     :Temp in the upper 70's. Good wind from the 
NW and shifted back to SWW rest of the day and sometimes from the W and 
SW.

Raptor Migration Highlight: WOWEE!!!!! A new single day record for 
Broadwings, with previous old record was 3,201 on Sept. 25, 1998. First 
movement at 9:50am with 25 birds and last kettles came in at 4:27pm with 
22 and last hawk pass by at 6:00pm. One largest kettle today at 11:00am 
with 1,201 and second largest at 11:21am with 1,054 and largest kettles 
under 1,000 is 701 at 11:34am, more than 90 percent of Broadwings headed 
SWW with few to W and less than 10 percent headed SE. More Broadwings 
still reported up in NY and NJ (one hawkwatch had more than 7,400? and 
other has 6,000), look like I might get new season record for Broadwings 
this week ( I need 2,111 more to beat the season record). Good day for 
Osprey.

Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: Season first geese migration today with 
a flock of 50 birds headed SE at 12:41pm. This is the earliest record 
for the geese, last fall first geese migrants on Sept 24, 1998, I think. 

Butterfly Migration Highlight: First major movement of Monarch all day, 
but not a new single day record, last fall, 5,883 recorded on Sept. 17, 
1998.

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, PC= Partly Cloudy, MC= Mostly Cloudy, R= Rain

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


                Kevin Graff
                Baltimore, MD
                ggraff@erols.com