[MDOsprey] [BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch

Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Sat, 02 Oct 1999 21:11:50 -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)
Counters: Kevin Graff (Oct. 2nd - 9am-6:30pm)
          Pete Webb (9:30am-5pm)
          Steve Sanford (1:10pm-5:20pm)
          Elliot & Nancy Kirschbaum (1:20pm-2:30pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 8am-6:30pm (Oct.), except 
Mon.-Thurs 8am-2pm)

SPECIES                10/02     SEASON        1998       1997
TV+                       7         34          525        362
BV                        0          5           49         13
GE                        0          0            1          3
BE (6 ad. & 9 imm.)       0         15           22          9
NH                        0          9           48         25 
SS+                       4        118          260        106
CH                       18         57          153         82
NG (male)                 0          1            1          2
RS                        4         28          108         51
BW+                       1     12,008*      11,782      4,324
RT                        0         24          526        339
RL                        0          0            7         14
OS+                       1         46           48         20
AK+                       6         69*          64         23
ML                        5         16*          15          7
PG                        0          1            4          2
SW                        0          0            1        n/a
UA                        0          0            3          4
UB                        0          2            3          3
UF                        0          0            1        n/a
UR                        0          1          n/a        n/a
                         46     12,614       13,621      5,338

Non-Raptor             10/02     SEASON        1998
Double-cr. Cormorant      0          1          141
Great Blue Heron          0          1            4
Canada Goose              0        183        2,934
Short-billed Dowitcher    0          9          n/a
Laughing Gull             1          1          n/a (new yard list)
Ring-billed Gull          3         24          467
Common Nighthawk          0         54          188
Chimney Swift+          250        907        4,486
Ruby-th. Hummingbird      0          7*           1
Belted Kingfisher         0          1 (male)   n/a
Downy Woodpecker          0          1            2
Northern Flicker          1         11*           5
Eastern Phoebe            0          2           ?
Least Flycatcher          0          1          n/a
Eastern Kingbird          0          3          n/a
Purple Martin             0          5          n/a
Barn Swallow              0        175*           3
Tree Swallow              0        100*           5
N. Rough-winged Swallow   0         35          n/a
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1          3          n/a
Ruby-crowned Kinglet      0          1 (10/01)   11
Gray Catbird              0          8           ?
Am. Robin+               12         76          866
Blue Jay+               369      1,583*         576
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          2          n/a
Am. Redstart              0          4          n/a
Bobolink                  0          3          n/a
Chipping Sparrow          0          4           ?
Song Sparrow              0          8           ?
Swamp Sparrow             0          1          n/a
Unid. sparrow sp.         0        109           ?
Common Grackle            0         53          n/a
Am. Goldfinch+           11         50           50
Scarlet Tanager+          0          1 (female) n/a
Unid. non-raptor sp.     36        310        4,283 (including sparrow)
                        684      3,786       14,539 (33 species)

Butterfly              10/02     SEASON        1998
Monarch+                268       5,893       7,399
American Lady             1           4         n/a

+ reported by other observers

Weather: am=PC    pm=PC      :Temp in the mid 70's. Wind shifted alot 
from W to SW and SWW and back to SWW and SE.

Raptor Migration Highlight: A sloooow day today. Cooper's Hawks are 
picking up. Nice day for 5 Merlin which is high for the day, the 
previous count was 3 on Sept. 15, 1998. New season record for kestrels 
and merlins. 

Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: More Blue Jay are picking up all day 
with 2, 5, 9, 12, 16, 21, 23, 17, 28, 2, 46, 2, 1, 1, 6, 11, 23, 18, 5, 
6, 6, 3, 8, 1, 1, 10, 7, 3, 1, 4, 1, 1, 3, 11, 1, 1, 4, 7, 1, 1, 2, 15, 
14, 9, and 1.

Butterfly Migration Highlight: Another Am. Lady from the north and drop 
out of the sky and resting at the butterfly bushes for a while and left 
for southwest. I'm still working on the unid. butterfly sp. from the 
last three weeks, and will post it soon.

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, PG= 
Peregrine Falcon, SW= 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

A special thanks to Pete, Steve, Elliot and Nancy to help out today, I 
was suppose to be camping at Germantown in Philadelphia, but due to some 
problem for driving.