[MDOsprey] [BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch

Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Sun, 31 Oct 1999 22:05:34 -0500


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: I started at 8am, but very low hazy thin clouds block the sky 
until 9am.

Reports: Kevin Graff (ggraff@erols.com))
Counter: Kevin Graff (Oct. 31th - 9am-5pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 8am-5pm (Nov.), except
Mon.-Thurs. 8am-2pm)

SPECIES                10/31     SEASON         1998       1997
TV+                       5        345           525        362
BV+                       0         16            49         13
GE                        0          0             1          3
BE (8 ad. & 19 imm.)      0         27*           22          9
NH+                       0         33            48         25
SS+                       8        305*          260        106
CH+                       3        189*          153         82
NG (2 ad. males & 1 imm.) 0          3*            1          2
RS+                       1        116*          108         51
BW+                       0     12,112*       11,782      4,324
RT+                      14        183           526        339
RL                        0          0             7         14
OS+                       0         84*           48         20
AK+                       0        133*           64         23
ML                        0         35*           15          7
PG                        0          4             4          2
SW                        -          -             1        n/a
UA+                       0          2             3          4
UB                        0          6             3          3
UF                        0          2             1        n/a
UR                        0          2           n/a        n/a
                         31     13,597        13,621      5,338

Non-Raptor             10/31     SEASON         1998
Common Loon               0          2            21
Red-throated Loon         0          2             2
Double-cr. Cormorant      0         92           141
Great Blue Heron          0         11*            4
Canada Goose              0      1,969         2,934
Snow Goose                0         68           230
Am. Black Duck            0          2           n/a
Northern Pintail          0          4           n/a
Short-billed Dowitcher    0          9           n/a
Common Snipe              0          1           n/a
Laughing Gull             0          1           n/a
Ring-billed Gull          0        111           467
Common Nighthawk          0         63           188
Chimney Swift+            0      2,082         4,486
Ruby-th. Hummingbird      0          7*            1
Belted Kingfisher         0          1 (male)    n/a
Downy Woodpecker          0          1             2
Northern Flicker+         0         15*            5
Eastern Phoebe            0          3            ?
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        133*            5
N. Rough-winged Swallow   0         35           n/a
Red-breasted Nuthatch     1          6           n/a
Ruby-crowned Kinglet      3         45*           11
Golden-crowned Kinglet    3         19*            7
Gray Catbird              0          8            ?
N. Mockingbird            0          2           n/a
Hermit Thrush             0          2             4
Am. Robin+               70        421           866
Blue Jay+                 0      2,914*          576
Cedar Waxwing             0         53*           30
Red-eyed Vireo            0          1           n/a
Nashville Warbler         0          1           n/a
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         17            ?
White-throated Sparrow    0         35            63
Swamp Sparrow             0          1           n/a
"Slate-colored" Junco     0         28            51
Unid. sparrow sp.         3        182            ?
Common Grackle+           8         69           n/a
Pine Siskin               2          3           n/a
Am. Goldfinch+            4         85*           50
Scarlet Tanager+          0          1 (female)  n/a
House Finch+              0         26           n/a
Purple Finch              0          3             3
Unid. non-raptor sp.+     9        760        4,283 (including sparrow)
                        103      9,451       14,539 (33 species)

Butterfly              10/31     SEASON        1998
Monarch+                  0       6,595       7,399
Question Mark             0           1         n/a
Mourning Cloak            0           5         n/a
Red Admiral               0           4         n/a
American Lady             0          11         n/a
                          0       6,616       7,399

+ reported by other observers

Weather: am= PC   pm= PC/S   :Temp in the mid 50's in early am to
late 60's before noon. Wind from the SW all day. Warm weather again for 
third straight day bringing small flights of hawks, Bummer. Warm weather 
will continue until Mon. then cold front on Tues should help to keep 
temp back to normal and good hawk flights this week.

Raptor Migration Highlight: Another slow day, but more than yesterday. 
Only highlight for the day was good Redtails flights. New season record 
is near as I need 25 to reach the mark and also need 403 to reach 
14,000.

Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: Another sisken with 2 seen together at 
1:09pm headed SW. Steady flocks of Am. Robins in mid afternoon. 

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, 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 comment on this report to Kevin Graff at
ggraff@erols.com


                Kevin Graff
                Baltimore, MD
                ggraff@erols.com