[MDOsprey] [BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch
Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Mon, 01 Nov 1999 23:36:49 -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.
Reports: Kevin Graff (ggraff@erols.com))
Counter: Kevin Graff (Nov. 1st - 9am-2pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 8am-5pm (Nov.), except
Mon.-Thurs. 8am-2pm)
SPECIES 11/01 SEASON 1998 1997
TV+ 22 367 525 362
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+ 5 310* 260 106
CH+ 4 193* 153 82
NG (2 ad. males & 1 imm.) 0 3* 1 2
RS+ 3 119* 108 51
BW+ 1 12,113* 11,782 4,324
RT+ 17 200 526 339
RL 0 0 7 14
OS+ 0 84* 48 20
AK+ 0 133* 64 23
ML 0 35* 15 7
PG 1 5* 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
53 13,650* 13,621 5,338
Non-Raptor 11/01 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 0 6 n/a
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 4 49* 11
Golden-crowned Kinglet 3 22* 7
Gray Catbird 0 8 ?
N. Mockingbird 0 2 n/a
Hermit Thrush 0 2 4
Am. Robin+ 0 421 866
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 1 36 63
Swamp Sparrow 0 1 n/a
"Slate-colored" Junco 0 28 51
Unid. sparrow sp. 7 189 ?
Common Grackle+ 0 69 n/a
Pine Siskin 0 3 n/a
Am. Goldfinch+ 2 87* 50
Scarlet Tanager+ 0 1 (female) n/a
House Finch+ 0 26 n/a
Purple Finch 0 3 3
Unid. non-raptor sp.+ 14 774 4,283 (including sparrow)
31 9,482 14,539 (33 species)
Butterfly 11/01 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= S pm= PC/MC :Temp in the mid 50's in early am to
late 60's before noon. Wind from the S until changed to SSW at 11:45am,
for a while changed back and forth from SSW to S few times.
Raptor Migration Highlight: New season record today, and getting close
to reach 14,000. Better than yesterday with more wind. Another
Peregrine, 3rd one in over a week and new season record. An adult seen
at 10:52am headed SW. Late Broadwing at 11:11am with a kettle 15 hawks
and vultures including 11 Turkey Vultures, 1 Cooper's Hawk, 2
Red-shouldered Hawks, and 1 Red-tailed Hawk, all headed SW. Turkey Point
Hawk Watch has 8 Broadwings today. Female Cooper's Hawk at 11:39am has
a tangled L leg. The total for the month of October is 1,408 which is
higher than last Oct.
Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: Kinglets and goldfinches continue to
migranting almost everyday, and several other seen in yard everyday.
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