[MDOsprey] [BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch
Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Sun, 07 Nov 1999 23:20:10 -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. 7th - 9am-4:30pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 8am-5pm (Nov.), except
Mon.-Fri. 8am-2pm and Sat. 8am-12pm)
SPECIES 11/07 SEASON 1998 1997
TV+ 45 512 525 362
BV+ 0 17 49 13
GE (imm.) 0 1 1 3
BE (10 ad. & 20 imm.) 0 30* 22 9
NH+ 1 34 48 25
SS+ 8 339* 260 106
CH+ 4 210* 153 82
NG (2 ad. males & 1 imm.) 0 3* 1 2
RS+ 30 158* 108 51
BW+ 0 12,113* 11,782 4,324
RT+ 192* 592* 526 339
RL 1 4 7 14
OS+ 0 84* 48 20
AK+ 0 136* 64 23
ML 0 36* 15 7
PG 0 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
281* 14,286* 13,621 5,338
Non-Raptor 11/07 SEASON 1998
Common Loon 20* 32* 21
Red-throated Loon 1 3* 2
Double-cr. Cormorant 0 92 141
Great Blue Heron 0 11* 4
Canada Goose 55 2,050 2,934
Snow Goose 0 143 230
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 24 135 467
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+ 1 16* 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+ 0 149* 5
N. Rough-winged Swallow 0 35 n/a
Red-breasted Nuthatch 0 6 n/a
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 13 70* 11
Golden-crowned Kinglet 2 39* 7
Gray Catbird 0 8 ?
N. Mockingbird 0 2 n/a
Hermit Thrush 0 3 4
Am. Robin+ 2 1,256* 866
Blue Jay+ 0 2,914* 576
Cedar Waxwing 54 161* 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 3 7 ?
Song Sparrow 5 26 ?
White-throated Sparrow 30 93* 63
Swamp Sparrow 0 1 n/a
"Slate-colored" Junco 15 64* 51
Unid. sparrow sp. 13 236 ?
Red-winged Blackbird 0 60 n/a
Common Grackle+ 8 84 n/a
Pine Siskin 0 3 n/a
Am. Goldfinch+ 0 95* 50
Scarlet Tanager+ 0 1 (female) n/a
House Finch+ 0 26 n/a
Purple Finch 0 3 3
Unid. non-raptor sp.+ 38 982 4,283 (including sparrow)
284 11,177 14,539 (33 species)
Butterfly 11/07 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/PC pm= PC :Temp in the mid.to high 40's. Wind from the
NW all day. Cold and light wind.
Raptor Migration Highlight: It was a incredible day for Redtails and
Red-shouldered Hawks. New single day record again for Redtails, old
record was 80 yesterday. New single day record for total for the month
of November. Redtails had been pretty strong each hour with 11 between
9-10am, 16 between 10-11am, 42 between 11am-12pm, 30 between 12-1pm, 20
between 1-2pm, 24 between 2-3pm, 47 between 3-4pm, and 2 between
4-4:30pm. The busiest hour was 66 hawks total between 3-4pm and second
busiest hour was 59 between 11am-12pm. Redtails became the new single
season record and Turkey Vultures are getting near. Also an adult
Rough-legged Hawk at 11:35am headed SW.
Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: Good day for loons with 3 Common Loons
between 10-11am with 1 each at 10:42am, 10:53am, and 10:59am, first and
third loon headed SE and second loon headed S. Between 11-12pm has 17
Common Loons and 1 Red-throated Loon including 1 Red-throated at 11:06am
headed SE, 2 Common at 11:07am headed SE, 4 Common at 11:08am headed SE,
1 Common at 11:09am headed SE, 1 Common at 11:11am headed SE, 2 Common
at 11:17am headed SSE, 1 Common each at 11:22am, 11:23am, 11:24am, all
headed SE, 1 Common at 11:30am headed S, and 3 Common at 11:31am headed
SE. Busy day for sparrows flyby and nice flock of 41 and 13 Cedar
Waxwing too. 3 flocks of Canada Geese including 9 at 11:15am headed SW,
22 at 11:35am headed W. and 24 at 1:24pm headed S. Where are the swans,
I had 78 of them last Nov.
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