[MDOsprey] [BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch
Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Mon, 15 Nov 1999 00:12:39 -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. 14th - 10am-12:30pm & 3pm-4:30pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 8am-4:30pm (Nov.), except
Mon.-Fri. 8am-2pm and Sat. 8am-12pm)
SPECIES 11/14 SEASON 1998 1997
TV+ 1 551* 525 362
BV+ 0 33 49 13
GE (imm.) 0 1 1 3
BE (11 ad. & 21 imm.) 0 32* 22 9
NH+ 0 36 48 25
SS+ 2 352* 260 106
CH+ 1 217* 153 82
NG (2 ad. males & 1 imm.) 0 3* 1 2
RS+ 0 190* 108 51
BW+ 0 12,113* 11,782 4,324
RT+ 1 769* 526 339
RL 0 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 8 3 3
UF 0 2 1 n/a
UR 0 2 n/a n/a
5 14,576* 13,621 5,338
Non-Raptor 11/14 SEASON 1998
Common Loon 0 35* 21
Red-throated Loon 0 3* 2
Double-cr. Cormorant 0 95 141
Great Blue Heron 0 11* 4
Tundra Swan 22 75 78
Canada Goose 0 2,254 2,934
Snow Goose 0 149 230
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 0 135 467
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+ 0 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 4 104* 11
Golden-crowned Kinglet 0 46* 7
Eastern Bluebird 0 6 n/a
Gray Catbird 0 8 ?
N. Mockingbird 0 2 n/a
Hermit Thrush 0 3 4
Am. Robin+ 5 1,275* 866
Blue Jay+ 0 2,914* 576
Cedar Waxwing 0 161* 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
Am. Tree Sparrow 1 1 ?
Chipping Sparrow 0 7 ?
Song Sparrow 0 26 ?
White-throated Sparrow 0 95* 63
Swamp Sparrow 0 1 n/a
"Slate-colored" Junco 3 82* 51
Unid. sparrow sp. 9 263 ?
Red-winged Blackbird 0 60 n/a
Common Grackle+ 0 84 n/a
Pine Siskin 0 3 n/a
Am. Goldfinch+ 3 129* 50
Evening Grosbeak 0 1 n/a
Scarlet Tanager+ 0 1 (female) n/a
House Finch+ 0 26 n/a
Purple Finch 0 3 3
Unid. non-raptor sp.+ 22 1,148 4,283 (including sparrow)
69 11,786 14,539 (33 species)
Butterfly 11/14 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= S/PC :Temp in the high 50's in am and increasing
until around 3pm temp. dropping between high 40's to low 50's. Wind from
the SW in am changed to SWW at 11am and to W at 3pm.
Raptor Migration Highlight: Poor hawk flights today, blamed on the warm
weather and calm wind between 12:30pm and 3pm.
Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: A flock of 22 Tundra Swans seen almost
in close-up view at 11:17am headed SE. The swans are shy of 4 to reach
the new season record. Season first Am. Tree Sparrow seen well close up
with a black spot on its chest.
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