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2012 produced 33 days of exceptionally high,
“beyond-naked-eye” flights over Mount Peter, yet volunteers for our
55th annual fall hawk watch managed to break seasonal
records for the Bald Eagle and both Cooper’s and Red-shouldered
Hawks and record above-average numbers for Osprey, Sharp-shinned
Hawks, and all three falcons, including the beleaguered American
Kestrel. The resulting 9,463 raptors counted during our 66-day
watch, between September 1 and November 15, yielded a healthy 22.91
hawks per hour.
September 10 set the template for our
Broad-winged flight this season, when the 257 tallied were all
invisible without binoculars. By September 23, Mount Peter had
garnered seven more triple-digit, high-flying Broadwing counts, but
many, mere pepper specks, must have gone through undetected. Even on
our best day, September 20 when Herb Stein and Ken Witkowski
recorded 1,183 Broadwings on southerly winds, the flight was so high
that Ken had to scope Bald Eagles to identify them. Southerly winds
the next two days brought few Broadwings, then the winds shifted to
the WNW on the 23rd and ushered over another 1,150. Our
final tally of 6,073 Broadwings was only slightly above our 10-year
average. Red-shouldered Hawks surprised us this season by producing
a record 131: 49 adult, 12 immature, and 70 unknown. Our previous
high was 109 set in 1995. Shoulders produced five days with double
digit numbers between October 8 and November 4, with the 8th
scoring this season’s high of 13. Once again, Red-tailed Hawks
failed to get motivated. November 2 was an exception, with Carol
Linguanti recording 120 on moderate WNW winds. Rough-legs were a
no-show.
Sharp-shinned Hawks brought in our third best
tally in our 55-year history with 1,826 noted. Although 650 went
through in September, October garnered the majority and produced
three triple digit days: the 7th with 117, the 12th
with 205, and the 16th with 116. Many of the low Sharpies
and Cooper’s Hawks had full crops.
Cooper’s Hawks outdid themselves, setting a new fall record
of 165 over Mount Peter, in spite of having only one double-digit
day with 19 on October 8. Our previous fall record was 153 set in
2005. Ken Witkowski netted our only N. Goshawk, November 4.
American Kestrels were well above our 10-year
average with 232 counted: 51 male, 43 female, 138 unknown. Ken
Witkowski scored 30, our best day, September 23. We haven’t seen
daily numbers of that sort in years. But it’s a far cry from the 40+
and even 100+ days we had in the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s. Merlins and
Peregrine Falcons were also above average, with 23 and 20
respectively. Carol Linguanti cornered four Merlins, October 12, our
best Merlin day. Matt Zeitler and Denise Farrell tied for best
Peregrine day with three apiece, September 30 and October 20.
Although 12 Osprey were noted the second day of
the watch, most moved through with the Broadwing push between
September 13 and 17. Tom Millard caught the big day with 16 Osprey
on September 17. The N. Harrier continues to limp along and was
under our 10-year average at 47: 3 male, 8 female, 15 immature, and
21 unknown. Our biggest day was a mere four Harriers, October 12.
Gone are their double-digit days of the 1980’s.
Bald Eagles blew away their 2010 record of 89.
The 130 recorded included 63 adults, 54 immature, and 13 too high or
far out to age. Our two best tallies ever were scored this season
with 12 on September 10 and 11 on the 15th. On October
12, two of the seven Carol Linguanti observed put on quite a show.
Carol wrote, “One adult and one immature, a third-year bird and
significantly smaller than the adult (probably a male), passed in
front of the platform, locking talons over and over again.” There
was no count made of all the Bald Eagles that headed north,
including five on November 5. Although many lookouts had good Golden
Eagle counts this season, Mount Peter was not one of them. We
recorded three: 2 adult and 1 immature. Both species of vulture are
omnipresent. Roosts have been observed west of us in the Warwick
Valley and southeast of us in Greenwood Lake, making migrant
detection very challenging. Most of the Turkey Vultures recorded
migrated on three days in October and November on brisk northwest
winds.
The Monarch migration seems to peak in
mid-September, as it did this season, with 138 on both the 15th
and 16th and 190, three days later on the 20th.
Altogether, leaders counted 1,827 Monarchs through October 22. Only
seven Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were noted. 1,037 Blue Jays
migrated through between September 19 and October 10. Ken Witkowski
grabbed the best count of 213, September 23. October brought 2,432
Canada Geese on the 8th. A grand total of 9,979 moved
through by November 5. There were only two days with triple-digit
Brant: October 12 when Carol Linguanti netted 171 and the 25th
when B.A. McGrath had 108. Herb Stein spotted the only Snow Geese,
eight on October 18. B.A.’s dog flushed an American Woodcock from
the woods north of the lookout, October 25, and Matt Zeitler
observed interesting behavior on November 5 when a pair of Common
Loons went over and at one point the “considerably smaller” one
(most likely a female) performed a barrel roll. Other interesting
sightings included:
September 2
Red-breasted Nuthatch (also 2 on 9/12, another on 9/21 &
10/27), 1 C. Nighthawk
September 5
first Black-throated Green Warbler, first Redstart, 8 D.C.
Cormorants
(another 9/26, 21 on 10/21, another on 10/31)
September 7
first Purple Finch (7 on 9/10, 25 on 10/17, 2
on 11/05) E. Wood Pewee
September 10
male Prairie Warbler
September 12 Empidonax Flycatcher
September 13
first Magnolia Warbler (male)
September 17
first Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Scarlet Tanager
September 19
first Palm Warbler, E. Phoebe (another 9/21)
September 23
Black & White Warbler
September 24 pair of Black-throated Blue
Warblers, 3 Blackpolls, Red-eyed Vireo
September 26
N. Parula, Blue-headed Vireo, Nashville Warbler, C.
Yellowthroat
September 29
first Golden-crowned Kinglet, first Yellow-rumped Warbler
October 3
Pine Siskins (more 10/5, 20 on 10/14, 85 on 10/17,
more 10/18, 45 on 10/’20,
32 on 10/22, small flocks all day on 10/26, another 11/03)
October 7
C. Loon (another 10/21, 5 on 11/02, 2 on 11/05) Yellow-billed
Cuckoo
October 11
E. Towhee
October 13
250 C. Grackle
October 14
first Dark-eyed Junco
October 22
Evening Grosbeak
November 2
Hermit Thrush
November 5
3 White-winged Crossbills (4 more on 11/09)
Mount Peter’s volunteers were undeterred by impossibly high flights
and another October storm that caused blackouts, damage from downed
trees and long lines at gas stations. A big thank you to all of you
for staying the watch and especially for responding to all my
requests to cover open days.
A special thanks goes to Bill Connolly, Bill O’Keefe and Rob Stone
for their great spotting skills and valuable company. We welcome new
volunteer, Matt Zeitler who seems to be already looking forward to
next fall’s watch. Thanks goes to Sara and Mike Buckley, Denise
Farrell, Rick Hansen, Tom Millard, Bill O’Keefe, Gabriele Schmitt,
Herb Stein, Gene Tappan, and Ken Wikowski, ten hard-working
volunteers who came out for our clean-up day. A special thanks goes
to Tom Millard who installs our box and takes it down at the end of
the season. Denise Farrell and I spent the summer entering
historical data into Hawkcount. That historical data might never
have seen the light of day without Denise’s prodding and support.
Thanks Denise. We are very grateful to Ajit and Liza Anthony for
sponsoring our site on Hawkcount and to Ajit for putting us there in
the first place. Check out the varied ways you can view all our data
at www.hawkcount.org.
Finally, we are grateful to the NY Department of Environmental
Conservation for their regular clean-ups and to our founders and
sponsors, the Fyke Nature Association of Bergen County, NJ. Because
of our crew of exceptional volunteers, we continue as the oldest,
continually run, all-volunteer fall watch in the country. |