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Dedicated volunteers manned Mount Peter’s 2013
hawk watch a record 480 hours in 76 straight days between September
1 and November 15, and recorded a healthy 10,105 raptors, averaging
21.05 hawks per hour. Although no seasonal records were broken,
Red-shouldered Hawks set a new daily record, and both the Shoulders
and Bald Eagles brought in their second highest tallies in our
56-year history.
Buteos came in strong this fall. An above
average 7,611 Broad-winged Hawks padded our final tally, with most
moving through between September 13 and 22. Carol Linguanti scored
the best day with 2,684 on slow southwest winds, September 20.
Red-shouldered Hawks followed last year’s record 131, with their
second best tally ever at 118: 50 adult, 11 immature, 57 unknown.
Twenty-four went through, October 27 under Ken Witkowski’s watch,
trumping John Tramantano’s old record of 23 Shoulders (10/16/82).
Red-tailed Hawks also did quite well, finally feeling enough cold
under their tails to bring 582 over our lookout. Tom Millard claimed
the best day with 211, November 3 on moderate west winds.
Rough-legged Hawks ignored us again this season.
An under par 1,026 Sharp-shinned Hawks passed
our lookout, with Carol Linguanti garnering a weak best of 99,
October 18 on moderate west winds. After a record 165 counted last
year, Cooper’s Hawks plummeted to a disappointing 64 this season. No
Goshawk made an appearance. American Kestrel numbers were also
disappointing, with a below average 112 recorded: 28 male, 15
female, and 69 unknown. Merlins came in at a below average 14. The
only falcon that did well was the Peregrine, with a slightly above
average 15 noted.
Osprey numbers dipped, with only 126 tallied.
Rick Hansen claimed the best day with 26, September 13 on moderate
northwest winds. Although they usually move through on peak
Broadwing days, Osprey failed to join them this season. N. Harrier
number hovered around average with 51 counted: 7 male, 4 female, 12
immature and 28 unknown.
Bald Eagles pulled off our second best year
with 119 observed: 73 adult, 42 immature, and 4 unknown. Herb Stein
scored the best day, counting nine on strong west winds, September
5. A pair of Bald Eagles probably has established a territory just
north of the lookout. They were observed over two dozen different
days interacting with and possibly escorting migrants out of their
territory before returning north, a behavior we have observed in our
local Red-tails. An average five Golden Eagles delighted a lucky few
this fall: 1 adult and 4 immature. Ajit Antony was rewarded with one
on three different days: October 22 and November 4 and 12. Vultures
prove difficult to monitor from Mount Peter with both species
hunting the farms below all season. However, a record 104 Black
Vultures was noted, with 23 kettling up in the west valley,
September 30 and heading south and another 26 counted November 11.
Turkey Vultures came in at a below average 121.
Monarch Butterflies were almost a no-show this
season, with only 81 recorded. Forty-five Ruby-throated Hummingbirds
went over, most on September 3 and 4 with 10 hummers apiece. The 196
Blue Jays seen between October 2 and 3 could barely be called a
migration. Canada Geese did better with 6,149 moving through between
September 23 and October 25. That last day, Carol Linguanti scored a
high of 2,174. Messy formations of Brant headed due east over the
lookout in October, with 370 noted, 335 of them on October 28. The
only Snow Goose detected was one in a flock of Canadas, September
24. Local C. Ravens were with us daily, interacting with local and
migrant raptors, performing barrel rolls, and billing and cooing
while perched on the towers. Five others migrated past the lookout
November 11, followed by two more on the 12th. Other
interesting sightings included:
September 1 Great-crested
Flycatcher, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed Vireos, Ruby-crowned
Kinglet
September 3
1st E. Phoebe
September 4
1st Black-throated Blue
September 6
1st Scarlet Tanager, House Wren, Blue-gray
Gnatcatcher, 12 D.C. Cormorants (25 more October 25)
September 8
36 Chimney Swifts
September 9
1st E. Wood Pewee, 1st Black-throated
Green, Yellow-rumped Warblers and Blue-headed Vireo
September 10
C. Nighthawk, Nashville Warbler
September 12
Olive-sided Flycatcher (another September 26)
September 13
1st Black & White and Blackpoll Warblers
September 14
17 Tree Swallows, Blackburnian, Magnolia & Am. Redstart
Warblers
September 16
1st Pileated Woodpecker, 1st Palm
Warbler
September 20
2 Winter Wrens, 1st Purple Finch (a
pair 10/29 & a single 11/15)
September 21
1st C. Loon (another 11/6)
September 23
adult Red-headed Woodpecker (immature 9/26)
September 24
1st Chipping Sparrow (18 more on 10/30) adult
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (immature 10/15 & 16 & 22)
September 25
1st E. Towhee
September 29
3 Catbirds
October 2
1st Golden-crowned Kinglets
October 4
1st White-throated Sparrow
October 10
13 E. Bluebirds (others around almost daily) 1st
Rose-breast Grosbeak
October 23
our only Red-breasted Nuthatch
October 26
5 Am. Pipits
October 28
Hermit Thrush
November 10
2 C. Mergansers
Not one day passed this season without one
of our leaders putting in time on the lookout, even on drizzly,
foggy days. We are fortunate to have such an enthusiastic crew.
Thank you all. But we can’t do it alone. We are equally grateful
to our many visitors, especially three sharp-eyed regulars who
contributed much to the count and our sanity: Bill Connolly,
Bill O’Keefe and Rob Stone. Welcome back to Linda Peskac who
first joined our crew in 1991. A very big thanks goes out to our
clean-up crew, Carole Baligh, Denise Farrell, Tom Millard,
Rochana Muenthongchin, Gabrielle Schmitt, Herb Stein, Gene
Tappan and Ken Witkowski, who helped us beat back the
encroaching flora that seems determined to shut us down. Special
thanks to Tom for installing and taking down our box on the
platform. We are very grateful for generous contributions from
The Fyke Nauture Association and from Ajit and Liza Antony in
support of the Mount Peter site on Hawkcount. And I would like
to express my personal appreciation to Ajit, Denise Farrell,
Carol Linguanti, Ken Witkowski and Matt Zeitler for entering
their data into Hawkcount and making my job much easier.
Finally, we are grateful for the NY Department of Environmental
Conservation’s regular clean-ups and for our founders and
sponsors, the Fyke Nature Association of Bergen Count, NJ. For
yet another year, we remain the oldest, continually run,
all-volunteer fall watch in the country.
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