Birdingonthe.Net Recent Postings from Delaware Birds > Home > Mail > Alerts Updated on Friday, November 6 at 09:47 PM ET The most recently received Mail is at the top.	Zapata Wren,©Barry Kent Mackay

6 Nov RBA: Birdline Delaware, November 6th, 2009 [Andy Ednie ] 6 Nov Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (06 Nov 2009) 130 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 6 Nov HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (06 Nov 2009) 291 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 6 Nov Bombay Hook Photography Exhibit - Larry Husfelt - November 7 & 8, 2009. [tina watson ] 5 Nov Delaware Dunlins Bombay Hook field trip, 11/7 [Derek Stoner ] 5 Nov HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (05 Nov 2009) 164 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 5 Nov Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (05 Nov 2009) 140 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 5 Nov Facebook Group Hawk Watch Link [Rachael Shapiro ] 5 Nov yard birds [Steven Graff ] 4 Nov Delaware Valley RBA, 4 NOV 2009 [Stephen E Kacir ] 4 Nov This morning's Bird Walk - CHSP [Forrest Rowland ] 4 Nov Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (04 Nov 2009) 174 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 4 Nov Bird Walk at Ashland tomorrow, 11/5 [Derek Stoner ] 4 Nov HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (04 Nov 2009) 286 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 4 Nov Tundra Swans with blue neck bands [James Tyler Bell ] 4 Nov Hawk Watch Facebook Group [Rachael Shapiro ] 3 Nov Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (03 Nov 2009) 123 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 3 Nov Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) Upcoming Meeting (11/5/09) [Bert Filemyr ] 3 Nov Bird Walk CHSP tomorrow morning [Forrest Rowland ] 3 Nov HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (03 Nov 2009) 642 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 3 Nov Abbott's Mill/Sussex Bird Club - TANAGER [Jason Beale ] 3 Nov Great White Heron photos; second attemp [joe sebastiani ] 3 Nov Great White Heron Photos [joe sebastiani ] 2 Nov Ashland Nature Center (02 Nov 2009) 301 Raptors [Derek Stoner ] 2 Nov Great White Heron in Bethany Beach [] 2 Nov Rare birds in the region [Forrest Rowland ] 2 Nov Sandhill Crane at Bombay Hook NWR [John Janowski ] 2 Nov HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (02 Nov 2009) 4 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 2 Nov Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (01 Nov 2009) 129 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 2 Nov Rainy Day Birds at Cape Henlopen State Park - WESTERN KINGBIRD, Black-capped Chickadee, Purple Sandpiper [Forrest Rowland ] 2 Nov News Journal article: Full moon casts light on migration [Charles Fullmer ] 1 Nov HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (01 Nov 2009) 34 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 1 Nov "Bird/Birding Cape May" by Pat/Clay Sutton at Wyncote Audubon Dinner 12/6 [Clifford Hence ] 1 Nov Waterfowl Back at Hoopes' Reservoir [Andy Ednie ] 31 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (31 Oct 2009) 2 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 31 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (31 Oct 2009) 23 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 31 Oct Middletown Auto Park American Pipits [Rodney Murray ] 31 Oct Bombay Hook Photography exhibit - James Campion [tina watson ] 31 Oct Chester Co., Bucktoe Creek Preserve [Joe Sebastiani ] 30 Oct RBA: Birdline Delaware, October 30th, 2009 [Andy Ednie ] 30 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (30 Oct 2009) 86 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 30 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (30 Oct 2009) 225 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 29 Oct Harlequin Duck and 2 White-winged Scoter [Forrest Rowland ] 29 Oct Bombay Hook area (Thursday) [Maurice Barnhill ] 29 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (29 Oct 2009) 54 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 29 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (29 Oct 2009) 4 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 29 Oct Ashland bird walk [joe sebastiani ] 29 Oct Middletown Horned Larks [Mike Liberati ] 29 Oct Common Nighthawk after dark ["Bennett Chris (DNREC)" ] 29 Oct Brandywine Creek Bird Walk [Andy Ednie ] 28 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (28 Oct 2009) 37 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 28 Oct Delaware Valley RBA, 28 OCT 2009 [Stephen E Kacir ] 28 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (28 Oct 2009) 9 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 28 Oct Ashland bird walk [joe sebastiani ] 28 Oct Lookout for Trumpeter Swans ["Gonzon Anthony T. (DNREC)" ] 27 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (26 Oct 2009) 155 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 27 Oct Ashland Nature Center (25 Oct 2009) 55 Raptors [Derek Stoner ] 26 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (26 Oct 2009) 11 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 26 Oct RE: Fwd: Wood Stork at Ashland? ["Inskip, Gregory A." ] 26 Oct Fwd: Wood Stork at Ashland? [Bob Rufe ] 26 Oct Fwd: Wood Stork at Ashland? [Bob Rufe ] 25 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (25 Oct 2009) 391 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 24 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (24 Oct 2009) 3 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 24 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (24 Oct 2009) 75 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 24 Oct RBA: Birdline Delaware, October 23rd, 2009 [Andy Ednie ] 24 Oct Chester Co., Bucktoe Creek Preserve [Joe Sebastiani ] 23 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (23 Oct 2009) 107 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 23 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (23 Oct 2009) 33 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 22 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (22 Oct 2009) 206 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 22 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (22 Oct 2009) 78 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 22 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (22 Oct 2009) 206 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] 22 Oct mistake or two ["sally o'byrne" ] 22 Oct Ashland's morning walk ["sally o'byrne" ] 21 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (21 Oct 2009) 143 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 21 Oct Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (20 Oct 2009) 125 Raptors [Cyrus Moqtaderi ] 21 Oct HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (21 Oct 2009) 323 Raptors ["Hawkcount.Org Reports" ] Subject: RBA: Birdline Delaware, November 6th, 2009 From: Andy Ednie <ednieap AT verizon.net> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 22:45:39 -0500 RBA * Delaware * Statewide * November 6, 2009 * DEST0911.06 *Birds mentioned Tundra Swan Wood Duck Ringed Teal (escape) Lesser Scaup Greater Scaup Ring-necked Duck Long-tailed Duck White-winged Scoter Common Eider Bufflehead Hooded Merganser Ruddy Duck Common Loon Pied-billed Grebe Horned Grebe Double-crested Cormorant Great White Heron Great Egret Cattle Egret Sandhill Crane Black Vulture Bald Eagle Golden Eagle Northern Goshawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel American Coot Black-bellied Plover American Avocet Western Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Parasitic Jaeger Lesser Black-backed Gull Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Pileated Woodpecker Western Kingbird Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch American Pipit American Tree Sparrow Fox Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Scarlet Tanager Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: November 6, 2009 Number: 302-658-2747 To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE) Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap AT verizon.net) Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern New Jersey, Maryland Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap AT verizon.net) For Friday, November 6th, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville. The 2009 Unofficial Delaware State Year List now stands at 326 species, with one new addition this week. This past week a WESTERN KINGBIRD was found at Ft Miles in Cape Henlopen State Park. That bird was a one-day wonder, not reported again. Another bird, equally rare in Sussex Co was a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE reported at Cape Henlopen. This is only the second record I know of for the county. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER, FOX SPARROW and a female BALTIMORE ORIOLE were also reported. The best bird at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch was a NORTHERN GOSHAWK today. Tuesday was the big day at the watch with 223 SHARP-SHINS, 87 COOPER'S, 9 BALD and 1 GOLDEN EAGLE reported. Fly-by waterfowl this week included both LESSER and GREATER SCAUP, 6 LONG-TAILED DUCKS, WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, COMMON EIDER, HORNED GREBE, PURPLE SANDPIPER and PARASITIC JAEGER. A GREAT WHITE HERON was found this weekend and photographed on Monday on Cedar Neck, between Ocean View and Indian River Inlet. That bird was found in a pond near a new development off Fred Hudson Rd, near Fresh Pond State Park, just before the intersection with Cedar Neck Rd. A SANDHILL CRANE was seen near Raymond Pool in Bombay Hook NWR . Other birds at Bombay Hook included TUNDRA SWANS, the previously reported banded RINGED TEAL, RUDDY DUCK, PIED-BILLED GREBE, AMERICAN COOT and a LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL. A flock of 77 BLACK-BELLED PLOVERS along with 55 AMERICAN AVOCETS and a WESTERN SANDPIPER were also seen at the refuge. An immature GOLDEN EAGLE was seen at the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch today. 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS were seen at the hawk watch on Wednesday, along with 4 BALD EAGLES. The big flight on Monday also reported a distant GOSHAWK along with 62 BLACK VULTURES, 34 RED-SHOULDERS, 73 RED-TAILS, 53 SHARP-SHINS, and 19 COOPER'S HAWKS. The hawk watch also had several fly-over COMMON LOONS. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and PILEATED WOODPECKERS were at the watch on Monday. The later is probably one species that will never be reported at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch. Yesterday at Ashland there were 4 AMERICAN TREE SPARROWS, a FOX SPARROW and a YELLOW-BELLIED SAPSUCKER. A nearby Hoopes' Reservoir, waterfowl there this week included 6 BUFFLEHEADS, 3 RING-NECKED DUCK, 2 HOODED MERGANSERS, 6 WOOD DUCKS, 5 PIED-BILLED GREBES and a DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT. Another RING-NECKED DUCK was seen at Harry's Pond at the Brandywine Town Center on Saturday. A flock of approximately 100 AMERICAN PIPITS were seen at the Middletown Auto Mall of Rt 301, west of Middletown. 2 CATTLE EGRETS were also seen there, along with COOPER'S HAWK and AMERICAN KESTREL. 12 RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were reported at Dragon Run Marsh in Delaware City. GREAT EGRET, BALD EAGLE and 12 WOOD DUCKS were also seen there. A late SCARLET TANAGER was reported at Abbott's Mill Nature Center near Milford. A feeder in Felton had a female PURPLE FINCH plus WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW. Now for this week's Birdline special feature from WILM News Radio: As the winter month's approach, large flocks of CROWS gather along the Delaware River. From Delaware City at sunset, you can watch thousands of these black birds cross the river to their roost in Salem County. Two different species of Crow are found in these flocks. The COMMON CROW is more abundant and vocalizes a harsh "Caw, caw, caw" (Common Crow SFX). Occasionally, you hear the more nasal call of the Common Crow's smaller cousin, the FISH CROW (Fish Crow SFx). Both species are so similar that they are practically inseparable by observation. Birders watch these flocks to find a rare visitor from the north, the COMMON RAVEN, with its harsh croak (Raven SFX.). While reported in Delaware, no Raven sightings have yet been confirmed. This presents the answer to Hempel's question of the RAVEN Paradox "if RAVENS are all black, then all non-black birds are non-RAVENS". This hypothesis is formed by intuition, and violates inductive logic, a cornerstone of the scientific method. If you observe a green apple, it is non-black so must be a non-RAVEN. The paradox is; one hypothesis does not answer all questions. If Hempel was a birder, he would have known the Peterson identification system requires several field marks and that nature has no absolutes. Hempel would have been better off buying a pair of binoculars and walking through Princeton Woods. Special thanks this week to Frank Rohrbacher, Bruce Peterjohn, John Janowski, Rod Murray, Jason Beale, Steven Graff, Kim Steininger, Derek Stoner, and our hawk watchers; Cyrus Moqtaderi and Forrest Rowland for their reports. Also, Jeff and Maurice for the philosophy lesson. You can report sightings or add to the State Year List by calling 302-792-9591 or email ednieap AT verizon.net. Until next week, good birding. -end transcript Andy Ednie Claymont, Delaware Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (06 Nov 2009) 130 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 21:54:05 -0500 Hello, Cyrus here! A blustery watch day here at Ashland, but it proved well worth the windburn as we broke 12,000 birds this afternoon. More remarkably, bird 12,000 just happened to be a beautifully soaring immature Golden Eagle. What luck, no? Good buteo movements as well. Plus, an eastern bluebird landed on my head this morning (honest!). Details below, see you up there, - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 06, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 16 141 473 Turkey Vulture 47 241 571 Osprey 0 4 223 Bald Eagle 0 11 215 Northern Harrier 1 5 69 Sharp-shinned Hawk 16 136 1315 Cooper's Hawk 0 35 408 Northern Goshawk 0 3 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 10 80 166 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 38 317 580 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 1 7 American Kestrel 0 4 422 Merlin 0 8 53 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 28 Unknown Buteo 1 7 22 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 20 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 130 997 12004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Derek Stoner, Joe Sebastiani, Jonathan Stein Visitors: 6 visitors total. Can't blame anyone for skipping a visit this morning. The wind was brutal on top! Alicia braved the cold twice, as well as Eric R. Larry G. who stopped in for short visits. Jon Stein, Joe Sebastiani and Derek Stoner all helped keep watch throughout the afternoon. Weather: Clear. Cold morning (4C) with strong winds of 20mph blowing consistently until noon (when temps stabilized around 7C). Winds slowed some, but were still strong and from the NW. Few clouds today. In short, it was cold up there. Raptor Observations: A strong buteo movement today. Every binocular sweep seemed to turn up at least one Red-taileds (36 total) or Red-shouldered (10 total)! Turkey Vultures moved regularly, ending with 47 total. Certainly the most exciting landmark was the recording of bird 12,000 for the season. At 3:22pm, high in the sky, with wings spread sharply into the wind, sailed one spectacular Golden Eagle, marking 12,000 birds for the 2009 Ashland Hawk Watch season. The bird's immature plumage caught the low afternoon sun perfectly and we were afforded a long and luxurious view. A fitting bird for our new record-breaking benchmark! Non-raptor Observations: A bright male Eastern Bluebird landed on my head this morning. He perched for about 3 seconds before I turned my head and scared him off. I was standing up and not keeping particularly still when he showed. Certainly a first for me. Predictions: High of 57F and mostly sunny. Winds will be from the SW, but we'll still see some good birds I reckon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (06 Nov 2009) 291 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 17:11:14 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 06, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 13 79 287 Turkey Vulture 57 411 1071 Osprey 0 4 3062 Bald Eagle 2 21 489 Northern Harrier 38 93 603 Sharp-shinned Hawk 72 422 5372 Cooper's Hawk 32 167 1515 Northern Goshawk 1 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 11 24 39 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 333 Red-tailed Hawk 47 133 457 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 2 4 American Kestrel 8 28 1833 Merlin 9 21 1027 Peregrine Falcon 0 14 826 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 12 Unknown Buteo 0 0 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 40 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 291 1421 16998 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 15:45:00 Total observation time: 8.25 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Diane Kane, Susan Gruver Visitors: Few Weather: Mostly sunny with a high temp of 10C/50F. Winds 20-25mph gusting over 35mph in the morning. In the afternoon the winds diminished somewhat to around 15mph, gusting over 20. Raptor Observations: Difficult day of observation. Thankfully, We managed to scope a lot of birds coming off the Ocean well to the South. Biggest highlights? One of EACH of the winter specials! 1 imm. Northern Goshawk, and 1 juv. Golden Eagle!!! The following Bay-crossing times were observed with cooperation from Doug Gochfeld of Cape May: male Harrier dep CMHW 1248 arr CHHW 1329 imm. Goshawk dep CMHW 1219 arr CHHW 1259 Non-raptor Observations: More Common Eider, a great Gannet show, and FOS Horned Grebe! Predictions: Light SW winds under sunny skies predicted for tomorrow. Could be fairly productive. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Bombay Hook Photography Exhibit - Larry Husfelt - November 7 & 8, 2009. From: tina watson <tinawatsonde AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2009 11:25:51 -0800 If you are birding at Bombay Hook this weekend stop in and view Larry Husfelt's Photography Exhibit. It is in the auditorium from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday and Sunday. Tina Watson Middletown, DE Subject: Delaware Dunlins Bombay Hook field trip, 11/7 From: Derek Stoner <derekstoner AT HOTMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 22:30:44 -0500 Greetings: This Saturday, November 7, the Delaware Dunlins Youth Birders Club will visit Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge for a waterfowl watching field trip. The group will meet at 9:00am at the visitors center and bird until noon. Lots of Snow Geese, Northern Pintails, Green-winged Teal, and other waterfowl are jammed into the refuge now, along with shorebirds and lingering Great Egrets. Who knows-- maybe the Sandhill Crane will make a re-appearance! We invite anyone interested in a fun and exciting birding experience to join us for the trip, as enthusiasm for birds is the common denominator we all share. Good birding, Derek Stoner Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (05 Nov 2009) 164 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 17:11:11 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 05, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 8 66 274 Turkey Vulture 23 354 1014 Osprey 3 4 3062 Bald Eagle 5 19 487 Northern Harrier 15 55 565 Sharp-shinned Hawk 57 350 5300 Cooper's Hawk 21 135 1483 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 4 13 28 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 333 Red-tailed Hawk 17 86 410 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 1 3 American Kestrel 5 20 1825 Merlin 3 12 1018 Peregrine Falcon 3 14 826 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 12 Unknown Buteo 0 0 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 40 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 164 1130 16707 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7.25 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Visitors: Numerous visitors on this fine day. Weather: Winds 5-10mph out of the N to WNW and varying in intensity quite a bit. Clear blue skies with a high of 15C/59F. Visibility great. Raptor Observations: Another fine day for this time a year. Good diversity but most birds high and to the South of the platform. The following Bay-crossing times were observed in coordination with Doug Gochfeld of Cape May: Juv. Bald Eagle dep CMHW 1312 arr CHHW 1334 Non-raptor Observations: 89 species today with FOS Long-tailed Ducks (26)!!! Great diversity of waterfowl and seabirds including one marauding Parasitic Jaeger stealing fish from gulls and chasing terns. Also, one Elf getting her photo taken with a pink Christmas tree and the Marlboro Man, complete with horse and cowboy hat. I swear... Predictions: Sunny, high of 51F. Sounds nice, save for 25-30mph NW winds dying off slightly after noon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (05 Nov 2009) 140 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 15:55:43 -0500 Hello! Cyrus here with the day's report. Some cold rain cut us short 45 minutes today, but still a strong flight. Flight was strong the first few hours of watch, with birds high (mostly buteos) and perhaps attempting to pass before this rain. Movement thinned as the day progressed, but we still ended with 140 birds! They just don't stop here at Ashland. Tomorrow is going to be a windy one, details below, - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 05, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 24 125 457 Turkey Vulture 40 194 524 Osprey 0 4 223 Bald Eagle 1 11 215 Northern Harrier 0 4 68 Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 120 1299 Cooper's Hawk 1 35 408 Northern Goshawk 0 3 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 9 70 156 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 52 279 542 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 6 American Kestrel 0 4 422 Merlin 2 8 53 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 28 Unknown Buteo 0 6 21 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 20 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 140 867 11874 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Carol Majors, Joe Sebastiani Visitors: Good visits today! Alicia, Hank, Carol, Karen and Joe all came up after the birdwalk to sit awhile on watch. Jill C. stopped in midday to catch a breather from the daily grind. My sister, Nedda, and my niece, Ada, came up for a great time on the hill. Always makes my day to see my favorite (and only) niece. She's got quite an interest in birds for a 21-month-year-old. Rich Cross stopped in again, making some good calls on passing Red-taileds. Shari E. made her visit up top and Christy B. managed to catch some time on the hill before the rains hit. 11 total. Weather: Clear morning with plenty of sun and a light NW wind. Clouds increased as afternoon pressed on, eventually bringing in damp air and a cold rain at 3pm. Watch was abandoned when rain intensified. Raptor Observations: A strong movement of high-flying birds this morning, mostly Red-taileds (52 total), Red-shouldereds (9 total), and Vultures (24 BV, 40 TV total). The day continued to be a buteo show, but birds lowered and eventually tapered off as cloud cover increased. Two afternoon Merlins, each spent some time pursuing birds and giving a great show. Non-raptor Observations: Many sparrows on the bird walk this morning, including 4 Tree Sparrows on the hill and Fox Sparrow down below. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker passed over the hill, vocalizing loudly. 2 Monarchs today. Predictions: Clear with NW winds, though it looks like those winds may hit 20mph. Dress warmly if you're stopping in! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Facebook Group Hawk Watch Link From: Rachael Shapiro <rshapiro AT AWOUS.COM> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 12:15:56 -0500 Hello DE Birds, Here is the link for the new Facebook Group: I Love Hawk Watch. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=171605151251&ref=ts We are now at 13 members...some members are site coordinators... And have towards 40 photos .... Most of which show the birds in flight! Very, very helpful!!!! .... And more fun than a guide book¹s black silhouettes! Join us on the platform, Rachael -- ATTENTION: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: rshapiro AT awous.com Rachael Shapiro, President A Woman of Uncommon Scents, Inc. P.O. Box 103 Roxbury, PA 17251 1-800-377-3685 1-800-ESSENTL Subject: yard birds From: Steven Graff <steven_graff_2004 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2009 05:38:52 -0800 The bird feeder activity has really picked up in the last week.  Loads of House Finches along with 1 female Purple Finch; Juncos started showing up two days ago; two White-crowned Sparrows with a single White-throated Sparrow.  Bluebirds have been comming in to eat Bayberries.  And the Great-horned Owls have been really hooting it up right after dusk.   Steve Graff Felton, DE Subject: Delaware Valley RBA, 4 NOV 2009 From: Stephen E Kacir <rba AT DVOC.ORG> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 20:27:22 -0800 - RBA * PA, NJ, DE * Delaware Valley: Southeast PA, Central/Southern NJ & DE * PADV0911.04 * November 11, 2009 - Birds Mentioned Pacific Loon (NJ)+ Great White Heron (DE)+ Ash-throated Flycatcher (NJ)+ Western Kingbird (DE)+ (NJ)+ (Details requested by NJBRC) (PA)+ (Details requested by PORC) (DE)+ (Details requested by DERC) Red-throated Loon Common Loon Horned Grebe Red-necked Grebe Brown Pelican Great Cormorant American Bittern Tricolored Heron Yellow-crowned Night-heron Cackling Goose Brant Tundra Swan Eurasian Wigeon King Eider Common Eider Harlequin Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Common Goldeneye Northern Goshawk Golden Eagle Peregrine Falcon Northern Bobwhite Virginia Rail Common Moorhen Sandhill Crane American Golden-plover American Avocet Spotted Sandpiper Marbled Godwit Red Knot Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Purple Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher Parasitic Jaeger Black-headed Gull Iceland Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Forster's Tern Black Skimmer Common Nighthawk Ruby-throated Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird Red-headed Woodpecker Western Kingbird Northern Shrike White-eyed Vireo Common Raven Cliff Swallow Cave Swallow Black-capped Chickadee Red-breasted Nuthatch Marsh Wren American Pipit Orange-crowned Warbler Magnolia Warbler Prairie Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Scarlet Tanager Clay-colored Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Lark Sparrow Seaside Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Lapland Longspur Snow Bunting Indigo Bunting Dickcissel Yellow-headed Blackbird Rusty Blackbird Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch - Transcript Hotline: Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert Email reports to: rba AT dvoc.org Compiler: Steve Kacir, Delaware Valley Ornithological Club Phone: (215) 240-7547 Voice of the Delaware Valley RBA: Cindy Ahern & Win Shafer URL: http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm Welcome to the Nov 4, 2009 edition of the Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert, a service provided by the joint efforts of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC), covering the Delaware Valley Region of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I'm Steve Kacir your guide for birding in the Greater Philadelphia Region. This week, we highlight reports of PACIFIC LOON in Cape May County, NJ; GREAT WHITE HERON & WESTERN KINGBIRD in Sussex County, DE and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS in Cape May and Monmouth Counties, NJ. Remember to check out our website for additional content and information: http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm -------------------------------------------------------------- FOR NEW JERSEY: Cape May County: Six COMMON EIDERS were spotted from the St Peter's Jetty on Oct 28. Twenty COMMON EIDERS were at the jetty off the end of Whilldin Ave. The flock of COMMON EIDERS off Cape May Point grew to 22 EIDERS on Nov 3, seen from jetties around Cape May Point State Park to Coral Ave. On Nov 4, the COMMON EIDER flock had dropped to 9 EIDERS seen from the St Mary's and St Peter's jetties. On Nov 2, a CAVE SWALLOW was spotted from the hawk watch platform at Cape May Point State Park. A DICKCISSEL was seen from the platform on Nov 4. The Cape May Point State Park Hawk Watch spotted GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 29 & Nov 2-4, and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK made the count on Nov 4. The park's Lighthouse Pond had two subadult EURASIAN WIGEONS on Oct 31- Nov 3, and one was still there on Nov 4. A juvenile COMMON MOORHEN was at Lighthouse Pond on Nov 3. A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at the south side of the Bunker Pond on Oct 30-31. Other birds seen at the hawk watch platform and elsewhere in the state park included AMERICAN BITTERN, CLIFF SWALLOW, PRAIRIE WARBLER and PURPLE FINCHES. A River Otter was on Lily Lake on Nov 3. A BLACK SCOTER was on the East Pool at The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge on Nov 2. That day, a MARSH WREN was heard at the refuge, and PARASITIC JAEGERS were seen offshore of the refuge. Two VIRGINIA RAILS called from the refuge on Nov 1. Other sightings from the TNC Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge included AMERICAN PIPITS, SEASIDE SPARROW, RUSTY BLACKBIRD and PURPLE FINCHES. A YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD flew over the Morning Flight Project at the Higbee Beach WMA dike on Oct 29. That day, the Morning Flight also noted WHITE-WINGED SCOTER, RED-THROATED LOON and 15 WHITE- RUMPED SANDPIPERS. On Oct 30, a RED-HEADED WOODPECKER and 27 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS were at the Higbee dike. Other reports from Higbee mentioned AMERICAN PIPITS, INDIGO BUNTING and RUSTY BLACKBIRD. On Nov 1, a VESPER SPARROW was in the pumpkin patch at the Rea Farm. A MAGNOLIA WARBLER was at the Rea Farm on Oct 29. A WESTERN KINGBIRD was at Hidden Valley Ranch on Oct 29-31. A WESTERN KINGBIRD was at the Villas WMA on Oct 31. Three COMMON EIDERS were flying over Delaware Bay offshore from the Villas on Nov 3. A possible NORTHERN SHRIKE was reported from the bayshore near the Villas on Oct 30. On Nov 4, a SANDHILL CRANE was heard then spotted in the salt hay farm across Dennis Creek from the parking lot at Jake's Landing. On Nov 4, an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was reportedly near the southern base of the toll bridge at the south end of Nummy Island on the west side of the road. On Oct 29, Stone Harbor Point had RED KNOTS and MARBLED GODWITS. On Nov 3, PURPLE SANDPIPERS were spotted on the jetty in front of the Avalon Sea Watch. A PACIFIC LOON and RED-NECKED GREBE flew by the Avalon Sea Watch on Nov 2. The Sea Watch reported a KING EIDER on Oct 31, COMMON EIDERS on Oct 28-Nov 4 and PARASITIC JAEGERS on Oct 28-Nov 1 & Nov 4. Other sightings from the Avalon Sea Watch included RED-THROATED LOONS, BROWN PELICANS, HORNED GREBE, WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, RED KNOT, PURPLE SANDPIPERS and BONAPARTE'S GULLS. Two COMMON EIDERS were off Sea Isle City on Oct 29. That day, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS were at Whale Beach. Cumberland County: An AMERICAN PIPIT was on the dike at Maple Ave on Nov 2. A juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was at the Husted's Landing Marina on Oct 31. Atlantic County: A TRICOLORED HERON and AMERICAN AVOCET were at the Brigantine Division of Edwin B Forsythe NWR on Oct 28. On Nov 1, fifteen BLACK SKIMMERS were at Malibu Beach WMA. Monmouth County: On Oct 29, the ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was near the bench on the east side of Marlu Lake at Thompson Park in Lincroft. The ASH- THROATED FLYCATCHER was past Marlu Lake at the back side of a trail that loops through brushy habitat at the park on Oct 30. On Nov 1, an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER was at Thompson Park in Lincroft. On Nov 3, a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was near the maintenance building at the east end of Randolph St on Sandy Hook. That day, two COMMON EIDERS were on the cove north of C Lot, and Sandy Hook's north pond had a COMMON MOORHEN Oct 31-Nov 2. A LARK SPARROW was at the south end of K Lot on Nov 1. That day, a first-year ICELAND GULL was on the beach at B Lot, and a SNOW BUNTING was on the beach at F Lot that day. On Nov 4, two COMMON EIDERS, a drake WHITE-WINGED SCOTER and a hen HARLEQUIN DUCK were seen off C Lot, and six more COMMON EIDERS were at the end of Fisherman's Trail. Six SNOW BUNTINGS were at the False Hook on Nov 1, and a juvenile AMERICAN GOLDEN- PLOVER was there Oct 31-Nov 1. A LAPLAND LONGSPUR and 2 SNOW BUNTINGS were at Sandy Hook on Oct 31. Other birds at Sandy Hook included RED-THROATED LOONS, AMERICAN PIPITS, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS. Burlington County: On Nov 4, a drake and hen WHITE-WINGED SCOTER were seen on the Delaware River from the Riverton Yacht Club. Gloucester County: A NORTHERN BOBWHITE called near High Hill Rd on Nov 3. On Nov 3, three GREAT CORMORANTS were on the orange channel marker, seen from the National Park dredge spoils area. Camden County: On Nov 2, five SURF SCOTERS were on Penbryn Pond in Berlin. Somerset County: Two to four RED-HEADED WOODPECKERS were at Colonial Park in Franklin Twp on Nov 3. Hunterdon County: On Oct 28, a DICKCISSEL was at Cold Brook Reserve. Warren County: Five SANDHILL CRANES were at the field near the Upper Beers Farm at Merrill Creek Reservoir on Oct 30, seen from the Scott's Mountain Hawk Watch that day as well. The Scott's Mountain Hawk Watch reported GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 29 & Nov 2 and NORTHERN GOSHAWK on Nov 2-3. The Raccoon Ridge Hawk Watch reported NORTHERN GOSHAWK on Nov 1 & 3 and GOLDEN EAGLES on Nov 1-3. Other sightings from Raccoon Ridge included COMMON LOONS, COMMON RAVENS, AMERICAN PIPITS, SNOW BUNTINGS and Black Bear. Spruce Run Reservoir had a WHITE-WINGED SCOTER on Nov 2, and a SNOW BUNTING was at Spruce Run on Oct 31. Union County: Six CACKLING GEESE were at Warinanco Park on Nov 4. A RED-HEADED WOODPECKER was at Lenape Park on Nov 4. -------------------------------------------------------------- FOR DELAWARE: New Castle County: The Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch reported GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 29-30 and NORTHERN GOSHAWK on Nov 2 and two NORTHERN GOSHAWKS on Nov 4. A BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE was near the hawk watch hill at Ashland on Oct 29. Other birds at Ashland included COMMON LOONS, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, BALTIMORE ORIOLE and PURPLE FINCHES. On Oct 31, two CATTLE EGRETS and nearly 100 AMERICAN PIPITS were at the Middletown Auto Park. Two CATTLE EGRETS were seen from Route 9 near Taylors Bridge. Kent County: A SANDHILL CRANE flew over fields in the southwest section of Bombay Hook NWR on Nov 2. On Oct 29, Bombay Hook had AMERICAN AVOCETS on the mudflats opposite the north end of Shearness Pool. Other birds at Bombay Hook included WESTERN SANDPIPERS and PEREGRINE FALCON. Sussex County: A GREAT WHITE HERON (Great Blue Heron subspecies) was at Bethany Beach on Nov 1-3. To reach the spot where the GREAT WHITE HERON was discovered, head south on DE Route 1 past Indian River Inlet until the first traffic light after the inlet. Turn right onto Fred Hudson Rd at the light, and then drive nearly to the end of the road where it meets Cedar Neck Rd at a T-intersection. About 0.1 miles before the intersection, there is a pond on the right side of the road (north of the road) just before the entrance to the Bethany Lakes development. On Nov 2, a WESTERN KINGBIRD perched on power lines just east of the parking lot at the main battery of Fort Miles in Cape Henlopen State Park. A HARLEQUIN DUCK and 2 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS flew past the Cape Henlopen State Park Hawk Watch on Oct 29. Seven COMMON EIDERS flew by the hawk watch on Oct 30, and PURPLE SANDPIPERS were seen from the hawk watch on Nov 2. A GOLDEN EAGLE flew past the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch on Nov 3. Six WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS passed by the radar tower area of Cape Henlopen State Park on Nov 4. That day, a BALTIMORE ORIOLE was spotted from the road between the hawk watch platform and the radar tower. A BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE was near the parking lot for the bathhouse at Cape Henlopen on Nov 2. Other sightings from Cape Henlopen included COMMON NIGHTHAWK, RED- BREASTED NUTHATCHES, RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and PURPLE FINCHES. A SCARLET TANAGER was at the Abbott's Mill Nature Center on Nov 3. -------------------------------------------------------------- FOR PENNSYLVANIA: Delaware County: The Rose Tree Park Hawk Watch reported a GOLDEN EAGLE on Nov 1. Other sightings from Rose Tree Park included COMMON LOONS and PURPLE FINCH. Chester County: On Oct 29, a SANDHILL CRANE was on the far bank of the main pond at Kurtz Fish Ponds. On Nov 3, two COMMON GOLDENEYES were on Chambers Lake in Hibernia County Park. That day, Hibernia Park also had a SPOTTED SANDPIPER, WHITE-EYED VIREO, LINCOLN'S SPARROW and PURPLE FINCHES. On Nov 2, Bucktoe Creek Preserve had all seven species of woodpecker one might expect to find in the region, including RED- HEADED WOODPECKER. Montgomery County: An immature male RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was feeding on Salvias on private property in Pottstown on Nov 3. The homeowner, Kathy, is willing to receive visiting birders, and those interested in seeing the RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD should contact her by email at bella_trix AT comcast.net On Nov 3, a BRANT was feeding at the side of Royersford Rd in Royersford. Bucks County: Churchville Nature Center had LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS on Oct 31 and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH on Oct 29. Northampton County: A male RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was still visiting feeders on private property in Palmer Twp, Easton through Oct 30. A BALTIMORE ORIOLE was at the Koch property through Nov 2. Lehigh County: Eighteen AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were in a field at the intersection of Schantz Rd and Route 100 on Oct 29. The Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch reported NORTHERN GOSHAWKS on Nov 1 & Nov 3-4 and GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 29-30 & Nov 1-3. On Nov 1, ten TUNDRA SWANS and 18 BRANT passed by Bake Oven Knob. Other sightings from Bake Oven Knob included COMMON LOONS, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH, COMMON RAVENS and PURPLE FINCHES. Three BRANT were on a retention pond in Bath on Oct 29. Schuylkill County: The Schuylkill/Berks County line area of SGL 110 had 7 COMMON RAVENS on Oct 30. Berks County: Two SURF SCOTERS and several WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were on Blue Marsh Lake at Blue Marsh National Recreation Area on Nov 4. The Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hawk Watch reported GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 30 & Nov 1-4, with seven GOLDEN EAGLES tallied on Nov 1. Hawk Mountain reported NORTHERN GOSHAWKS on Nov 1-2 & Nov 4. Other sightings from Hawk Mountain included COMMON LOONS, AMERICAN PIPIT and PURPLE FINCHES. The RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD visiting Harold Lebo's yard was still present as of Oct 30. A COMMON RAVEN was at Lake Ontelaunee on Oct 29, and a BLACK SCOTER was there on Nov 1. Sixty BRANT and a COMMON RAVEN were seen from SGL 110 on Nov 3. Lancaster County: A GREAT CORMORANT was spotted from the small boat ramp at Peach Bottom. A BRANT was at Avocet Point at the Conejohela Flats on Oct 31. Other sightings from the flats noted BONAPARTE'S GULLS and an American Mink. Two BLACKPOLL WARBLERS were at the grounds of the Lancaster Area Sewer Authority on Oct 31. Ten FORSTER'S TERNS were on Conowingo Pond on Oct 29. On Oct 31, as GOLDEN EAGLE was at the dam at Middle Creek WMA, and three COMMON RAVENS were at Middle Creek that day. On Nov 4, Lancaster County Central Park had flyby COMMON LOONS and PURPLE FINCHES. Lebanon County: The SANDHILL CRANE at Lake Duffy in SGL 145 was reported as recently as Oct 30. Other birds in the area included RUSTY BLACKBIRD and PURPLE FINCHES. The Second Mountain Hawk Watch reported GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 30-Nov 2 & Nov 4 and NORTHERN GOSHAWK on Nov 1-2 & Nov 4. Other sightings from Second Mountain included COMMON LOONS and COMMON RAVENS. Carbon County: On Nov 4, seven LONG-TAILED DUCKS were on the lake off of the Pine Run Boat Launch at Beltzville State Park. -------------------------------------------------------------- ANNOUNCEMENTS: On Nov 14, Debbie Beer will lead a DVOC Field Trip to Okehocking Preserve in Chester County, PA. The trip will focus on sparrows, raptors and finches. The trip will meet at the main parking lot on Route 3 (West Chester Pike) at 8:00AM. More information about this and other DVOC field trips can be found on the DVOC website: http://www.dvoc.org/ The next meeting of the DVOC will be on Nov 5 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia at 7:30PM. The meeting will feature a program by Jeff Holt and Bert Filemyr entitled "The Composite Prints of Audubon's Birds of America - The Rarest of the Rare." Details are on the website, and guests are always welcome. The meeting after that will be the DVOC Annual Banquet on Nov 19. The DVOC Annual Banquet will take place on Nov 19, 2009 at the Sheet Metal Workers' Hall in Philadelphia, when Rick Wright will present "The Most Beautiful of the Whole Beautiful Lot: Wood Warblers of the American Southwest." Reservations are due on Nov 16. Additional information and a downloadable reservation form can be found on the DVOC website: http://www.dvoc.org/Banquet/Banquet.htm See Life Paulagics is running a special eight-hour pelagic trip out of Cape May for the Waterbird Society on Nov 8. The remaining space on the trip is now open to the public, and there was still room available as of Nov 3. Those interested in participating in this trip can find more information on-line at http://www.paulagics.com/ The Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert is a weekly report on birding in the Delaware Valley Region including Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. To report birds or significant birding events and planned pelagic trips, please email rba AT dvoc.org. This is Steve Kacir, good birding to you all and thanks for calling, surfing and reporting. - End Transcript Steve Kacir rba AT dvoc.org DVOC Rare Bird Alert Committee Chair Academy of Natural Sciences Delaware Valley Ornithological Club Philadelphia Subject: This morning's Bird Walk - CHSP From: Forrest Rowland <rowbird2005 AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 20:25:40 -0500 Hello all! This morning I was joined by several enthusiastic birders, including two short-distance migrants from New Jersey, to bask in what ended up being one of the most beautifaul calm mornings. The birds were great. At the Nature Center feeders a young male *Purple Finch* allowed us all a great look, eating at leisure from the Sunflower feeder. Numerous White-throated Sparrows, Juncos, Kinglets, and mixed flocks of American Robins/Cedar Waxwings reminding us that Winter is just around the bend. Near the radar tower we delighted to watch several Red-breasted Nuthatches in a mixed flocks with the usual suspects. A wonderfully close flyby of *6 White-winged Scoter* was definitely one of the highlights. Several Sparrows, Juncos, were around, as were YR Warblers. One of the most surprising finds of the day came along the stretch of road between the radar tower and the hawkwatch/pavilion drive. Junipers are in berry on either side of the road, and birds were taking advantage. One late immature *Baltimore Oriole* fed leisurely in the tops of the trees, and some got to see Yellow-bellied Sapsucker and Red-bellied Woodpecker in the nearby trees, as well. A lovely morning, for a change! The Cape Henlopen Wednesday Bird Walk Curse is broken!!! Thanks to all who joined us. Best, Forrest Rowland Official Counter, Cape Henlopen Hawkwatch Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (04 Nov 2009) 174 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:31:55 -0500 Hello, Cyrus here! Well, the third in the string of big flight days here at Ashland. We're getting darn close to "12,000" territory. A real honor to be the one on watch for this incredible migration season. Some great birds overhead today, red-shouldereds with shining crescents, a late season Osprey, huge kettles of passing vultures, and strings of red-taileds high in the blue. And what better excitement than a spectacular Northern Goshawk sighting? A real thrill to catch that bird passing, be sure to read the gritty details below, see you up top. - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 04, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 17 101 433 Turkey Vulture 71 154 484 Osprey 1 4 223 Bald Eagle 4 10 214 Northern Harrier 0 4 68 Sharp-shinned Hawk 17 109 1288 Cooper's Hawk 3 34 407 Northern Goshawk 2 3 3 Red-shouldered Hawk 13 61 147 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 44 227 490 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 6 American Kestrel 1 4 422 Merlin 1 6 51 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 28 Unknown Buteo 0 6 21 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 20 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 174 727 11734 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.17 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Joe Sebastiani, Jonathan Stein Visitors: Good visits today, 14 total. Several student groups, led by Sarah H, Christy B, Sheila, and Pete Z. (who I managed to pull away so as to catch the Goshawk sighting). Doug Adamson was fortunate enough to be on the hill for the Goshawk as well. Joe and Jon Stein kept watch today and Rich Cross returned to the hill for some more action. Weather: A cool, sunny morning with sparse cirrus coverage above. Clouds thickened at 2pm and air became slightly damp with a cold breeze. Winds from E/SE. Raptor Observations: Great flight today, third big day of the week (3 for 3 is a pretty good run!). Large kettle of vultures this morning, all passing south. 71 TVs passed by day's end! The usual stream of Sharp-shinneds (17) and another great Red-tailed presence (44). A low dive by an adult Merlin this afternoon. But, the real excitement today was the passing of not one, but two, Northern Goshawks! An incredible sight to catch even one of these fierce birds, but two in a day is remarkable! The first sighting was a ways off, but the good fortune of having a long look and a size comparison with a conveniently nearby eagle allowed for a confident ID. The second showing, an hour later, was stunning and quite lucky. The immature Goshawk flew just 50m overhead and was joined by a young Cooper's hawk. The two spent some time scrapping, diving at one another, and acting in other (understandably) unneighborly ways. The fortune of having these two birds side by side was that it allowed for an excellent study of the two accipiters. Great looks at the heavy streaking of the Goshawk as compared to the cleaner, shorter streaks of the Cooper's, the strength of flight, and the obvious size difference. Quite a showing. Non-raptor Observations: 5 Common Loons overhead today, as well as 3 relatively low Snow Geese midday (was unable to spot a large flock). Predictions: Rain tonight ought clear by morning and we should have some sun and clouds and NW winds most of the day. Some rain possible tomorrow afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Bird Walk at Ashland tomorrow, 11/5 From: Derek Stoner <derek AT DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 17:46:11 -0500 Join Joe Sebastiani tomorrow(11/5) for the weekly bird walk at Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin. Meet at 8am at the parking lot. Directions can be found at www.delawarenaturesociety.org. Plenty of migrants are around, especially of the sparrow persuasion! - Derek Stoner Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (04 Nov 2009) 286 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 18:11:54 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 04, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 25 58 266 Turkey Vulture 132 331 991 Osprey 0 1 3059 Bald Eagle 5 14 482 Northern Harrier 8 40 550 Sharp-shinned Hawk 59 293 5243 Cooper's Hawk 23 114 1462 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 9 24 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 333 Red-tailed Hawk 23 69 393 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 1 3 American Kestrel 3 15 1820 Merlin 2 9 1015 Peregrine Falcon 4 11 823 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 12 Unknown Buteo 0 0 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 1 40 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 286 966 16543 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 15:15:00 Total observation time: 5.75 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Kathy Boyd, Liz Dumont, Lynn Smith, Susan Gruver Visitors: Many visitors today including the group from this morning's Bird Walk I conducted. Bill Fintel, Sam Dyke, and his friend, came up to visit this afternoon, among others. Weather: Winds varied in direction and force throughout the day. The began out of the NNW very early, quickly became N, the NNE by 10am. The wind had become ESE by noon. High temp of 15C/59F reached around 1pm and skies were mostly clear early, clouding over as the wind became easterly. Raptor Observations: A complicated day. Birds were high from very early on. Kettles came in just to the South, then to the North as the wind shifted. Very few birds were seen after noon, once the wind had become SE and intensified. Another Vulture day, with good movement of other migrants, in general. The following Bay-crossing times were observed in cooperation with Doug Gochfeld of Cape May: Juv Bald Eagle dep CMHW 1042 arr CHHW 1112 Imm Bald Eagle dep CMHW 1046 arr CHHW 1126 Non-raptor Observations: No new FOS birds today...hoping for Northern Goshawk soon, as hawkwatches in the area have reported them. Predictions: 20% chance of rain early, skies becoming sunny by mid-morning. Winds N, becoming Westerly by mid-afternoon, 5-10mph. Could be another yet another great day! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Tundra Swans with blue neck bands From: James Tyler Bell <jtylerbell AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 06:24:20 -0800 Below is some information about neck banded Tundra Swans that observers should be on the lookout for. Please report sightings to: Craig Ely                                          Phone: (907) 786-7182                                 cely AT usgs.gov Thanks! Tyler Bell jtylerbell AT yahoo.com California, Maryland TUNDRA SWANS WITH BLUE NECK BANDS FROM ALASKA                         TUNDRA SWANS WERE MARKED IN WESTERN AND NORTHERN ALASKA IN THE SUMMERS OF 2006-2009 WITH CODED NECK BANDS AS PART OF AN EFFORT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TIMING OF MIGRATION AND MOVEMENTS OF SWANS RELATIVE TO BREEDING AREA. NECK BANDS HAVE A FOUR-DIGIT CODE THAT BEGINS WITH A LETTER.  CODES  ARE READ FROM BOTTOM TO TOP.  BANDS ARE BLUE WITH WHITE DIGITS, EXCEPT CODES T3##, WHICH ARE WHITE WITH BLACK DIGITS.  ______________________________________________________                                                                                                                                    No. Collared Marking Location          Codes                  2006 - 2008   2009   Total YukonDelta                K###                       227        100    327 Alaska Peninsula(North)   P###                       148        105    253 Alaska Peninsula(South)   T4##                       155        ---    155 Koyukuk Drainage  T213-228, U075-U120, U390-U399      66        ---     66 North Slope               T201-212,T3##               58        ---     58 Kotzebue Sound            U###                       390        197    587 Totals                                              1045        402   1446 ______________________________________________________               In 2008, 50 swans were implanted with satellite transmitters, many of which are still functioning.  Birds with transmitters were not collared, but have a black antenna exiting near the base of the tail.  The movements of these swans can be followed at our web site: http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/biology/avian_influenza/TUSW/index.html   PLEASE REPORT ANY OBSERVATIONS TO YOUR LOCAL CONSERVATION OFFICER, OR TO:    Craig Ely                                          AlaskaScience Center                                4210 University Drive                        Anchorage, AK 99508                                Phone: (907) 786-7182                                                                                        EM: cely AT usgs.gov                                         WE WILL PROVIDE ALL OBSERVERS WITH A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BANDED SWAN THEY OBSERVED. Subject: Hawk Watch Facebook Group From: Rachael Shapiro <rshapiro AT AWOUS.COM> Date: Wed, 4 Nov 2009 08:36:25 -0500 Hello DE-Birds, There is a new Facebook Group: I Love Hawk Watch and Raptors Love Me. Glide in and hang out. Post photos, videos, and share stories. See you there! ( Just use the search button to find the group). Rachael -- ATTENTION: NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: rshapiro AT awous.com Rachael Shapiro, President A Woman of Uncommon Scents, Inc. P.O. Box 103 Roxbury, PA 17251 1-800-377-3685 1-800-ESSENTL Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (03 Nov 2009) 123 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 22:14:47 -0500 Hello, Cyrus here! A beautiful day up top with good birds. A solid buteo flight and a stunning view of a passing Merlin today. Details below! Tomorrow should be a nice one too, see you there! - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 03, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 20 84 416 Turkey Vulture 22 83 413 Osprey 2 3 222 Bald Eagle 1 6 210 Northern Harrier 1 4 68 Sharp-shinned Hawk 19 92 1271 Cooper's Hawk 6 31 404 Northern Goshawk 0 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 8 48 134 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 41 183 446 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 6 American Kestrel 2 3 421 Merlin 1 5 50 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 28 Unknown Buteo 0 6 21 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 2 20 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 123 553 11560 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Joe Sebastiani, Judy Montgomery Visitors: Good company to enjoy this beautiful Fall day with. Alicia was up early morning to share some coffee and catch early rising birds. Bernie and Jane Schaaf made their way up top for the first time in a while, hanging for a few hours and sharing some good birding stories. Judy was able to visit the hill for a short time this morning as well. Rich Cross made his second visit and hung in all day for some good hawk watching! Maurice Barnhill made a welcome return to the hill for some good birds and more physics talk. Joe kept watch while I sneaked down for some lunch (graciously brought to me by Alicia). Great company today! Weather: Clear most of the day with a good W/NW wind. Plenty of sun. Temps reach 16 C. Glad to have a break from these rainy days of late. This seems a lot more like the Autumn I remember in Delaware! Raptor Observations: Strong vulture movements today and again plenty of Red-taileds (41) and good Red-shouldered flight (8). An incredible Merlin sighting today, the adult bird flying right in front of us and sticking around for some excellent views! Many of the Red-shouldereds gave great looks as well. Another Osprey sighting, this time 2 birds. Late for these guys, but they don't seem to mind. Non-raptor Observations: Three brilliantly white swans high overhead this afternoon. Likely Tundra Swan, but the extreme height made absolute ID difficult. 4 gulls today, appeared to be Herring Gulls, but again ID was not 100% due to brevity and height of sighting. 4 Common Loons today as well. Predictions: Sunny and winds from the NE. Bit of a front passing tonight, so could be good! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) Upcoming Meeting (11/5/09) From: Bert Filemyr <afilemyr AT COMCAST.NET> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 18:41:18 -0500 The next meeting of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC) is this Thursday, October November 11, 2009 at 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia Details at http://www.dvoc.org. Program - Jeff Holt and Bert Filemyr, "The Composite Prints of Audubon's Birds of America - The Rarest of the Rare" While many people know that active DVOC Members Jeff Holt and Bert Filemyr have written a book, "The Composite Plates of Audubon's Birds of America" (available on Amazon.com), here is your opportunity to hear the authors talk about those rare Audubon plates. Don't miss this one! In 1838, as John James Audubon's monumental creation, Birds of America, was nearing completion, he requested that his engraver, Robert Havell, produce 13 extra, unique prints. Havell was instructed to combine images from two separate plates into a single print, commonly known as a "Composite Plate". Only two full sets, along with a handful of individual prints, of these rare prints exist today and are rarely if ever seen by the public. In this presentation club members Jeff and Bert will provide an overview of John James Audubon the Birds of America project and intaglio printing. Particular emphasis will be on an analysis of the composite plates. Learn about how and why these unique plates were made. Everyone (both members and non-members) is welcome at this meeting ------------------------------------------------------------ Bert Filemyr Meadowbrook, PA Subject: Bird Walk CHSP tomorrow morning From: Forrest Rowland <rowbird2005 AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 18:08:23 -0500 Hello all, The weather should be lovely and cooperative for tomorrow morning's Bird Walk at Cape Henlopen State Park. We'll be meeting in the Nature Center parking lot at 8am. Good Birding, Forrest Rowland Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (03 Nov 2009) 642 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 17:11:24 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 03, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 33 33 241 Turkey Vulture 193 199 859 Osprey 1 1 3059 Bald Eagle 9 9 477 Northern Harrier 19 32 542 Sharp-shinned Hawk 223 234 5184 Cooper's Hawk 87 91 1439 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 7 7 22 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 333 Red-tailed Hawk 46 46 370 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 1 3 American Kestrel 11 12 1817 Merlin 4 7 1013 Peregrine Falcon 7 7 819 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 12 Unknown Buteo 0 0 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 1 40 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 642 680 16257 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Kathy Boyd, Liz Dumont, Lynn Smith, Susan Gruver Visitors: Several visitors were out to enjoy the show! Weather: Beautiful sunny skies with a high temp of 18C/66F reached at 1pm. Winds were light (~5 mph) our of the W to NNW. Raptor Observations: An amazing day at the hawkwatch and the best November day on record! An immature Golden Eagle came by to add to the excitement and diversity of the day. Kettle upon kettle of migrating raptors... The following Bay-crossing times were observed in coordination with Melissa Roach of Cape May HW: Juv Bald Eagle dep CMHW 0912 arr CHHW 0939 Imm Bald Eagle dep CMHW 0925 arr CHHW 0951 Non-raptor Observations: 82 species recorded today. The birds were out and enjoying the warmth and bugs. Predictions: Partly cloudy skies with winds 5-8 mph NNW-NE. Should be great! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Abbott's Mill/Sussex Bird Club - TANAGER From: Jason Beale <jaybirdbeale AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 15:20:26 -0500 Hello, Members of the Sussex Bird Club visited Abbott's Mill Nature Center today on a warm and sunny morning. Initially the idea was to look for waterfowl in the local millponds, but with little activity there lately, we explored the western side of Abbott's Pond and Johnson's Branch. It was a fairly quiet morning after a busy few weeks with Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Cedar Waxwings, Ruby- crowned Kinglets, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Eastern Towhees, Savannah, and Swamp Sparrows conspicuous. Not today. Instead, we enjoyed Golden- crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, Eastern Bluebirds, Hermit Thrush, Yellow Fly Agaric Mushrooms, and lots of White-throated Sparrows. The most interesting sighting by far was a probable SCARLET TANAGER foraging low in a holly tree in the shady understory of an oak-hickory forest (Lindale Tract). We didn't get too many long, good looks, but noted that the bird was yellow-greenish overall with dark wings and a bill and head shape suggesting Scarlet over Summer. Of interesting note, the wings appeared to have defined bars or at least a mottled pattern on them, but we were unable to get a photo or refind the bird after it moved to the back side of the hollies. Happy birding, Jason Beale Abbott's Mill Nature Center Milford, DE Subject: Great White Heron photos; second attemp From: joe sebastiani <joe AT DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 15:01:51 -0500 Ok, let me try this again. Try pasting this into your browser. Maybe it will work this time. Photos forwarded from Jim Hall. http://picasaweb.google.com/adam246/GreatWhiteHeron?feat=email# Joe Sebastiani Members Program Team Leader Delaware Nature Society P.O. Box 700 Hockessin, DE 19707 (302) 239-2334 ext. 115 fax (302) 239-2473 email - joe AT delawarenaturesociety.org website - www.delawarenaturesociety.org The Nature of Delaware Blog - www.delawarenaturesociety.org/blog Subject: Great White Heron Photos From: joe sebastiani <joe AT DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG> Date: Tue, 3 Nov 2009 14:53:17 -0500 Jim Hall, Nature Center Manager at the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum, Delaware Seashore State Park, took some photos of the Great White Heron on his way to work. He forwarded me the link to his photos. Check it out below: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=adam246&target=PHOTO&id=5399 920173830167490&aid=5399919864277243313&authkey=Gv1sRgCMWUoaDcjOj6UQ&inv ite=COO20uIH&feat=email Joe Sebastiani Members Program Team Leader Delaware Nature Society P.O. Box 700 Hockessin, DE 19707 (302) 239-2334 ext. 115 fax (302) 239-2473 email - joe AT delawarenaturesociety.org website - www.delawarenaturesociety.org The Nature of Delaware Blog - www.delawarenaturesociety.org/blog Subject: Ashland Nature Center (02 Nov 2009) 301 Raptors From: Derek Stoner <derek AT DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 22:07:01 -0500 Greetings: A brisk breeze from the Northeast brought a barrage of buteos on Monday. A total of 17 Red-shouldereds came past between 10 and 11am, half the record-tying total for the day. Red-tailed Hawks(73 total) put on an excellent show, with many in long glides overhead. The first Northern Goshawk(juvenile) of the season was spotted by Sally and Tom Shea right around noon. A great day for raptor movement, and our highest ever count for a day outside of September(and its attendant Broad-winged Hawk numbers). Lots of bluebirds, waxwings and robins enjoying the wild grapes around the hawk watch right now. Good birding, Derek Stoner Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 62 64 396 Turkey Vulture 43 61 391 Osprey 0 1 220 Bald Eagle 3 5 209 Northern Harrier 2 3 67 Sharp-shinned Hawk 53 73 1252 Cooper's Hawk 19 25 398 Northern Goshawk 1 1 1 Red-shouldered Hawk 34 40 126 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 73 142 405 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 6 American Kestrel 1 1 419 Merlin 2 4 49 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 2 28 Unknown Buteo 6 6 21 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 2 2 20 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 301 430 11437 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counters: Carol Majors, Sally O'Byrne Observers: Derek Stoner, Joe Sebastiani, Judy Montgomery Visitors: Tom Shea, who got to witness the first Northern Goshawk of the season, was the only official visitor other than DNS staff members. On this most excellent day for migration, a good show was missed by many! Weather: Cloudy with winds steady from the Northeast. Raptor Observations: First Northern Goshawk of the season, along with a record high count of migrant Black Vultures(62) and a record high-tying count of Red-shouldered Hawks(34). Second-highest Red-tailed Hawk count(73). Non-raptor Observations: A brief glimpse of a Red-breasted Nuthatch, and large numbers of migrant Eastern Bluebirds(50+), Cedar Waxwings(250+), and American Robins(500+). A pair of Pileated Woodpeckers as well. Five Monarchs passed by, still pushing south towards Mexico. Predictions: After two days of good winds from the north, south winds may slow down the migration. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Derek Stoner (derek AT delawarenaturesociety.org) Information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Great White Heron in Bethany Beach From: ROHRBAF AT AOL.COM Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 20:31:43 EST Bruce Peterjohn e-mailed me that he found a Great White Heron on Sunday in Bethany Beach. He reported: --I was driving to the parking area for Fresh Ponds, so take state rte. 1 south past Indian River Inlet to the first traffic light. Turn right at the light onto Fred Hudson Road, and drive nearly to the end of the road where there is a T-intersection with Cedar Neck Rd. Approximately 0.1 mile before the intersection, there is a pond on the right (north) side of the road just before the entrance to the Bethany Lakes development. The bird spent Sunday morning in the pond--I first observed it shortly after 8 AM and was still there when I went past again at 9:30 AM. The pond and bird were less than 200 feet from the road so I was able to study it well with a telescope for 15+ minutes. It should be easily photographed. The White morph Great Blue Heron is a Delaware Bird Records Committee Review sub-species and I would appreciate it if anyone in the area, who can get out tomorrow, would photograph this bird if it's still around. Thanks. Frank Rohrbacher Wilmington, Delaware Subject: Rare birds in the region From: Forrest Rowland <rowbird2005 AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 19:50:33 -0500 Hello all! Forrest Rowland speaking. I was reminded today that I must be on the look out for rare birds. Just because it's cold, wet, windy, and nearly Winter, does not mean there aren't some great birds waiting to be discovered and enjoyed! Below I've listed some reports from the region, by state, of birds to look for in the First State. Connecticut - 11/2 Western Kingbird, 11/1 Shrike sp. New York coastal - 11/2 *Selasphorus* sp. Hummingbird, 11/2 Two Western Kingbirds, 11/1 Three Western Kingbirds, 10/31 King Eider, 10/29 *Gyrfalcon* New Jersey - 11/2 Cave Swallow, 11/2 Greater White-fronted Goose, 11/1 Two Western Kingbirds, 11/1 Eurasian Wigeon, 10/30 *Ash-throated Flycatcher* Some of these birds are more likely than others to appear, but a few of these species have made a real showing this Fall, namely three individual Gyrfalcons between Maine and Jones Beach New York. There are presently 7 Western Kingbirds in the region above, including the one that showed up in CHSP today. Cave Swallows are an annual occurence, as of late, in the region and I expect that there are already a few individuals in DE as I write this. LeConte's Sparrow have made appearances in just about every state in our region in last week, though I didn't mention it above. So, best of luck to those of you who get out and bird this great state during one of the most exciting times of year! Good Birding, Forrest Rowland Official Counter, Cape Henlopen Hawkwatch Subject: Sandhill Crane at Bombay Hook NWR From: John Janowski <jsbirders AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 18:42:14 -0500 Today while participating in an annual big day with friends from DVOC and New England, we observed a Sandhill Crane at Bombay Hook. The bird was flying solo and was observed at 12:15 PM from a location where the dirt road curves left towards the Boardwalk trail. As you drive south on the loop road the curve is just north of the field that was the traditional location for pheasant. The crane was seen flying over corn fields in the SW section of the refuge. John Janowski Port Penn Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (02 Nov 2009) 4 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 16:11:46 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 02, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 208 Turkey Vulture 0 6 666 Osprey 0 0 3058 Bald Eagle 0 0 468 Northern Harrier 0 13 523 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 11 4961 Cooper's Hawk 1 4 1352 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 333 Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 324 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 2 American Kestrel 0 1 1806 Merlin 1 3 1009 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 812 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 12 Unknown Buteo 0 0 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 4 38 15615 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 11:30:00 Total observation time: 2.5 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Susan Gruver Weather: Intermittent rain in the morning, becoming constant drizzle and low cloud cover by mid-morning. Winds 10-15 NNE. High temp of 57F Raptor Observations: Rained out....Foiled again!!! Non-raptor Observations: FOS birds today included Purple Sandpiper! Predictions: Sunny, high of 60F, with winds WNW 5-10mph...but that's if you believe the forecast ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (01 Nov 2009) 129 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 15:57:41 -0500 Hello, Cyrus here, with yesterday's report. Bob Strahorn kept morning watch and I took the afternoon shift. It was a slower morning, but once the clouds broke we had a great flight. A late season Osprey and kettles (a la Broad-winged Hawks) of Red-taileds. Exciting flight! From what I heard earlier, the flight today was good as well, should have that report out later today. Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 2 2 334 Turkey Vulture 18 18 348 Osprey 1 1 220 Bald Eagle 2 2 206 Northern Harrier 1 1 65 Sharp-shinned Hawk 20 20 1199 Cooper's Hawk 6 6 379 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 6 6 92 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 69 69 332 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 6 American Kestrel 0 0 418 Merlin 2 2 47 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 21 Unknown Accipiter 2 2 28 Unknown Buteo 0 0 15 Unknown Falcon 0 0 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 129 129 11136 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 11:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 4.75 hours Official Counter: Bob Strahorn, Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Cyrus Moqtaderi, Kim Steininger Visitors: Good visits, especially once the sun appeared. 10 total. Kim Steininger returned to the hill to help out on watch. Amy & Kathleen returned as well for another good visit up top, bringing Amy's dad, Roger B., along this time. Weather: Drizzle and rain this morning. A sudden change in sky at 2pm, when clouds broke and sunny skies appeared. Wind from N/NW. Raptor Observations: Bob Strahorn kept watch till 1pm, then Cyrus Moqtaderi took over duty. Moderate flow of birds early, but it seemed as though the wave was waiting for the weather to change. After the cloud cover dispersed at 2:00pm, a surge of hawks, especially Red-taileds, came through. A late Osprey showed up at 215pm. Didn't think we'd see any more this season! Between 2 and 3pm Red-taileds began appearing in kettles of about 10. It was reminiscent of the Broad-wing movements, with all of us on the hill calling out birds and kettle "high counts". Very exciting to watch! 69 Red-taileds by watch end, with 53 of them in the final hour. A new one-day high! Non-raptor Observations: ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Rainy Day Birds at Cape Henlopen State Park - WESTERN KINGBIRD, Black-capped Chickadee, Purple Sandpiper From: Forrest Rowland <rowbird2005 AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 14:32:47 -0500 Hello all, Forrest Rowland here, warm and dry, for now. Today's weather did not unfold anything as predicted, and was basically a washout after 1030am. However, before the rain/constant drizzle set in there were some great birds around! The past few days I have been driving the roads of Cape Henlopen State Park and searching the power lines for any rare tyrant flycatchers. Yesterday, a flycatcher of some model flew over my head at a high speed and I was unable to verify it. This morning, at 0910am, I saw a WESTERN KINGBIRD on the power lines just East of the parking lot at the main battery of Ft. Miles in Cape Henlopen State Park! I only watched it briefly, as it flew away heading South, after about 2 minutes of observation time. I told a few people about it, but as of this writing am unsure if it has been relocated. In the area of the parking lot near the bathhouse a wonderful mixed flock of about 115 Robins, 40 Dark-eyed Junco, 5 Chipping Sparrow, several Song Sparrows, one Fox Sparrow, and 8 chickadees including at least one BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE kept me entertained for about 15 minutes, while I waited, hoping for the rain to pass. A break in the weather at about 1115am allowed me to go up the platform and watch for about 10 minutes. During this time dozens of Scaup, both Lesser and Great, were coming by with the numerous large groups of Scoters heading South. Two Shorebirds low over the water caught my attention. Though the viewing time in my scope was less than 30 seconds or so, I'm pretty certain they were PURPLE SANDPIPERS. So, not a complete loss and...finally...a Hat Trick on Kingbirds for the season! Eastern, Tropical....now Western!!!! Good Birding, Forrest Rowland Official Counter, Cape Henlopen Hawkwatch Subject: News Journal article: Full moon casts light on migration From: Charles Fullmer <cmfullmer AT MCHSI.COM> Date: Mon, 2 Nov 2009 01:31:09 +0000 Found today in the News Journal: http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009911010330 Chuck Fullmer Georgetown Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (01 Nov 2009) 34 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 18:11:53 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 0 208 Turkey Vulture 6 6 666 Osprey 0 0 3058 Bald Eagle 0 0 468 Northern Harrier 13 13 523 Sharp-shinned Hawk 9 9 4959 Cooper's Hawk 3 3 1351 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 333 Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 324 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 0 2 American Kestrel 1 1 1806 Merlin 2 2 1008 Peregrine Falcon 0 0 812 Unknown Accipiter 0 0 12 Unknown Buteo 0 0 14 Unknown Falcon 0 0 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 0 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 34 34 15611 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 09:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 5 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Bruce Peterjohn, Diane Kane, Ruth Draper, Susan Gruver Weather: Drizzle on and off, until at around 2pm showers arrived. Winds were 10-15mph N early, becoming 5-10 NNE mid-morning. High of 13C/58F reached around 1pm under cloudy skies. Raptor Observations: A few very determined birds coming across the bay high on the tailwind and, for the most part, right overhead. Non-raptor Observations: Predictions: Winds NNE 10-15 mph. Should put birds in our airspace, though likely high and fast. 30-40% chance of showers until midday, with a high of 57F. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: "Bird/Birding Cape May" by Pat/Clay Sutton at Wyncote Audubon Dinner 12/6 From: Clifford Hence <cwhenceiii AT AOL.COM> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 11:53:25 -0500 “Birds and Birding at Cape Mayâ€� with Clay & Pat Sutton will be the program at the Annual Wyncote Audubon Society dinner Sunday evening, Dec. 6th at the Williamson’s Restaurant in Horsham Pa. For information and registration go to: Wyncoteaudubon.org. Clay & Pat Sutton are a husband and wife team of naturalists and writers whose careers and names are synonymous with their home town of Cape May, New Jersey, a place that has been aptly called the migration capitol of North America. This migratory crossroads is famous for its hawk, owl, songbird, shorebird, and Monarch butterfly migration. They have keenly studied the natural world for over 30 years. Clay and Pat Sutton are veteran naturalists who have lived and worked at Cape May throughout their entire careers. They will share their insiders’ understanding of all that makes Cape May great. "Birds and Birding at Cape May" is the migration story both explained and brought alive by first-hand knowledge, lively anecdotes, and stories of both yesteryear, today, and the bright future. Their latest book, Birds and Birding at Cape May is the in-depth result of their efforts over many years documenting and protecting the migration and the area that they so love. This landmark book is a complete guide to birds and birding for the Cape May region, covering what to see, when, where, and how to go, as well as the storied ornithological history of the Cape. Cliff Hence Phila. Pa. Subject: Waterfowl Back at Hoopes' Reservoir From: Andy Ednie <ednieap AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Sun, 1 Nov 2009 10:55:07 -0500 The first Buffleheads and Hooded Mergansers of the season were seen on the reservoir today. Most of the birds were in Carpenter's Cove off Rt. 82. Here are the totals: 6 Wood Duck 3 Ring-necked Duck 2 Hooded Merganser (male and female) 5 Pied-billed Grebe 1 Double-crested Cormorant Good birding, Andy Ednie Claymont, Delaware Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (31 Oct 2009) 2 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:48:06 -0400 Happy Halloween, (and Homecoming for any UD Alum)! Well, mostly a washout today. I stayed up top despite the rains until noon, when a heavier downpour began soaking all my belongings and data sheets. I returned for a short bit during the afternoon clear and caught a Red-tailed and a Sharpie, but that proved to be the extent of it. Interesting albino doe on the hill today, details below. Tomorrow looks great, so stop in! Bob Strahorn and I will be on watch. See you there, - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 31, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture                0            215            332 Turkey Vulture               0            312            330 Osprey                       0             45            219 Bald Eagle                   0             99            204 Northern Harrier             0             31             64 Sharp-shinned Hawk           1            658           1179 Cooper's Hawk                0            208            373 Northern Goshawk             0              0              0 Red-shouldered Hawk          0             36             86 Broad-winged Hawk            0             16           7403 Red-tailed Hawk              1            243            263 Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0 Golden Eagle                 0              5              6 American Kestrel             0            133            418 Merlin                       0             15             45 Peregrine Falcon             0             12             21 Unknown Accipiter            0             13             26 Unknown Buteo                0              6             15 Unknown Falcon               0              2              4 Unknown Eagle                0              0              0 Unknown Raptor               0              3             18 Swallow-tailed Kite          0              0              1 Total:                       2           2052          11007 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end   time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 3 hours Official Counter:        Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Visitors: My brother Mehron and his girlfriend Heather stopped in this afternoon for a rainy view. Bill Stewart took half an hour up top during the break in rains. Weather: Rain alternating between a drizzle and true rain most of the morning. Called a temporary quit after the rain intensified and soaked all the data sheets and such. Rain cleared during afternoon, but skies remained dark. Raptor Observations: One Sharp-shinned hawk and one Red-tailed hawk moving low along treeline during the gap in rain. Otherwise no activity. Non-raptor Observations: One unusual sighting today. A brilliantly albino doe bounded across the hilltop today, much to my surprise. Predictions: Likely a great day. NNW winds and clear skies on a post-front day sound good to me. Received some intel that it may be a perfect day for Golden Eagles. Let's see! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org)  information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (31 Oct 2009) 23 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:10:53 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 31, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 138 208 Turkey Vulture 0 619 660 Osprey 0 1000 3058 Bald Eagle 0 248 468 Northern Harrier 0 383 510 Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 3271 4950 Cooper's Hawk 5 1095 1348 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 14 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 3 269 324 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 0 704 1805 Merlin 2 505 1006 Peregrine Falcon 0 585 812 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 6 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 17 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 23 9061 15577 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:45:00 Observation end time: 12:15:00 Total observation time: 4.5 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Lynn Smith, Rachel Shapiro, Ruth Draper, Susan Gruver Visitors: Bruce Peterjohn came up, and we had many observers up on our relatively bird-free day including Liz and Lew DuMont. Weather: Partly Cloudy to Cloudy as the doay progressed, with a high temp of 74F/23C reached at 10am. Winds were 10-15 out of the S early, turning SW and intensifying to 20mph sustained winds with gusts over 30. Raptor Observations: Though we counted several raptors, I was fairly unsure of their origins. The birds appeared in the usual spots, but came in and began moving North. I didn't see birds of the water...so I called off the watch due to confusion. Has that been done before? Non-raptor Observations: Not much moving Predictions: 30% chance of precipitation from 9am-noon, then very slight chance of showers. Winds N around 10mph, getting lighter and becoming NNE in the late afternoon. Has serious potential. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Middletown Auto Park American Pipits From: Rodney Murray <rodmurray_1999 AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 09:15:51 -0700 A large loose flock of probably near 100 Am Pipits is in the Middletown Auto Park as of 10 this AM. Some were strutting all over the road. Also in the park were male and female N Harriers being harassed by 5 Am Crows. A Cooper's Hawk flew close by causing more crow complaining.(All of that activity occurred near the giand dirt mound). Also spotted one Am Kestrel, a dozen Mallards, 2 Cattle Egrets, 1 GB Heron, at least 100 Fish Crows, numerous Tree Swallows and Horned Larks, and one enormous flock of Bh Cowbirds with a smattering of E Starlings and RW Blackbirds. Behind the Home Depot at the retention pond were 16 DC Cormorants (first time I have seen that species in that location), 1 Ruddy Duck, and 6 E Bluebirds. Go Phillies! Rodney Murray, M'town Subject: Bombay Hook Photography exhibit - James Campion From: tina watson <tinawatsonde AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 07:58:53 -0700 If you are birding at Bombay Hook on 10/31 or 11/1, you might want to check out the exhibit and visit with the photographer. Tina Watson Middletown, DE Subject: Chester Co., Bucktoe Creek Preserve From: Joe Sebastiani <bunker17 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:48:32 -0400 This Sunday, Holly Merker will lead the free bird walk at the Bucktoe Creek Preserve near Kennett Square, PA. On Monday, Larry Lewis will lead the walk. Both walks start at 8am. Directions can be found at http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/dns_sites.html. Hope you can make it. Joe Sebastiani, Delaware Nature Society Here is the list from last Sunday's walk on October 25: Canada Goose Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Coopers Hawk Red-tailed Hawk American Kestrel Ring-billed Gull Herring Gull Rock Pigeon Mourning Dove Red-bellied Woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker Northern Flicker Eastern Phoebe Blue Jay American Crow Carolina Chickadee Tufted Titmouse White-breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Golden-crowned Kinglet Ruby-crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird American Robin Gray Catbird Northern Mockingbird European Starling Cedar Waxwing Yellow-rumped Warbler Palm Warbler Eastern Towhee Chipping Sparrow Field Sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Northern Cardinal Common Grackle Purple Finch House Finch American Goldfinch Subject: RBA: Birdline Delaware, October 30th, 2009 From: Andy Ednie <ednieap AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:33:46 -0400 RBA * Delaware * Statewide * October 30, 2009 * DEST0910.30 *Birds mentioned Snow Goose Gadwall American Wigeon Greater Scaup Harlequin Duck White-winged Scoter Common Eider Pied-billed Grebe Cattle Egret Wood Stork Bald Eagle Golden Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover American Avocet Greater Yellowlegs Western Sandpiper Semipalmated Sandpiper Lesser Black-backed Gull Common Nighthawk Horned Lark Black-capped Chickadee Winter Wren Palm Warbler White-crowned Sparrow Baltimore Oriole Purple Finch Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: October 30, 2009 Number: 302-658-2747 To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE) Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap AT verizon.net) Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern New Jersey, Maryland Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap AT verizon.net) For Friday, October 30th, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville. The 2009 Unofficial Delaware State Year List now stands at 325 species, with three new additions this week. A WOOD STORK was seen at a distance flying over the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch on Sunday. That same bird was seen an hour later at the Militia Hill Hawk Watch in Ft. Washington State Park in Montgomery Co., PA. That's over 30 miles away. Two GOLDEN EAGLES with 15 BALD EAGLES at the hawk watch today. Also at Ashland this week: a BLACK-CAPPED CHICKADEE arrived, several PURPLE FINCHES and a female BALTIMORE ORIOLE made a brief visit. It has been a wash out all week at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch, but yesterday a HARLEQUIN DUCK was seen among the scoter flocks passing through. Also reported were 2 male WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. And today, 7 COMMON EIDERS were seen flying by with several flocks of GREATER SCAUP. COMMON EIDER was also reported at the breakwaters off the Cape May - Lewes Ferry. The best day at the hawk watch was Sunday, with 125 SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS, 53 COOPER'S HAWKS, 70 AMERICAN KESTRELS 6 MERLINS and 7 PEREGRINE FALCONS. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL continues to be seen along the beach at Kitts Hummock. 9 PIED-BILLED GREBES were seen at the north pond of the Logan Tract, along with a large mixed flock of AMERICAN WIGEON and GADWALL. 2 CATTLE EGRETS were seen along Rt. 9 at Taylor's Bridge American Avocets continue to be seen at Bombay Hook NWR. The SNOW GEESE number there has reached over ten thousand. Shorebirds seen include BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, SEMIPALMATED PLOVER, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, SEMIPALMATED and WESTERN SANDPIPER. Several BALD EAGLES are in the area along with PEREGRINE FALCON. There were 20+ PALM WARBLERS at Brandywine Creek State Park last weekend. Also reported were 6 species of Woodpecker, and WINTER WREN. The Auto Mall in Middletown has several flocks of HORNED LARK this week, but no LAPLAND LONGSPURS yet. The Auto Mall is west of town off Rt. 301. A COMMON NIGHTHAWK was reported at Wolfe's Neck between Rehoboth Beach and Lewes this week. That bird was flushed while censusing the deer herd. A WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW was reported at Prime Hook NWR. Special thanks this week to Bob Rufe, Derek Stoner, Chris Bennett, Lynn Smith, Kim Steininger, and our hawk watchers; Cyrus Moqtaderi and Forrest Rowland for their reports. You can report sightings or add to the State Year List by calling 302-792-9591 or email ednieap AT verizon.net. Until next week, good birding and GO PHILLIES! -end transcript Andy Ednie Claymont, Delaware Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (30 Oct 2009) 86 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:01:43 -0400 Hello, Cyrus here! Today's gray skies were brightened by good visitors and some exciting Golden Eagle sightings. Good birds all around, with another nice low Harrier and plenty of Sharpies. Midday, a dark bird sailed by no more than 40m above my head. Darkened by poor lighting, I couldn't get field marks, but the tail-to-head ratio was a striking 3:1. As he passed, three conspicuous white patches flared in the sun. On the way out the bird even put his wings up to the slight dihedral of a...Golden Eagle! Talk about showing me all the field marks! The second GE of the day was spotted by Judy Montgomery after I'd left the hill. Thanks for the good sighting! Tomorrow should be rain-free for watch, see you there! - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 4 215 332 Turkey Vulture 35 312 330 Osprey 0 45 219 Bald Eagle 7 99 204 Northern Harrier 1 31 64 Sharp-shinned Hawk 20 657 1178 Cooper's Hawk 7 208 373 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 36 86 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 8 242 262 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 2 5 6 American Kestrel 2 133 418 Merlin 0 15 45 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 13 26 Unknown Buteo 0 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 86 2050 11005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.33 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi, Judy Montgomery Observers: Derek Stoner, Jonathan Stein Visitors: 11 total. Great visits today! Jon S. kept watch with me for the second half of the day, catching some good eagles and other hawks. Lea V., Erin D. and Bob K. stayed on top a long while, enjoying the view and listening as I rambled on about hawk migration, woodpecker behavior, and the weather's effect on bird movement. Amy and Kathleen O. visited again, always great to see you two! Ash D. stopped in at the end of watch to congratulate us on our luck in seeing so many hawks this year. Weather: Cloud cover all day, with some partial pockets of blue sky on occasion. Cool morning (14C high today), damp air (70% humidity on average all day). Winds from SE, but mostly under 2mph. Raptor Observations: Good birds coming in waves, with long periods of inactivity. Golden Eagles are here it seems, two spotted today (one after official watch hours, spotted by Judy M. and Derek S.) Both immature, the first coming midday and flying in about 40m above me, providing a spectacular look. A big day for Bald Eagles as well, 7 total, including a nice group of 4 that came kettled together midday! Non-raptor Observations: Again, more big flocks of familiar Fall migrants, Robins, Grackles, RW Blackbirds, Bluebirds, Cedar Waxwings. Purple Finch spotted by Jon Stein down at the low feeder station. Still some Tree Swallow groups coming through. Predictions: Rain should hold out until evening, but winds are looking unfavorable. Still, didn't hurt us too much today! See you there. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (30 Oct 2009) 225 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:10:43 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 30, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 27 138 208 Turkey Vulture 105 619 660 Osprey 3 1000 3058 Bald Eagle 0 248 468 Northern Harrier 1 383 510 Sharp-shinned Hawk 37 3258 4937 Cooper's Hawk 19 1090 1343 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 14 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 8 266 321 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 7 704 1805 Merlin 11 503 1004 Peregrine Falcon 6 585 812 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 1 6 12 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 17 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 225 9038 15554 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Lynn Smith, Rachel Shapiro, Susan Gruver Visitors: relatively few, but expected given the weather. Weather: Overcast all day, though the ceiling raised in the afternoon and clouds thinned slightly. High temp of 17C/63F was reached at noon, and maintained through the afternoon. Winds were 5mph out of the ESE. Raptor Observations: Bizarre day, indeed. Overall, diversity was high, but 70% of our birds came through IN ONE KETTLE! Late, too, at 1515 a huge kettle of mostly vultures drifted in over the radar tower. All birds were slightly to the North. Non-raptor Observations: A great day overall, though weather was somewhat oppressive. 90 species recorded including many great FOS birds: 7 Common Eider, 1 Greater Scaup, 5 Rusty Blackbirds, and a total of 16 species of Waterfowl. Predictions: Cloudy to Mostly cloudy with winds 15-20mph S and a high of 72F. A pleasant, but probably raptor-free, day. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Harlequin Duck and 2 White-winged Scoter From: Forrest Rowland <rowbird2005 AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:12:22 -0400 Hello all! Forrest Rowland here. I realize that while many of you follow the hawkwatch reports from Ashland and Cape Henlopen, today's grand total of 4 raptors noted at CHHW may not have compelled you to read the report with anxious desire to live vicariously through those of us lucky enough to spend 6.5 hours in the cold, damp, and record a whopping FOUR birds. This follow-up is for the benefit of those who wisely decided to delete the post from their inboxes today :-) At about 9:40am, flying N to S, 80 yds offshore in the company of 7 Surf Scoter was one Harlequin Duck!!! Also, two White-winged Scoters came by in a group of about 130 Black Scoter, bearing N into the bay. The seabird migration, in general, has been ramping up. Our first Scaups have come by in the past week and I'm hoping to log some other diving ducks soon. Good Birding, Forrest Rowland Subject: Bombay Hook area (Thursday) From: Maurice Barnhill <mvb AT UDEL.EDU> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:49:58 -0400 I spent my second straight day in the field, largely because yesterday I got absolutely nothing of interest. Mostly I was looking for photographs, so I may have missed some things, but there were a few of interest: Cattle Egret - 2 on route 9 near Taylor's Bridge Peregrine Falcon - 1 at Bear Swamp perched on the Bay side of the dike. It was on the sign-up sheet for two days ago, also at Bear Swamp. If at least one of the photos is reasonably sharp, I will send it to the DOS photo site. Avocet - many on the mud flats opposite the north end of Shearness Western Sandpiper - many, with 1 doing its best imitation of a Phalarope. Very puzzling for a few seconds Junco - 1 alone (!), near the end of the Port Mahon Rd. How did that happen? Two notes: 1. It looks like there won't be much fallow ground along Cartanza this winter. 2. Route 9 was closed both days from Port Penn to Thorntown Road. Going north, there is no sign marking the turn onto Thorntown you need to take to get back to 9. -- Maurice Barnhill mvb AT udel.edu Department of Physics and Astronomy University of Delaware Newark, DE 19716 Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (29 Oct 2009) 54 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:46:08 -0400 Hello! Cyrus here. Had a nice diverse flight today, with one big highlight, an immature Golden Eagle, this afternoon. Very nice looks at the bird, details below! See you tomorrow, - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 29, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 4 211 328 Turkey Vulture 11 277 295 Osprey 0 45 219 Bald Eagle 1 92 197 Northern Harrier 1 30 63 Sharp-shinned Hawk 17 637 1158 Cooper's Hawk 4 201 366 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 36 86 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 13 234 254 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 1 3 4 American Kestrel 1 131 416 Merlin 0 15 45 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 13 26 Unknown Buteo 0 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 54 1964 10919 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Molly Calderon Visitors: 8 total. Good visits! Richard Cross made his first stop on the hill, having recently moved from Houston and eager to check out our birding scene. He definitely showed his dedication, staying up top four solid hours, spotting birds (and IDing some planes too)! Judy and Sarah F. led up groups of high-schoolers from Concord for some hawk-watch practice this morning. Molly helped finish out the last hour of watch, her last day here before going to work at the new DuPont Environmental Education Center. Great to see everyone today. Weather: Thick covering of stratus clouds all morning, breaking only partially late day. Winds weak, never breaking 3mph mark, from the NE/ENE. Cool morning with humid around 75% all day. Raptor Observations: Periods of inactivity, but overall a satisfying day with good diversity. Plus, a great showing by an immature Golden Eagle! He appeared to be in the advanced stages of immature plumage, with the white feathering nearly absent in the wings. The white uppertail was still highly visible. The bird stayed at modest altitude above the saddle for 4 minutes, then moved on. A very low female Harrier and several Red-taileds and Sharpies kept the day fresh. Non-raptor Observations: Joe S. and Bill S. spotted a Black-capped Chickadee near the hill this morning during the bird walk. Judy M. caught a glimpse of an Eastern Meadowlark as it passed by and perched momentarily at the site. Predictions: Partially cloudy, with winds from the SE. Should be rain-free though. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (29 Oct 2009) 4 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:10:31 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 29, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 111 181 Turkey Vulture 0 514 555 Osprey 0 997 3055 Bald Eagle 0 248 468 Northern Harrier 0 382 509 Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 3221 4900 Cooper's Hawk 0 1071 1324 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 14 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 0 258 313 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 0 697 1798 Merlin 3 492 993 Peregrine Falcon 0 579 806 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 17 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 4 8813 15329 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Jean Shaw, Lorraine Logan, Lynn Smith, Susan Gruver Visitors: Several visitors despite the cold damp. Weather: Overcast all day with a high temperature of 56F/14C reached around 1:30pm. Winds were 10-15mph out of the NE early, becoming more Easterly as the day wore on. Humidity was very high, including a short bit of drizzle. Raptor Observations: Surprisingly SLOW. I was expecting a few birds today, at least, but practically no raptors were flying today. Non-raptor Observations: HARLEQUIN DUCK came by today in one of the small groups of Surf Scoters. Scoter numbers were in the thousands today, and 2 male White-winged Scoter were in a skein of over 130 Black Scoter, too!!! Predictions: High in the lower 60s with winds 5-10mph out of the ESE. As long as winds remain light, there could be a bit of movement. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: Ashland bird walk From: joe sebastiani <joe AT DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:52:12 -0500 This morning on the Ashland bird walk we had some nice sightings. Foremost was a really good-looking and sounding Black-capped Chickadee near the Hawk Watch. Extensive white on the wings forming the hockey stick look, plus extensive white on the cheeks coming way back onto the nape and very buffy flanks, noted by Bill Stewart. It also called a few times and was deeper and more hoarse and slower than the typical Carolina Chickadees. This was originally how I was made aware of it. We also had a few 2nd-year male Purple Finches, several Ruby-crowned Kinglets, a Kestrel, Swamp Sparrow, several Field Sparrows, and two Brown Creeper. A small group of Carolina Chickadees were repeatedly harvesting and eating seeds from Great Ragweed plants. I have not seen too many species eating these large, hard seeds...most frequently Cardinals. Ragweed is not supposed to be of much food value, but maybe the Chickadees know something we don't. Joe Sebastiani Members Program Team Leader Delaware Nature Society P.O. Box 700 Hockessin, DE 19707 (302) 239-2334 ext. 115 fax (302) 239-2473 email - joe AT delawarenaturesociety.org website - www.delawarenaturesociety.org The Nature of Delaware Blog - www.delawarenaturesociety.org/blog Subject: Middletown Horned Larks From: Mike Liberati <irunmiles AT YAHOO.COM> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:36:57 -0400 Flocks of Horned Larks have returned to the Middletown Auto Park. Last year they stayed for several weeks, and were joined by Lapland Longspurs. The best viewing this morning was on the edge of the harvested corn field behind the farm house and barns. Subject: Common Nighthawk after dark From: "Bennett Chris (DNREC)" <Chris.Bennett AT STATE.DE.US> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:01:39 -0400 Last night while conducting a spotlight survey for deer at Cape Henlopen - we flushed a Common Nighthawk from a stockpile of rocks in the spray fields on Wolf Neck. This area is not open to the public due to the application of treated wastewater to the ag fields - but as a fairly late date for this species in Delaware thought it was worth posting. We did see a few deer - around 100 combined for the east and west sides of the park including a nice 8-point buck on the parade field, a couple raccoons and the usual dozen or so red foxes. Chris Bennett Milford, DE "The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant: 'What good is it?'" Aldo Leopold A Sand County Almanac Subject: Brandywine Creek Bird Walk From: Andy Ednie <ednieap AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:10:40 -0400 The monthly walk sponsored by Brandywine Creek State Park will be this Saturday, October 31st. Since it is Halloween in the Haunted Woods, costume is optional. We will start at the park nature center at 8:00 am, should be finished by 10:30. Last weekend I had 6 species of woodpecker, Winter Wren, and Palm Warblers. The river was very high and the trail was muddy. Park entrance fees are still in effect. Andy Ednie Claymont, Delaware Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (28 Oct 2009) 37 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:00:40 -0400 Hello, Cyrus here! Shut out of the first several hours of watch, but managed to catch a nice diverse flight this afternoon. Most of the birds were low and beautifully visible! Good visits too. Details below, see you on the hill, - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 28, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 4 207 324 Turkey Vulture 5 266 284 Osprey 0 45 219 Bald Eagle 2 91 196 Northern Harrier 1 29 62 Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 620 1141 Cooper's Hawk 0 197 362 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 35 85 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 16 221 241 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 3 American Kestrel 1 130 415 Merlin 1 15 45 Peregrine Falcon 0 12 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 13 26 Unknown Buteo 0 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 37 1910 10865 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 11:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 4 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Jonathan Stein, Molly Calderon Visitors: 7 total. Good visits, especially considering the abbreviated watch hours and poor morning weather! Alicia A. stopped in after some morning work at the Nature Center. Molly Calderon and Jon Stein helped keep watch a few hours each. Craig Ransom made his second visit to the hill and very generously left me a book on the history of hawk watches in the country. Great visits! Weather: Rain all morning, delaying watch until noon. After this, clouds broke and rain moved off, allowing periods of sunshine and N/NW winds for the remainder of watch. Humid with temps at 18.5 Raptor Observations: Good passage of birds after the clearing weather, with most birds low enough to provide stellar looks. Two very low immature Bald Eagles, a rocket-fast Merlin over the field, and an elusive Peregrine that gave one long look before disappearing behind treeline. Many Red-taileds (16) and a small collection of low Sharpies (7). Darn good for a 4 hour watch! Non-raptor Observations: Most interestingly, a lone female Baltimore Oriole perching atop the hill today. Awful late for her to be showing up! Large flocks of American Robin, American Crow, Common Grackle. Geese were not as abundant today. Predictions: Cloudy, but clear of rain, with winds mostly from the N/NE. I'll bet some good birds come, following today's front. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Delaware Valley RBA, 28 OCT 2009 From: Stephen E Kacir <rba AT DVOC.ORG> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:28:31 -0700 - RBA * PA, NJ, DE * Delaware Valley: Southeast PA, Central/Southern NJ & DE * PADV0910.28 * October 28, 2009 - Birds Mentioned Pacific Loon (NJ)+ Wood Stork (DE)+ Wood Stork (PA)+ Roseate Spoonbill (NJ)+ Barnacle Goose (NJ)+ Purple Gallinule (NJ)+ Arctic Tern (PA)+ Ash-throated Flycatcher (NJ)+ Black-throated Gray Warbler -Extralimital- (PA)+ Le Conte's Sparrow -Extralimital- (NJ)+ (NJ)+ (Details requested by NJBRC) (PA)+ (Details requested by PORC) (DE)+ (Details requested by DERC) Red-throated Loon Common Loon Horned Grebe Northern Fulmar Cory's Shearwater Greater Shearwater Northern Gannet Brown Pelican Great Cormorant American Bittern Yellow-crowned Night-heron Snow Goose Cackling Goose Brant Ringed Teal King Eider Common Eider Harlequin Duck Surf Scoter White-winged Scoter Black Scoter Long-tailed Duck Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle Merlin Peregrine Falcon Ruffed Grouse Northern Bobwhite Sora Common Moorhen Sandhill Crane American Golden-plover Piping Plover American Avocet Western Willet Marbled Godwit Red Knot Semipalmated Sandpiper Western Sandpiper White-rumped Sandpiper Dunlin Stilt Sandpiper Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson's Snipe Parasitic Jaeger Bonaparte's Gull Lesser Black-backed Gull Royal Tern Common Tern Forster's Tern Long-eared Owl Short-eared Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Ruby-throated Hummingbird Rufous Hummingbird Western Kingbird Common Raven Horned Lark Cave Swallow Red-breasted Nuthatch Marsh Wren American Pipit Tennessee Warbler Orange-crowned Warbler Nashville Warbler Cape May Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Clay-colored Sparrow Vesper Sparrow Nelson's Sparrow Saltmarsh Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow Indigo Bunting Dickcissel Bobolink Rusty Blackbird Purple Finch Pine Siskin - Transcript Hotline: Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert Email reports to: rba AT dvoc.org Compiler: Steve Kacir, Delaware Valley Ornithological Club Phone: (215) 240-7547 Voice of the Delaware Valley RBA: Cindy Ahern & Win Shafer URL: http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm Welcome to the October 28, 2009 edition of the Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert, a service provided by the joint efforts of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club (DVOC), covering the Delaware Valley Region of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. I'm Steve Kacir your guide for birding in the Greater Philadelphia Region. This week, we highlight reports of PACIFIC LOON in Warren County, NJ; WOOD STORK in New Castle County, DE and Montgomery County, PA; ROSEATE SPOONBILL and PURPLE GALLINULE in Atlantic County, NJ; ARCTIC TERN in Wayne County, PA and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER in Monmouth County, NJ. Remember to check out our website for additional content and information: http://www.dvoc.org/RBA/Current/Active/Index.htm -------------------------------------------------------------- FOR NEW JERSEY: Cape May County: On Oct 26, a WESTERN KINGBIRD spent some time around the Cape May Point State Park Hawk Watch before relocating to Davy's Lake. Afterwards, the WESTERN KINGBIRD returned to the hawk watch, then flew towards The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge. A COMMON MOORHEN was spotted from the hawk watch platform on Oct 21-23, and a SORA was at the park on Oct 22. A PARASITIC JAEGER was spotted from the Hawk Watch on Oct 22. Three PINE SISKINS and a CAPE MAY WARBLER were spotted from the hawk watch on Oct 21. A STILT SANDPIPER and 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS passed by the hawk watch on Oct 25. On Oct 25, two LONG-EARED OWLS flew over the yellow trail at Cape May Point State Park, heading towards TNC Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge. That day, three AMERICAN BITTERNS were also spotted from the park. An AMERICAN BITTERN and 3 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS were spotted from the state park on Oct 26. Other reports from the Cape May Point State Park included RED-THROATED LOONS, NORTHERN GANNETS, SURF SCOTERS, BLACK SCOTERS, RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, MERLINS, PEREGRINE FALCONS, WILSON'S SNIPES, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, AMERICAN PIPITS, RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and PURPLE FINCHES. Three LONG-EARED OWLS and a VESPER SPARROW were at TNC Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge on Oct 23. A VESPER SPARROW was at the dunes between the refuge and the state park on Oct 21. A COMMON EIDER flew past the refuge on Oct 26. Other sightings from the refuge included AMERICAN BITTERNS, LESSER BLACK- BACKED GULL and AMERICAN PIPITS. On Oct 23, the Cape May Bird Observatory Morning Flight Project spotted a COMMON EIDER and a STILT SANDPIPER from the dike at Higbee Beach WMA. On Oct 22, the Morning Flight Project reported 23,717 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS and a PARASITIC JAEGER. The Higbee dike had WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS on Oct 21-23 & Oct 26, with a high count of 42 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS on Oct 22. An ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, NASHVILLE WARBLER and TENNESSEE WARBLER were noted at the Morning Flight on Oct 21. DICKCISSELS were spotted at the Morning Flight on Oct 21 & 26. Other sightings from the Morning Flight Project included BROWN PELICAN, BRANT, SURF SCOTERS, BLACK SCOTERS, BROAD-WINGED HAWK, MERLINS, PEREGRINE FALCON, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, AMERICAN PIPITS, BOBOLINK, RUSTY BLACKBIRDS and PURPLE FINCHES. Higbee Beach WMA had a CLAY-COLORED SPARROW on Oct 22 and LINCOLN'S SPARROW on Oct 23. Five VESPER SPARROWS were at the Magnesite Plant on Oct 22. Five VESPER SPARROWS were at the Rea Farm on Oct 22. The Rea Farm had WILSON'S SNIPES and MERLIN on Oct 24. On Oct 25, the Two Mile Beach Unit of Cape May NWR had a PIPING PLOVER, 5 WHITE-RUMPED SANDPIPERS and 40 RED KNOTS. On Oct 21, SALTMARSH SPARROWS and 1-2 NELSON'S SPARROWS were at Two Mile Landing off Ocean Dr. A drake COMMON EIDER was seen off the St Peter's jetty on Oct 24, and a PARASITIC JAEGER was spotted off Cape May Point on Oct 23. That day, a female COMMON EIDER was spotted off Coral Ave. Another COMMON EIDER was off Cape May Point on Oct 22. That day, a PARASITIC JAEGER flushed roosting Skimmers and Terns at Second Ave. On Oct 27, a SNOW BUNTING was at the corner of Wilmington Ave at Poverty Beach. A YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON was on Thorofare Island on Oct 24. The Stone Harbor Point and Nummy Island area had reports of MARBLED GODWITS through the week, with 11 MARBLED GODWITS at Stone Harbor Point on Oct 23 & Oct 27. Hundreds of RED KNOTS, including dozens of juveniles, were at the Stone Harbor and Nummy Island area Oct 23-27. On Oct 27, Stone Harbor Point had 45 WESTERN WILLETS, 35 WESTERN SANDPIPERS and 4 LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS. On Oct 20, Stone Harbor had 3 COMMON EIDERS. On Oct 26, the Avalon Sea Watch spotted a KING EIDER and 20 COMMON EIDERS. On Oct 24, a HARLEQUIN DUCK flew past the Avalon Sea Watch. The sea watch reported COMMON EIDER on Oct 21 & 24. On Oct 23, the sea watch reported a hen KING EIDER and over 15,000 SURF SCOTERS. The sea watch spotted PARASITIC JAEGERS on Oct 22-26. Two MARBLED GODWITS passed the sea watch on Oct 25. On Oct 27, a DICKCISSEL was seen from the Avalon Sea Watch, and 14 COMMON EIDERS made the count. Other species reported from the sea watch included RED-THROATED LOONS, BROWN PELICANS, GREAT CORMORANTS, BRANT, WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS, BLACK SCOTERS, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, BONAPARTE'S GULLS and AMERICAN PIPITS. On Oct 21, four GREATER SHEARWATERS and 2 CORY'S SHEARWATERS were seen from a boat out of Sea Isle City. A NORTHERN FULMAR, CORY'S SHEARWATERS and GREATER SHEARWATERS were spotted from a boat off Avalon and Sea Isle City on Oct 22. Atlantic County: The ROSEATE SPOONBILL at the Brigantine Division of Edwin B Forsythe NWR was reported as recently as Oct 25. A PURPLE GALLINULE was at the Gull Pond at Brigantine on Oct 21. A COMMON MOORHEN and AMERICAN AVOCET were at Brigantine on Oct 25. Other sightings from Brigantine included AMERICAN BITTERN, BRANT. On Oct 21, CORY'S SHEARWATERS and GREATER SHEARWATERS were spotted from a boat off Atlantic City. Ocean County: A late report from Oct 20 noted 24 GREATER SHEARWATERS and 4 CORY'S SHEARWATERS seen from a boat offshore of Barnegat. Monmouth County: On Oct 26-27, an ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was at Thompson Park in Lincroft. To reach the spot where the ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER was seen, enter the main entrance of the park from Route 520. Follow signs for the Marlu Lake parking area, and the FLYCATCHER was spotted in a wooded area behind the parking lot and to the left of the lake. That day, NASHVILLE WARBLERS were at Thompson Park and Big Brook Park. A CAVE SWALLOW was seen at the north end of Sandy Hook on Oct 24. On Oct 25, a SHORT-EARED OWL was near the Salt Pond at the north end of Sandy Hook. That day, a SORA was at Plum Island, and an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was at the end of the Fisherman's Trail. Two VESPER SPARROWS were at Sandy Hook's K Lot on Oct 22. Other recent sightings from Sandy Hook included WHITE- WINGED SCOTERS and RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, MERLIN, BONAPARTE'S GULLS and RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES. An AMERICAN BITTERN was at Assunpink WMA on Oct 23. Gloucester County: On Oct 27, a loose flock of 10 RED-THROATED LOONS followed by a single RED-THROATED LOON flew up the Delaware River past the National Park dredge spoils. That day, a VESPER SPARROW was at the north dike area of the dredge spoils, and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were at the north woods. Hunterdon County: On Oct 27, the Califon BARNACLE GOOSE was in the field behind the daycare center at Sliker Rd and County Rd 513. A BRANT was at Pascale Park in Tewksbury on Oct 27. Warren County: A PACIFIC LOON was reported from Merrill Creek Reservoir on Oct 23, and a SURF SCOTER was on the reservoir on Oct 25. GOLDEN EAGLES flew past the Scott's Mountain Hawk Watch on Oct 21 & 26, and a NORTHERN GOSHAWK made the count on Oct 23. Other highlights from Scott's Mountain included RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, MERLIN and PEREGRINE FALCONS. On Oct 21, Warren Green Acres (aka Glenhurst Meadows) had 2 VESPER SPARROWS, which were found at the perimeter of the parking lot. A PURPLE FINCH was singing at Warren Green Acres that day. A NORTHERN GOSHAWK and 3 GOLDEN EAGLES were spotted from the Raccoon Ridge Hawk Watch on Oct 25. Other sightings from Raccoon Ridge included RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, MERLINS and COMMON RAVENS. NJ Extralimitals: On Oct 26-28, a LE CONTE'S SPARROW was at Overpeck County Park in Leonia, Bergen County. The LE CONTE'S SPARROW was at the northeast corner of the farthest field. To reach this field, go south on Grand Ave at its intersection with Fort Lee Rd. Turn right onto Roosevelt Place and follow it to the parking lot for the Overpeck Park ball fields. At the northeast corner of the lot is a gated gravel service road. Follow the service road about 100yds until a T-intersection with another path marked by a post with blue and white blazes. Bear left and pass over a garbage-filled canal until a field appears on the left, up a small rise and through the trees. Go up a short path to this field where the LE CONTE'S SPARROW was found. -------------------------------------------------------------- FOR DELAWARE: New Castle County: On Oct 25, a WOOD STORK flew past the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch, later seen at the Militia Hill Hawk Watch in Montgomery County, PA. A PINE SISKIN was on a feeder at Ashland Nature Center on Oct 20. A LINCOLN'S SPARROW was at Ashland on Oct 22. Other sightings from the Ashland included RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, MERLINS and PEREGRINE FALCONS. Kent County: Recent reports from Bombay Hook NWR included sightings of thousands of SNOW GEESE, ROYAL TERN, AMERICAN AVOCET, PEREGRINE FALCON, NORTHERN BOBWHITE, AMERICAN PIPIT and the pair of escaped RINGED TEAL. Sussex County: On Oct 22, over 2200 SNOW GEESE flew past the Cape Henlopen State Park Hawk Watch. Other highlights from the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch included NORTHERN GANNETS, RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, BROAD-WINGED HAWKS, MERLINS and PEREGRINE FALCONS. -------------------------------------------------------------- FOR PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia County: Two VESPER SPARROWS were in the garden area at Benjamin Rush State Park on Oct 21. A GREAT CORMORANT was at the Philadelphia Naval Yard on Oct 27. On Oct 28, three BRANT were on the ball fields at Pennypack on the Delaware. Delaware County: The Rose Tree Park Hawk Watch reported COMMON LOONS, RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS and MERLIN. Chester County: A PURPLE FINCH and AMERICAN PIPIT were at Okehocking Preserve on Oct 26. Montgomery County: On Oct 25, a WOOD STORK flew over the Militia Hill Hawk Watch in Fort Washington State Park. This was probably the same WOOD STORK spotted earlier at the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch in New Castle County, DE. The Militia Hill Hawk Watch also reported a NORTHERN GOSHAWK that day. Other sightings from Militia Hill this week included RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, MERLINS and PEREGRINE FALCONS. On Oct 25, a MARSH WREN was skulking between the farm pond and the bird blind at Norristown Farm Park. Bucks County: On Oct 24, Franklin Lot #5 near Warminster Community Park had 3 WILSON'S SNIPES and a BOBOLINK. On Oct 22, a VESPER SPARROW was at LaSalle Pond, which is just at the entrance to the LaSalle University campus on Lower Silver Lake Rd, south of the Newtown Bypass. On Oct 21, a LINCOLN'S SPARROW was at the Garden of Reflection in Lower Makefield Park. LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS have been seen in the fields at Shady Brook Farm, located at the intersection of the Newtown Bypass (Route 332) and Stony Hill Rd. On Oct 27, fifty LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Peace Valley Park. A LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULL was at the Churchville Nature Center on Oct 24. Northampton County: On Oct 27, sixteen AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVERS were in a plowed field on Silvercrest Rd just off PA Route 512 on the outskirts of Bath, and a DUNLIN was seen off Silvercrest Rd that day. A RUBY-THROATED HUMMINGBIRD was at a feeder in Palmer Twp through Oct 25. On Oct 24, thirty-five PINE SISKINS were reported from north Bethlehem. On Oct 27, twenty-four LESSER BLACK-BACKED GULLS were at Nazareth Quarry. Recent sightings from the Koch property included WILSON'S SNIPE, NASHVILLE WARBLER and PURPLE FINCHES. Lehigh County: On Oct 27, an AMERICAN GOLDEN-PLOVER was in a field near Route 100 and Schantz Rd in Fogelsville. The Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch reported GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 22 & Oct 25-26, with 6 GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 25 and 4 GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 26. On Oct 26, Bake Oven Knob had 2 NORTHERN GOSHAWKS and a ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK. Ten PINE SISKINS were seen from Bake Oven Knob on Oct 21. This week, Bake Oven Knob also reported COMMON LOONS, RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, MERLINS, PEREGRINE FALCONS and COMMON RAVENS. A CACKLING GOOSE was at the ponds on Nestle Way Rd on Oct 27. Schuylkill County: On Oct 25, Scott Weidensaul's Saw-whet Owl banding project with the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art caught 24 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS at the Hidden Valley site. The project caught a total of 127 NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWLS from Oct 1 through Oct 25. Berks County: A RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was still visiting salvia flowers on private property in Lebo through Oct 22. The Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Hawk Watch reported GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 22 & Oct 25-26, with 5 GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 25 and two GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 26. NORTHERN GOSHAWKS flew past Hawk Mountain on Oct 24 & 26. Other sightings from Hawk Mountain included COMMON LOON, RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, MERLINS, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, COMMON RAVENS, HORNED LARKS and PURPLE FINCH. On Oct 25, SGL 110 had a RUFFED GROUSE and PURPLE FINCH. Lancaster County: An immature female RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRD was banded in East Earl Twp on Oct 22. On Oct 25, the Susquehanna River had a RED-THROATED LOON, 2 COMMON LOONS and a FORSTER'S TERN. On Oct 25, a BRANT flew over Avocet Point at the Conejohela Flats. That day, the Conejohela Flats also had 10 DUNLIN, BONAPARTE'S GULLS and a COMMON TERN. Two SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, an INDIGO BUNTING and RUSTY BLACKBIRDS were at Avocet Point on Oct 22. A CACKLING GOOSE was at the juvenile detention center off Chesapeake Street on Oct 26. Lebanon County: The SANDHILL CRANE at Lake Duffy in SGL 145 was reported as recently as Oct 24. While this CRANE has seemingly acclimated itself to human presence, birders should be respectful of the CRANE and not approach it too closely. The Second Mountain Hawk Watch spotted GOLDEN EAGLES on Oct 21 & Oct 25-26. On Oct 26, two NORTHERN GOSHAWKS flew past Second Mountain. Other sightings from Second Mountain included COMMON LOONS, RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS, PEREGRINE FALCONS and COMMON RAVENS. Carbon County: Five SURF SCOTERS were at Beltzville State Park Oct 24-26. On Oct 24, Beltzville State Park had 52 BRANT, 9 BLACK SCOTERS and a DUNLIN. An immature NORTHERN GOSHAWK was at Beltzville on Oct 27. An AMERICAN BITTERN and a SURF SCOTER were at Beltzville on Oct 23, and three RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES were there on Oct 26. Wayne County: On Oct 24, Lake Wallenpaupack had an ARCTIC TERN, 2 HORNED GREBES, 30 BLACK SCOTERS, 15 SURF SCOTERS and 4 BRANT. PA Extralimitals: The BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER at Big Spring Creek near Newville, Cumberland County was last seen on Oct 25. On Oct 24, six WHITE- WINGED SCOTERS and 40 BLACK SCOTERS were on Lake Scranton in Lackawanna County. -------------------------------------------------------------- ANNOUNCEMENTS: On Nov 1, Frank Windfelder and Chris Walters will lead a DVOC Field Trip to Bake Oven Knob in PA for migrating raptors, keep in mind that daylight saving time ends the night before, and Eastern Standard Time goes into effect on Nov 1. The trip will meet at the Bake Oven Knob parking lot at 8:30AM sharp. Participants should bring a packed lunch. More information about these trips can be found on the DVOC website: http://www.dvoc.org/ The next meeting of the DVOC will be on Nov 5 at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia at 7:30PM. The meeting will feature a program by Jeff Holt and Bert Filemyr entitled "The Composite Prints of Audubon's Birds of America - The Rarest of the Rare." Details are on the website, and guests are always welcome. The DVOC Annual Banquet will take place on Nov 19, 2009 at the Sheet Metal Workers' Hall in Philadelphia, when Rick Wright will present "The Most Beautiful of the Whole Beautiful Lot: Wood Warblers of the American Southwest." Reservations are due on Nov 16. Additional information and a downloadable reservation form can be found on the DVOC website: http://www.dvoc.org/Banquet/Banquet.htm See Life Paulagics is running a special eight-hour pelagic trip out of Cape May for the Waterbird Society on Nov 8. The remaining space on the trip is now open to the public. Those interested in participating in this trip can find more information on-line at http://www.paulagics.com/ The Delaware Valley Rare Bird Alert is a weekly report on birding in the Delaware Valley Region including Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey. To report birds or significant birding events and planned pelagic trips, please email rba AT dvoc.org. This is Steve Kacir, good birding to you all and thanks for calling, surfing and reporting. - End Transcript Steve Kacir rba AT dvoc.orgDVOC Rare Bird Alert Committee Chair Academy of Natural Sciences Delaware Valley Ornithological Club Philadelphia Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (28 Oct 2009) 9 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:10:16 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 28, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 111 181 Turkey Vulture 0 514 555 Osprey 0 997 3055 Bald Eagle 0 248 468 Northern Harrier 0 382 509 Sharp-shinned Hawk 7 3220 4899 Cooper's Hawk 0 1071 1324 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 14 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 0 258 313 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 1 697 1798 Merlin 1 489 990 Peregrine Falcon 0 579 806 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 17 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 9 8809 15325 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 14:00:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 1.5 hours Official Counter: Susan Gruver Observers: Rob Schroeder Visitors: 6 Weather: rain delayed start to the watch today,,,,,wind WEST,force 2-3,temp 20c,clcv 30%,visb 20k Raptor Observations: Non-raptor Observations: Predictions: wind ENE 7-9 mph, mostly cloudy, high 59 ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sue Gruver (srgruver AT aol.com) Subject: Ashland bird walk From: joe sebastiani <joe AT DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:34:25 -0500 Join me tomorrow for the weekly free bird walk at Ashland Nature Center. The weather looks good and will look for sparrows and other mid-fall migrants. We meet at 8am at the parking lot and directions can be found at www.delawarenaturesociety.org. Joe Sebastiani Members Program Team Leader Delaware Nature Society P.O. Box 700 Hockessin, DE 19707 (302) 239-2334 ext. 115 fax (302) 239-2473 email - joe AT delawarenaturesociety.org website - www.delawarenaturesociety.org The Nature of Delaware Blog - www.delawarenaturesociety.org/blog Subject: Lookout for Trumpeter Swans From: "Gonzon Anthony T. (DNREC)" <Anthony.Gonzon AT STATE.DE.US> Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:55:49 -0400 Greetings all, It's that time of year again when we start scanning those flocks of geese and swans for those rarities. While many have been able to spot and observe the more uncommon species of geese (Ross's, Cackling, and Greater White-fronted), the swans are a bit more challenging. Nesting populations of Trumpeter Swan are improving in northern states and Canada but little is known about pioneering migrants moving south to new wintering grounds. Currently, there is a volunteer program named Trumpeter Watch that aims at gathering information about these birds. More information about it can be found at: www.trumpeterswansociety.org. So keep your eyes open for those Trumpeter's this season! If you believe you have found one, be sure to make detailed notes about the observation, including comparisons to Tundra Swans which can pose an ID challenge. Lastly, don't forget to get the word out if you find one! Maybe it's a little selfish of me, but I certainly wouldn't mind seeing one for the first time! If anyone has any questions about this, please feel free to contact me. Good birding, Ant ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Anthony T. Gonzon, Jr. DE Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program DE Division of Fish and Wildlife, DNREC 4876 Hay Point Landing Road Smyrna, DE 19977 Phone: 302-653-2880 ext. 123 Fax: 302-653-3431 Visit Delaware's Breeding Bird Atlas online: www.fw.delaware.gov/bba Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (26 Oct 2009) 155 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:43:05 -0400 Hello! Here's the report from yesterday's watch, Monday, by Sally O'Byrne and Carol Majors. Lots of Red-taileds moving through! Rain drowned us out today, and may do the same tomorrow. We'll see! Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 35 203 320 Turkey Vulture 37 261 279 Osprey 0 45 219 Bald Eagle 2 89 194 Northern Harrier 2 28 61 Sharp-shinned Hawk 20 613 1134 Cooper's Hawk 3 197 362 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 3 35 85 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 50 205 225 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 3 American Kestrel 1 129 414 Merlin 0 14 44 Peregrine Falcon 2 12 21 Unknown Accipiter 0 13 26 Unknown Buteo 0 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 155 1873 10828 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Carol Majors, Sally O'Byrne Observers: Bob Strahorn, Jonathan Stein, Molly Calderon Visitors: 8 total. Weather: Mild winds from NE/E with partial cloud cover and temps reaching 18.8C. Raptor Observations: Sally O'Byrne and Carol Majors on watch today. A strong, steady flight of raptors. Large Black and Turkey Vulture movements, and a great passage of Red-taileds (50). 2 Peregrine spotted midday! 155 total hawks. Non-raptor Observations: A Savannah Sparrow seen today. 5 Monarchs. Predictions: Rain persisting most of day. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Ashland Nature Center (25 Oct 2009) 55 Raptors From: Derek Stoner <derek AT DELAWARENATURESOCIETY.ORG> Date: Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:48:03 -0500 Greetings: As Bob Rufe already reported, a very exciting sighting occurred Sunday afternoon from Hawk Watch Hill. Thanks to a report on PA-Birds by the great observers up at Militia Hill in Fort Washington, PA, the sighting of the Wood Stork could be corroborated. The immediacy of communication makes this type of observation all the more exciting. Perhaps we can learn more about the movements of unique vagrant birds through documentation of these sightings. The Wood Stork travelled about 38 air miles in about 75 minutes. Interesting! Otherwise, a fairly typical day at the hawk watch with a good variety of raptors. - Derek Stoner Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 11 168 285 Turkey Vulture 12 224 242 Osprey 1 45 219 Bald Eagle 2 87 192 Northern Harrier 1 26 59 Sharp-shinned Hawk 17 593 1114 Cooper's Hawk 2 194 359 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 32 82 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 5 155 175 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 3 American Kestrel 3 128 413 Merlin 0 14 44 Peregrine Falcon 1 10 19 Unknown Accipiter 0 13 26 Unknown Buteo 0 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 55 1718 10673 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Bob Rufe, Bob Strahorn Observers: Bob Strahorn, Jim Lewis, Jonathan Stein Visitors: Connie and David Beatty, Mary and Whitney Sample, Jim and Dave Lewis, and Alicia Arcidiacono Weather: Partly cloudy with steady WNW winds. Raptor Observations: A typical mid-season variety of raptors on the move. Non-raptor Observations: A very interesting, large white wading bird with black wing edges and a long decurved beak. Flying northeast, the bird was seen(and photographed) just over an hour later at Militia Hill Hawk Watch in Forth Washington, PA. A picture-perfect Wood Stork! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Derek Stoner (derek AT delawarenaturesociety.org) Information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (26 Oct 2009) 11 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 18:10:29 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 26, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 111 181 Turkey Vulture 0 514 555 Osprey 0 997 3055 Bald Eagle 0 248 468 Northern Harrier 0 382 509 Sharp-shinned Hawk 6 3213 4892 Cooper's Hawk 4 1071 1324 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 14 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 0 258 313 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 0 696 1797 Merlin 1 488 989 Peregrine Falcon 0 579 806 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 17 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 11 8800 15316 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 12:30:00 Total observation time: 4.5 hours Official Counter: Susan Gruver Observers: Kathy Boyd, Lynn Smith Visitors: 8 Weather: not a good day for hawk watching, wind from the EAST all day,about 1 pm it started switching to SE, force 2-3,temp 14-16c,clcv 50%,visb 20K Raptor Observations: not many Raptors to observe, we looked high and low, North and South, but to no avail. Non-raptor Observations: very few other birds except several thousand DCCO's and Scoters Predictions: well,,,,,not much better. Wind ENE 5 mph, 70% chance of rain, high 63 ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sue Gruver (srgruver AT aol.com) Subject: RE: Fwd: Wood Stork at Ashland? From: "Inskip, Gregory A." <ginskip AT potteranderson.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:53:21 -0400 Bob -- Very exciting. I wonder if this would work in reverse; do Militia Hill and Ashland see the same hawks? Golden Eagles on the same day that could be the same bird? Greg [cid:image001.jpg AT 01CA5622.256B8280] Gregory A. Inskip Partner 1313 North Market Street P.O. Box 951 Wilmington, DE 19899-0951 302 984 6016 Direct Dial 302 778 6016 Fax ginskip AT potteranderson.com www.potteranderson.com IRS Circular 230 disclosure: To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the IRS, we inform you that any U.S. federal tax advice contained in this communication (including any attachments) is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein. THIS ELECTRONIC MAIL TRANSMISSION AND ANY ATTACHMENTS MAY CONTAIN PRIVILEGED, CONFIDENTIAL, OR PROPRIETARY INFORMATION INTENDED ONLY FOR THE PERSON(S) NAMED. IF THE READER OF THIS MESSAGE IS NOT THE INTENDED RECIPIENT OR THE AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE INTENDED RECIPIENT, YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT ANY DISTRIBUTION, COPYING, OR DISCLOSURE OF THIS COMMUNICATION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. From: DOSMembers-only AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:DOSMembers-only AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Bob Rufe Sent: Monday, October 26, 2009 6:59 AM To: de-birds AT princeton.edu; DOSMembers-only AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [DOSMembers-only] Fwd: Wood Stork at Ashland? The Sunday Hawk Watch at Ashland turned up a surprising visitor from the south, headed northeast just after the 2:30 p.m. weather entries on the log sheet. The "white wader, with extensive black wing tips and linings, long slender neck and head, with long trailing legs and crane-like behavior" was observed at great distance for about 45 seconds, but without immediate positive ID or a photo until this verification came in from Militia Hill Hawk Watch, 35 miles to our northeast, where Jamie Stewart and Bert Filemyr observed and photographed a Wood Stork. Probably a one day (or 45 second) wonder, but keep looking up! Good Birding! Bob Rufe (with Jim Lewis and his son, Dave and Connie Beattie, and several visitors) ________________________________ Subject: MHHW Wood Stork Photo - Montgomery Co. From: Jamie Stewart A photo of the Wood Stork seen over the Militia Hill hawk watch this afternoon at 4pm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaste/4043702393/ - Jamie Stewart Subject: Fwd: Wood Stork at Ashland? From: Bob Rufe <rrufe1 AT AOL.COM> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:59:13 -0400 The Sunday Hawk Watch at Ashland turned up a surprising visitor from the south, headed northeast just after the 2:30 p.m. weather entries on the log sheet. The "white wader, with extensive black wing tips and linings, long slender neck and head, with long trailing legs and crane-like behavior" was observed at great distance for about 45 seconds, but without immediate positive ID or a photo until this verification came in from Militia Hill Hawk Watch, 35 miles to our northeast, where Jamie Stewart and Bert Filemyr observed and photographed a Wood Stork. Probably a one day (or 45 second) wonder, but keep looking up! Good Birding! Bob Rufe (with Jim Lewis and his son, Dave and Connie Beattie, and several visitors) Subject: MHHW Wood Stork Photo - Montgomery Co. From: Jamie Stewart A photo of the Wood Stork seen over the Militia Hill hawk watch this afternoon at 4pm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaste/4043702393/ - Jamie Stewart Subject: Fwd: Wood Stork at Ashland? From: Bob Rufe <rrufe1 AT aol.com> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 06:59:13 -0400 The Sunday Hawk Watch at Ashland turned up a surprising visitor from the south, headed northeast just after the 2:30 p.m. weather entries on the log sheet. The "white wader, with extensive black wing tips and linings, long slender neck and head, with long trailing legs and crane-like behavior" was observed at great distance for about 45 seconds, but without immediate positive ID or a photo until this verification came in from Militia Hill Hawk Watch, 35 miles to our northeast, where Jamie Stewart and Bert Filemyr observed and photographed a Wood Stork. Probably a one day (or 45 second) wonder, but keep looking up! Good Birding! Bob Rufe (with Jim Lewis and his son, Dave and Connie Beattie, and several visitors) Subject: MHHW Wood Stork Photo - Montgomery Co. From: Jamie Stewart A photo of the Wood Stork seen over the Militia Hill hawk watch this afternoon at 4pm: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jaste/4043702393/ - Jamie Stewart Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (25 Oct 2009) 391 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:10:55 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 25, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 11 111 181 Turkey Vulture 64 514 555 Osprey 8 997 3055 Bald Eagle 4 248 468 Northern Harrier 18 382 509 Sharp-shinned Hawk 125 3207 4886 Cooper's Hawk 53 1067 1320 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 2 14 15 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 23 258 313 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 70 696 1797 Merlin 6 487 988 Peregrine Falcon 7 579 806 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 17 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 391 8789 15305 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Kathy Boyd, Lynn Smith, Rachel Shapiro, Susan Gruver Visitors: about 30 Weather: cold today,,,wind N force 5-3, temp 12c-14c,clcv 10/5/60%, visb 20k Raptor Observations: almost all Raptors were coming to the South of us over the Great Dune, making it about a 95% on the scope day Non-raptor Observations: We hit Forrest's goal of 15,000 today !!! WOW !!!! Now he has upped the bar to 17,500, wish us luck and lots of birds Predictions: wind NE/ENE 6-13 MPH high of 63 and sunny so not liking that ENE part of that wind forecast ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sue Gruver (srgruver AT aol.com) Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (24 Oct 2009) 3 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:13:18 -0400 Hello, Cyrus here. A bit of a rainy one up top. I held watch until the first heavy rains came at about noon, then cut it short. Not much activity up top, hawk or otherwise. Three accipiters passed during a rain break, otherwise mostly quiet. Tomorrow is looking to be very good, so come on up for the action! See you there, - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 157 274 Turkey Vulture 0 212 230 Osprey 0 44 218 Bald Eagle 0 85 190 Northern Harrier 0 25 58 Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 576 1097 Cooper's Hawk 1 192 357 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 32 82 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 0 150 170 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 3 American Kestrel 0 125 410 Merlin 0 14 44 Peregrine Falcon 0 9 18 Unknown Accipiter 0 13 26 Unknown Buteo 0 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 3 1663 10618 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 12:00:00 Total observation time: 3.5 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Visitors: No visitors during the few hours of watch. Blame it on the weather, no? Weather: Rain heavy this morning, pausing for a few hours, the returning in force for most of the day. Winds slight, out of the SSE Raptor Observations: 3 raptors seen this morning, (a female Cooper's followed by 2 Sharp-shinned) during a 45 minute lull in the bad weather. Once rain picked up, no birds were spotted and watch was cut short. Non-raptor Observations: Predictions: Should be a great day, with this weather clearing, giving way to sun and moderate NW winds! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (24 Oct 2009) 75 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:10:41 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 24, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 100 170 Turkey Vulture 0 450 491 Osprey 3 989 3047 Bald Eagle 0 244 464 Northern Harrier 0 364 491 Sharp-shinned Hawk 27 3082 4761 Cooper's Hawk 13 1014 1267 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 12 13 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 2 235 290 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 6 626 1727 Merlin 6 481 982 Peregrine Falcon 17 572 799 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 17 39 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 75 8398 14914 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 12:45:00 Total observation time: 5.25 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Rachel Shapiro, Susan Gruver Visitors: Numerous visitors up from the Friends of Cape Henlopen luncheon. Also Frank Rohrbacher and Bruce Peterjohn keeping watch while I gave a little thank you talk to the Friends. Weather: Mostly cloudy giving way to Rain and storms by 1:30p. High temp of 27c/80F reached around 10am. Winds 10-20 out of the South early, intensifying to 20-30mph SW by noon. Raptor Observations: Not bad, given the conditions. Non-raptor Observations: Northern Gannet show still not outdone by raptors. Predictions: Partly Cloudy, high of 61F, winds NW 10-15mph. Should be great! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: RBA: Birdline Delaware, October 23rd, 2009 From: Andy Ednie <ednieap AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:13:04 -0400 RBA * Delaware * Statewide * October 23, 2009 * DEST0910.23 *Birds mentioned Brant Ross' Goose Tundra Swan Mute Swan Ringed Teal (escape) Wood Duck Green-winged Teal American Wigeon White-winged Scoter Hooded Merganser Red-throated Loon Pied-billed Grebe Northern Gannet Great Egret Snowy Egret Little Blue Heron Bald Eagle Golden Eagle Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk American Kestrel Peregrine Falcon Black-bellied Plover Semipalmated Plover American Avocet Greater Yellowlegs Solitary Sandpiper Sanderling Semipalmated Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Least Sandpiper Stilt Sandpiper Dunlin Parasitic Jaeger Bonaparte's Gull Royal Tern Great Horned Owl Chimney Swift Blue-headed Vireo Horned Lark Red-breasted Nuthatch Winter Wren House Wren Hermit Thrush American Pipit Black-throated Blue Warbler Yellow-rumped Warbler Palm Warbler Mourning Warbler Dickcissel LeConte's Sparrow Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow Lincoln's Sparrow White-crowned Sparrow Eastern Meadowlark Purple Finch Pine Siskin Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: Hotline: Birdline Delaware Date: October 23, 2009 Number: 302-658-2747 To Report: Andy Ednie 302-792-9591 (VOICE) Compiler: Andy Ednie (ednieap AT verizon.net) Coverage: Delaware, Delmarva Peninsula, nearby Delaware Valley, Southern New Jersey, Maryland Transcriber: Andy Ednie (ednieap AT verizon.net) For Friday, October 23rd, this is Birdline Delaware from the Delaware Museum of Natural History in Greenville. The 2009 Unofficial Delaware State Year List now stands at 322 species, with two new additions this week. A LECONTE'S SPARROW was found on Monday behind Ft Miles in Cape Henlopen State Park. That bird was along the wood's edge behind the barracks found by Chuck Fullmer. Ft. Miles has an interesting record for unusual sparrows this season, hosting LARK SPARROW, CLAY-COLORED SPARROW, and now the 5th state record of the secretive LECONTE'S SPARROW. Another good sparrow at Cape Henlopen this week was a NELSON'S SHARP-TAILED SPARROW at Gordon's Pond on Wednesday. Tuesday was a big day at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch with 1200 raptors passing through, including: 48 BROAD-WINGS, an immature GOLDEN EAGLE, 18 BALD EAGLES, 88 AMERICAN KESTRELS plus 521 SHARP-SHINNED, 249 COPPER'S and 5 RED-SHOULDERED HAWKS. 4 PARASITIC JAEGERS were seen at Cape Henlopen on Saturday during the nor'easter, plus lots of scoters, including 4 WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS. BRANT, RED-THROATED LOON, NORTHERN GANNET, BONAPARTE'S GULL, TUNDRA SWAN and a DICKCISSEL were also reported. A blue phase ROSS' GOOSE was reported at the entrance road to Fowler's Beach. At Bay Vista near Rehoboth, a SOLITARY SANDPIPER was found, along with several GREATER YELLOWLEGS and SEMIPALMATED PLOVER. WINTER WREN and HERMIT THRUSH was also seen. A late MOURNING WARBLER was seen at White Clay Creek State Park this week. GREAT HORNED OWL, WINTER WREN, both KINGLETS, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were also reported. Middle Run near Newark reported a male BLACK-THROATED BLUE WARBLER, BLUE-HEADED VIREO, EASTERN MEADOWLARK and lots of PALM WARBLER; 27 in one flock. A late HOUSE WREN and several WINTER WRENS were also seen. PINE SISKIN made a visit to the thistle feeder at the Ashland Nature Center Hawk Watch this week. PURPLE FINCHES were also reported as flyovers, along with CHIMNEY SWIFT and EASTERN MEADOWLARK. An immature GOLDEN EAGLE was reported on Sunday, after the front passed through, 15 BALD EAGLES were reported on Monday. LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW were also found at Ashland this week. A pair of escaped RINGED TEAL are being seen at the southeast corner of Shearness Pool at Bombay Hook. Those birds, normally found in South America, were seen with bands. HOODED MERGANSERS were seen flying over the bay side mud flats at the refuge. There were approximate 400-500 AMERICAN AVOCETS at the refuge. Other shorebirds seen included BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER, DUNLIN, SANDERLING, WESTERN, SEMIPALMATED, and LEAST SANDPIPER, and 2 remaining STILT SANDPIPERS at the northeast corner of Bear Swamp. HORNED LARK and AMERICAN PIPITS were seen along the entrance road. A PEREGRINE FALCON was seen perched on the fishing pier at Port Mahon on Sunday. The road at Port Mahan has been closed due to high water. SEMIPALMATED PLOVER and ROYAL TERN was also reported there. The first AMERICAN WIGEONS were found at Thousand Acre Marsh, with thousands of GREEN-WINGED TEAL. A single LITTLE BLUE HERON was seen with 6 SNOWY EGRETS there. LINCOLN'S and WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW were reported along Dutch Neck Road. A RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH was found at Flint's Woods near Centerville. 4 PIED-BILLED GREBES were seen along the causeway at Hoopes' Reservoir. BALD EAGLE was also seen flying over, MUTE SWAN and WOOD DUCK were also reported. BALD EAGLE and GREAT EGRET were seen at the Peterson Urban Wildlife Refuge in Wilmington. Special thanks this week to Chuck Fullmer, Carol Majors, Meta Little, Derek Stoner, Lynn Smith, Randy Murphy, Frank Rohrbacher, Mike Weaver, and our hawk watchers; Cyrus Moqtaderi and Forrest Rowland for their reports. You can report sightings or add to the State Year List by calling 302-792-9591 or email ednieap AT verizon.net. Until next week, good birding and GO PHILLIES! -end transcript Andy Ednie Claymont, Delaware Subject: Chester Co., Bucktoe Creek Preserve From: Joe Sebastiani <bunker17 AT VERIZON.NET> Date: Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:11:37 -0400 This Sunday, Holly Merker will be leading the free bird walk at the Bucktoe Creek Preserve near Kennett Square, PA. On Monday I will be leading. The walks start at 8am. Directions to the preserve can be found at http://www.delawarenaturesociety.org/dns_sites.html. This preserve is private property and access is limited to guided walks. Hope to see you on one of the walks, Joe Sebastiani Delaware Nature Society Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (23 Oct 2009) 107 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 20:52:38 -0400 Hello, Cyrus here! Today turned out to be a solid day with a nice diversity in the flight. Many birds passed this afternoon, seemingly at the edge of this oncoming storm. A terrific Merlin and Peregrine encounter today, with the Peregrine providing uncommonly good looks. Great company as well today. Details below! See you up top, - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 17 157 274 Turkey Vulture 4 212 230 Osprey 0 44 218 Bald Eagle 1 85 190 Northern Harrier 0 25 58 Sharp-shinned Hawk 37 574 1095 Cooper's Hawk 9 191 356 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 32 82 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 23 150 170 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 3 American Kestrel 11 125 410 Merlin 1 14 44 Peregrine Falcon 1 9 18 Unknown Accipiter 2 13 26 Unknown Buteo 0 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 107 1660 10615 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Joe Sebastiani, Jonathan Stein Visitors: 7 total. Maurice Barnhill spent most of the morning up top, providing some good conversation on the physics of flight and grabbing some excellent photos of passing Cooper's Hawks. Joe Sebastiani and Jon Stein kept watch with me for the afternoon period, picking out some good hawks (Peregrine included!). Great time up top today! Weather: Cool cloudy weather all day, thick stratus across the sky. Winds from the East shifting to S/SE later in the day, with variable gusts from the E. Rains cut the watch short about 30 minutes. Raptor Observations: Much greater variety today! Still a strong number of Sharp-shinneds (37) and a handful of Coopers (9). Red-taileds returned in force after yesterday's pause, 23 passing today. Falcons were visible, 11 Kestrel and a beautiful sighting of a Merlin and a Peregrine each. The Merlin buzzed the hilltop, just clearing the decoy owl and whizzing right above head level. Today's Peregrine, while not the closest of the season, certainly provided the longest looks yet! The adult Peregrine took several looping passes above the NW treeline, providing wonderful views. Stunning as always! An excellent flight today. Non-raptor Observations: Predictions: We could be in for some heavy rains, perhaps some birds will pass early before precipitation picks up. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (23 Oct 2009) 33 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:10:44 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 23, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 100 170 Turkey Vulture 0 450 491 Osprey 4 986 3044 Bald Eagle 0 244 464 Northern Harrier 3 364 491 Sharp-shinned Hawk 11 3055 4734 Cooper's Hawk 6 1001 1254 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 12 13 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 1 233 288 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 2 620 1721 Merlin 2 475 976 Peregrine Falcon 4 555 782 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 16 38 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 33 8323 14839 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 13:00:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Kathy Boyd, Lynn Smith, Susan Gruver Visitors: few Weather: Mostly cloudy with winds calm early, becoming 10-15mph out of the East by about 11am. High temp near 70F reached around 1pm Raptor Observations: East winds strike again! They continue to be the worst winds for our location, causing nearly all migrant raptos to make landfall North of us, and beyond visibility. Non-raptor Observations: What a Gannet show today!!! Estimated 1200 Gannets nearshore, closer to 2000 Gannets including far, migrant, birds. Scoters numbered in the thousands today, as well. Predictions: 50% Chance of precipitation with S winds 15-20mph. Probably going to be very slow. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (22 Oct 2009) 206 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:10:14 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 9 100 170 Turkey Vulture 12 450 491 Osprey 5 982 3040 Bald Eagle 3 244 464 Northern Harrier 6 361 488 Sharp-shinned Hawk 90 3044 4723 Cooper's Hawk 52 995 1248 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 12 13 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 4 232 287 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 13 618 1719 Merlin 6 473 974 Peregrine Falcon 6 551 778 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 16 38 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 206 8290 14806 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 15:15:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Jean Shaw, Lorraine Logan, Lynn Smith, Susan Gruver Visitors: Many visitors today including a group from Mass. Audubon down to bird the DE Bay area this weekend. Weather: Sunny, with high cirrus clouds. High temp of 26C/79F reached around 2pm. Winds WSW 5-15mph. Visibility 20K Raptor Observations: The following Bay-crossing times were observed with cooperation from Cape May: Peregrine depart CMHW 1104 arrive CHHW 1141 Harrier depart CMHW 1111 arrive CHHW 1155 Peregrine depart CMHW 1148 arrive CHHW 1233 Non-raptor Observations: Snow Geese in force today = 2200+ Predictions: Cloudy with winds starting NW 5 mph, becoming Easterly and intensifying to 15mph by mid-morning. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Elizabeth Dumont (dumont1829 AT aol.com) Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (22 Oct 2009) 78 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:46:50 -0400 Hello, Cyrus here! A good study in weather conditions as related to flight numbers today. Buteo movement was slow, given the poor winds and cooler morning temps. A few later day Red-taileds, but quiet otherwise. Sharp-shinneds and Kestrels on the other hand had a strong presence on the hill today, as these birds were less concerned with the southerly winds. Still a good count, thanks in large part to the 43 Sharpies! An early Merlin this morning and a low (read: near collision) Great Blue Heron fly-by added to the excitement. See you tomorrow, should be a good watch before the evening rains come. - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society. Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species            Day's Count    Month Total   Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture                0            140            257 Turkey Vulture              10            208            226 Osprey                       0             44            218 Bald Eagle                   0             84            189 Northern Harrier             0             25             58 Sharp-shinned Hawk          43            537           1058 Cooper's Hawk                6            182            347 Northern Goshawk             0              0              0 Red-shouldered Hawk          0             31             81 Broad-winged Hawk            0             16           7403 Red-tailed Hawk              7            127            147 Rough-legged Hawk            0              0              0 Golden Eagle                 0              2              3 American Kestrel            10            114            399 Merlin                       1             13             43 Peregrine Falcon             0              8             17 Unknown Accipiter            1             11             24 Unknown Buteo                0              6             15 Unknown Falcon               0              2              4 Unknown Eagle                0              0              0 Unknown Raptor               0              3             18 Swallow-tailed Kite          0              0              1 Total:                      78           1553          10508 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end   time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter:        Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers:        Carol Horning, Carol Majors, Derek Stoner, Jill Constantine,                  Judy Montgomery Visitors: 10 total. Very good company up top today. Carol H., Carol M., and Karen Z. stopped in after the morning walk and spotted some early hawks. Amy Sue H. made a first time visit to the hill after being away for a few years of state-side traveling.  Judy M. and Gordon F. lunched on the hill and held down the watch while I made a coffee run (thanks again!). Karen B., Albert O., and Nancy B. all made their first visits up and spent an hour watching late day Sharpies.  Good times as always! Weather: Morning cloudiness and fog slowly dissipating as the day progressed. Periods of cloud cover lingered until 1:00EST when the sky cleared, giving way to abundant sunshine. Winds were from the S/SW all day and never stronger than 4mph.  Temps reaching 24C on the hill. Raptor Observations: Felt like a Sharp-shinned (43) and Kestrel (10) parade on the hill today. Not a whole lot else moving through, exceptions being an early Merlin and a handful of Cooper's (6). Turkey Vultures moved midday (10 total), but all Blacks lingered. Buteos weren't too impressed with the South winds and were mostly absent, save for 7 mid-late day Red-taileds. Non-raptor Observations: Still a few Monarchs passing, 5 today. A small group of Tree Swallows lingered this morning, as well as 2 Chimney Swift. An Eastern Meadowlark made a low flight past the hill midday. Predictions: East/Northeast winds and cloud cover.  Rain should hold out till late day. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org)  information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (22 Oct 2009) 206 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:10:23 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 22, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 9 100 170 Turkey Vulture 12 450 491 Osprey 5 982 3040 Bald Eagle 3 244 464 Northern Harrier 6 361 488 Sharp-shinned Hawk 90 3044 4723 Cooper's Hawk 52 995 1248 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 0 12 13 Broad-winged Hawk 0 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 4 232 287 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 13 618 1719 Merlin 6 473 974 Peregrine Falcon 6 551 778 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 16 38 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 206 8290 14806 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:15:00 Observation end time: 15:15:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Jean Shaw, Lorraine Logan, Lynn Smith, Susan Gruver Visitors: Many visitors today including a group from Mass. Audubon down to bird the DE Bay area this weekend. Weather: Sunny, with high cirrus clouds. High temp of 26C/79F reached around 2pm. Winds WSW 5-15mph. Visibility 20K Raptor Observations: The following Bay-crossing times were observed with cooperation from Cape May: Peregrine depart CMHW 1104 arrive CHHW 1141 Harrier depart CMHW 1111 arrive CHHW 1155 Peregrine depart CMHW 1148 arrive CHHW 1233 Non-raptor Observations: Snow Geese in force today = 2200+ Predictions: Cloudy with winds starting NW 5 mph, becoming Easterly and intensifying to 15mph by mid-morning. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Forrest Rowland (Rowbird2005 AT Gmail.com) Subject: mistake or two From: "sally o'byrne" <salobyrne AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 15:08:32 -0400 I admit to getting a little carried away with my literary style and being in a hurry on my report on the Ashland walk. First off - NO Red headed woodpecker. Make that red-bellied. Secondly, there probably weren't 'hundreds' of sparrows. Maybe one hundred..... but still seems like a good number and a fun walk. Excuse my sloppiness..... Sally Subject: Ashland's morning walk From: "sally o'byrne" <salobyrne AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Thu, 22 Oct 2009 14:00:30 -0400 This morning on the Ashland bird walk, we decided to focus on sparrows, heading immediately for the flood plain near Sharpless road, stopping briefly at the marsh to catch a swamp sparrow flitting in the cattails. Upon reaching the flood plain, we saw tens, if not hundreds of sparrows, primarily white throated and song sparrows. We had good looks at 3 savannah sparrows perched on a poison hemlock and several clear views of field sparrows. A chipping sparrow and junco were hanging out on top of one of the ash trees, and a lone Lincoln sparrow was spied before it dashed into a willow. Towhees calling from the marsh and seen on the flood plain rounded out a good sparrow count, with only white crowned and fox still wished for. Gold finch were there in droves, and we saw 5 palm warblers in one tree. We left the floodplain and headed up sledding hill for the view and as we entered the successional woods, we had another large flock of mainly white throats. Just before the pine woods we found a cluster of hermit thrush - at least 5 in area, gorging on grape and porcelain berry. We tried hard to turn one of them into a Swainson's, but were not able to convince ourselves. 37 species between 8 and 10am. The complete bird list for the day below. Sally O'Byrne Canada goose Sharp shinned hawk Mourning dove Belted Kingfisher Red-headed woodpecker Downy Woodpecker Hairy Woodpecker N. Flicker E. Phoebe Blue Headed Vireo Blue Jay American Crow Tree Swallow Carolina Chicadee Tufted titmouse White Breasted Nuthatch Carolina Wren Golden crowned Kinglet Ruby Crowned Kinglet Eastern Bluebird Hermit Thrush American Robin Cray Catbird European Starling Palm warbler Chipping Sparrow Field sparrow Savannah Sparrow Song Sparrow Lincoln's sparrow Swamp Sparrow White-throated Sparrow Dark-eyed junco N. Cardinal RW blackbird Com Grackle American Goldfinch Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (21 Oct 2009) 143 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:01:21 -0400 Hello! Cyrus here, back up top. Was in Shenandoah NP for a long weekend, but glad to be back at Ashland. Wonderful days here on the hill with this sunshine and good breeze! We had a good strong movement today with lots of Red-taileds and some stunning looks at Red-shouldereds overhead. Lots of vultures moving along as well. 143 birds counted, along with some good visitors today. Join us tomorrow to catch the rest of this beautiful weather! See you there. - Cyrus Moqtaderi Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 17 113 230 Turkey Vulture 41 189 207 Osprey 0 43 217 Bald Eagle 5 84 189 Northern Harrier 0 21 54 Sharp-shinned Hawk 29 462 983 Cooper's Hawk 9 163 328 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 8 25 75 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 31 94 114 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 3 American Kestrel 3 101 386 Merlin 0 11 41 Peregrine Falcon 0 8 17 Unknown Accipiter 0 8 21 Unknown Buteo 0 5 14 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 143 1350 10305 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Cyrus Moqtaderi Observers: Jonathan Stein Visitors: Good visits up top, 13 total. Alicia Crabwulk stopped in for lunch, spotting a few Sharpies overhead. The Hillendale School students visited the hill twice during their morning programs. Lorraine Fleming spent the afternoon on top, catching some east coast migration before her upcoming trip to the desert. Great company as always! Weather: A beautiful day on the hill. Clear skies and sun all day with light breezes from the N. Temps reach 23 C. Terrific Fall colors! Raptor Observations: A steady day, with migrant activity consistent and evenly spaced. Big movements of Turkey Vulture (41) and Red-tailed today (31). Another good Sharp-shinned movement (29). Most birds were visible without binoculars and many were quite low this morning. Falcons were noticeably absent today, with only 3 Kestrel in the running. Red-shouldereds provided some of the most stunning looks today, including a pair that kettled with a pair of 2 adult Bald Eagles. All in the same field of view, quite a glass-full! By day's end the total hit 143. A nice count coupled with a beautiful day! Non-raptor Observations: The warm weather brought out plenty of insects, some dragonflies, and a few yellowjackets. Tree swallows and a handful of Chimney Swift passed through mid-morning. Reminiscent of an mid-September day on the hill! A nice flock of 12 Dark-eyed Juncos stopped in late day for a meal. Predictions: Another beautiful day in store, clear skies and highs around 71F. S/SW winds may put a damper on migration, but it's bound to be an enjoyable day regardless. See you there! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: Fwd: HSR: Ashland Nature Center (20 Oct 2009) 125 Raptors From: Cyrus Moqtaderi <cyrusmoqtaderi AT GMAIL.COM> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:58:21 -0400 The report for yesterday, Tuesday the 20th. Watch by Carol Majors and Sally O'Byrne. A great day with some good movement overhead! Carol spotted a Pine Siskin, the first of the season for Ashland (and perhaps the area in general?). Good birds! Ashland Hawk Watch is a joint project by the Delaware Nature Society and the Delmarva Ornithological Society Ashland Nature Center Hockessin, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 20, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 27 123 240 Turkey Vulture 9 157 175 Osprey 1 44 218 Bald Eagle 0 79 184 Northern Harrier 4 25 58 Sharp-shinned Hawk 32 465 986 Cooper's Hawk 13 167 332 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 6 23 73 Broad-winged Hawk 0 16 7403 Red-tailed Hawk 26 89 109 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 3 American Kestrel 3 101 386 Merlin 1 12 42 Peregrine Falcon 0 8 17 Unknown Accipiter 2 10 23 Unknown Buteo 1 6 15 Unknown Falcon 0 2 4 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 0 3 18 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 1 Total: 125 1332 10287 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours Official Counter: Carol Majors, Sally O'Byrne Observers: Visitors: 8 total Weather: Mostly clear skies with sun and light winds from the SW in the morning, shifting to W/NW after noon. Raptor Observations: 125 total. Carol Majors (AM) and Sally O'Byrne (PM) on watch. A strong Black Vulture movement (27), good Sharp-shinneds (32) and a strong showing of Red-tailed Hawks. Non-raptor Observations: Carol Majors spotted a Pine Siskin on the feeder this morning! An excellent sighting, certainly the first of the season here at Ashland. 5 Monarchs. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Cyrus Moqtaderi (hawkwatch AT delawarenaturesociety.org) information may be found at: www.delawarenaturesociety.org Subject: HSR: Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (21 Oct 2009) 323 Raptors From: "Hawkcount.Org Reports" <reports AT HAWKCOUNT.ORG> Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 19:10:06 -0400 Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Lewes, Delaware, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 21, 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total ------------------ ----------- -------------- -------------- Black Vulture 0 91 161 Turkey Vulture 4 438 479 Osprey 7 977 3035 Bald Eagle 2 241 461 Northern Harrier 16 355 482 Sharp-shinned Hawk 183 2954 4633 Cooper's Hawk 67 943 1196 Northern Goshawk 0 0 0 Red-shouldered Hawk 1 12 13 Broad-winged Hawk 3 186 333 Red-tailed Hawk 6 228 283 Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0 Golden Eagle 0 2 2 American Kestrel 26 605 1706 Merlin 3 467 968 Peregrine Falcon 4 545 772 Unknown Accipiter 0 5 12 Unknown Buteo 0 14 14 Unknown Falcon 0 5 11 Unknown Eagle 0 0 0 Unknown Raptor 1 16 38 Swallow-tailed Kite 0 0 0 Swainson's Hawk 0 0 1 Total: 323 8084 14600 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 14:30:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours Official Counter: Forrest Rowland Observers: Kathy Boyd, Lynn Smith, Susan Gruver Visitors: 12 Weather: wind from W/ NW/W all day, very mild about force 1,temp 15-25c,clcv 10-0%,but very hazy, and a huge haze/smog over Cape May, visb 15 Raptor Observations: it took quite awhile for the Raptors to get moving,but finally around 11am, some movement started Non-raptor Observations: Predictions: High of 72,sunny, wind 2-8 mph form the SW, ======================================================================== Report submitted by Sue Gruver (srgruver AT aol.com)