[BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch
Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Sun, 11 Oct 1998 20:35:59 -0400
Backyard Hawk Watch (est. 1992), Fall 1998
Site: 3812 White Ave., between Belair Rd. and Walther Ave. - northeast
Baltimore City in the Gardenville section.
Topography of the Site: The prominent peak in the area is a steep ridge
about 180-200' above Belair Rd. and about 260' above sea level. It runs
northeast to southwest and is the first ridge west of the Chesapeake
Bay. It is about 12 miles from the bay, and is about 5 miles northwest
of the head of Back River, an arm of the bay, and about 6 miles north of
Baltimore's Inner Harbor. There is a long narrow old-growth of woods
about 3+ acres on top of the ridge. My hawkwatch site is about 150
yards west of the ridge. From the west side of the ridge, going west
past my site, the topography continues to rise for about 6/10 mile to a
height even higher than the ridge. The only road that runs along side
of ridge is Fairwood Ave., that connects from White Ave. to Parkmount
Ave.
The hawkwatch is located in my backyard. Most of the hawk flights
arrive from the northeast and a few from the north and northeast-east.
Reports: Kevin Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Counters: Kevin Graff and Pete Webb (4-6pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 9am-6pm early to mid. Oct.)
SPECIES 10/11 SEASON 1997
Turkey Vulture 27 68 362
Black Vulture 3 12 13
Golden Eagle 0 0 3
Bald Eagle 0 13* (7 ad. & 6 imm.) 9
N. Harrier 5 37* 25
Sharp-shinned Hawk 23 101 106
Cooper's Hawk 10 52 82
N. Goshawk 0 0 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 17 51
Broad-winged Hawk 4 11,778* 4,324
Red-tailed Hawk 6 39 339
Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 13
Osprey 2 46* 20
Am. Kestrel 4 53* 23
Merlin 0 9* 7
Peregrine Falcon 0 3* 2
Swainson's Hawk 0 1 (imm. light phrase - 9/16) n/a
Unidentified Accipiter 0 2 4
Unidentified Buteo 2 2 3
Unidentified Falcon 0 1 0
Unidentified Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 88 12,235* 5,338
Weather: Finally, clear sky with mostly sunny in am, and cloud cover
move slowing from the NWN and N to NNE to NWN for rests of afternoon.
Raptor Migration Highlight: Another strong movement of Turkey Vulture
and Sharp-shinned Hawk. A very nice hawk flights today.
Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: Canada Geese on the move again. 11
flocks of 268 Canada Geese, 2 flocks of 80 Snow Geese and a impressive
4 flocks of 139 Double-crested Cormorant. Most of cormorant flight came
in V-formation. More Blue Jay with 32 flyby. Monarch Butterflies finally
came back after about a week of absence, with 13 seen going south.
Note: I would like to say thanks to Pete Webb (our BBC member) helping
on the hawkwatch count and is the first counter to help out on Backyard
Hawk Watch. For two hours, 4-6pm, we counted 24 hawks including 8 TV, 5
SSH, 4 CH, 2 AK, 1 NH, 1 RTH, and 2 UB (unidentified buteo) and seeing 3
flocks of 32 Canada Geese.
Questions or comments on this report to Kevin Graff at
ggraff@erols.com
Kevin Graff
Baltimore, MD
ggraff@erols.com