[BIRDHAWK] Backyard Hawk Watch
Geoff Graff (ggraff@erols.com)
Thu, 15 Oct 1998 20:57:31 -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 Elliot Kirschbaum (3:45-6pm)
(site manned, it depends on the weather, 9am-6pm - mid. Oct.)
SPECIES 10/15 SEASON 1997
Turkey Vulture 39 110 362
Black Vulture 0 15* 13
Golden Eagle 0 1 (imm. - 10/12) 3
Bald Eagle 1 15* (7 ad. & 8 imm.) 9
N. Harrier 0 39* 25
Sharp-shinned Hawk 40 153* 106
Cooper's Hawk 15 81 82
N. Goshawk 0 0 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 4 23 51
Broad-winged Hawk 0 11,779* 4,324
Red-tailed Hawk 6 49 339
Rough-legged Hawk 1 2 13
Osprey 1 47* 20
Am. Kestrel 0 55* 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 0 2 3
Unidentified Falcon 0 1 0
Unidentified Raptor 0 0 0
Total: 107 12,387* 5,338
Weather: A very nice day with alot of sun and 50% cloud covers. Wind
from the SW in am and NWW and NW in pm.
Raptor Migration Highlight: A new single day record total for October
compare to 67 on Oct. 16, 1997. Has a nice stream of Sharp-shinned Hawks
at 2:43pm with 29 counted in 3 minutes with mixed flocks of RTH, CH, and
RSH.
Non-Raptor Migration Highlight: Pretty slow with 6 Am. Robin, 12 Blue
Jay, 23 Chimney Swift and 5 Canada Geese flyby. Also 3 Monarch
Butterflies.
Note: Elliot came to watch hawks today, for 2 hrs. and 15 min. we
counted 18 hawks including 7 Turkey Vulture, 4 Cooper's Hawk, 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk, 1 Red-shouldered Hawk, 1 Red-tailed Hawk, 1 imm.
Bald Eagle (1st or 2nd winter), and 1 Osprey. I would like to say thanks
to Elliot for helping me out watching, and also we enjoy watching a
Carolina Wren in my neighbor's bushes.
A brief note: I won't be watching hawks from Fri. to Sun (16th-18th)
because I'm going to Essex Comm. College Educational trip to Fox Island
just outside of Crisfield. I will be doing birding around the island for
any possible early waterfowl migrate or seagulls. Will return to
hawkwatch on Mon.
Questions or comments on this report to Kevin Graff at
ggraff@erols.com
Kevin Graff
Baltimore, MD
ggraff@erols.com