Fifty-seven Golden Eagles were tallied at the Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch today by Steve Hall, Fred Fries and Kyle Dudgeon. This is the second highest daily count at the site, topped only by the 71 counted exactly eleven years ago, Nov. 11, 2005. The previous second high was 51 on 11/20/2003.
Today's total brings the seasonal count to 196, ensuring that Franklin Mt. will surpass 200 GEs for the first time in a decade, and provides a shot at the seasonal high of 252 in 2005. Conditions were primo--gusty NW winds after clearing from cold front passage. Tomorrow's winds remain promising at WNW 7-9 mph at least through midday--if there are any birds left in the pipeline! Below is Tom Salo's weekend flight forecast. Andy Mason ******************************************* Friday's wind forecast for Franklin Mountain is very good. The 30% chance of showers means things could go either way. If the rain is not frequent, it could be a very good day for golden eagles. Saturday, wind direction is still good. However, wind speed will be lower. This can result in birds spreading out across the landscape. Steve is counting both days. Sunday winds should be west. It should be dry and warmer. I expect birds will be moving but conditions are not ideal, especially after 2 days of good NW winds. Andy is counting. Tom Salo -- Andrew Mason 1039 Peck St. Jefferson, NY 12093 (607) 652-2162 andyma...@earthling.net -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
