[nysbirds-l] Franklin Mt. season wrapup
The 2012 Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch season wrapped up today, with 9 raptors recorded on strong northwest winds. Last bird of the season was an adult Golden Eagle at 1:30 p.m. This was the 24th consecutive season of observation at the site. Counting began on Aug. 22, and continued for 108 days with 706 hours of coverage. Total raptors tallied was 5039, 6% below the 12 year average since full-time counting began at Franklin Mt., but an increase from 2011's total of 4609. Golden Eagles numbered 172, near the average of 179, with good counts of 21 on Nov. 4, 30 on Nov. 5, 20 on Nov. 13, and 20 on Dec. 5. Lake effect snows again frustrated counters as poor visibility on a number of late season days with good northwesterly winds no doubt resulted in missed birds. Among other species, Sharp-shinned Hawk numbers were very good, with 637 representing the third highest total in the 24 year history of the count. Red-tailed Hawks stood at 1600, a modest rebound from 2011's low count of 1384, but still below past seasons. Other species significantly above the 12 year average include Bald Eagle and Broad-winged Hawk. Species significantly below average include Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Merlin, and Peregrine Falcon. As always, many thanks to the dedicated crew of Franklin Mt. counters and spotters, including Andy Cooper, Larry Dake, Tony Ferro, Fred Fries, Becky Gretton, Steve Hall, Richard Hendrick, Marilyn Leahy, Andrea Lodovice, Randy Lynch, Andy Mason, Abby Nelson, Ralph Niederlander, Leslie Preston, Tom Salo. All Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch data is available at www.hawkcount.org. Information on the site can be found at www.franklinmt.org. 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/ --
[nysbirds-l] Franklin Mt. season wrapup
The 23d consecutive season at the Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch in Oneonta came to a close on Jan. 3 with cold temperatures and a brisk NW wind. Three birds were tallied; an adult Bald Eagle at 12:52 was the last raptor of the season. A total of 4609 raptors were counted through the season, 14% below the 11 year average since full time counting began in 2001. Most species were likewise below average; bright spots included a new seasonal record of 238 Bald Eagles, and a modest increase in Sharp-shinned Hawks. Red-tailed Hawk numbers were 1/3 below average, which accounts for most of the total dropoff. Also notable is that for the first season in 23 years, no Rough-legged Hawks were counted. Golden Eagles rebounded from last season's very low count. 160 Goldens were tallied, 10% down from the average of 179. The big Golden Eagle day came on Oct. 30, when 31 were spotted. Dec. 1 brought another good flight of 17. Interestingly, this season both October and December had more Golden Eagles than November--usually the peak month for the species. The hawkwatch had 760 hours of coverage, beginning Aug. 21. Steve Hall once again carried the biggest part of the coverage load. The balance was spread among Andy Cooper, Larry Dake, Fred Fries, Becky Gretton, Marilyn Leahy, Andrea Lodovice, Randy Lynch, Ralph Niederlander, Andy Mason, Ron Milliken, with help from regular spotters Richard Hendrick, Leslie Preston, Bob Shultis, and numerous others. Many thanks to all who made this another successful season. 2011 totals are below. Complete Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch statistics are available at www.hawkcount.org . Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch Species 2011 Season Total Turkey Vulture 352 Osprey 96 Bald Eagle 238 Northern Harrier 44 Sharp-shinned Hawk 593 Cooper's Hawk 87 Northern Goshawk 17 Red-shouldered Hawk 37 Broad-winged Hawk 1424 Red-tailed Hawk 1384 Rough-legged Hawk 0 Golden Eagle 160 American Kestrel 88 Merlin 27 Peregrine Falcon 19 Unidentified Raptor 44 Total: 4609 Andrew Mason 1039 Peck St. Jefferson, NY 12093 (607) 652-2162 andyma...@earthling.net -- NYSbirds-L List Info: Welcome and Basics Rules and Information Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive Surfbirds BirdingOnThe.Net Please submit your observations to eBird! --
