Fall Hawkwatching season is now officially open!
Three hawkwatches opened for the new migration season on August 1, all three in Pennsylvania. Waggoner’s Gap near Carlisle, Second Mountain near Ft. Indiantown Gap and Chester County hawkwatch (Chambers Lake at Hibernia Park) all were open for business this past Sunday.
To perhaps no one’s surprise, early season hawkwatching is not known for its high level of activity. Waggoner’s Gap saw a single American Kestrel, Chester County saw a Bald Eagle and an Osprey, and Second Mountain posted no migrating raptors seen in 4 hours on the lookout but did find a handful on non-migrating vultures. Given the southerly winds, rain, fog and haze, the results are not unexpected.
Still, it’s the start of the new season. Another handful of watches will put binoculars in the sky around August 15, and by September 1 most sites will be at full speed again. What will this new migration season bring? Great numbers? Disappointing results? More American Kestrels, perhaps?
Stay tuned to Hawk Migration Notes for regular updates on how the season is progressing. Who had a big day? Where was that rare raptor seen? We'll provide regular highlights of the season as it is occurring. Until September, highlights will be posted weekly, unless something really exciting happens. Starting in September, the highlights will become more frequent, as will, we hope, the hawks.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment