The 2015 season wrapped up today at the Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch, near Oneonta, NY, sponsored by the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Soc.-the 27th continuous year of counting at this site. No birds were recorded on light to moderate SW winds, with snow limiting visibility.
Counting began Aug. 25 and included 100 dates of coverage. It was an off year at the hawkwatch. Total raptors tallied were 4312-18% below the 13 year average since full-time coverage began. Several species were 40-50% down from this average, including Osprey, Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawk. Red-tailed Hawk was down 23%, Golden Eagle 21%, and American Kestrel 59%. The few bright spots were Bald Eagle, up 39% and Peregrine Falcon 23%. The biggest Broad-winged Hawk day was 9/15, with 480 birds. There were four double-digit Golden Eagle days, including 26 on both 10/30 and 11/14. The peak day for red-tails was 10/30, with 188. There is not a clear reason for the declines. A warm fall with few strong cold fronts is probably a factor. The warm December was particularly dismal with only 30 birds counted during 15 days of coverage. Western Pennsylvania sites had big numbers of Golden Eagles early on, suggesting the birds passed through NY west of Franklin Mt. And there is evidence that Red-tailed Hawks may be migrating in fewer numbers, remaining north due to warming conditions. All data for the Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch is available at www.hawkcount.org. Many thanks to our dedicated team of volunteer counters and spotters who put in nearly 600 hours of coverage: Larry Dake, Fred Fries, Becky Gretton, Steve Hall, Richard Hendricks, Marilyn Leahy. Andy Mason, Pam Peters, Leslie Preston, and Tom Salo. Special recognition to Steve Hall who covered over half of the dates this season. Andy Mason Andrew Mason 1039 Peck St. Jefferson, NY 12093 (607) 652-2162 [email protected] -- 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/[email protected]/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/ --
