The Franklin Mt. Hawkwatch 2010 season came to an end today with no
birds sighted on light W-NW winds.
A total of 6304 raptors were counted in 115 days from Aug. 24 through
Jan. 3. This marked the third highest total in the 22 year history
of the lookout. New seasonal records were set for Bald Eagle and
Broad-winged Hawk. Another high spot was the first Swainson's Hawk
seen at Franklin Mt., spotted by Steve Hall on Oct. 27--details have
been submitted to NYSARC.
However, most other species were below the 10 year average since
full-time counting began at Franklin Mt. Most disappointing was a
very low year for Golden Eagles. Only 93 were tallied, half the 10
year average of 181. No clear reason is apparent for this drop, but
lake effect snow reducing visibility and possibly changing migration
routes late in the season could have been a factor.
Once again, a dedicated crew of counters and spotters put in long
hours and great effort. Special recognition goes to Steve Hall who
counted over half the hours at the site this season.
Daily and seasonal totals for Franklin Mt. are available at www.hawkcount.org.
Andy Mason
Andrew Mason
1039 Peck St.
Jefferson, NY 12093
(607) 652-2162
[email protected]
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NYSbirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES
ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html
2) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html
3) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L
Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/
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