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
[email protected]
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