Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Julie Brown, Phil Brown
Observers: Annamarie Saenger, Chuck Carlson, Mark Wilson, Miki Foley, Tom Delaney
Visitors: 73. Many hikers and local day-trippers admiring the still-spectacular foliage. Good to see Scott Hecker and Mass Audubon friends, who chose good timing to witness a close goshawk. A big thanks to Tom Delaney, who rounds out the Tuesday team and was a steady presence the full day, as usual.
Weather: Clear and crisp to start and end with some hazy clouds to the north in the midday hours. Steady, but moderate, west to southwest breeze. Temps 39-52 F.
Raptor Observations: A smattering of late October migrants, ones and twos of vultures, eagles, merlins, and red-tails migrating. In the 2 o'clock hour, a juvenile American goshawk briefly alighted below the summit, sparring with a red-tail. Evenly matched in length, wingspan, and power, the duo dropped out of sight. The gos was refound several minutes later and gave observers a longer and more conclusive view of its identity.
Non-raptor Observations: A sizeable flock of juncos and white-throated sparrows continuing; several purple finches migrating in small groups; two cottontails and several chipmunks stashing away seed for winter. A red, heart-shaped mylar balloon, deemed a migrant heading northeast.
Predictions: A rainy morning, but the afternoon could bring some clearing. Winds seem to stay sw until later Thursday or Friday, when the next wave of migration is expected. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Phil Brown (<brown...>) Pack Monadnock Raptor Migration Observatory information may be found at: www.harriscenter.org
