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Contests
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Reports:2014201320122011201020092008200720052003
Summitville
Fire Tower Hawkwatch
Seasonal Totals by Year
Counters: Sullivan County Audubon Society
Year |
TV |
BE |
OS |
NH |
SS |
CH |
NG |
RS |
BW |
RT |
RL |
GE |
AK |
ML |
PG |
UR |
BV |
TOT |
HRS |
DAYS |
HPH |
2003 |
191 |
3 |
9 |
15 |
71 |
27 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
150 |
2 |
2 |
5 |
6 |
6 |
20 |
0 |
512 |
46 |
20 |
11 |
2004 |
112 |
9 |
20 |
2 |
131 |
50 |
4 |
5 |
788 |
64 |
0 |
1 |
12 |
11 |
2 |
14 |
0 |
1225 |
87 |
32 |
14 |
2005 |
140 |
16 |
54 |
11 |
211 |
58 |
8 |
13 |
660 |
307 |
1 |
6 |
24 |
4 |
8 |
21 |
5 |
1547 |
79 |
20 |
20 |
2006 |
49 |
12 |
76 |
14 |
310 |
52 |
4 |
13 |
839 |
84 |
0 |
7 |
26 |
3 |
8 |
21 |
4 |
1522 |
108 |
29 |
14 |
2007 |
213 |
28 |
83 |
55 |
996 |
140 |
16 |
16 |
1710 |
476 |
0 |
6 |
27 |
14 |
5 |
39 |
26 |
3850 |
174 |
44 |
22 |
2008 |
519 |
26 |
97 |
45 |
605 |
172 |
1 |
12 |
1372 |
509 |
2 |
7 |
36 |
8 |
16 |
24 |
26 |
3477 |
188.5 |
46 |
18 |
2009 |
152 |
65 |
119 |
22 |
515 |
49 |
3 |
22 |
3416 |
315 |
0 |
4 |
64 |
16 |
11 |
10 |
2 |
4785 |
170.5 |
45 |
28 |
2010 |
90 |
43 |
77 |
19 |
371 |
81 |
3 |
20 |
2640 |
367 |
0 |
8 |
62 |
10 |
11 |
15 |
5 |
3822 |
136.3 |
41 |
28 |
2011 |
163 |
46 |
71 |
18 |
781 |
90 |
2 |
21 |
1833 |
251 |
0 |
7 |
41 |
8 |
13 |
5 |
8 |
3358 |
133 |
37 |
25 |
2012 |
91 |
82 |
106 |
32 |
766 |
56 |
11 |
44 |
4385 |
877 |
0 |
17 |
39 |
7 |
10 |
4 |
9 |
6536 |
199 |
47 |
33 |
2013 |
23 |
40 |
33 |
6 |
427 |
23 |
0 |
13 |
1200 |
491 |
0 |
4 |
58 |
5 |
9 |
6 |
0 |
2338 |
102 |
28 |
23 |
2014 |
35 |
31 |
23 |
14 |
229 |
18 |
2 |
15 |
547 |
304 |
0 |
1 |
32 |
3 |
8 |
2 |
3 |
1267 |
72 |
22 |
18 |
TV=Turkey Vulture, BE=Bald Eagle, OS=Osprey, NH=N Harrier,
SS=Sharp-shin, CH=Cooper's Hawk,
NG=N Goshawk, RS=Red-shouldered, BW=Broadwing,
RT=RedTail, RL=Rough-legged,
GE=Golden Eagle,
AK=Amer Kestrel, ML=Merlin, PG=Peregrine, UR=Unidentified Raptor, BV=Black Vulture
HPH=Hawks
per
hour.
2014 Posted 1/12/15
Above is a summary of 12 years of activity at the Summitville Hawkwatch performed by members of Sullivan County Audubon Society. Over the last two years lower numbers of migrating raptors, except for Kestrels, have been seen and recorded at this site. Weather conditions may be one factor affecting these decreases in numbers. — John Haas
John Haas, Coordinator and Principal Observer
Matt Zeitler, Bill Fiero, Wilma Amthor
2013 Posted 12/04/13
I don't believe there is any decline in hawk populations, at least not that can be indicated by our site. The lack of coverage during Broad-winged season accounts for over half of the decreased count from last year. Further, the very unusual fall easily accounts for the remaining decrease (winds were primarily from the south and east for most days from October 1st on; this resulted in hawks taking alternate routes overall). Following extensive periods of poor conditions, we did have a few excellent days when favorable winds occurred. — John Haas
John Haas, Coordinator and Principal Observer
Renee Davis, Arlene Borko, Lance Verderame, Matt Zeitler, Ralph Tabor, Scott & Paula Baldinger
2012 Posted 12/01/12
NOTE the spectacular results of the fall 2012 Summitville hawkwatch:
The season total was over 6,500 raptors counted, the most in the 10 years at this location by far (topping that of Franklin Mt). 4,385 Broadwing Hawks made up the largest part of our total numbers, and most of those were seen on 9/15 (1177 by JH & LV) and 9/23 (854 by JH & RD). Redtails also had their peak year with 877 counted. Bald Eagle numbers were also higher than other years at 82, and 17 Golden Eagles were twice as many as ever seen before. Thanks to John Haas for his dedication to this important project. — Valerie Freer
John Haas, Coordinator and Principal Observer
Renee Davis, Arlene Borko, Marge Gorton, Anthony Mistratta, Matt Zeitler, Lance Verderame, George Vengrun, John Mueger
2011 Observers Posted 11/30/11
John Haas, Coordinator and Principal Observer
Arlene Borko,
Renee Davis,
Curt McDermott,
Ruth Shursky
2010 Observers Posted
12/2/10
John Haas, Coordinator and Principal Observer
Scott Baldinger,
Renee Davis,
Valerie Freer,
John Mueger,
Jeff Petit,
Jim Carney,
Mark Diedrich,
Elizabeth Knowlton,
Curt McDermott,
Ruth Shursky
2009 Hawkwatch: A Great Success! Posted
12/4/09
As you can see from the summary table, our fall hawkwatch from the old fire tower above Summitville had the best season yet. More than twice as many Broadwings as ever seen before (over 3,400!) dominated the season totals. More details about each species can be found in this issue’s Bird Notes.
Many thanks to John Haas for leading this project and for spending many hours at the tower. Other SCAS members who observed at the tower this year were: Scott and Paula Baldinger, Renee Davis, Ed Frampton, Valerie Freer, Edward Nelson, Barbara, Ken, Aaron, and Rachel Schmitt, Ruth Shursky, and Lance Verderame.
John Haas
Warblings, December
2009 - February 2010
Summitville Hawk Watch 2008 Posted
3/6/09
Sullivan County Audubon conducted its 6th annual hawk watch
at the Summitville fire tower from 9/4/08 through 11/12/08. Four
counters and 3 assistants covered the watch for a total of 188.5
hours during that period. We observed a total of 16 species of
raptors.
The tower is located on the Shawangunk ridge between Summitville
and Burlingham. It is visible from the bridge on Haven Road.
Many of the raptors seen on the watch pass over the ridges on
both sides of the Basha Kill. This was our 2d best year to date,
and hopefully we will be able to provide greater coverage in
the future to fully realize the potential of this great migration
site. The chart shows a breakdown of the birds seen, with the
3 month totals.
(See
chart showing yearly totals).
John Haas
Warblings, Spring
2009
Summitville
Hawk Watch 2007 Posted
11/7/07
Bald Eagle, photo by Stephen Davis
Click photo to enlarge
This year we will have completed our fifth season of watching
hawks at the Summitville fire tower, and what a banner year
it has been. We started the season on September 6th,
and since that time we have logged nearly 150 hours
at the tower and seen a spectacular number of birds. For
the first time we have tallied over 3000 hawks, osprey, eagles,
vultures and falcons!
As of this writing we have doubled our highest
previous count in a season. Ideal conditions, wind and
weather, have produced an abundance of hawks passing by
our area. Highlights
of the season thus far include one GOLDEN EAGLE, by far our
highest count of BALD EAGLES, and a total of over 1700 Broad-winged
Hawks. Black Vultures have again been seen daily, most
just hanging out, and a few migrating.
We don’t just get to see hawks on the watch either. We
have seen many other species migrating. American Robins,
Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers, Red-breasted and White-breasted
Nuthatches, Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers, Canada Geese, Common
Loons, Blue Jays and Common Ravens abound. The ravens are
not truly migrating, but large numbers do pass by. On
the 16th, over thirty ravens passed in one group.
We also added a new county bird this year. On 9/29/07, I
spotted sixteen AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS passing over the
ridge and directly over the tower. This is not just
new to Sullivan County, it is a record number of White Pelicans
for New York State.
I would like to thank Renee Davis, Kelly Sheridan, Valerie Freer, Mary Collier,
Ruth Shursky and Lance Verderame for the time they have spent at the watch. With
the mild weather, this was not just a productive season, it was truly an
enjoyable time. With spectacular views, warm winds and
great birds, it is hard to imagine a better birding experience.
John
Haas
Warblings, November-December
2007
Hawk
Count 2005
Posted
12/22/05
October 31st brought the end to our third year of
hawkcounting at the fire tower in Summitville. The weather was much
milder this year than in past years, so just being outside five
stories up made many of the days very enjoyable. Don't get me wrong,
there were days when it was downright dangerous being at the top
of the tower in winds that were maxing out our wind gauge. We had
not had an incident at the tower until the end of this year, when
vandals broke one of the panes of plexiglass that we use to block
the wind on bad days. We were fortunate that they didn't break all
four; the one pane can be replaced.
We ended the year with 1547 birds, up from 1225 in
2004. On the list were 140 Turkey Vultures, 16 Bald Eagles, 54 Ospreys,
11 Northern Harriers, 211 Sharp-shinneds, 58 Coopers, 8 Northern
Goshawks, 13 Red-shouldereds, 660 Broadwings, 307 Red-tails, 1 Rough-legged,
6 Golden Eagles, 24 American Kestrals, 4 Merlins, 8 Peregrines,
5 Black vultures (new for our site this year) and 21 unidentified
raptors. John Haas had a high count of 254 Broadwings on Sept 23rd.
Speaking of John, he did a terrific job again this
year coordinating counters and observers. All data was given to
him, which he then reported to HMANA (Hawk
Migration Association of North America). The data can be viewed
at their website.
It is a big undertaking; we appreciate his hard work and endless
enthusiasm in this project.
Thank you, John. Special thanks also go to Kelly
Sheridan, Ruth Shursky, Arlene Borko, Patrick Dechon, Fred Fries,
and Valerie Freer for their part in making this a successful and
fun project. Thank you all and here's to looking up!
Renee
Davis
Warblings,
December 2005 - February 2006
Hawkwatch Continues
(2005) Posted
10/21/05
Fall is the time for hawkwatching, so we are again
observing them from the Summitville fire tower. Late last fall the
tower was turned over to the NYS DEC by the NY-NJ Trail Conference.
Fortunately, the DEC felt that we were doing a good job and wanted
us to continue with our efforts. After the paperwork was completed
and our permit was granted, off we went a-counting. Although we
had fewer counters this year, this year’s totals are close
to last year’s.
Kelly Sheridan and John Haas had high counts of Broadwing
Hawks of 250 on Sept. 18th, and 254 on Sept. 23rd. In September,
656 Broadwings migrated past the tower on their way to Mexico and
South America. Add to that list another 100 hawks, consisting of
Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinneds, Coopers,
American Kestrals, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, and 9 unidentified
raptors, which brings our total up to 756 birds.
Results are posted on the website of the Hawk
Migration Association of North America. Scroll to the bottom
and click on Hawkcount; from there you can access our reports in
the day or monthly summaries. Our count site is Summitville, NY.
Not only can you see our results, but you can also access counts
from around the country and North America and Mexico. It's truly
amazing to see just how many hawks fly by some of the major flyways,
some counts reaching thousands every day. Don't believe me? Check
out Veracruz River of Raptors in Mexico. I think you'll be amazed.
Renee
Davis
Warblings,
October-December 2005
Sullivan County Hawkwatch 2003Posted
1/26/04
We have always wondered if there weren’t
somewhere within the county that could serve as a good location
for hawkwatch. We certainly had hawks migrating through and
it seemed that there should be a spot that would offer us
a vantage point to count them as they passed.
Late in September, Valerie Freer received a call from Ed
McGowan of the New York/New Jersey Trail Conference inviting
her to check out the fire tower on the Shawangunk ridge as
a possible hawkwatch site. Valerie and Phyllis Jones went
up on October 3 and saw a number of hawks, making it an intriguing
site. Valerie spoke to several of us from Sullivan Audubon
and we decided to participate in a part-time hawkwatch for
one season to see if the site had any real potential. We began
covering the site on October 4, 2003. Good results came almost
immediately in the form of Peregrine Falcons, Merlins, Bald
Eagles, Northern Harriers, etc. We soon became engrossed in
the site and spent more hours there than we initially anticipated.
The site is located on the Shawangunk ridge overlooking Orange
County to the east, Sullivan County to the west, the valley
along the ridge going both north to Ulster County and south
along the Orange-Sullivan border. Panoramic views of the mountains,
valley and Bashakill are a bonus of the site. The Trail Conference
currently owns the site and wants to maintain it as naturally
as possible, with the goal of eventually transferring it to
the state as a protected area. Valerie Freer, Renee Davis, Diane Sheridan, Mary Collier,
Marge Gorton, Arlene Borko, and I all spent time manning the
tower. This was no easy feat! Unusually cold weather for October
made some days on the tower difficult, if not impossible.
On one occasion, after only a few minutes, high winds caused
us to vacate the tower! On another occasion, lightning did
the same, but most days were just beautiful!
Overall, the experience was very rewarding and resulted in
some good Hawk migration data for our records. We spent a
total of 45.5 hours and logged an average of 7.1 hawks per
hour over the course of 20 dates from early October to early
November. These are excellent results. Some of us were able
to add new county birds; I even got my life Northern Goshawk!
The site proved to be a decent migration route; our results
often exceeded some of the other hawkwatches in the northeast
on given days. Drew Panko. Southeastern New York State compiler
for the Hawk Migration Association of North America, contacted
us and asked if we would mind submitting or results, as the
data seemed promising to them as well. We happily complied.
In the end, we had seen a total of 321 raptors, 191 Turkey
Vultures, and 27 Ravens! As a result of our efforts, several
people have shown an interest in the hawkwatch; it appears
we will be back next fall with some additional volunteers
to man the site. Hopefully, we will see some of you up there
next year!
John
Haas
Warblings,
January-March 2004 |
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