Contests & Special Counts
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 202008 Results chart08 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
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