The 2014 Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, our 39th season, was quite an action-packed season with many new records! We finished the season with a record-setting 16 different raptor species (not including vultures), with all species above their season average and most well-above average. In fact, we had new season records for 11 different species! In total, 24,313 migrating raptors were counted, which is well above our season average of 16,223. Our season spans Aug 15-Nov 30, and we were able to have excellent coverage this year (697.25 total hours). The last time we had >600 hours of coverage was in 1994.
We started the season with a 1-2 punch of two Mississippi Kites on 8/15 and 8/16, followed by a third Kite on 9/26, breaking the previous season record of one in eight separate years! Not to be outdone, we had two Rough-legged Hawks (11/16 and 11/20) where only single sightings have occurred in five different prior seasons. Finally, the icing on the cake was a migrant light-phase Swainson’s Hawk on 10/4 where a total of only 3 prior sightings are on record. A second, non-migrant Swainson’s Hawk was also observed on 8/27. We have never had a prior season with all three of these rare raptor species!
It’s been a terrific eagle season! We had 280 Bald Eagles, breaking the previous season record of 224 in 2012 (season avg = 52). We had 40 Golden Eagles, breaking the previous season record of 22 in 2012 (season avg = 6). In addition, 5 Golden Eagles were counted on 10/17, beating our previous single-day record of 4, and then the record was broken yet again with 6 Golden Eagles on 11/12!
The falcons also put on quite a show this season. We had 46 Merlin, breaking the previous season record of 28 in 2013 (season avg = 13). We had 65 Peregrine Falcons, breaking the previous season record of 51 in 2006 (season avg = 17), and the 17 counted on October 8 beats our previous single-day record of 10. We had 403 American Kestrels, breaking the previous season record of 294 in 2011 (season avg = 131), and the 88 counted on October 8 beat our previous single-day record of 72. We love it when we have an uncommon “3-falcon day” at the hawk watch, and this year we were fortunate to have had nine 3-falcon days, including one 3-falcon hour on September 21 that contained 2 of each species!
We had 365 Osprey, breaking the previous season record of 348 in 2011 (season avg = 169). The Northern Harrier had a very good season with a total of 92 (season avg = 68).
The buteos all had a very good migration this year. In particular, we had 156 Red-shouldered Hawks, breaking the previous season record of 67 in 2006 (season avg = 37). The Broad-winged Hawks put on a great show in September with >1,000 counted on 8 separate days, ending the season with 18,514 total (season avg = 13,267). The Red-tailed Hawks also had a good season with 1,101 total (season avg = 883) including a very unusual, all-white Red-tailed Hawk on November 2.
The accipiters also had a very good migration, including a total of 13 Northern Goshawks, breaking the previous season record of 12 in 1999 (season avg = 3). We had 401 Cooper’s Hawks, breaking the previous season record of 370 in 2012 (season avg = 166). The 2,757 Sharp-shinned Hawks was a very strong number (season avg = 1,329).
In addition to raptors, we also try to keep track of other avian migrants at Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch, and this year we ended with a total of 125 different species (raptors and non-raptors). Highlights are described here. A total of 431 Ruby-throated Hummingbirds migrated through Rockfish Gap this fall including a new single-day record of 168 on 9/2 (previous single-day record = 71)! Speaking of hummingbirds, we had our first documented Rufous Hummingbird on 9/1. The warblers put on a good show this fall with 21 species recorded (Cape May, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Common Yellowthroat, Canada, Magnolia, Redstart, Yellow-rumped, Tennessee, Nashville, Parula, Bay-breasted, Chestnut-sided, Blackburnian, Blackpoll, Black-and-white, Pine, Mourning, Yellow, Palm and Prairie). The sparrows also made a great showing with 13 species (a rare Nelson’s Sparrow on 10/2 plus Chipping, Song, Savannah, Lincoln’s, Field, House, White-throated, White-crowned, Swamp, Fox, Junco and Eastern Towhee).
Other notable total season numbers of migrants include: 1,746 Tree Swallow, 230 Barn Swallow, 4,553 Chimney Swift, 2,175 Common Nighthawk, 339 Common Raven, 986 Double-crested Cormorant, 42 Common Loon, 1,776 Cedar Waxwing, 62 Red-headed Woodpecker, 219 Northern Flicker, 1,053 Blue Jay, 3,295 Common Grackle, 5,350 American Robin, 1,433 Red-winged Blackbird, 1,332 Pine Siskin and 40 Purple Finch. A few uncommon migrants include: Brewer’s Blackbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Northern Pintail, Great Egret, Rusty Blackbird, Tundra Swan and American Pipit.
We had several sightings of a leucistic Turkey Vulture, and we spotted a Mourning Dove perched on the weather station across the highway as it spun round and round for several minutes! One humorous, continuing story throughout the season has been the “Corvid Food Story” where we have observed the following on different occasions: a Raven carrying an apple, a Raven carrying a powdered doughnut (which we first thought was a Bald Eagle flying toward us with a bright, white head), a Raven carrying a French fry with ketchup, a Crow carrying a hot dog in a bun, a Crow carrying a chunk of kettle corn, a Crow carrying an acorn, a Crow carrying an unshelled peanut, a Crow carrying a whole slice of pizza, a Raven with a beak full of Doritos, a Raven carrying an orange cookie, a Crow with a big praying mantis, a crow carrying a cluster of green grapes and a Raven holding some pork BBQ!
It has been quite a joy to see the return of the Monarch Butterfly, which has made a remarkable recovery this year (1,589 counted total) after an abysmal count of only 194 last year! Our highest single-day count was 242 on 10/5.
We had our 3rd annual Open House on September 14, which we now are calling “Where the Raptors Soar! A Day at the Hawk Watch”. It was very successful with over 111 visitors. We had plenty of food and drinks as well as displays of various educational materials about raptor conservation and migration. The Wildlife Center of Virginia also gave a raptor presentation at 1pm with several live raptors to show!
We would like to recognize and thank all the counters and observers who contributed to a successful season including: Brenda Tekin, Vic Laubach, Rose Thomas, Gabriel Mapel, David Hunter, Allen Larner, William Leigh, Pete Nebel and Josh Laubach. We’d also like to thank Mary and Daniel Mapel who have supported the hawk watch in so many ways.
See you next fall, and keep looking up!