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Final Summary...Mt. Pisgah Hawk Watch



	Here are the final statistics and notes from the Fall 1999 hawk watch
at Mt. Pisgah, NC.  As always, all data are sent to the Hawk Migration
Association of North America for archiving and dissemination.

Total time of observation: 117 hours spread over 28 different days, from
August 28 to November 16, 1999.

Biggest day:  23 September, (832 raptors)
2nd Biggest day:  25 September (668 raptors)
Period of greatest movement: 18 September to 26 September (2,248
raptors)
{of course, most of these birds were Broad-winged Hawks}

Highest diversity:  8 species on 25 September

Average rate of passage for the season:  25.5 hawks per hour

Final counts by species:
Black Vulture -- 12
Turkey Vulture -- 200
Osprey -- 3
Bald Eagle -- 2
Northern Harrier -- 8
Sharp-shinned Hawk -- 34
Cooper's Hawk -- 16
Red-shouldered Hawk -- 0
Broad-winged Hawk -- 2,617
Red-tailed Hawk -- 51
American Kestrel -- 14
Merlin -- 2
Peregrine -- 3
unidentified accipiter -- 8
unidentified buteo -- 7
unidentified raptor -- 5

Grand Total -- 2,982

	
	This was the most successful season yet for the Pisgah watch.  Thanks
in large part to the efforts of Ray "Iron Man -- not Rev. Al" Sharpton,
who logged over 60 hours himself, we almost tripled last years hours of
observation.  Many hours were also put in by Greg Townsend, who finally
got to see some really big kettles of Broad-wings.  The weather this
fall was quite good; in some respects too good.  Long spells of good
flying weather tended to spread out the flights making it hard to
predict when the big days were going to occur.  Also, clear blue skies
make it possible for the birds to literally soar out of sight of
ground-based observers, so many thousands of birds probably passed by
overhead completely unnoticed.
	Vulture and harrier numbers were fairly consistent with prior years. 
The number of Osprey (3) was surprisingly low compared with previous
experience.  Despite the fact that 2 eagles, 2 Merlins and 3 Peregrines
are not fabulous totals, they all represent new season highs for this
site.  Numbers of Sharp-shinned, Cooper's and Red-tailed hawks were all
much higher than the previous records, no doubt due to the increased
coverage in the mid-day hours thanks to Ray Sharpton.  We began making
observations nearly a month earlier than in previous years, and the
increased number of Kestrels was the most significant result.  A total
of zero Red-shouldered Hawks is not surprising, in that we have seen a
grand total of one in the past 5 years at this site.
	Once again, conventional wisdom was found wanting in that our best days
were those with southeasterly winds.  My belief is that the big kettles
of Broad-wings, who are gaining altitude in the thermals over Asheville,
lose altitude more rapidly as they work against a headwind, forcing them
to more closely follow the ridge lines to gain updrafts, and bringing
them into closer range for the observers.  For those of you who may plan
a trip in the future to see hawks in the mountains, the lesson seems to
be to follow the calendar closely and don't worry too much about when
the next high pressure system is due to arrive.
	Thanks again to all of the birders who helped out with this year's
counting and with the "Raptor Day" event.  Like many aspects of life,
hawk watching is occasional excitement punctuated by long periods of
tedium...the many kindred spirits who shared the watch with me certainly
made the job much more enjoyable.  I hope to see many more of you in the
Fall of 2000.

	Please don't hesitate to contact me for more information on the Mt.
Pisgah watch.

Bill Sanderson
Asheville, NC