Due to prior commitments Laura and I had a later arrival than we would've liked. We had a very enjoyable hike up the hill to the watch. We started the count at 11:30. The skies had 100% cloud cover and the winds were blowing out of the ESE at 5mph. Our first bird was a Coopers Hawk at 11:40. That CH turned out to be the only bird for the first half hour. The next bird was a Sub adult Golden Eagle which flew through quite high. That was the first of 7 Golden Eagles for the 12-1 hour. After the first the birds were, Juv 12:28, Unk 12:30, Sub 12:33, Juv 12:36, Sub 12:41, Unk 12:44. No other migrant raptors were sighted that hour. Over the hour the winds slowed and shifted to the SSW. During the next hour the only bird was a lone Sharpie. The next hour slowed and rains slowly started to make their way from the west. We packed up and made our way down the road to the car. In 2.5 hours of observation we counted 9 birds. 1 CH, 7 GE, 1 SS. It was a short, but enjoyable day at the CGHW.
Other species sighted today were; 1 Hermit Thrush, 1 Carolina Wren, 3 Ravens, 2 Crows, 1 American Robin, 8 Dark-Eyed Junco, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 4 Turkey Vultures.
Some photos from today
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| Looking NE from the site |
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| Hungry, Hungry Porcupine |
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| Looking South East from the site, Cumberland in the valley |
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| Lounging Laura high above the gap |
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| Looking SE from the site, where's cammo waldo? |
Tomorrow 11.20.11 shows promise for Golden Eagles if it doesn't rain. NE Winds @ 5.
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