Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory Fall 2020 Final Report

Written by Levi Burford, Raptor Biologist Edited by Phil Brown, Hawk Watch Coordinator

INTRODUCTION ...... 3 WHY PACK MONADNOCK? ...... 3 SITE DESCRIPTION ...... 4 HISTORY AND MISSION ...... 4 EDUCATION AND OUTREACH ...... 5 EVENTS ...... 6 METHODS ...... 6

A DIFFERENT KIND OF YEAR ...... 7 THE 2020 SEASON ...... 9 SPECIES ACCOUNTS ...... 10

TURKEY VULTURE (CATHARTES AURA) ...... 10 OSPREY (PANDION HALIAETUS) ...... 10 BALD EAGLE (HALIAETUS LEUCOCEPHALUS) ...... 11 NORTHERN HARRIER (CIRCUS HUDSONIUS) ...... 12 SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (ACCIPITER STRIATUS) ...... 133 COOPER’S HAWK (ACCIPITER COOPERII) ...... 14 NORTHERN GOSHAWK (ACCIPITER GENTILIS) ...... 155 RED-SHOULDERED HAWK (BUTEO LINEATUS) ...... 166 BROAD-WINGED HAWK (BUTEO PLATYPTERUS) ...... 177 RED-TAILED HAWK (BUTEO JAMAICENSIS) ...... 188 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK (BUTEO LAGOPUS) ...... 188 GOLDEN EAGLE (AQUILA CHRYSAETOS) ...... 188 AMERICAN KESTREL (FALCO SPARVERIUS) ...... 188 MERLIN (FALCO COLUMBARIUS) ...... 199 PEREGRINE FALCON (FALCO PEREGRINUS) ...... 199 NON-RAPTOR SPECIES ...... 20 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... 22 REFERENCES ...... 23 APPENDIX ...... 244

TABLE 1...... 24 TABLE 2 – LIST OF OBSERVED BIRD SPECIES ...... 25

Introduction

In March of 2020 the United States experienced an outbreak of Coronavirus which brought restrictions upon all social events. Having worked hard over the course of the prior 15 seasons to make the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory a social gathering tradition each fall, we needed a strategy for maintaining the highest number of visitors that we could safely handle. This season’s story was about how the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory was able to overcome the challenges associated with social distancing and a reduced number of observers to keep all visitors safe and most visitors happy. All in all, it was a successful year at the Observatory, being there to count our 12,032 migrant raptors and being there as a safe way for folks to get out of their home and experience the fall raptor migration and its place in the natural world.

One of our favorite days at the Observatory was a visit from Eric Masterson, longtime observer and past site coordinator, just a couple days after getting home from the rehabilitation facility after his hang gliding accident. photo © David Baum

Why Pack Monadnock?

Many raptors migrate long distances to their wintering grounds in Central and South America and shorter distances into interior North America. In order to conserve energy for the journey, they soar on updrafts created by favorable winds and thermals produced by heat rising from the landscape below.

With the wind at their backs, many raptors can travel distances of 250-300 miles in a single day! It is this combination of geography and weather patterns that brings raptors to Pack Monadnock, a more northern and eastern mountain in the Appalachian Mountain range of North America. Because of its high elevation, location along a north-south ridgeline, and prominent views to the north and west, Pack Monadnock has long been known as an excellent vantage point for observing raptor migration.

Site Description

The Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory (PMRO) is located near the summit of Pack Monadnock (2,290 feet) within Miller State Park in Peterborough, NH. Situated in south-central New Hampshire along the scenic and rugged 22-mile-long Wapack Range, the Observatory platform offers spectacular views to the north and west, including Mount Washington, the White Mountains, Crotched Mountain, Mount Kearsarge, Mount Cardigan, North Pack Monadnock, Mount Monadnock, and several summits in Vermont. Able to accommodate large crowds during peak season, the observation platform is wheelchair accessible via a short trail from the parking lot atop the scenic summit. This parking lot can be reached from the 1.5-mile paved auto road that connects to the park’s entrance at the base of the mountain from NH 101. For those seeking a less paved route, the observation platform can also be reached from several hiking trails along the mountain. Bad weather notwithstanding, the auto road is generally open through Veterans Day (conditions permitting), while the trails are open to hikers during all seasons.

History and Mission

Like many of New Hampshire’s mountains, Pack Monadnock has a long and storied history, including hawk watching. However, it was not until 2005 that it was deemed an official hawk watch site with regular count hours. Founded by NH Audubon under the leadership of Iain MacLeod, with initial funding from the Samuel P. Hunt Foundation, the Monadnock Community Foundation, and the Putnam Foundation, PMRO has since become a fixture of the local community and widely renowned as one of the premier hawk watch locations in New England. Having just completed its 16th season, PMRO is one of at least 87 hawk watches located in the Eastern Flyway, which runs the length of the east coast of North America from New Brunswick, Canada all the way to Alabama. This series of hawk watches all report data to the online database maintained by PMRO’s partner organization, the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA): hawkcount.org. Further, the Observatory, owing to both its longevity and its standardized methodology, is now part of a select analysis through the Raptor Population Index (RPI), a project of HMANA. The set of raptor migration monitoring sites chosen for the RPI analysis is the ‘gold standard’ for hawk watches, as each contributes key data which are used by conservation biologists to make determinations about global populations of raptors and conservation strategies for them. In this way, PMRO plays a key regional role in this periodic analysis, the most recent of which was completed in 2019. For more information, see rpi-project.org.

Since its inception as an official hawk watch, there have been variable start and end dates for this project. From 2005-2011, daily counts were conducted from September 1 through October 31, weather permitting. While this count period encapsulates peak migration for this site in terms of total detections, it fails to capture many of our late-season migrants. This includes a large percentage of our Northern Goshawk, Golden Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Red-tailed Hawk numbers. Thus, despite all its merits, this survey period painted a less complete picture of hawk migration past Pack Monadnock. To remedy this issue, the official count period has been extended twice in recent years to

4 better quantify late-season migration, first to November 15 (2012-2014, 9 years of data as of 2020), and more recently to November 20 (2015-present, 6 years of as of 2020).

From 2005-2017, the Observatory was managed and coordinated by New Hampshire Audubon (NHA). In 2018, NHA entered into a new partnership with the Harris Center for Conservation Education to provide research and education staffing for this project. Through its research and education efforts, PMRO continues to fulfill the missions of both NHA (“to protect New Hampshire’s natural environment for wildlife and for people”) and the Harris Center (“to promote understanding and respect for our natural environment through education of all ages, direct protection and exemplary stewardship of the region’s natural resources, conservation research, and programs that encourage active participation in the great outdoors”).

Celebrating our 10,000th bird of the season with Julie, Laurel, and Alden Brown (left) and Mark Timmerman and Levi Burford (right). photo © Cynthia Nichols

Education and Outreach

The Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory works hard to reach out to visitors. In a typical season, we see visitors in the two forms: park patrons and school groups. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the State Park and the Raptor Observatory were not able to host school groups. These school groups, having numbered in the 100s to 1,000 or more, were sorely missed this year. But we did take some solace in the few family groups and homeschoolers that wandered by in September to get their first contact with the migrant raptor world above them.

We are hoping for a return to normal school group visitation next year. If you are an interested parent or educator wishing to make PMRO a part of your students’ outdoor education experience, please contact Susie Spikol at [email protected] or (603) 525-3394 for more details.

Events

This year we were able to hold two events, both “Big Sits,” at the Raptor Observatory. On September 12, as part of the Antioch Bird Club’s Monadnock Region Birding Cup, we held a Big Sit and again took top honors in that category with 39 species! It was a pretty good showing from the raptors (9 species) and warblers (10 species) and a nice mix from many other bird families. This was a fun event (in its second year) and we look forward to taking part in it for years to come.

On October 11, we spent 12 hours at the platform for the annual The Big Sit! event organized by the New Haven Bird Club. 2020 marked the 14th year that Pack Monadnock has participated in this tradition. This year we had great weather and we tallied a new record of species seen from the platform: 41! We were aided by a great showing of raptors, finches, and a Boreal Chickadee that was making regular appearances through late September. After last year’s poor showing of 12 species, we were due to have a good event this year.

Methods

Data collection at PMRO has remained largely unchanged over the years. By standardizing the data collection process through a series of established protocols, PMRO has been able to ensure that the data that is collected is of a consistent quality. These protocols have been handed down by each official counter to the next, through the years. The standardization of protocols eliminates unnecessary variables which could impart negative and unforeseen influences on subsequent analyses. What follows is a general accounting of the protocol used for this year’s surveys.

An official counter was present daily at the count site from September 1 through November 20, when there was enough visibility to see North Pack Monadnock. The count took place between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST from September 1 through October 31, then from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST from November 1 through November 20. On days where the flights were predicted to extend past the regular hours, an observer made the effort to be there. While some migrating raptors are undoubtedly first detected with the unaided eye, the use of optics is integral to the project; without them, only a small portion of birds would ever be spotted and correctly identified. Thus, most detected raptors are spotted with the use of 8X or 10X binoculars. Spotting scopes (20X-60X) are also employed and are necessary for scanning distant horizons for “speck birds” that would otherwise slip past unidentified. This includes those distant migrants, particularly those with challenging IDs (e.g. Accipiters and small falcons).

For this project and others like it, only raptors deemed actively migrating are counted. This important distinction is determined from a variety of factors, including known migration periods for a given species at this site, knowledge of local individuals based on early season viewing, and finally, the behavior of the individual bird or kettle that is being monitored. Nevertheless, this distinction can be tricky, particularly for such species where local, non-migratory individuals are regularly seen throughout parts of the season. Troublesome species in this regard include Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and Merlin. All migratory raptor data is

 We were the only team that entered in the competition.

6 collected on an hourly basis for the duration of the count. This information, along with hourly weather data and a daily summary, is submitted to HawkCount (hawkcount.org), the online hawk watch database for the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). Copies of this daily report are also submitted to the NH Birds Google Group listserv.

In addition to migrating raptors, daily checklists (including counts) are kept for other species of birds. This information, along with the raptor total, is then submitted to eBird (ebird.org), an online database of bird observations that provides scientists, researchers, and amateur naturalists with real-time data about bird distribution and abundance. All checklists are submitted to the ‘Miller SP–Pack Monadnock’ hotspot (ebird.org/hotspot/L450946).

A Different Kind of Year

Left to Right: Judd Nathan, Amy Maurer, Levi Burford, and Jim McCoy model the “corral” system that helped us maintain more than six feet from each other. photo © Phil Brown

It was undoubtedly a different year from those in the recent past. The hawkwatching protocols that we followed were the same as the last decade and half, but changes this year came in the form of limitations on the number of patrons allowed in the park and the number of observers allowed on the platform. The park maintained a reservation system which tended to limit the number of park visitors to around 250 people per day. On weekends they were able to allow a few more as space allowed. This limited the

7 number of visitors to the Hawk Watch in general. The saving grace this year was that the Park kept the auto road open past the end date of the Hawk Watch, allowing larger than usual numbers to visit in November. We totaled 4,568 visitors this year interacting with the Hawk Watch, either face-to-face asking questions or by reading our kiosk information. This was the 6th highest count of visitors at the Observatory and was slightly higher than the mean average of 4,310. As we do strive to reach people of all ages, the good showing of State Park patrons (largely adults, but often with children) lessened the sting of the lack of school groups this year.

Historic visitation at the Hawk Watch.

In one way the Fall 2020 season was not so different. We were pleased to keep consistency in the number of hours that the Observatory was actively observing this year. The graph below shows the hours of observation by each fall season (rounded to the hour). The low number of hours for the seasons up to 2011 reflect an early end date of October 31. In 2012 the end date shifted to November 15 and in 2015 it was shifted again to November 20.

Total observation time for each fall season, rounded to the hour.

The 2020 Season

It was hard to say that the 2020 season was about the birds. Yes, we had a great year, posting some decent numbers and setting some new season and single-day high counts. But, with the pandemic creating a need for people to get outdoors, it seemed to be more about people. Nevertheless, we maintained a consistent level of effort and witnessed some interesting departures from the trends in numbers from the last few years.

In general, we saw higher than average numbers of Turkey Vultures, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Red-shouldered Hawks, American Kestrels and Merlins. We saw lower than average numbers of Ospreys, Northern Goshawks, Golden Eagles, Rough-legged Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and Peregrine Falcons. We saw approximately average numbers of Broad-winged Hawks and higher than average numbers for Bald Eagles, but they were not as high as predicted by the trends.

Species Accounts

Included in these accounts are the newly updated Raptor Population Index (RPI) trends. The RPI Project has come up with two trend values for each species, one including the year 2006-2019 (long-term) and the other including years 2009-2019 (10-year). Included below are the values for the 2009-2019 analysis.

Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) Season Total: 172 High Count: 30 (October 4) 16-year Mean: 148 16-year Median: 132 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 1 RPI (2009-2019): +8.65% per year

This year ranks 4th highest overall for season totals of Turkey Vultures and came in above our project season averages. However, compared to the last several years, the number was a little low. We had great weather this year for Turkey Vultures — light winds from the northeast, west, and southwest, which was similar weather to some of our greater flights in years past. This might indicate that weather was not a driver of migration but that population, breeding success, or regional movements might have been more of a factor in the numbers that we saw. It is worth noting, too, that Clarry Hill in Maine had record high numbers for this largely unappreciated bird this year. Clarry Hill’s trend has been increasing in a linear fashion since they started collecting data in 2011, but they are much closer to the coast and Pack Monadnock is situated on the edge of the coastal plain, well inland. The difference in numbers suggests differences in regional population distributions or a difference in migration geography.

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) Season Total: 162 High Count: 16 (September 17) 16-year Mean: 229 16-year Median: 219 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 0 RPI (2009-2019): -2.76% per year

2020 marked the continuation of a downward trend in migration numbers for Osprey. This trend is noted in many sites throughout the Northeast. Last year was the first year that we counted more Bald Eagles than Osprey, and this year was a continuation of that phenomenon. The consensus on the platform is that there is a link between the trends of these two birds —that Bald Eagles are outcompeting the Osprey through the breeding season and it is impacting the numbers of inland Osprey populations, seen at the Observatory as migrants. It does seem worth noting that most sites in the Northeast, whether they are inland or coastal, have a bit of a decline to their numbers when you look at the last decade to decade and a half. This might be indicating a larger overall trend such as the population leveling off, or that more Osprey are migrating out over the ocean, which seems less likely.

Bald Eagle (Haliaetus leucocephalus) Season Total: 185* new season high count High Count: 15 (October 12) 16-year Mean: 106 16-year Median: 103 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 5 RPI (2009-2019): +12.08% per year

A new season high record was set once again with 185 migrating Bald Eagles observed this year. This continues the upward trend in overall numbers that we have been witnessing since 2010.

Bald Eagles had a moderately good breeding season in the state this year, according to NH Audubon data. If these good fortunes extended to breeding pairs beyond our borders, it could account for the increase in Bald Eagle observations for yet another year. But the question remains: when is the population going to level out? When will the land reach carrying capacity for these repopulating raptors? When will this population leveling be reflected in the numbers of migrating Bald Eagles at the Observatory?

Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) Season Total: 108 High Count: 9 (September 22) 16-year Mean: 85 16-year Median: 87 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 1 RPI (2009-2019): -3.15% per year

It was a good year for Northern Harriers. We were pleasantly above average this year in terms of overall numbers; in fact, this year ranked as the 4th highest year in the history of the project. We hope this is good news for this grassland- and wetland-roaming raptor.

This year, we made an extra effort to age and sex the Northern Harrier migrants as they came through and we were able to make good determinations for 78.7% of our observations. The results show that the bulk of migrants by Pack Monadnock this year were juvenile birds. Keeping track of this trend can offer insights into breeding success of birds north of Pack Monadnock in subsequent years.

Because a “gray ghost” (male) stands out so well, the bulk of “Unknown” birds were a toss-up between females and juveniles.

Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus) Season Total: 1,325 High Count: 123* (October 11) new single-day high count! 16-year Mean: 1,145 16-year Median: 1,192 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 1 RPI (2009-2019): -2.47% per year

September 25: A Sharpie takes a moment to do some early morning hunting before resuming migration. photo © Levi Burford

This was a good year for Sharp-shinned Hawks. Their numbers have bounced around a lot the last few years. We were pleased to see that this year ranks as the third highest season count for the species in the history of the project. On October 11 the wind blew lightly out of the north and being towards the end of the bubble in which we expect the bulk of Sharpie migration, we were treated to a good flight. By the end of the day, we were surprised to set a single-day high count of 123, beating the previous record set on October 4, 2006 by one bird! Usually a source of contention over whether their identity is Sharpie or Coop, it was actually a pleasant sight to see that many little Accipiters floating around the watch that day!

Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) Season Total: 180 High Count: 16 (October 11) 16-year Mean: 146 16-year Median: 145 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 0 RPI (2009-2019): -1.98% per year

This was the best year we have had in a decade for the Cooper’s Hawk. Perhaps this is a good sign for a species that has been trending slightly downward since 2006.

A little hope in what has been a general downward trend.

Another interesting thing to note this year was the departure from the 1:10 ratio of Cooper’s Hawks to Sharp-shinned Hawks. Historically the numbers have come out more or less at that ratio, but this year the ratio was closer to 1:8, further evidence that Cooper’s Hawks did well during their breeding season.

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) Season Total: 12 High Count: 3 (October 11) 16-year Mean: 32 16-year Median: 25 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 1 RPI (2009-2019): -11.49% per year

This young Northern Goshawk flew by the platform on October 11. photo © Levi Burford

Goshawk numbers were low again this year. Iain MacLeod noted in his article “2019 Fall Raptor Migration Report” (NH Bird Records) that Northern Goshawk numbers have been very low the last few years, and this year the observations at Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory continued that trend. He speculated that Northern Goshawks are staying further north through the winters but questioned this theory as Christmas Bird Count data didn’t support the assertion that Northern Goshawks were remaining in more northern territories to hunt during the winters. Whatever the reason is, be it a decline in population or short-stopping/remaining on territory, it has been half a decade since we’ve seen decent numbers of this secretive forest hunter.

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) Season Total: 223* new season high count! High Count: 70* (October 25) new single-day high count! 16-year Mean: 121 16-year Median: 120 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 2 RPI (2009-2019): +3.46 per year

Red-shouldered Hawk numbers have been trending upward since the beginning of the project in 2005. This year was a great year, setting several single-day high and season high counts. On October 25 we had a wonderfully sunny and fairly windless day, and the Red-shouldered Hawks poured forth surpassing (by quite a bit!) the previous single-day high set in 2012 and tied in 2017. On this one day, we observed 31% of our full season count!

In addition to migrant count numbers, Red-shouldered Hawks were also observed in many of the surrounding Christmas Bird Counts this year as well. This all lends credence to the theory that Red- shouldered Hawks had a great breeding year this year and are staying later into the winter.

Broad-winged Hawk (Buteo platypterus) Season Total: 8,815 High Count: 2886 (September 18) 16-year Mean: 8,583 16-year Median: 8,030 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 0 RPI (2009-2019): -6.57 per year

This year’s count of 8,815 Broad-winged Hawks was just about average for a season count. We had great migration weather for the period between September 10 and 20, when we expect the bulk of our Broad- winged Hawks each year. With little precipitation and light to moderate winds mostly out of the northwest to northeast, there was little stopping the Broad-wingeds from migrating at any time they wanted. On September 17 and 18, the flood gates opened and we recorded our two biggest days of the season, with 2,195 and 2,886 hawks respectively. September 17 is historically the date when we see consistent numbers of Broad-winged Hawks at the Observatory. This year’s large flights on these two dates add further evidence for Broad-winged Hawk migration being triggered by the amount of sunlight, as opposed to being triggered by weather.

It was also interesting to note the number of late Broad-winged Hawks this year. On October 18, 22, and 25, we recorded 1, 3, and 2 birds respectively. All of these were considered late birds but the two individuals counted in different hours on October 25 were the latest in the history of the Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory. One of the birds on October 22 was an adult, but the remainder of the birds that could be aged were juveniles. They may have been “late bloomers” coming into migration condition a little later than the rest of the Broad-winged Hawks counted.

Broad-winged Hawk soaring above. photo © Judd Nathan

Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) Season Total: 293 High Count: 41 (October 27) 16-year Mean: 329 16-year Median: 317 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 45 RPI (2009-2019): -8.79% per year

We saw lower than average numbers of Red-tailed Hawks in 2020. This year ranks about the bottom third of yearly observations. Could this be evidence of short-stopping? Is there enough food availability to sustain larger numbers of the population north of us, thus seeing fewer migrants? Or is the population decreasing? These are questions that are tough to answer from the Hawk Watch, but there is plenty of evidence to support the short-stopping theory, which is the generally accepted reason for their ‘declines.’

Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus) RPI (2009-2019): N/A (too small a sample size)

In 2020 we struck out again on this occasional migrant. At this point we have observed Rough-legged Hawks in 7 out of 16 years of the project.

Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) Season Total: 5 High Count: 2 (October 27) 16-year Mean: 8 16-year Median: 7 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 0 RPI (2009-2019): N/A (too small a sample size)

It was another low year for Golden Eagle observations. With 5 birds tallied, we were below our average of 7 to 8. But, the numbers of Golden Eagles that we see at Pack Monadnock are always low, and it is hard to find trends in small numbers. Our observations from the last three years do mimic the trends seen by Franklin Mountain Hawk Watch in NY in a way: in 2018, the Franklin Hawk Watch saw an abnormal amount of Golden Eagle migrants, followed by two years of relatively low numbers. Perhaps next year will be another big one in terms of Golden Eagle observations at Pack Monadnock.

American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) Season Total: 257* new season high count! High Count: 25 (September 14) 16-year Mean: 166 16-year Median: 168 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 0 RPI (2009-2019): +1.01% per year

Some said that we would never have a season count of American Kestrels higher than in the early years of the project. The previous high of 221 was set in 2010, and we suspected it was all downhill from there. The thought was that the Kestrel population was in too much of a decline. Well, this year’s high count of 257 was a total surprise to us all! It would seem that the American Kestrel had a good breeding year to our north. Was this weather related? Were there more people putting up Kestrel boxes in good breeding habitat? Was their prey abundant this year? All would lead to the higher numbers that we observed this year. As usual, the Observatory generates more questions than answers!

Merlin (Falco columbarius) Season Total: 143 High Count: 17* (October 11) new single-day high count! 16-year Mean: 85 16-year Median: 84 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 1 RPI (2009-2019): -0.60% per year

In typical fashion, this pugnacious little falcon gave the official counters a tough time. Deciding whether these birds are migrants or locals staying to hunt was difficult as usual. But, we did our best and this year’s conservative season count came to within 4 of the season high set in 2010. While it was hard coming so close to the record without surpassing it (counters can’t help but be a little competitive; it’s what keeps us on our toes through tough weather), we did take some solace in the flight we observed on October 11. We were pleased to see a new single-day high count record of 17 tallied for the Observatory!

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) Season Total: 30 High Count: 6 (October 11) 16-year Mean: 41 16-year Median: 42 Number counted between Nov. 16 and Nov. 20: 0 RPI (2009-2019): +3.56% per year

While it appears that our local populations in New Hampshire and Maine had a moderately successful year in terms of breeding, our number of migrant Peregrine Falcons was low this year. In fact, this season’s count was ranked 13th in the 16 years of the project. This adds evidence to the theory that our Peregrines come from further north and maybe further west as they migrate south by the Observatory.

Taking a look at the season counts from the last 16 years, there is a bit of variation in numbers from one year to the next, especially in the last four years. While this could be indicative of population swings in the population of Peregrines that migrate past the Observatory, it seems more likely that this is due to weather factors during the Peregrine’s migration window. Historically, the best flights of Peregrine Falcons at PMRO have come on winds from the southwest and west, however this year the wind during the Peregrine Falcon migration window was largely from the southwest and west. Perhaps this is indicative of large-scale weather patterns, rather than local patterns.

Non-Raptor Species

What a great year for non-raptor migrants! While not especially noteworthy during warbler migration (except for an Orange-crowned Warbler), we were treated to the majority of irruptive finch species. The Monadnock Region has had a healthy population of Red Crossbills since last spring at least. It carried forth into hawkwatching season before becoming a bit more occasional from the Hawk Watch platform in October. Where the Red Crossbills left off, the Pine Siskins, Pine Grosbeaks, and White-winged Crossbills picked up. Pine Siskins and then White-winged Crossbills numbered near 100 or more at times.

Also noteworthy was a small invasion of Boreal Chickadees to the Monadnock Region as well. The most we observed from the Hawk Watch was 2, but just how many of them were there bumping around in the spruces down on the ridge or out on other spruce-covered mountains?

Though fairly impressive compared to pre-2017 levels, when only handfuls of Monarchs were observed, the Observatory saw a considerable drop in the number of these migrant beauties. A dry summer with unproductive Milkweed may have resulted in the Monarchs, too, struggling.

Year Count 2017 302 2018 828 2019 1,093 2020 534

Monarch counts by year.

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, thank you to the many organizations and entities involved with the continued success of this project, especially the Harris Center for Conservation Education, Miller State Park, New Hampshire Audubon, and the NH Division of Natural and Cultural Resources. Thanks goes to our project supporters and champions, those ‘sustaining donors’ who have contributed time and time again, and to those who made their first gift this year. The pool of community and other business sponsors continues to grow and strengthen, as well. As in past years, major support came from the Gilbert Verney Foundation. Many thanks to the following business partners: Nature’s Green Grocer, which selected the PMRO as a seasonal recipient of their Green Giving Program; and the Jack Daniels Motor Inn. Finally, to all who made donations onsite, and leveraged funds in other ways, we thank you greatly.

Furthermore, many thanks to Phil Brown for coordinating this site and for serving as the driving force for its continued success. Thank you to Julie Brown for sharing the duties of official counter with Phil on Tuesdays. Thank you to Norma Reppucci, Park Manager at Miller State Park, for her heartfelt support of Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory. Things wouldn’t have run as smoothly at the Observatory without the procedures the State Park and its staff were following.

One more very special thanks to Mark Timmerman and Tom Delaney for being the official counters on Wednesdays. These two, in the 11 Wednesdays that they covered, counted a grand total of 138 raptors. That’s 12 to 13 birds per day for the whole season! They sure drew the short straw for raptors this year, but they managed to have a great time!

Finally, the strength of the numbers comes from the number of dedicated volunteers who come out and help spot and identify the birds. I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to those below for your diligence and good company through both the good times and the bad:

Phil Brown, Julie Brown, Alden Brown, Laurel Brown, Mark Timmerman, Tom Delaney, Andre Moraes, Daryl Turek, Melanie Haber, Michael Burgess, Paul Nelson, Jim McCoy, Judd Nathan, Harlee Strauss, Hillary Siener, John Garrison, Mike Gebo, Kevin Murphy, Cathy Wennerth, Tim and Pat Finn, Gerry Coffey, Karen Kambol, Peter Kambol, Cynthia Nichols, Jami Bascom, Nora Hanke, Ivan Bulobanic, Jon Wildey, Meade Cadot, Sandy Taylor, Tom Young, Kevin O'Neill, Nan O'Neill, Alan Chretien, Glen Chretien, Lori Chretien, Amy Maurer, Dot Currier, Henry Walters, Iain MacLeod, Sue Francesco, Eric Masterson, Katrina Fenton, Patrick Marr, Joslin Bennett, Bob Sweet, Russ Spaulding, Bill Isaacson, Peggy Barnett, Cal Peterka, Jeannie Peterka, Bob and Malcolm Holt, Kim Snyder, Steven Lamonde, Dan Bisaccio, David Baum, Ben Davis, Barry Wicklow, Chad Witko, Kat Lauer, Marie Burgess, David Fenton, Sandy Fenton, Knut Hansen, Rachel Zoffness, Charlie Nims, Kathryn Frieden, Roger Frieden, Jeanne- Marie Maher, Michael Pahl, Jon Atwood, Polly Pattison, Judy Parrot-Willis, Sophia Wong, Jon Woolf, and Susan Wrisley. Apologies if any other official observers were left off this list.

References

Call, E. M. 2020. 2020 Peregrine falcon program report. Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, 28 pp.

Ethier, D., Lepage, D., Goodrich, L., Brown, J., and Sodergren, J. The Raptor Population Index, 2019 Analysis Methods and Trend Results. Available at rpi-project.org/2019/

Harris Center for Conservation Education. (2019). Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory brochure. Hancock, New Hampshire.

Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). (2020). HawkCount: Hawk MigrationAssociation of North America’s Raptor Migration Database. HMANA, Plymouth, New Hampshire. Available at https://www.hawkcount.org

Martin, C. (2020). 2020 NH Bald Eagle Breeding Season Results. New Hampshire Audubon, Concord, New Hampshire.

MacLeod, Iain. Fall 2019 Raptor Migration Report. New Hampshire Bird Records Fall 2019 Vol. 38, No. 3. eBird. (2012). eBird: An online database of bird distribution and abundance [web application]. eBird, Ithaca, New York. Available at ebird.org

Appendix Table 1.

Obs. Year Year Hours BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR SW SE Total 2005 330.25 0 29 219 52 24 520 47 11 23 3978 122 0 5 78 40 11 4 7 5 4 42 0 0 5221 2006 408.25 0 99 257 55 77 1253 213 68 46 7595 407 0 11 201 48 29 7 4 2 1 62 0 0 10435 2007 430 0 121 291 53 121 1288 186 49 112 7776 263 0 5 143 90 44 9 2 3 0 68 0 0 10624 2008 435.75 0 47 256 50 87 1189 162 28 67 6835 254 0 3 183 59 17 5 8 2 2 20 0 0 9274 2009 420.75 0 80 182 51 88 1196 133 25 129 4322 421 0 6 135 56 30 8 14 8 2 77 0 0 6963 2010 627.75 0 145 298 85 115 1248 168 66 109 7606 410 0 10 221 147 53 17 10 5 3 70 0 0 10786 2011 368 0 127 271 54 58 1124 145 21 43 11831 202 0 9 170 68 40 14 6 4 0 69 0 0 14256 2012 600.75 0 164 314 105 91 1388 181 63 209 8848 522 1 7 194 108 54 7 4 2 2 59 1 0 12324 2013 575 0 142 193 101 100 1254 146 25 118 8221 378 1 11 166 89 48 10 2 1 3 20 0 1 11030 2014 497 0 99 213 120 85 1094 126 22 123 11043 348 1 7 112 80 39 5 6 6 2 34 0 0 13565 2015 586.92 0 137 201 132 124 1443 115 48 141 16593 546 1 13 118 120 54 3 5 5 2 42 1 0 19844 2016 527 0 322 242 136 92 1126 163 48 117 10530 294 1 5 167 96 49 6 4 3 2 63 0 0 13466 2017 515.25 0 324 219 163 82 1179 142 16 181 8744 341 2 7 166 106 64 6 6 4 1 51 0 0 11804 2018 455.25 0 98 181 176 64 668 124 11 126 6756 246 2 22 171 58 31 16 18 10 1 63 0 0 8842 2019 555.67 0 268 171 180 54 1027 105 9 181 7840 220 0 4 185 64 64 15 14 4 0 95 0 0 10503 2020 557.67 0 172 162 185 108 1325 180 12 223 8815 293 0 5 257 143 30 11 25 2 2 82 0 0 12032 Total 7891.3 0 2374 3670 1698 1370 18322 2336 522 1948 137333 5267 9 130 2667 1372 657 143 135 66 27 917 2 1 180969 Ave. 493.20 0 148 229 106 85.6 1145 146 33 122 8583.3 329 1 8.1 167 85.8 41 8.9 8.4 4 2 57 0.1 0 11310

Table 2 – List of Observed Bird Species

High High Cnt. Species First Seen Last Seen Count Date Total 1 Canada Goose - Branta canadensis 11-Sep-20 14-Nov-20 1,268 11-Oct-20 3,355 2 Wood Duck - Aix sponsa 3-Oct-20 3-Oct-20 2 3-Oct-20 2 3 American Black Duck - Anas rubripes 3-Oct-20 16-Nov-20 24 3-Oct-20 28 4 Common Merganser - Mergus merganser 3-Oct-20 19-Nov-20 3 3-Oct-20 5 5 Rock Pigeon - Columba livia 18-Sep-20 18-Sep-20 4 18-Sep-20 4 6 Common Nighthawk - Chordeiles minor 17-Sep-20 18-Sep-20 3 18-Sep-20 5 7 Chimney Swift - Chaetura pelagica 1-Sep-20 12-Sep-20 44 7-Sep-20 81 8 Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris 1-Sep-20 17-Sep-20 7 7-Sep-20 34 9 Semipalmated Plover - Charadrius semipalmatus 15-Sep-20 15-Sep-20 1 15-Sep-20 1 10 Solitary Sandpiper - Tringa solitaria 15-Sep-20 15-Sep-20 1 15-Sep-20 1 11 Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis 11-Oct-20 2-Nov-20 3 19-Oct-20 8 12 Herring Gull - Larus argentatus 11-Sep-20 9-Nov-20 15 30-Oct-20 24 13 Common Loon - Gavia immer 12-Sep-20 31-Oct-20 4 25-Oct-20 11 14 Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus 5-Sep-20 25-Oct-20 98 11-Oct-20 308 15 Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 3-Sep-20 11-Oct-20 1 11-Oct-20 4 16 Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura 1-Sep-20 16-Nov-20 30 4-Oct-20 352 17 Osprey - Pandion haliaetus 1-Sep-20 24-Oct-20 16 17-Sep-20 162 18 Golden Eagle - Aquila chrysaetos 25-Oct-20 9-Nov-20 1 9-Nov-20 5 19 Northern Harrier - Circus hudsonius 6-Sep-20 16-Nov-20 8 5-Oct-20 108 20 Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus 1-Sep-20 16-Nov-20 123 11-Oct-20 1,327 21 Cooper's Hawk - Accipiter cooperii 3-Sep-20 14-Nov-20 16 11-Oct-20 187 22 Northern Goshawk - Accipiter gentilis 4-Oct-20 16-Nov-20 3 11-Oct-20 15 23 Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 15 12-Oct-20 196 24 Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus 4-Sep-20 15-Nov-20 70 25-Oct-20 245 25 Broad-winged Hawk - Buteo platypterus 1-Sep-20 25-Oct-20 2,886 18-Sep-20 8,821 26 Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 26 25-Oct-20 356 27 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker - Sphyrapicus varius 4-Sep-20 9-Oct-20 1 9-Oct-20 9 15-Nov- 28 Downy Woodpecker - Dryobates pubescens 27-Sep-20 15-Nov-20 1 20 17 29 Hairy Woodpecker - Dryobates villosus 3-Sep-20 15-Nov-20 2 1-Oct-20 30 12-Nov- 30 Pileated Woodpecker - Dryocopus pileatus 3-Sep-20 12-Nov-20 1 20 8 31 Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus 5-Sep-20 12-Oct-20 2 4-Oct-20 11 32 American Kestrel - Falco sparverius 1-Sep-20 25-Oct-20 25 14-Sep-20 257 33 Merlin - Falco columbarius 1-Sep-20 16-Nov-20 17 11-Oct-20 147 34 Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus 1-Sep-20 24-Oct-20 6 11-Oct-20 32 35 Eastern Phoebe - Sayornis phoebe 1-Sep-20 3-Oct-20 1 3-Oct-20 6 36 Blue-headed Vireo - Vireo solitarius 1-Sep-20 12-Oct-20 1 12-Oct-20 6 37 Red-eyed Vireo - Vireo olivaceus 1-Sep-20 13-Sep-20 1 13-Sep-20 5 38 Blue Jay - Cyanocitta cristata 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 74 21-Sep-20 415 39 American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos 1-Sep-20 19-Nov-20 328 25-Oct-20 472 40 Common Raven - Corvus corax 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 54 11-Oct-20 577 20-Nov- 41 Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 12 20 369 42 Boreal Chickadee - Poecile hudsonicus 1-Oct-20 12-Nov-20 2 1-Oct-20 15 43 Tufted Titmouse - Baeolophus bicolor 1-Sep-20 10-Nov-20 2 1-Nov-20 15 44 Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris 19-Oct-20 19-Oct-20 8 19-Oct-20 8 45 Tree Swallow - Tachycineta bicolor 1-Sep-20 17-Sep-20 13 4-Sep-20 37 46 Barn Swallow - Hirundo rustica 13-Sep-20 13-Sep-20 2 13-Sep-20 2 47 Golden-crowned Kinglet - Regulus satrapa 3-Sep-20 15-Nov-20 5 25-Oct-20 69 48 Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula 24-Sep-20 9-Nov-20 6 24-Oct-20 41 49 Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 12 12-Sep-20 283

50 White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis 11-Sep-20 23-Oct-20 2 4-Oct-20 12 51 Brown Creeper - Certhia americana 4-Sep-20 19-Nov-20 2 22-Oct-20 16 52 Winter Wren - Troglodytes hiemalis 1-Sep-20 6-Oct-20 1 4-Oct-20 12 53 Eastern Bluebird - Sialia sialis 25-Sep-20 8-Nov-20 18 22-Oct-20 31 54 Swainson's Thrush - Catharus ustulatus 25-Sep-20 6-Oct-20 2 6-Oct-20 3 55 Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus 24-Sep-20 19-Oct-20 1 19-Oct-20 5 56 American Robin - Turdus migratorius 1-Sep-20 22-Oct-20 2 8-Oct-20 6 57 Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum 4-Sep-20 11-Oct-20 32 12-Sep-20 49 58 American Pipit - Anthus rubescens 1-Oct-20 3-Nov-20 5 8-Oct-20 8 10-Nov- 59 Evening Grosbeak - Coccothraustes vespertinus 10-Nov-20 10-Nov-20 1 20 1 19-Nov- 60 Pine Grosbeak - Pinicola enucleator 1-Nov-20 19-Nov-20 5 20 18 61 Purple Finch - Haemorhous purpureus 3-Sep-20 31-Oct-20 42 11-Oct-20 127 62 Common Redpoll - Acanthis flammea 25-Oct-20 25-Oct-20 1 25-Oct-20 1 63 Red Crossbill - Loxia curvirostra 1-Sep-20 16-Nov-20 17 25-Oct-20 101 20-Nov- 64 White-winged Crossbill - Loxia leucoptera 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 90 20 387 65 Pine Siskin - Spinus pinus 20-Sep-20 12-Nov-20 112 9-Nov-20 517 66 American Goldfinch - Spinus tristis 1-Sep-20 19-Nov-20 15 1-Nov-20 84 67 Snow Bunting - Plectrophenax nivalis 25-Oct-20 8-Nov-20 1 8-Nov-20 4 68 American Tree Sparrow - Spizelloides arborea 6-Nov-20 7-Nov-20 1 7-Nov-20 2 69 Chipping Sparrow - Spizella passerina 6-Oct-20 6-Oct-20 1 6-Oct-20 1 70 Fox Sparrow - Passerella iliaca 11-Oct-20 27-Oct-20 2 27-Oct-20 3 71 Dark-eyed Junco - Junco hyemalis 1-Sep-20 20-Nov-20 30 23-Oct-20 337 72 White-throated Sparrow - Zonotrichia albicollis 24-Sep-20 25-Oct-20 10 28-Sep-20 66 73 Eastern Towhee - Pipilo erythrophthalmus 26-Sep-20 26-Sep-20 1 26-Sep-20 1 74 Orange-crowned Warbler - Vermivora celata 4-Oct-20 4-Oct-20 1 4-Oct-20 1 75 Ovenbird - Seiurus aurocapilla 3-Sep-20 3-Sep-20 1 3-Sep-20 1 76 Tennessee Warbler - Leiothlypis peregrina 12-Sep-20 15-Sep-20 2 15-Sep-20 8 77 Nashville Warbler - Leiothlypis ruficapilla 3-Sep-20 9-Oct-20 1 9-Oct-20 3 78 Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas 24-Sep-20 28-Sep-20 1 28-Sep-20 2 79 American Redstart - Setophaga ruticilla 11-Sep-20 11-Sep-20 1 11-Sep-20 1 80 Cape May Warbler - Setophaga tigrina 4-Sep-20 23-Oct-20 3 12-Sep-20 14 81 Northern Parula - Setophaga americana 12-Sep-20 28-Sep-20 2 12-Sep-20 3 82 Magnolia Warbler - Setophaga magnolia 3-Sep-20 12-Sep-20 1 12-Sep-20 2 83 Yellow Warbler - Setophaga petechia 12-Sep-20 12-Sep-20 1 12-Sep-20 1 84 Blackpoll Warbler - Setophaga striata 12-Sep-20 18-Oct-20 2 25-Sep-20 8 85 Black-throated Blue Warbler - Setophaga caerulescens 11-Sep-20 26-Sep-20 3 12-Sep-20 5 86 Palm Warbler - Setophaga palmarum 10-Oct-20 19-Oct-20 1 19-Oct-20 2 87 Pine Warbler - Setophaga pinus 28-Sep-20 28-Sep-20 1 28-Sep-20 1 88 Yellow-rumped Warbler - Setophaga coronata 1-Sep-20 7-Nov-20 14 4-Oct-20 198 89 Black-throated Green Warbler - Setophaga virens 1-Sep-20 4-Oct-20 2 12-Sep-20 7