Bake Oven Knob 2 miles North of Germansville, Pennsylvania, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 15:30:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Andre Vu
Observers: Judy Paterson, Travis Rennig
Visitors: 29 visitors at the south lookout today, talked to almost all of them. Joined by Judy Paterson, who was great company while waiting for the fog to lift, and Travis Rennig, plus his son and his friend. Special thanks to them for rescuing the owl decoy, which the wind blew to the bottom of the north lookout yesterday afternoon.
Weather: Very poor visibility until clearing up around 12:30 local time. 59-75 degrees F, light south wind.
Raptor Observations: Bald eagle (5): 1312i, 1316a, 1345a, 1345i
A couple close flyby sharpies kept Judy and I entertained in the fog, but the action really started once it cleared, opening with the closest osprey encounter we will ever have in our lives as they just about buzzed my hair with their talons. One decent candidate for one of my most wanted birds, an abieticola subspecies red-tailed, flew by low.
Brett, one of our beloved weekend counters, texted me at 1:41 that he just had an adult and subadult bald eagle pair fly over him down the ridge at the cell towers. About an hour later at 2:45, Travis and I had an adult and subadult eagle. If they were the same birds, it would mean it took the eagles about an hour to fly the ~5.5 mile distance in today's southerly crosswind. That would also mean they were only moving at about, well, 5.5 mph, so it's more likely it was a coincidence.
Also just wanted to share photos I'm excited about of an immature male harrier in front of the autumn foilage. Scott Keys told me recently about how you can sex young harriers by eye color! https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S402106482
Non-raptor Observations: 3 yellow-billed cuckoos! One on the trail and a pair at the lookout that hung out all day. I watched one eat a stick insect.
Also had hermit thrush, Swainson's thrush, sapsuckers, chipping sparrow, juncos, yellow-rumps, and a blackpoll.
Predictions: A slight chance of showers between 11am and 2pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 80. West wind 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Lehigh Gap Nature Center (<mail...>) Bake Oven Knob information may be found at: www.lgnc.org
