Snickers Gap
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 01, 2012
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
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Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 175
Bald Eagle 0 0 174
Northern Harrier 0 0 113
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 1361
Cooper's Hawk 0 0 186
Northern Goshawk 0 0 2
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 71
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 8524
Red-tailed Hawk 5 5 380
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 1
American Kestrel 0 0 127
Merlin 2 2 24
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 25
Unknown Accipiter 0 0 28
Unknown Buteo 0 0 17
Unknown Falcon 0 0 12
Unknown Eagle 0 0 5
Unknown Raptor 0 0 26
Total: 7 7 11251
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Larry Brindza
Observers: Joe Kelly
Visitors:
Only 7 hikers today.
Weather:
100% cloud cover for most of the day with a steady drizzle of rain all day.
The drizzle was such that bins and spotting scopes could still be used
without getting soaked. The temperatures were 7 to 8 degrees centigrade (44
to 46 degrees F). Winds were a steady 12-19 km/hr all day. No sun.
Raptor Observations:
Three adult Red-taileds in the morning, with two in the afternoon. The only
other raptors were a pair of Merlins between 1 and 2 p.m. That is a total
of 7 raptors for the day.
Non-raptor Observations:
The wind was too fast and noisy to hear or see any small birds. There was
however of 100+ Juncos at @ 09:45. A local Red-shouldered Hawk was observed
behind us at @ 11:15.
Predictions:
More of the same weather wise. The effects of Hurricane Sandy appear to be
causing the raptors to take their time on their south-bound journey.
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Report submitted by Larry Brindza (ljbrindza@xxxxxxx)
Site Description:
The Snickers Gap Hawkwatch was established in 1990. It is located in
northern Virginia, on the Clarke and Loudoun County line. It is reached by
taking VA Route 7 to the county line, which runs atop the ridge at Snickers
Gap. On the south side of Route 7 is a commuter parking lot. The count is
conducted from there. It is a volunteer site, and is counted in fall only,
from late August until late November or early December. There are no
facilities at the site, so bring a snack, drinks,and a chair. Many of the
birds can be distant,and a scope is helpful.
As a volunteer site, we are always looking to increase our pool of
counters. We are eager to train those who have never counted, but are
skilled with hawk identification. We are also willing to pair inexperienced
observers with experienced counters. Please contact the compiler, Todd Day,
at blkvulture@xxxxxxx with any questions or if you are interested in
participating in the count.
