Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 09, 2004
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 1 1 1
Bald Eagle 1 2 2
Northern Harrier 1 1 1
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 1 1
Cooper's Hawk 1 1 1
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 11 15 15
Red-tailed Hawk 1 1 1
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 0 1 1
Merlin 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown 0 0 0
Total: 16 23 23
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Observation start time: 10:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers: Lad Topolsky
Visitors:
Bob Lyons and friend, headed for a walk up to Bear's Den, stopped by to
check in. It's always a pleasure to speak with Bob; he uses the english
language like an artist uses a paintbrush and usually has a zinger or two
up his sleeve.
Weather:
Winds today were primarily out of the WSW at 1 Beaufort Scale; brief
periods of dead calm became common later in the afternoon.
Cloudcover was 20-30% all day, with high cirrus being replaced by large
cumulus by noon and a good bit of haze was present throughout the
observation period.
Temp topped off at 80F.
Observations:
First bird of the day was a harrier that leisurely loped through on the E
side of the ridge. First Osprey of the season came in the 3-4 o' clock
hour, and was not packing a lunch.
A Red-tailed came through in the 2-3 o' clock hour that warranted some
scrutiny. It was at an extremely high altitude and made a fixed-wing
beeline for the South. That, and the fact that it was "escorted" out of
the area by the 3 local RTs that graced the skies at every scan, made me
feel inclined to count it- the line between post-breeding dispersal and
"migration" is a bit fuzzy to me, but movement is movement.
A Red-shouldered joined the local RTs for some midday frollicking but
headed back to home base (North) within a few minutes.
No Kestrel?
Chimney Swift and swallow numbers were low. Unexpectedy, the skies were
virtually devoid of both for most of the day.
Chimney Swift- 11, Barn Swallow- 5, Ruby-throated Hummingbird- 3 (I've
had an increase in activity around my house lately), Cedar Waxwing- 8,
Indigo Bunting- 2, Carolina Wren- 1, American Golfinch- 7, American Crow-
1?, Common Raven- 3.
Predictions:
Still too early for the magic eightball to be dusted off...
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Report submitted by Ian Topolsky (ict_earth@xxxxxxxxx)
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.
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