Snickers Gap
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 2013
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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 1 124
Bald Eagle 4 21 132
Northern Harrier 0 2 49
Sharp-shinned Hawk 1 10 914
Cooper's Hawk 0 4 132
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 13 40
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 11616
Red-tailed Hawk 18 158 433
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 3
American Kestrel 0 1 88
Merlin 0 1 28
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 10
Unknown Accipiter 0 2 9
Unknown Buteo 0 0 10
Unknown Falcon 0 1 3
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 1 20
Total: 24 217 13611
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Larry Brindza
Observers:
Visitors:
There were 35 hikers headed for the Appalachian Trail.
Weather:
Very light winds, barely noticable at times.
Through the day there were three sets of Cirro Cummulus clouds (fish scale
patterns)that sailed by from west to east.
Raptor Observations:
Prime time for raptors was between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Non-raptor Observations:
A flock of 12 Common Mergansers crossed the Gap from north west to south
east.
Predictions:
Steadily falling barometric pressures 9:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m. cannot be
good for tomorrow's weather! A new cold front coming?
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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.
