Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 11, 2004
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 17 54 72
Bald Eagle 3 28 35
Northern Harrier 5 17 19
Sharp-shinned Hawk 15 50 55
Cooper's Hawk 2 15 27
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 3 3
Broad-winged Hawk 113 269 379
Red-tailed Hawk 0 15 29
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 3 16 20
Merlin 0 3 3
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown 0 4 4
Total: 158 474 646
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:15:00
Total observation time: 6.25 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers:
Visitors:
David & Edwina Thomas stopped by briefly during the early morning flight.
Kim Peacock and Bruce Hill were invaluable today, picking up on a good
number of birds trying to squeeze by. Doug Graham and Joan Miller, both
diligent scanners, also brought a good number of birds to our attention.
And last, but not least, Mike Lamb. Wish I could have stayed longer after
your arrival, but hope to see you tomorrow (could be another decent
flight).
Weather:
There was not a cloud in the sky by the time birds started to move. Given
the altitude of these early birds and the killer blue, it was shaping up
to be a rough day.
Luckily, much needed Cloudcover slowly began creeping in on light East
winds, giving us great skies by the end of the third hour of observation.
Winds remained light out of the East for the rest of the day. Temp topped
off at 81F.
Observations:
I guess we did in fact cross that imaginary line yesterday, as we broke
into triple-digit Broad-wingeds today and double-digit Osprey for the
second day in a row (none packing a lunch). Wish we had someone up there
that could've taken the reigns after my necessary departure, as the day
was far from being tapped out...
Bald Eagle breakdown- 2 ad, 1 first yr bird.
A ladder truck (ladder fully extended), a pump truck and an ambulance
were present upon my arrival, waving flags at Rt 7 traffic in rememberance
of 9/11. Their level of enthusiasm shot up drastically in response to what
they thought was media coverage (spotting scope). After an hour their arms
were growing quite tired and they began peering over their shoulders to
see if I was about done filming...
Passerines:
Double-crested Cormorant- 1, Great Blue Heron- 1, Hummingbird sp- 5,
Chimney Swift- 150+, Red-headed Woodpecker- 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker- 2,
Blue Jay- 11, Cedar Waxwing- 16, American Crow- 31, Common Raven- 7.
Monarch Butterfly: 4
Planes:
A few Cessnas and a Beechcraft, positive ID provided by Kim Peacock.
Predictions:
Should we expect the same for tomorrow?
The Eightball is a bit grumpy tonight-
"VERY DOUBTFULL"
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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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