Snickers Gap
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2009
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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 1 6 148
Bald Eagle 2 29 128
Northern Harrier 0 2 28
Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 280 807
Cooper's Hawk 1 45 100
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 3 22
Broad-winged Hawk 0 26 9077
Red-tailed Hawk 0 34 69
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 0 12 53
Merlin 0 1 16
Peregrine Falcon 0 5 20
Unknown Accipiter 1 3 11
Unknown Buteo 1 1 11
Unknown Falcon 0 1 1
Unknown Eagle 0 0 0
Unknown Raptor 0 2 14
Total: 19 450 10505
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Wes Hetrick
Observers: Jenny Nichols, Leslie Smith, Matt Nichols, Wes Hetrick
Visitors:
Matt & Jenny Nichols, pumped by recent visit to Hawk Mountain, contributed
their eyes for a couple hours ... a big help & morale boost. They will be
back! Leslie Smith, another local resident, shared her enthusiasm for the
Blue Ridge & its bird life.
Weather:
Bone-chilling cold (44F) East wind, no sun seen thru high clouds and haze
... I am in the market for handwarmers.
Raptor Observations:
One kettle of TVs numbered close to 100 birds, circled the Gap for an hour,
streamed South as if on command, and were not seen again. Very impressive.
Non-raptor Observations:
Swallows (Tree & Barn, maybe others) were on the move continuously over the
ridge to the East.
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Report submitted by Wes Hetrick (weshetrick@xxxxxxxx)
