Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 25, 2004
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 2 282
Bald Eagle 1 28 172
Northern Harrier 0 42 155
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 77 1697
Cooper's Hawk 0 34 406
Northern Goshawk 0 1 10
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 62 175
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 3701
Red-tailed Hawk 6 766 1651
Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1
Golden Eagle 3 13 19
American Kestrel 0 1 88
Merlin 0 1 24
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 32
Unknown 1 12 84
Total: 11 1042 8497
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 13:00:00
Total observation time: 4 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers:
Weather:
Weeeeeeeeeeehhhaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh.............
Just in case that's not descript enough- Winds were already kickin' out
of the NW (at 4+) upon arrival, building to 5-6 by 11:00. 95% Cloudcover
really began to break up and reveal some blue up north by 12:00. Temp 50F
to start, dropping to 43F by my departure. A couple of short-lived rain
squalls in the 11 o' clock hour.
Observations:
I would have killed for one day with these exact conditions over the
past couple of weeks. Alas...
Goldens- 2 adults in tandem at 10:40, 1 immature at 10:55.
The only countable Bald of the day was a 1st yr bird.
Non-raptors:
Our Pine Siskin persists at the feeder.
Also- Ring-billed Gull- 3, Canada Goose- 15.
Predictions:
I really hope these hearty NW winds holds strong for tomorrow.
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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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