Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 30, 2004
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 5 18 18
Bald Eagle 1 7 7
Northern Harrier 0 2 2
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 4 4
Cooper's Hawk 2 12 12
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 22 101 101
Red-tailed Hawk 1 13 13
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 1 4 4
Merlin 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown 0 0 0
Total: 32 161 161
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Observation start time: 09:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers: Lad Topolsky
Visitors:
A mother and two future hawkwatchers? (ages 5-6, at best), briefly
stopped by.
When asked what the largest raptor nest was, I easily replied with BE
(sometimes increasing annually for decades, one on top of the other).
After that, I was sadly stumped and could only guess (thanks, kids).
Regardless, these boys'll either be counting for Snickers or monitoring
nests for Roger Clapp within a few years...
It was nice to see.
Weather:
Despite an exceptionally muggy reception upon arrival, weather conditions
looked promising.
Winds were at a relatively steady clip out of the East (@2-3 Beaufort),
and would diminish only slightly through the course of the day.
Skies were picture-perfect at 60-80% cloudcover up until the last hour
of observation, with a rich mix of popcorn cumulus and well placed
brush-strokes of high cirrus to balance out the canvas.
North mountain (25 km) was clearly visible out west within the first
hour of observation; Temp topped off at a bearable 80F.
At the beginning of the 3 o' clock hour, skies went greyscale with 100%
CC and winds faded.
Observations:
All 5 Osprey that graced us with their presence came through in the first
two hours; none were packing a lunch.
The only countable BE was a 1st yr bird, though a single adult bird was
briefly spied upon before dipping below the "The Capital Dome", headed
North...
The majority of Broad-wingeds that meandered through the Gap were
immatures, many of which took the time to leisurely ingest numerous
dragonflies while on their way.
Nothing new to report here. A decent flight of swallows (150+) dominated
the skies early on; mostly Trees ID'd + a few Barns thrown into the mix.
Also viewed:
Chimney Swift- 80 to 90+, Hummers- 6 (1 worthy of some scrutiny, if it
had been feasible), Downy Woodpecker- 1, Red-bellied Woodpecker- 2,
Pileated Woodpecker- 1, Cedar Waxwing- 4, Carolina Wren- 1, American Crow-
3, Common Raven- 2, Carolina Wren- 1, American Goldfinch- 7 (still the
only visitor to the feeder).
Predictions:
Yes, it's time for the magic eightball...
I'll start out easy- "Will Bev leave feeling satisfied tomorrow"?
The Snickers Gap Magic Eightball replies, "Very Doubtfull"...
Well, not exactly what she (or any of us) wants to hear, but the ball
has spoken- let's prove it wrong...
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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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