Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Aug 31, 2005
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 2 9 9
Bald Eagle 3 10 10
Northern Harrier 0 3 3
Sharp-shinned Hawk 2 5 5
Cooper's Hawk 0 0 0
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 1 1
Broad-winged Hawk 24 62 62
Red-tailed Hawk 1 4 4
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 0 1 1
Merlin 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown 0 0 0
Total: 32 95 95
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers: Lad Topolsky
Visitors:
Peabody (the official Snickers Gap Jack Russel, at least in my eyes) and
her owner, getting in shape for an upcoming 55 mile hike that will take
them through Hawk Mountain.
Weather:
Despite the considerably breezy conditions I encountered in the valley en
route to the gap, winds at our site clung to VARiable at 0-1 Beaufort up
until the last hour of observation (jumping to 3 w/ gusts of 4-5).
Cloudcover slowly built as the day progressed, a bit contrary to what
was anticipated. 65-80% in the first three hours, 90-100% for all but the
last 20 min of observation, when things started to break up again.
Temp topped off at 84F, humidity hung around the 60's & 70's (%).
Observations:
Bald Eagle breakdown: 1- 1st yr bird in the 9 o' clock hour (EST), 1- ad
& 1- 1st yr bird in tandem in the 2 o' clock hour (escorted out by a
suspected local adult who headed N after seeing them off).
The bulk of the day's Broad-wingeds passed in the 11 o' clock hour. An
unusually vocal group.
Osprey- of the 2, none were packin' a lunch.
*Snickers crew- be on the lookout for an adult RT missing 2-3 secondaries
on both wings; like a troublesome ex it'll pack it's bags and swear you'll
never see it again, only to show up at the other end of the bar when you
least expect it...
*In the 2 o' clock hour (with 100% CC, nonetheless) a passerby asked if we
were looking at stars...
Non-raptor notes:
Chimney Swifts galore, 3 Ruby-throated Hummers, 1 Trail's Fly sp., 1
Black-throated Green Warbler.
Predictions:
As keeper of the sacred Snickers Gap Magic Eightball, dormant for the
better part of a year, I awaken thee...
Will TMD look as dapper as ever tomorrow?
"Ask again later"
- first question of the year and I'm already sensing the eightball has
it out for us & plans on giving us NO straight answers (or Todd simply has
not finished choosing his Thursday's get-up)........
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Report submitted by Ian Topolsky (ict_earth@xxxxxxxxx)
Site Description:
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.
Directions to site:
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