All,
We want to announce the start of our 36th annual fall raptor migration season
at Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch (www.rockfishgaphawkwatch.org). Our season will
officially begin on Wednesday, August 15 and runs through the end of November.
We had a banner year last year with 33,010 raptors total, the 3rd highest
season count ever! Last year also broke the record for season numbers of Osprey
(348), Bald Eagle (176), Cooper's Hawk (312), American Kestrel (294), Merlin
(26) and the 2nd highest records for Sharp-shinned Hawk (2,336) and
Broad-winged Hawk (28,790). Our biggest day was Sept. 18, 2011 when we had
10,766 Broad-winged Hawk, 8 Osprey, 6 Bald Eagle plus 8 other species! I hear
that birds are already moving to the north, and we're hoping for another
terrific season!
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: We will be having an Open House at the hawk watch on
Saturday, September 8, to kickoff the 2012 season! We'll be bringing up a
canopy tent and grill and will be providing hotdogs and chips for everyone! We
hope you can come by for some hawk watching, learn about what we do, how we do
it and why, try out some binoculars and spotting scopes, catch up with old
friends, and make new friends!
Peak migration (for Broad-winged Hawks) typically occurs during the third week
of September (based on data from the past 36 seasons), and thus we predict that
the BIG weekend this year will likely occur on Sept. 22-23.
The Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch is held on the grounds of the Inn at Afton, located
on the southern side of Rockfish Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains, right off
I-64 exit 99 (at the intersections with Rt 250, the southern end of the Skyline
Drive and the northern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway) just 5 miles east of
Waynesboro and 20 miles west of Charlottesville. The hawk watch provides
panoramic views of the gap and both the Shenandoah Valley to the west and the
Piedmont Region to the east. Be sure to bring your binoculars, a lawn chair and
sunscreen! We'd love to have you visit and experience the raptor migration (and
help us spot the hawks)!
For further information or questions please visit our website or contact us
directly. Please forward this along to other folks who may be interested. See
you at "The Watch" soon!
Regards,
Victor Laubach (Co-Coordinator)
Waynesboro, VA
Phone: 434-249-2927
Email: laubach@xxxxxxxxxxxx
and
Brenda Tekin (Co-Coordinator)
Stuarts Draft, VA
Phone: 434-962-4936
Email: brenda@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
