Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 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 12 198 216
Bald Eagle 1 60 67
Northern Harrier 2 35 37
Sharp-shinned Hawk 48 343 348
Cooper's Hawk 10 93 105
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 20 20
Broad-winged Hawk 145 3447 3557
Red-tailed Hawk 0 53 67
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 2 53 57
Merlin 0 6 6
Peregrine Falcon 2 4 4
Unknown 1 31 31
Total: 225 4343 4515
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 14:45:00
Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers: Bev Leeuwenburg, Dwayne Schilling, Yusuf Gantt
Visitors:
Doug & Mark (I'm sorry I can never remember your last name), Larry Meade,
Jim Smith & Greg Baruffi ( a new face to Snickers and some good eyes, keep
coming back).
The Littles were reportedly seen tearing through the lot purposefully
kicking up extra dust and dropping a bag of trash out the window, while on
the way to their new favorite hawkwatch...
Weather:
Almost identical conditions as yesterday. Winds were out of the SE @ 1-2
Beaufort, with periods of 0-1 late afternoon. Cloudcover held steady at
65-75%. Relatively hazy. High Temp 75F.
Observations:
Broad-wingeds... I thought I had finally achieved closure on that
horribly dysfunctional relationship, yet here they are, pouring salt on
the open wound that is my heart... (sigh)
Anyways- 145 as of 2:45 EST when I was forced to leave. They were coming
in some larger kettles and with more frequency by then and that number may
grow a bit, as we still had some eyes up there.
Peregrines, 2 more (both adult birds). Thank you East winds.
Osprey- 12 before I left, that could also grow a bit when all is said
and done. None packin' a lunch.
Bald Eagle- 1 first yr bird.
Two Eastern Screech-owls responded to call when I was pishing in the
bathroom (stop it, Bev...)- Our "facilities" may not have running water,
but the sunny nook up there does get birds.
Eastern Screech-owl- 2, Blue Jays- 439, Flicker- 13, Downy- 1, Pileated-
1, Red-bellied- 3, Red-headed- 2, Common Raven- 5. Monarchs- 6.
Predictions:
Any East winds left for tomorrow?
Maybe a bit risky, "YES, DEFINITELY".
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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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