Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 27, 2003
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 31 174 187
Bald Eagle 5 65 71
Northern Harrier 3 41 46
Sharp-shinned Hawk 57 462 464
Cooper's Hawk 5 62 63
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 17 17
Broad-winged Hawk 183 11343 11371
Red-tailed Hawk 2 92 92
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 2 2
American Kestrel 7 104 104
Merlin 1 10 11
Peregrine Falcon 11 28 28
Unknown 1 25 25
Total: 306 12425 12481
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:15:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers: BJ Westervelt, Joan Boudreau and Bob Abrams, Jon Little,
William Leigh
Visitors:
William Leigh and family, Ells Knutdson (sorry, I can only guess at the
spelling- good to see you), Carol DelCollie and friends, Ron Staley (who
napped the day away, but dreamed of hawks) and many others throughout the
day.
Weather:
Upon arrival to the site, fog enshrouded the ridge, but the veil was
already beginning to lift. We were left with hazy, cloudless skies for the
next hour or so but conditions were improving. Cloudcover ranged from
5-40%, gradually increasing as the day went on. Winds were out of the SE
all day at roughly 2 Beaufort. Temp ranged from 67-80F.
Observations:
The solid SE winds brought us a good number of Osprey (2 packing lunches)
and Peregrine Falcons today; not to mention killer looks at 90% of the
birds that passed through, a rarity at our site. With the strong head
wind, the birds were forced to a crawl, with many just giving up and using
the gap to cross over to the W side of the ridge. Highlights included: A
course in Bald Eagle 101 (taught by 1- 2nd yr, 1- 3rd yr and 1- adult,
that were up close and personal and all in view at one point). Also, a
late (4:30 EST) 3rd year Bald that was being escorted by 2 Peregrines. All
came through in locked position, just tacking against the wind like pros.
Blue Jays- 109, Chimney Swift- 36, Cedar Waxwing- 53, Rose-breasted
Grosbeak- 1 imm male (spotted perched in the "dead locust" in the lot),
Common Raven- 9+, Redheaded Woodpecker-1, Monarchs-79. In the
"facilities"- a few American Redstarts, 1 Kentucky and a couple of
Magnolia Warblers.
Predictions:
What's in store for us tomorrow? "PREDICTION HAZY- TRY AGAIN LATER".
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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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