Great numbers and variety of raptors on Foothills Parkway in Blount County
today. Doug Shneeberger was at the double pulloff and together from ~11:00 to
just after noon we had 25 Broad-winged Hawks, 4 Double-crested Cormorants, a
Red-headed Woodpecker, and heard Red-breasted Nuthatch and Pine Warbler. We
ended with a lull and I went on up to Look Rock tower a bit pessimistically,
but shortly thereafter the hawks started flowing through fairly steadily. Some
were high (I'm sure I missed some) but most were coming through fairly low
overhead or eye-level on the north side of the ridge and shooting the gap West
of the tower. Had a few large groups of 100+. The skies started out clear but
clouds increased and there was a little rain off to the east. Wind was light
from the SW.
Look Rock tower (12:40 - 4:35):
Broad-winged Hawk - 907 conservative Cooper's Hawk - 1Accipiter species - 1
flying straight S Northern Harrier - 1 fem/juv.Osprey - 2Peregrine Falcon -
1Bald Eagle - 1 adult flying straight S (4:30) Turkey Vulture - 10
kettling/flying SW + locals Black Vulture - 1 flying SW
Shane Williams Knoxville, TN
Sent from my Virgin Mobile Phone.
