Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 11, 2004
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 2 282
Bald Eagle 0 12 156
Northern Harrier 2 31 144
Sharp-shinned Hawk 4 48 1670
Cooper's Hawk 3 29 399
Northern Goshawk 0 1 10
Red-shouldered Hawk 8 51 164
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 3701
Red-tailed Hawk 26 583 1468
Rough-legged Hawk 0 1 1
Golden Eagle 0 5 11
American Kestrel 0 0 87
Merlin 0 0 23
Peregrine Falcon 0 2 32
Unknown 1 11 83
Total: 44 776 8231
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Observation start time: 09:30:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 5.5 hours
Official Counter: Linda Millington and Dorothy Tella
Observers: Bob Abrams, Dwayne Schilling, Ian Topolsky, Joan Boudreau
Weather:
Weather Summary?
In one word, molasses.
Again, winds were predominantly out of the s. today (SSW at 1-2
Beaufort)- just plain wrong. Some of the sweetest hawkwatching skies
plodded through all day (50%+ CC), sluggishly swatting at the gnat-like
aircraft and quietly grumbling at the apparent lack of hawks. High Temp
54F.
Observations:
When life gives you s. winds, kill something. I would not have liked
being a small mammal and/or passerine today. Crops were being filled
during a brief migration hiatus.
Still waitin' for some tonnage (Swans).
Non-raptors:
Gray Catbird- 1, Hermit Thrush- 2, Golden-crowned Kinglet- 8,
White-breasted Nuthatch- 3, Downy- 2, Hairy- 1, Red-bellied- 2,
Yellow-shafted Flicka- 4, White-throated Sparrow- 16, Song- 2.
Predictions:
Rain is pretty much a given...
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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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