Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 11, 2003
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 4 58 71
Bald Eagle 0 27 33
Northern Harrier 2 6 11
Sharp-shinned Hawk 19 78 80
Cooper's Hawk 5 16 17
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 2 2
Broad-winged Hawk 466 1598 1626
Red-tailed Hawk 13 49 49
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 1 2 2
American Kestrel 10 18 18
Merlin 0 3 4
Peregrine Falcon 1 2 2
Unknown 2 8 8
Total: 523 1867 1923
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Linda Millington and Dorothy Tella
Observers: BJ Westervelt, Ian Topolsky, William Leigh
Visitors:
The Ladster showed up again for much of the day and ticked a few for the
team. Mindy Baha El Din accompanied Linda and Dorothy for the duration.
And last but not least, Carol and Alisa Miller.
Weather:
Upon arriving at the site at 9AM (8 in birdtime) winds were out of the
West at roughly 2 on the Beaufort. At noon the winds graciously wrapped
around to the East. East winds seem to really effect our daily numbers in
a positive way, in addition to possibly bringing some extra Ospreys or a
falcon or two our way.
From the 11 'oclock hour through the end of the 2 'oclock hour (EST),
nothing but electric blue skies with a dash of haze thrown in. Beneficial
cloudcover slowly started rolling in and ended up sticking with us for the
remainder of the day.
By closing time, winds had reached a standstill. Temp ranged from
60-77F.
Observations:
Killer looks at a 1st year GE that rolled through with a kettle of 60+
BVs (mostly BVs, and obvious migrants). From early afternoon on, birds
were quite high- as they were the same time yesterday.
8+ Ruby-throated Hummers, 1 Pileated Woodpecker.
Predictions:
VERY DOUBTFUL...Our first negative prediction from the allknowing
eightball.
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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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