Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2003
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 2 68 272
Bald Eagle 1 30 110
Northern Harrier 1 68 127
Sharp-shinned Hawk 76 728 1260
Cooper's Hawk 5 104 177
Northern Goshawk 0 3 4
Red-shouldered Hawk 1 29 51
Broad-winged Hawk 0 75 11647
Red-tailed Hawk 7 70 174
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 3
American Kestrel 2 49 180
Merlin 1 9 23
Peregrine Falcon 0 15 43
Unknown 0 46 72
Total: 96 1294 14143
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Observation start time: 09:30:00
Observation end time: 15:30:00
Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Linda Millington and Dorothy Tella
Observers: BJ Westervelt, Ian Topolsky, Lad Topolsky
Visitors:
Joseph Gantt, we might as well permanently secure his chair in cement.
Harry Gurkin, our speck-spotter, with his trusted sidekick/owl spotter,
Kona (a cutey). Dick Homan, who got on the Merlin with me and always scans
the spots that get ignored. Allen Hart, nice to see you- my money's on
Cooper's...
Weather:
Winds were again out of the NW, though much tamer at 1-2 Beaufort (with
periods of 0-1 late afternoon). Much needed clouds crept in from the W
around 12:30 EST, and soon after we had 50-90% cover for the remainder of
the day. Temps topped off at 68F and visibility was great (North Mountain
clearly visible).
Observations:
Not like yesterday. Birds lingered today (all but the Merlin), taking
advantage of the easily-manageable NWesterly to possibly fill their crops.
Many paused briefly to hunt around the ridges, and many of them eventually
passed through with their hungers visibly sated.
At roughly 1-2 EST, during the heaviest cloudcover (90%), the door
slammed shut and we were lucky to find a Sharpie or two per hour after
that. Our eagle was a 2nd yr Bald and we had 0 Ospreys packing a lunch...
80+ Canada Goose, 9 Cedar Waxwing, 17 Blue Jay, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet.
Predictions:
Joseph has now realized he has a severe addiction to hawkwatching, and
I'm worried that he's headed down 'that' path.
Will he be able to resist the temptation for a good fix over the next
few days?
The Head responds with no hesitation-
"MY SOURCES SAY NO"
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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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