Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 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 9 69 82
Bald Eagle 3 33 39
Northern Harrier 4 11 16
Sharp-shinned Hawk 13 108 110
Cooper's Hawk 3 21 22
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 3 6 6
Broad-winged Hawk 263 2104 2132
Red-tailed Hawk 5 59 59
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 1 3 3
American Kestrel 7 27 27
Merlin 1 4 5
Peregrine Falcon 0 3 3
Unknown 2 12 12
Total: 314 2460 2516
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Observation start time: 11:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bev Leeuwenburg
Observers: BJ Westervelt, Ian Topolsky, Jesse Fulton, William Leigh
Visitors:
"A goodly crowd!" Bev was heard to exclaim boisterously ,and repeatedly,
as she looked down on her crew- Jen Folts, Richard Taylor, Dick Homan,
David Mathers and Marilyn Waverling. "Ahrrr!"
Weather:
Bev waxes poetically in the captain's log on Sep 16 '03, the third week
out to sea on the SS Snickers: " T'was a lovely day today. Unfortunately,
not so for hawk-counting as we had blank BLUUEEEE all day long. "
Observations:
"Birds were hot & heavy in the early AM and started to peter out by 11:00
(EDT) and dwindled WAY down before it t'was all OOOoverr."
1 Red-headed Woodpecker and "a little yellow job", unidentifiable.
Predictions:
Batten down the hatches, could be a big one...
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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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