Snickers Gap Hawkwatch
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Nov 17, 2003
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 1 282
Bald Eagle 1 18 161
Northern Harrier 2 39 244
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 101 1780
Cooper's Hawk 0 29 299
Northern Goshawk 0 1 9
Red-shouldered Hawk 2 54 140
Broad-winged Hawk 0 0 11647
Red-tailed Hawk 30 478 888
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 2 12 19
American Kestrel 0 2 207
Merlin 0 2 38
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 45
Unknown 0 39 148
Total: 37 776 15907
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Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Larry Brindza
Observers:
Visitors:
Weather:
Upon arrival to the Gap, Larry was greeted by fog that blanketed the
site. Winds did not hold steady in any given direction for long, but
always retained a western influence- switching from SW to W, and then WSW
to NW, and ranging from 1-3 Beaufort. Temps were mild.
Observations:
The Goshawks: 1- ad. female at 11:40 and 1- imm. at 1:08.
The Goldens: 2- adults at 2:38.
Predictions:
The Eightball has had a nice, long rest and is now ready for a real
head-scratcher...
"Any Rough-leggeds with our name on them this season"?
the reply...
"IF YOU'RE LUCKY"
(now we must ask ourselves, "do we feel lucky, punks?")
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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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