Snickers Gap
20 Miles West of Leesburg, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2006
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Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 25 164 164
Bald Eagle 17 124 124
Northern Harrier 11 75 75
Sharp-shinned Hawk 102 443 448
Cooper's Hawk 16 69 69
Northern Goshawk 1 1 1
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 13 21
Broad-winged Hawk 221 6581 6608
Red-tailed Hawk 10 98 101
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 25 112 112
Merlin 0 13 13
Peregrine Falcon 4 22 22
Unknown 10 38 39
Total: 442 7753 7797
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 16:30:00
Total observation time: 9.5 hours
Official Counter: Todd M. Day
Observers:
Visitors:
Rich, Dave Van Tassel, and the guy with the telescope that kept switching
his eye-pieces (sorry that I never got your name).
Weather:
Great clouds, wind was from the WNW at about 15mph all day, high temp
barely made it to sixty, and a nice big cold front passed through
yesterday. Great day for hawkwatching.
Raptor Observations:
Ten species of raptor, eight of which had double-digit numbers, with
Sharp-shinneds and Broad-wingeds getting triple digits. Broad-wingeds
were pronounced dead at one-twelve PM EDT. Not a moment too soon. An
immature Goshawk at 10:41 EDT. Closed up today with two gorgeous adult
Peregrines.
Non-raptor Observations:
Over 150 Monarch Butterflies per hour, and some hours were in the 300+
range. I was there for ten-and-a-half hours. Lots of swifts and
swallows. A flock of Great Blue Herons that kettled up and streamed out
in a tight formation.
Canada Goose, 3
Mallard, 3
Double-crested Cormorant, 16
Great Blue Heron, a nice, tight V of 7
Black Vulture, 24
Turkey Vulture, 40
Ring-billed Gull, 1 adult
Chimney Swift, 135
Red-headed Woodpecker, 1
Red-bellied Woodpecker, 3
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, 1
Hairy Woodpecker, 2
Yellow-shafted Flicker, 5
Pileated Woodpecker, 1
Blue Jay, 104
American Crow, 20
Common Raven, 3
Tree Swallow, 112
Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 2
Barn Swallow, 3
unidentified swallows, ca. 100
Tufted Titmouse, 2
Carolina Wren, 2
Northern Mockingbird, 1
European Starling, 4500
Cedar Waxwing, 51
Northern Waterthrush, 1
Hooded Warbler, 1
Scarlet Tanager, 1
Eastern Towhee, 1
American Goldfinch, 1
Predictions:
Sharp-shinneds will outnumber Broad-wingeds beginning tomorrow.
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Report submitted by Todd Day (blkvulture@xxxxxxx)
Site Description:
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.
Directions to site:
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