Stony Man Mountain, VA
east of Luray, VA, Virginia, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 04, 2006
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Species Day's Count Month Total Season Total
------------------ ----------- -------------- --------------
Black Vulture 0 0 0
Turkey Vulture 0 0 0
Osprey 0 0 0
Bald Eagle 0 0 0
Northern Harrier 0 0 0
Sharp-shinned Hawk 0 0 0
Cooper's Hawk 0 0 1
Northern Goshawk 0 0 0
Red-shouldered Hawk 0 0 0
Broad-winged Hawk 2 2 3
Red-tailed Hawk 0 0 2
Rough-legged Hawk 0 0 0
Golden Eagle 0 0 0
American Kestrel 0 0 0
Merlin 0 0 0
Peregrine Falcon 0 0 0
Unknown 0 0 0
Total: 2 2 6
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 06:00:00
Observation end time: 13:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Ian Topolsky
Observers: Bob Abrams, Joan Boudreau, Sue Heath, Todd Day
Visitors:
We clicked off 88 people visiting the overlook. A few asked what we were
up to, a few discussed kicking over our video cameras (scopes), some knew
that we were hawkwatching. October should be interesting.
Weather:
Started out nice with good visibility, 100% clouds, and cool. Ended with
unexpected (and unforecast) rain at one PM EDT.
Raptor Observations:
Kicking butt and taking names, with two more migrants (we think). An adult
Peregrine was hanging around.
Non-raptor Observations:
Turkey Vulture, 12
Gull, 1 (likely Ring-billed, but distant)
Downy Woodpecker , 2
Pileated Woodpecker, 2
Eastern Phoebe, 2
Eastern Kingbird, 1
Blue-headed Vireo, 1
Red-eyed Vireo, 2
Blue Jay, 12
American Crow, 4
Common Raven, 10
Barn Swallow, 1
Chickadee, 4
Carolina Wren, 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, 1
Cedar Waxwing, 8
Tennessee Warbler, 3
Cape May Warbler, 5
Black-throated Blue Warbler, 10
Black-throated Green Warbler, 6
Black-and-white Warbler, 1
Ovenbird, 1
Worm-eating Warbler, 1
Mourning Warbler, 1
Eastern Towhee, 6
Slate-colored Junco, 15
American Goldfinch, 4
Predictions:
I'll call in sick from work. Well, sort of.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Todd Day (blkvulture@xxxxxxx)
Site Description:
Stony Man Mountain sits at 4011 feet above sea level atop cliffs that are
weathered remnants of ancient lava beds. The panoramic view afforded from
these cliffs is roughly 270 degrees, spanning counter-clockwise from east
to south. It is the second highest peak in Shenandoah National Park. It
sits in Page County on the eastern edge near the Madison County line, and
looks down at the town of Luray.
This is the first year that a concerted effort has been made to observe
migrant birds as they pass by the site. Not a full-time site, we're
hoping for one-hundred hours of observation in 2006, mostly between 1
September and mid-October and maybe a few days in November. Primarily
we'll count on weekends, and perhaps midweek following cold fronts.
Directions to site:
Find your way to Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive, and proceed to
mile 41.7, the north entrance to Skyland, and park at the Stony Man
parking lot (this is about a twenty minute drive south from Thornton Gap,
where US 211 crosses Skyline Drive). It's a 0.7 mile hike to the summit,
with a little elevation, but takes about fifteen to twenty minutes. Per
National Park rules, no pets are allowed on this trail or at the summit.
The summit is rocky and not an easy place to set up a chair, or a scope
for that matter.
You are subscribed to VA-BIRD. To post to this mailing list, simply send email
to va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx. To unsubscribe, send email to
va-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
