SITE DESCRIPTION

SITE DESCRIPTION:
"The Soddy Mountain hawk lookout is located in southeast Tennessee on the eastern face of Walden's Ridge (the Cumberland Escarpment) in Hamilton County, a short distance north of the town of Soddy-Daisy, TN. It lies at the eastern terminus of Jones Gap Road atop a bluff overloooking Hwy. 111 and the beautiful Tennessee River Valley to the east. The hawk lookout location is state-owned land, and there are currently no restroom or eating facilities nearby. Hawk watchers are advised to bring their own folding lawn chair, sunscreen, a hat, and drinking water, as well as binoculars and a field guide. Caution should be used at all times, especially if children are present, as there is no fence to prevent a fall off the nearby 75 foot bluff. The hawk lookout proper is level ground." *

No Shelter is available, and parking is on a level below the lookout grounds. The climb to the watch site is up a steep bank about 8' high. Other helpful tools might include an umbrella or spotting scope, although on a good day, you might not find time to use either.*

Courtesy of William G. (Bill) Haley, compiler and author of the brochure, Soddy Mountain Hawk Lookout, produced for TOS.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk
Falconer Mr. Johnson's Red-tail

Thursday, January 2, 2014

YEAR TO DATE - FINAL NUMBERS FOR 2013

These are the final figures for 2013 -

Bill Haley reports:

 Saturday 11/23/2013  

1 Red-tailed Haw,
                    (spending only .75 hours.)

This report is a great one to allow you to know, even a few minutes at the watch can produce data. One raptor seen migration is noteworthy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday 11/29/2013

1     Red-tailed Hawk
2     Red-shouldered Hawks
2     Bald Eagles
21   Turkey Vultures
---------------------------------------------
Total Raptors - 26               10:00am to 1:30 pm

Other species seen:
89 Sandhill Cranes
   7 total Bald Eagles, only 2 counted.         
                     3 Immatures were reported flying around vocalizing when they joined another immature, all 4 flew into the Soddy Gulch, non migratory on this day.

This is the final report for hours/days spent on the watch for the year 2013.  The YTD totals are presented below:

YTD TOTALS ~ 2013
10       OSPREY         
25       BALD EAGLES
  1       GOLDEN EAGLES
  4       NORTHERN HARRIERS
 50      SHARP-SHINNED HAWKS
19       COOPERS HAWKS
  8       RED-SHOULDERED  HAWKS
2660   BROAD-WINGED HAWKS
39       RED-TAILED HAWKS
  3       AMERCAN KESTRALS
  0       MERLINS
  4       PEREGRINES
78       TURKEY VULTURES
  1       UNIDENTIFIED RAPTOR
  1       UNIDENTIFIED ACCIPITER
________________________________________________________-
TOTAL MIGRATORS SEEN: 2903     HOURS: 129.3      27 DAYS

                                

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