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

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

After a Front

We usually kick off the hawk watch season on the 10th of September with our first full day on the watch.  It is particularly poignant that tomorrow is the 10th and it is also the first day after a weather front passes through.  It is entirely possible that tomorrow will be the first movement of any significant hawk migration numbers.  Not as though we expect "numbers," but that there may be hawks on the move. 

Hopefully, Jimmy and I can spend some time there tomorrow afternoon.  From maybe 1:00 p.m. till 4.  If no bad weather...


Keep Looking UP!!!

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