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| Bill Haley is looking into a large kettle of nearly 200 BW Hawks. |
I had checked the Weather Channel's report for Soddy Daisy, on the hour by hour page, and then watched through the last few hours of Radar and the future cast radar expectations, and had discovered that there would be a narrow opening for hawks for 3 to 4 hours mid-day.
As soon as I saw blue peeking from our skies in Hixson, I asked Jimmy should we go up. He might have been a bit reluctant, but he agreed to a couple of hours, just in case. Going up, the skies also showed signs of hawk movement, when we saw a small kettle dissolving into the lower cloud cover. I counted 17, as the upper half of it disappeared, and I wondered how many might have gone into the cloud. In just a bit, as we climbed the steep grade on Hwy 111, I saw 2 more circling close. Now I was afraid we had not come early enough. What if the birds that we might see today had passed earlier. This was almost midday, after all, by now. We don't report sightings like these, because they are not on the Hawkwatch proper, or at least at the base of the hill or could be seen from the Hawk watch, if we were there. So I was anxious to get there, to begin counting what we could see.
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| A small Kettle after Bill Holt arrived. Kinda small compared to the first one he saw as he was arriving - 185 BWs at the time. |
Well, let Jimmy's report tell the rest of the story:
_____________________
9-26-15
SMHW
Hamilton co., Tn.
On 9-25-15 there was a total rain out when we experienced
showers almost all day.
On 9-26-15 we were again rained out until about 11:00. A
few minutes later the sun appeared briefly but, it was
enough to get us moving in the direction of the lookout.
We arrived at 12:15 to 97% cloud cover but saw 2 hawks before
we got out of the car. In the 45 minutes until 1:00 we saw
30 Broad-winged Hawks. With that high a cloud cover percentage,
I wouldn't have given anyone a nickel for a chance of seeing 30
hawks!
The next hour the clouds changed to a more acceptable level of
60% when we spotted another 74 hawks. That total was about 94
more hawks than I had expected to see during those 2 hours.
Then, the cloud cover changed to 85% around 2 and then to 100%
by 2:30 and guess what? We started seeing hawks in large then
larger kettles in 100% cloud cover. 2:00 to 3:00 we saw 754
more hawks. From 3:00 to 4:15 when we were finally rained off
the mountain we saw an additional 1048 hawks still in 100%
cloud cover!!!
I guess it just goes to show that this late in the season hawks
have an inclination to continue migration even though there was
a definite lack of thermals. What this weather accomplish for us
was better closer in views, which we all enjoyed.
After the rain yesterday the sky was washed clean of smog and
haze and we could see the Kingston Steam Plant towers at 96K
or about 60 miles even though there was 100% clouds. Down at
our level the wind hardly stirred but aloft the wind was blowing
many of the clouds briskly from the northeast to our southwest.
This is the most desirable favorable wind condition we could
have asked for.
Counters today: Bill Haley; Bill Holt; and Cynthia & Jimmy Wilkerson.
After today I have no predictions for tomorrow except that we expect
to be there to count what ever we see in what ever the conditions are.
I am eager to count another good days worth...(unless it's pouring or
consistent rain.)
Totals:
1906 Broad-winged Hawks
5 Sharp-shinned Hawks
1 Peregrine Falcon
2 Osprey
1 Northern Harrier
1 Bald Eagle (imma)
Jimmy Wilkerson
Hixson, Hamilton co., Tn.
________________________________________
Another amazing day, and it all occurred in 4 hours between the rain!!!!
Come out tomorrow and help us -
KEEP LOOKING UP!!!
Jimmy and Cynthia Wilkerson
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