Why OUR Site?

As our readership increases, and newer birders come to the watch, we find there are certain questions that are asked us over and over.  Periodically, we want to educate from the basics, explaining how we count the Broad-wing Migration.  Jimmy took time to write some of that information in the following blog:

"It has occurred to me that perhaps there may be many

readers who have never been to a hawk watch site to

personally experience a kettle of Broad-winged Hawks.

Hawks, at least, Broad-wings migrate in large masses

that we commonly call kettles.  We might see them in

close or they might be far away or so high up that they

appear so small we call them specks. 

  These hawks depend upon thermals (rising columns of

heated air) for lift.  A Broad-wing can fly for many

miles and never or seldom flap their wings.  What happens

is, a single hawk or even quite a few hawks will find a

thermal and then all his brothers, sisters, cousins,

etc. will fly over to that group and began to form a

kettle.  When we spot them, if we're lucky, we can watch

the group swirling and circling from the bottom of a thermal

all the way up, until they reach the top and, it's usually really

high up in the sky at this point.  

 What has just happened is - these birds have depended on the thermal to lift

their bodies without ever flapping  their wings - not once. They

just depended on the elevator of warm air to lift them to the

top of the column.  At this time they began to fly away in

single file.  This becomes the perfect time for us to count

the hawks as they drift away.   Well, single file is a misnomer,

a very big one.  Almost always, BW’s, especially if departing

a large kettle, are flying in rows, stacked up ten rows deep -

more or less.  You can count each bird singly by scanning across the rows, often

very fast.  Especially, when they are very close.  Sometimes, the departing birds

are far enough away that all you have to do is hold a binocular in one place, as

steady as possible, and count the hawks as they pass through your field of view. 

Any seasoned hawk counter will attest, all the above is an

attempt to describe a hawk kettle under optimum conditions, and I

will readily agree.  There are so many variations it could take

someone days, and paragraphs, to describe.   A lot of other factors play an

important part as well, such as

·         Weather

·          cloud types or lack of

·          wind speed or  wind direction

·          the barometric pressure  (we take readings hourly)

·          and this list could also go on,  forever.

 A most important consideration, not already mentioned, for each lookout, is

 the actual time of the month.  We start seeing Broad-winged Hawks in Fall

migration around September 10th.  They will continue to migrate

through until the end of the month. The generally accepted "best

days" are usually from the 17th until around the 28th if you would

like to see a large kettle.  Some Broad-wings are still seen in early

October, however, the numbers are usually 20 or fewer hawks counted

per day. 

Broad-winged Hawks migrate over a very large part of the sky. Some

people report to us what they have seen from their own homes and

this helps support the statement I just made. 

SO, WHAT MAKES THE SODDY MOUNTAIN HAWK WATCH SO SPECIAL?
Again, many factors are involved and I will list a few. 

1.       Our site is orientated so that we have just over 180 degrees of

unobstructed views.  In areas where there are obstructions, we still have the benefit of seeing fairly well for all 360 degrees.

2.       We are situated at about 1400 feet, this gives us an advantage greater than if we were down in the valley where our homes are.

3.        There are ridges to our north where hawks can catch thermals and continue to fly down to where we are located.

4.       We are separated from the east to west oriented ridge to our north by a four lane highway, there is also a 75 foot rock cliff we stand just above on flat ground.  The highway helps to create thermals and the rock cliff affords upward drafts to aid in the thermal uplifts.  

Most of our hawks fly from north to south, sometimes straight up over -

head.  They also fly northeast to southwest in probably about equal

numbers.  Any raptors that fly south to north, or west to east, or any

variable there-of are considered non-migrants and therefore regarded

as "locals". 

We are near the terminus of the Appalachian Mountain Ranges.

 Hawks flying from Eastern Canada and our Eastern Northern States

migrate down the Appalachians. This would most likely attribute the most to our

benefit – regarding  where we are located!  We are the Southern-most hawk

watch, to my knowledge, located in the east, other than those down on the

Florida Coast and the Florida Keys.  However, these Florida hawk watches,

each,  special in their own regard, are not as important to the westward

movement of Broad-winged Hawks,  as our site and those north  of

us.  Primarily due to the topography.   

  I sincerely believe that BW hawks flying over Soddy Mountain Hawk
Watch make a southwesterly change in direction and begin to fly toward

the Texas Coast.  Broad-wings in particular, don't cross over large

bodies of water, such as the Gulf of Mexico.  This is another prime

factor that involves their southwestern change of direction.  As they

funnel into south Texas,  they gather over Corpus Christi where hawk

counters  count them into the thousands or hundreds of thousands,

as they continue onward to their wintering grounds around Veracruz,

Mexico, then  beyond into South America.  In the Spring, these hawks reverse

direction and fly back North, most to Canada, where they will reproduce and

start their life cycle again.  Sadly, the hawks numbers returning in the

Spring are only a small number of those which originally made the Fall

migration... 

At best, there are about 5 days left in 2015 Broad-winged Hawk Migration.

If you want to come, call us first, to make sure someone will be there.  If

you'd rather come, on your own anyway, just follow the directions on our

blog (sidebar.)  Our hawk watch originator jokingly refers to us retiring after

the September season ends.  He, as well as we, know that migration really

hasn't stopped.  But the big numbers have!  He, Bill, counts Accipiters,

i.e.  Sharp-shinned Hawks and Cooper's Hawks, all through the month of

October.  Then in November, the migration shifts to Red-tailed Hawks, Red-

shouldered Hawks and Vultures.  November is quite possibly Bill's most

favorite time of the year.  I think Bill's afraid of the hot September sun

or maybe, it's that he doesn't like to get sun burned when he forgets to

apply sunscreen, who knows? ( LOL) 

  As you are now feebly informed, why not make plans to come and spend a

day or two with us during the 2016 Fall hawk migration extravaganza." 

Jimmy & Cynthia

423-305-2766"

 

KEEP LOOKING UP!!!!

PS...Since writing this post, Jimmy has discovered a more southerly Hawk Watch site than ours.  It is in direct line with ours in the SWerly directions that we see migrating hawks take.   Dora, Alabama  (ck the map on the link)   Their numbers over the last two days were quite good.  Over 1000 today. Counters: Jackie & Carrol Dickerson