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

Sunday, October 9, 2016

Fall Schedule for Oct and Nov

Bill's fall Schedule Repost:
Cynthia;
 
I will be manning the Soddy Mountain hawk lookout on:
 
Monday, Oct. 10 (arrive around 10:00)
Thursday, Oct. 13 (arrive after 12:00 noon)
Friday, Oct. 14 (arrive around 9:00)
Sat., Oct. 15 (arrive around 9:00)
Sun., Oct. 16 (arrive after 12:45)
Monday, Nov. 7 (arrive around 9:00)
Sat., Nov. 12 (arrive around 9:00)
Sun., Nov. 13 (arrive after 12:45)
Thurs., Nov. 17 (arrive around 9:00)
Fri., Nov. 18 (arrive around 9:00)
Sun., Nov. 20 (arrive after 12:45)
Fri, Nov. 25 (no guarantees when I’ll arrive – massive dose of tryptophan the previous day. LOL!)
 
These dates are dependent on weather conducive to hawk migration. If the weather is bad - rainy, 100% cloud cover, snowing, sleeting, below 0 - don’t expect me to be up there. Also remember - if it is cold in the lowlands, if the wind is blowing it’s guaranteed to be much colder on the lookout. Come prepared with multiple layers, head cover, gloves, scarves, and whatever you can think of to cover yourself up! The late-season name of the game is LAYERS! (Don’t say you weren’t warned.)
 
As with September hawkwatching, the best flights will follow the passage of a cold front. If I catch a good flight day in November when the Red-tails and Turkey Vultures are coming south, it could surpass the best Broad-wing day of this season.
 
Most days I plan to stay until 4 or 5pm, or later. After time changes in Nov. it’ll probably be 4:00.
 
At this point it is unclear if I’ll be able to get up there other days in Oct. and Nov. and there is always the chance I may need to make some changes. If you wish to contact me to verify dates later than Oct. 16, my cell # is (423) 326-9248.
 
Bill Haley
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