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

Friday, September 1, 2017

Bill's Hawk Watch Schedule

Bill has given us his planned schedule to man the hawk watch. He is covering a lot of days.

 "_here are the dates I’m planning to be on the hawk lookout. If things change, I’ll try to let you know in advance if possible:
Friday, Sept. 8: (probably not all day - we’ll see – it’s still early.)
...
Saturday, Sept. 9: (probably only in the afternoon – we are having a church work day that morning)
Sunday, Sept. 10: (after 1:30, so probably only 2-3 hours)
Sat., Sept. 16: ALL DAY. (I’ll arrive around 9:00-9:30. This will be the day the Nature Nuts are supposed to come up – maybe we can come up with some type of bathroom facilities before then. We are looking at getting a falconer to bring up his Red-tail for up-close looks (he won’t be flying it), and I have a call in to Alix Parks to see if she has anything she might be able to bring up or release.)
Sun., Sept. 17 through Sat., Sept. 23: ALL DAY Except the 19th. (I’m on vacation that week)
Sunday, Sept. 24: Probably only from 1:00-4:00
Sat., Sept. 30: ALL DAY
Sun., Oct. 1: After 1:00
Sat., Oct. 7: ALL DAY
Sun., Oct. 8: After 1:00.
Mon., Oct. 9 through Sat., Oct. 14: ALL DAY (I’m on vacation that week."

He asks that we remind you as always that the days are canceled when it rains most of the day. As fronts pass, there might be hawks passing through, but the danger of lightening, wind damage, and just plain physical discomfort of being wet make it not worth it. However, we seldom get counts while it is raining. In his words:

 "When I say ALL DAY, that will usually mean 9:30-4:30 or later if the hawks are flying good. As you know, there will likely be some bad weather days in that period. I probably won’t make the 17 mile trip if it is raining or completely clouded over, but if a front is moving through and there is a chance of clearing, you know I’ll try to get up there. I may try to go up there some other part-days in late September, but I can’t commit to that right now and it’ll depend on my work schedule."

This gives some concrete days to visit, and Jimmy and I will try our very best to cover as many days as possible from the 15th through the 30th, especially the 19th - 29th, since traditionally we have the best numbers and eyes are needed for the counts.

The 15th is sceduled for a small group, and we would love company on that day for sure. We will continue to give you info from day to day.

I ordered a portable tent potty in which we will house a camp toilette and keep it clean. This year the area where we can place it may change. And Jimmy insists that I take it with us every day at days end, so may not be up every day, unless someone else will take the responsibility on days we can't be there. We provide paper, cleaners, and other necessities for the potty.
Mark your calendars: Call or email Jimmy and I to schedule for a group (2 or more) if you want us to be sure and be there.

 Come join us for our 25th year! Now's the time to -
KEEP LOOKING UP

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