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 29, 2017

Counting Monarch Butterflies

Friday
Sept. 29, 2017
It was a slow day on the lookout. A nice breeze from the NE and slightly cooler temperatures failed to produce many migrants.
Weather:  
Wind: NE most of the day 3-5 mph, increasing to NNW 8-12 mph after 4:00.
Clouds- Clear skies until after 1:00. 15% @ 2:00, 25% @ 3:00, 10% @ 5:00.
Temperature: 71 F @ 8:00, gradually increasing during the day to 84 F @ 4:00.
Barometric pressure: 30.09, falling gradually to 30.04.
Humidity: 56% @ 9:00, dropping to 40% @ 4:00.
Visibility: 45K all day.
Hawk numbers by hour:
8:00-9:00 - 0
9:00-10:00 - 0
10:00-11:00 - 0
11:00-12:00 - SS - 1
12:00-1:00 - 0
1:00-2:00 - 0
2:00-3:00 - 0
3:00-4-00 - 0
4:00-5:00 - OS - 1, BE - 1 (ad.), SS - 1
5:00-5:15 - 0

 OS 1
 BE -1
 SS 2
Total Raptors:  4
Monarch butterflies: 49
Of interest was a late afternoon movement of Monarch butterflies, with 41 seen between 4:00 and 5:15.
Counters: 
Jim Rowell 8:00-3:00
Bill Haley: 11:15-5:15
Reporting: Bill Haley
______________________________
 
Another Bald Eagle is exciting to me.  Their numbers keep rising, and it is exciting to see.  Interesting that they saw Monarchs, mostly in a little over an hour at day's end.
 
Since many believe Monarchs are on the decline, getting them in numbers is another good reason to be on the look-out and to
 
KEEP LOOKING UP!!!
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