Bill continues to find time to count on the watch, and we believe most birders would love a nice cool day on the hill counting the birds we wouldn't let you count earlier in the year. LOL It's Red-Tail, Vulture, and Northern Harrier prime time now. Hopefully, a Golden Eagle might find it's way into the count. Bill reminds us...
"The raptor migration is an event spread out over three months each fall. It continues through November, and sometimes even spills over into December a bit. As the weather gets colder up north, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles and possibly even Northern Goshawks, Rough-legged Hawks or Golden Eagles will be forced south. Soddy Mountain lookout will be covered when I’m able and the weather allows. The season’s not over until I say it is over!
"The raptor migration is an event spread out over three months each fall. It continues through November, and sometimes even spills over into December a bit. As the weather gets colder up north, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Bald Eagles and possibly even Northern Goshawks, Rough-legged Hawks or Golden Eagles will be forced south. Soddy Mountain lookout will be covered when I’m able and the weather allows. The season’s not over until I say it is over!
Nov. 10-11 is my weekend to work at the Tennessee Aquarium. I’m sad I couldn’t man the hawk lookout on either Saturday or Sunday, which featured bright blue skies following some rainy days. Snow around the Great Lakes and generally bad wintry weather up north probably has some hawks moving south. I will have to work through Wednesday, Nov. 14, but will be off starting Thursday, Nov. 15. I may not be able to get up there Thursday, as the weathermen are predicting rain. I will be there on Friday, Nov. 16 all day if conditions are favorable. No coverage Saturday, Nov. 17. I’ll be out of town all day. On Sunday, Nov. 18, I’ll be there after church, around 12:30. I will be on vacation Nov. 19-25, and will be there when I can, possibly taking a break on turkey day. The late season flight has been disappointing the last couple of years, but the 2018 weather patterns seem to be conducive for more hawks to migrate south this year. Stay tuned for some late season numbers at Soddy Mountain. I’m looking forward to bundling up and seeing what comes past! If you visit the lookout, dress warm.
Since I’m writing this on Veterans Day, I’d like to publicly thank Jimmy Wilkerson, one of my very favorite veterans. Jimmy served in the Viet Nam War. He and I have shared many very memorable hawk days on the lookout, as well as numerous Christmas Counts over the years. Thank you for your service Hawk Man Jimmy! Sadly his health has kept him mostly off the lookout this year but I miss him and his jokes very much. Also a big thank you to any veteran who may be reading this on the Soddy Mountain blog.
Bill Haley"
Thank You Bill.
Jimmy served with the 101st Airborne, whose symbol might have been a bit of a foretelling of what would become his birding passion. His love of hawk-watching. And we have you to thank for that. I have always been a bird watcher, since childhood. And though Jimmy became interested in birds when he began feeding them for my sake, he became totally engaged with being able to participate in a way that made a difference, when you opened his world to raptor migration counts.
He now can say he is also a veteran Hawk watcher, and I believe he would hold it among his greatest life pursuits.
We also wish all Veterans and their families the very best in life. WE GRATEFULLY THANK EACH ONE. Our son also is a veteran, peacetime, thankfully, who loved the Marines.
We have a neighbor whom we've watched from his youth to become a young adult , who on this special weekend stopped by in his army uniform to share with us his excitement at having gone through his Basic and AIT training and is entering Ranger training with great pride. What a joy to hug him on this Veterans weekend. And he and Jimmy shared uniforms, todays compared to the 1970 Vietnam one. Both enthralled with sharing the changes and the likenesses of their experiences. Only they who've been through it could relate as they did.
Looking forward to more numbers for the month of November, and seeing the changes in species which prefer the late migration movement. There can still be significant changes in the numbers. Even if Bill had not been able to announce more days on the watch, we never call the season's end until December 31st, just in case! Take note of the new expected times Bill is giving us, or set yourself down for a few on the watch yourself, and send us the numbers!
Looking forward to some wonderful Holidays. Precious days with family and friends. Thankful to you all for continuing to keep watch on the Soddy Mountain Hawk Watch experience!
Keep LOOKING UP!!!!
We have a neighbor whom we've watched from his youth to become a young adult , who on this special weekend stopped by in his army uniform to share with us his excitement at having gone through his Basic and AIT training and is entering Ranger training with great pride. What a joy to hug him on this Veterans weekend. And he and Jimmy shared uniforms, todays compared to the 1970 Vietnam one. Both enthralled with sharing the changes and the likenesses of their experiences. Only they who've been through it could relate as they did.
Looking forward to more numbers for the month of November, and seeing the changes in species which prefer the late migration movement. There can still be significant changes in the numbers. Even if Bill had not been able to announce more days on the watch, we never call the season's end until December 31st, just in case! Take note of the new expected times Bill is giving us, or set yourself down for a few on the watch yourself, and send us the numbers!
Looking forward to some wonderful Holidays. Precious days with family and friends. Thankful to you all for continuing to keep watch on the Soddy Mountain Hawk Watch experience!
Keep LOOKING UP!!!!
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