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, March 27, 2020

Broad-wings Are Still On The Way

The rain subsided to allow for enough sun to let the hawks fly.  So Bill Haley slipped back up to the mountain to do a little social distancing, I mean hawk watching. LOL I am guessing some winds out of the south at 5 to 15 didn't hurt. Here's the report;

 "Soddy Mountain, TN hawk totals, 3-26-20

Time on lookout: 2:15-5:00 DST (2.75 hr.)
Counter: Bill Haley

Weather: 2:15 wind S 5-12, clouds 20%, temgp as we iZ1p. 72F, visib. 45K. 3:00 temp. 74F, clouds 35%, wind S 10-15. 4:00 temp 77F, wind S 5-10.

Hawks by hour:
2:15-3:00 - 0
3:00-4:00 - NH 1, SS 1, RT 2
4:00-5:00 - OS 1,NH 1 (adult male "gray ghost")

Total: OS 1, NH 2, SS 1, RT 2. = 6 raptors.

A beautiful day! The two Northern Harriers was a nice surprise. I was hoping to see the Broad-wings return, but it is still a bit early. They'll be here within the next few days. They typically show up the first week of April. I moved to the other end of the lookout, under the wires, which gave me a better view of the horizon and took the large cedar on the south end mostly out of the equation.

Reporting: William G. Haley, Jr."

Remember to look to the south these days if you FIND SOME TIME TO -
KEEP LOOKING UP!!!

Jimmy and Cynthia Wilkerson
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