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, October 2, 2020

Time for September totals and Grand Total updates

Before I ck to see if Jimmy has caught up on the September totals at Hawkcount.org, I'll post this morning's report: Soddy Mountain, TN hawk report Thurs., Oct. 1, 2020 Duration: 0930-1630 = 7.0 hr. Counter: Bill Haley Weather: Clear, up to 1200 clouds 2%, 1300 clouds 5%, 1400 clouds 20%, temperature 57-75F, wind calm till 1100, then NW 2-10, with occasional gusts up to 15 mph for rest of the day until 1500, when it went to 3-8 mph, visibility 65K all day. When the wind became strong from the NW around 1100, it closed down a promising start to the hawk flight. NW winds push hawks off the ridge and out over the valley. Several of the sharpies were seen far away from the ridge, going down the valley. The flight picked up a bit after 1500 when the wind quieted a little. Hawks by hour: 0930-1000: SS 1 1000-1100: SS 1, CH 1, BW 4 1100-1200: 0 1200-1300: 0 1300-1400: SS 1 1400-1500: SS 2 1500-1600: SS 1, BW 4, RS 1 1600-1630: SS 1, BW 1 Totals: SS 7, CH 1, BW 9, RS 1 Total raptors: 18 Other sightings: Red-breasted Nuthatch, Monarch butterfly 28. Reporting: William G. (Bill) Haley" KEEP LOOKING UP!!! http://hawkcount.org/466-2020-09 Month Summary:Sep, 2020 Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Osprey Bald Eagle Northern Harrier Sharp-shinned Hawk Cooper's Hawk Northern Goshawk Red-shouldered Hawk Broad-winged Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Golden Eagle American Kestrel Merlin Peregrine Falcon Unknown Accipiter Unknown Buteo Unknown Falcon Unknown Eagle Unknown Raptor Date Obs Hrs BV TV OS BE NH SS CH NG RS BW RT RL GE AK ML PG UA UB UF UE UR TOTAL 2020-09-16 5 1 41 42 2020-09-17 4.5 1 15 16 2020-09-19 7.5 1 101 102 2020-09-20 7.5 3 2 3 4066 4074 2020-09-21 4.5 28 28 2020-09-22 7 1 2 2 1 16 22 2020-09-23 4 1 1 2 4 2020-09-26 7.5 2 1 7 1 14 1 2 28 2020-09-27 6.5 9 12 2 23 2020-09-28 7 2 1 10 3 2 1 1 20 2020-09-29 4 1 1 2020-09-30 7.5 2 3 11 57 2 1 76 Total: Sep 2020 72.5 hours 0 0 5 8 7 43 6 0 0 4355 1 0 0 4 4 3 0 0 0 0 0 4436 Total: Fall 2020 72.5 hours

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