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 15, 2021

Merlins Just Keep Rolling By!!

Have no idea why this season is bringing so many Merlins into the count. But this is the best season ever for Migrating Merlins at Soddy Mtn. Bill surpassed his largest count for them some time ago and the numbers just keep rising. Great seeing them fly by the watch this year. In addition, Bill had a Kestrel today. The number of days he's seen at least one falcon in this first leg of the migration was remarkable. Also, Bill is so close to reaching the 100,000 mile marker for the all time total on the watch being 100,000 birds. Under 100 now at 82 after this report is entered. He definitely should hit the mark in the next 2 to 3 days! Here's the report.
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