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.
"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
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
A Very Good Mix
A great normal day! Bill loved the mix of species. More fun. He will not be on the lookout Thurs. thru Monday. Nicole might get up. We will watch for her report! Here is Tuesday's report for 10 29 24:
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Saturday, October 26, 2024
Friday and Saturday Reported Today - 25th and 26th
October 25th and 26th on one report today. Bill says there are simply very few raptors to see, seeming like they have taken a totally new route. RAin came in the second half of the day here on Saturda, and has set into a slow steady rain, which we desparately needed. The Harrier is nice. I have a busy week next week. Definitely may have to report a day later at least once I am certain.
Friday, October 25, 2024
Blue Skies Are Killing Me
Thursday Oct. 24, Bill says the blue skies are murderous. As I am writing this a day later, not only are there rich fall blue skies, clear from horizon to horizon, there is also gusty wind. Bill is spending bits of time as he is able, but long days on these days, make no sense at our watch. So the records remain, but the hours are often few each day. After over 30 years of watching, you do what you love for as long as it makes sense.
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Nicole To Save The Day
Bill is having truck mechanical problems, so Nicole was able to get in about 2 hours to save the day. Thank you, so much!!!
Here's her report:
Monday, October 21, 2024
TVs, SSs, BE on Sunday 10 20 24
Sunday 10 20 24 The report is remarkably similar to Saturday, but actually too co-incidental to be the same birds. The likelihood Bill would have the exact same birds come over the watch looking like migrants, would mean all of them would have flown back North and come down the pike looking like migrants twice. So funny coincedence...TVs and SSs were exactly the same today as Saturday. LOL Here's the report:
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Vultures and Sharp-shins Up Their Flights
Friday October the 18th and Saturday the 19th bring an influx of Sharpies and Vultures to migration over Soddy Daisy. Nicole Spicer was along to see. Thank you Nichole for the extra eyes. It had to be a little exciting to see the sharpies at least. I am putting up the reports for both days! Yay.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Two Days Counts Oct 16 and 17th
WEdnesday and Thursday the 16th and 17th of October are getting chilly weather. Here are the reports:
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Winds and Cold Rains!
Skunked - and Bill hates it. Oct 14 and 15 were zero migrant days. He called me just before he left the watch to talk about what was going on. We talked about the way whole areas of the mountains as far N as West VA have had areas washed away, and wondered if the Hurricane's effects had altered their paths. We talked about how raptors seemed to know when they needed to flee. We have seen evidence, by researchers, of song birds altering course for thousands of miles to avoid storms. He and I talked about weather patterns, warming, and the dip in the Jet Stream. The extremes of everything. The heights of revolving clouds and funnel that reach 60000 feet now. How long it has stayed so hot. So many things different this year. And the numbers probably lowest ever. So if other sites North see plenty, why not over our site. We believe they have been diverted by things like the jet stream, God giving them a sense of peril, and air currents designed to keep them further west, to preserve them. But Bill grows weary some days with no raptors anywhere except locals. It's about to turn cold! Into the 30's tonight. Hoping I don't lose a lot of plants. Gotta repair my green house.
Here are Bill's last two days. Still important to the record. How would we know the difference if there was no one to notice?
Monday, October 14, 2024
Finally Some Clouds, and Raptors Keep Coming
October 12th and 13th, 2024 Were busy days for me. So I am going to post both days together. We add Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk for the first time this year, and one more BW . Like the BWs the Monarch Butterflies seem scarce. Here are Bill's reports:
Saturday, October 12, 2024
This Time Of Year!!! Yay October!
Over the last few days we have felt the temps dropping finally from the extreme highs. We have experienced 2 Major hurricanes - Helene and Milton- both of which did so much damage to Florida, but devasted the Mountain towns in SC, TN, VA, and especially NC. The terrain I grew up loving so much, where much of my heritage is from, is now gone. Totally gone in many spots. So many people hurting with great losses of homes, family members, land, and just the necessities for life. In addition, South GA and the coasts of Florida, Ga and SC also were eaten alive by Tornados associated with Helene, which left no community in her path alone. Helene tore up entire towns, and down every country road, more trees and flooding, in 6 states. Hundreds of thousands without power for days, into weeks, and thousands with be for months. In addition, a favorite cousin passed, so I am fighting the gloom that wants so much to creep in. But there has been good. I have no family injured by the Hurricanes or tornados. None that I know of are suffering over storms. Our cousin lived to be 90, with a very good life, and he preceeds his precious wife, who may not know or remember, because she has alzheimers. And,he is safe with Jesus. In addition our precious Grandson had a birthday, and won his football game leaving his season as a quaterback at 5 and 1, losing only the game to their greatest rival, in the middle of pouring rain as Helene approached us. All in all, that was just a bit more than almost any of us can handle in just a couple of weeks. So we have made mistakes and fixed them, and as ususal I am fighting a computer which is far too full. And outdated. Yet, it remains important to me to keep a running total of our raptors migrating over one spot on this planet. As a compiled history over a quarter century that can be affirmed and researched. Will it matter in the course of historical things. No. But to us it is one of many sites wishing to put a permanancy on the strange changing ebb and flow of things that have natural patterns long ago established, before Man even was on this earth. We simply tell the story, overshadowed by other natural wonders that make the greatest changes on this earth, like huge storms. Amidst all of this, we have witnessed for the first time in my life, the beauty of Aurora Borealis in all 49 states, dipping deep into even storm ridden Florida. But due to the marvel of our modern communications, which make it possible to share these reports, I also shared with family and friends who altogether viewed the Aurora the same time I did. All were able to share their pictures, and we felt like community, and close family. It is for the sake of sharing something good and timeless. For a community who cares. For this I am thankful. Here's Bill's report:
Friday, October 11, 2024
October 10th - 2 Hours - Zip
Bill took a chance on a busy day for about 2 hours, and he saw hawks. BUT they were all locals, including the Bald Eagle.
Here's the report:
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
SHORT COUPLE OF HOURS
Bill was not sure he could get up yesterday, but he managed an hour or 2. Here is the report:
PS I am late, my computer locked up most of the day.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Killer Day of All Blue
Monday, Oct 7 2024, was rough but not unproductive. Hi Nichole! Thank you for any time you can come. Never know when an amazing flight, or a nice close hawk will make your day. Here's Monday's report:
Monday, October 7, 2024
3 Posts Catch Up - Oct 4, 5 and 6 2024
October is fun because new species are added. October 4th - 6th is no exception. We get Northern Harrier and a maybe early Red-shouldered on a mission. BWs are still flying, and the number of Merlins is rocketing up. All 3 days are here. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. 14 birds each on Sat and Sun. Here are the reports:
Friday, October 4, 2024
Merlin! Need I say more...?
Thursday 10 3, 24.....Disappointed for Nichole and Brian that they didn't get as many birds as the day before, but hopefully they got good looks at the Merlin. I just realized I was off a day for the last week and had to go back and change it. Data wasn't wrong, just my opening day/date. With typos. Hopefully now on track. That is easy to happen when you post the next day. If I happen to put in the day wrong once, it just keeps being wrong. Uggh. Here's the report for Thursday:
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Peregrine Situation Resolved
Wednesday, 10 2, 2024 was a lovely day with lots of fluffy fall clouds and a good day for Hawk Migration. Yesterday, while doing numbers, it occurred to me that we only had one Peregrine Falcon, and there was a Peregrine Falcon photographed at the Dam. Sooo, what if our counted bird was now at the Dam. Well, considering a Hurricane was one the way or had just passed we could give it some grace if it was our count bird,( which we have no way of knowing), or we could consider the possibility of a second bird which didn't fly over the watch. So, to solve the delimna, and not remove our bird, would do 2 things. 1. Peregrines are moving through in good numbers this time of year, and the counts in the Florida Keys Hawk Watch are great proof of that. Their watch is a great funneling spot. So no problems with hoping there were more Falcon's in our area this time of year. But, 2. if a second one is counted now, the question is solved. Yes there are other Peregrines passing through for us as well. So our Turesday count, solved our delimna. And we can keep our count at 2, mostly because the first bird Bill counted was seen going on through for as we could determine that it was in migration. In actuallity, even if it were to pause or stay at the Dam, and become a nester, it won't be the first time. And the bird would have come from the north, and migrated here. So no problem. There are, as you see, reasons for our count numbers, and we do consider their accuracy. So here's the great fall report:
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Bill Returns to the Watch
Tuesday, Oct 1 2024, Bill returns from his trip to more BW kettles. Lot's of clouds are helping his viewing, but they threaten rain. Here's the report:
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Last Day of September
Sept 30 2024, Sunday, was Bill's first day back from his trip up north. He returns to the mountain, just after the Hurricane Helene has done the most damage to our mountain towns looking North and East in history. Helene dropped more water than has ever been recorded into NC, SC, GA, and TN mountains and has left devastation and heartbreak all across the area. But for Hawkwatching, at least while Bill was gone, he didn't miss any migrating hawks, since bird migration charts from radar, showed all the migrants make a massive shift to the west of us by a lot!
Numbers were still low on the 30th. I like to do a little update for the month at the end of the month, so I will include a screen shot of the Hawkcount.org excel chart of the hawks seen so far, both here and on Facebook. The report follows:
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