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 17, 2025

Bill Found a Couple of Hours to Ck out the Watch

October 16, 2025 -Some days you just feel like the blue skies will have you skunked, but you go anyway just to see. This was probably how Bill felt yesterday. Not a cloud around down here in the valley. I did, however, see a lift off of Black Vultures about 9:30 from an area where they normally don't spend the night, as my daughter and I were going shopping. But even if I did suppose they were on the move. just due to that location, I wouldn't consider them migrating on that day without much closer observation. It's not often Black Vultures are counted until later in November, maybe. But on this clear blue sky day, Bill didn't get to count anything! It's OK. We have sat all day in the past years, occasionally, and not seen a single hawk.
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