This Will Be the Final Post for 2025

Dec 5 2025 Friday I like to close the year with the Hawkwatch.org chart for our final month with also gives the totals from the previous 2 months. This will be the final post for the year. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The totals for the year are 3062 total raptors, with 2534 being BWs. Last months numbers of 305 hawks were dominated by TVs and RTs as expected, but what a great number for the short count days. Our closing all time numbers are 79,651 BWs, and 111,055 all species of Raptors. Here's the closing chart:

Things Came to a Screeching Halt, and That's OK

We know that as we get older, it is more important to put our priorities where they need to be. And after so many years of Hawk Watching, the hawk watch team has agreed to not drive Bill into the ground. At this point, Bill must be doing it for the love of finding what ever hawks he has time to dedicate to the pursuit. I assured him at year's beginning, that Jimmy and I would be content with his decisions 100%. There were several years when Jimmy and I were the ones dedicated to being on the watch when we only watched into early October. But Bill loves the later birds having a respecable representation, so he likes to carry the hours into November as well. And some days he only has about and hour or 2 to see what is flying at that time. And that's OK. Quite a few watches have closed already. Including the big ones down south and west. Corpus Christy for instance. So each year when it's time to close it is bittersweet, but it is also important to be content, and very appreciative to Bill for his hours spent. I am posting the last of his records for the 2025 Fall count. I will make one more post as soon as we have finalized our records and I have a chance after Thanksgiving, to put up the Hawkcount.org spreadsheet final for the year. For now her is Bill's final report: there were no additional Hawks counted for these days:

DROPPING 2 POSTS FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY

November 12 and 13th 2025 Moderate daytime temps do not have birds moving through in a push. Catching a few hours yeilded 4 to the hawk count:

AFTER A COUPLE OF FREEZING COLD TEMP DAYS

November 11, 2025 Bill braved the wind and cold for a couple of hours after the freeze. It has warmed up mid day a bit. He has never shyed away from a little cold. Why we and Harold Birch have spent a lot of days standing in the extremes watching hawks, doing counts, and manning a scope at the Sandhill Crane festival. For hours. But it wasn't profitable to stay out there for long on Tuesday. But at least the snow was able to clear away pretty quickly. Well, unlike our northern and Eastern neighbors, who got a good bit. ours was a let down. NO problems. We weren't ready for it anyway. I had a mad dash to recover my greenhouse, but I did look up occasionally before the cold hit, and saw various hawks passing over head here in the valley. But after the cold, the only hawk I saw was in my back yard hunting. He was a big fluffed out Red Shouldered. My local that calls to passing hawks, I'll bet! Here's what Bill saw on Tuesday:

GOOD NUMBERS ROLLING OVER - NOVEMBERS FIRST WEEK WAS PRETTY GOOD!

Nov 8 25 Bill had visitors, friends came up. Welcome to them, appreciate your coming. Bill has had a good first week in November. His treat was starting one day with several Northern Harriers at once. Followed by a second Golden Eagle for the year. Plus he more than trippled his TV numbers going into the week. But from our side - He crossed the 3000 hawk mark for this season landing on 3052. We also rolled into 111,000 all time hawks seen sitting now at 111,045. Great times. Great numbers. Here's the report:

RAIN AND STORMS APPROACHING LEAD TO A "WHAT A DAY!"

November 7, 25 All this and Sandhill Cranes to boot. Wow! Bill's report says it all. But first, He is only a good flight away from 3000 for the year. Here's Friday's report:

VERY CLOSE TO 3000 RAPTORS FOR THE 2025 FALL COUNT

November 6, 2025 There were extreme blue skies yesterday, all day. I was working recovering the greenhouse, and cleaning all day, and I knew when I keep seeing no clouds, the report would be short and sweet. I saw 2 locals all day. A TV and a BV. Zero migrating to be seen over us in the valley. Bill had better luck:

NUMBERS ARE RISING FOR TVs, RTs AND RSs

November 5,2025 Wednesday was a 5 hr day for Bill. Thankful to see a new American Kestral among the Big Guys. Bald Eagles continue to have countables as well. Here's Wednesday's Report: (PS I also corrected yesterday's post and count to reflect on CH missed from the hours. total 95)

COLD NIGHTS AND ALL THE RAIN PUSHED A NICE FLIGHT THIS WAY

November 4, 2025 - Bill had 6 hours to spend yesterday, on Tuesday the 4th. He had good numbers and I also saw a nice group of 1 RT and several TVs moving through NE to SW being greeted by other Hawks rising up to say Hello as they passed through. The locals mostly flew North so easy to distinquish. And all the while the RT just kept catching little thermals and consitantly moving ever more SW in the sun. It was a very large bird, thus definitively female, and lots of red reflected off the feathers. The Tail and Wings glowed Pink. Beautiful bird as the sun enhanced it even more. Here's Bill's exciting report:

NOVEMBER IS HERE AND BILL IS BACK

NOvember 3, 2025 Bill is back after a short few days off due to rain and an insulator show. It is becoming the time for the large raptors to make their way south. Red-tailed hawks mostly make a shift, as it is called. It is a shorter migration than birds that travel into the southern hemisphere, for the most part. Red-shouldered and Turkey Vulture counts will continue. And some Bald Eagles will be on the move as well. Some from the north will settle in here to nest. Others will only go as far as the coastlines, and areas in between. It is gettingtoo close to mating/nesting time at this point to be on the move unless you are a sub-adult like the BE Bill counted today. Here is the report:

Not Much Time - No Hawks In That Time

October 24, 25 Bill didn't have much time and will also be away tomorrow. NO hawks to report for the time he had. He also gave us a notification of a few days off for next week. He deserves to get away to a couple of other things. Here's his email for Friday:

A Couple of Short Days in Late October

Oct 22 and 23, 2025 Bill's time is limited the last week of October, allowing for only a couple of hours here and there. I will post these two short posts, one of which gives his off days coming up. WE are adding only 2 hawks - a Sharpie and a Red-Tailed. Here are the reports:

Before The Storm Some Good Hawks

October 21, 2025 It went from sunny to storm in a jiffy in the early afternoon here in the valley. Bill was the recipient of those heavy rains a bit later than us. So it shut down the watch. But there were some great viewings prior to the storm I suppose the hawks were trying to get ahead of it? On a side note, I heard a YouTube birder say today that the there were more Merlins this year than The Kings Troops, or something to that nature. It's true. Merlins are in force, but where are the American Kestrals. Well according to him, there were still tons of Kestrals and Peregrin Falcons hunting over the Rivers and Marshes in Canada. Staying a little too warm and allowing for good eats up there this year. Here's the report:

Adding the Red-tailed Hawk for the First Time This Season

October 20, 2025 Nearing the end of the month and it's time to add the Red-tailed Hawk. And one came through with a migratory mind, so Bill could count it. LOL It flew South or SW from beginning to end, is what that means. Here's the report:

Looking Back to the Same Dates in 2018

By accident, I landed on the posts for this week when a random search in our search bar for Bald Eagle put me precisely on the same date as I was posting. Maybe an accident for me, but search is probably set up that way? But I just had to post it. It will probably run all together since the Blog changed a couple of years ago and I missed the deadline. I hope it is still readable: Soddy Mountain hawk totals Thurs., Oct. 18, 2018 Coverage (all times EST): 0800 - 1515 = 7.25 hrs. Counter: Bill Haley Helper: Ian Riley Weather: Clouds (thin Cirrus) 40% @ 0800, decreasing to 20% @ 0900, and gradually to 10% @ 1200. At 1300 clouds were 20%, but they were all behind us. Some clouds began forming in front of us @1400, 25%. By 1500 they were thicker "mackerel clouds" at 75%. Wind was N all day 5-15 mph. Temperature ranged from 53 F - 65 F. Barometric pressure started 30.40, was 30.43 from 1000-1200, then went down to 30.37 by 1500. Humidity 59% - 44%. Visibility was an excellent 70 K all day. Hawks: (all times EST) 0800: SS 2 0900: TV 31, SS 1 1000: 0 1100: SS 3, RS 1 1200: OS 1, SS 2, CH 1 1300: TV 7 1400: NH 1, SS 1 Raptor totals: 10/18/18 Turkey Vulture 38 Osprey 1 Northern Harrier 1 Sharp-shinned 9 Cooper's 1 Red-shouldered 1 _______________ Total Raptors = 51 Other sightings: Blue Jay 43 Monarch butterfly 5 I welcomed Ian Riley to the lookout for his first visit today. He has very sharp eyes and found several birds I would have missed. It was good to have his help and I will look forward to seeing him up there again. I shared some ID pointers and filled him in on the origins and history of the sport of hawkwatching. He first heard of hawkwatching when he stopped at a birding site while on a trip in Michigan and learned there was also a hawk watch nearby. This made him curious to see if there were any in Tennessee, and that's how he found us. Thanks again for the help today, Ian! You are welcome any time, and maybe the hawks will be flying better next time. Got a first large group of 31 migrant Turkey Vultures, with a later group of 7. Hope to see many more in the next few days. A late Osprey and Northern Harrier were nice too. Reporting: William G. Haley, Jr" The new numbers are up on Hawkcount.org. Jimmy had a few minutes to catch them up. Compare our numbers with other sites, and I challenge you to find out our Eagle total for the year while you are there. Turkey Vultures are beginning to move. Their numbers could really set this year's totals on a high note if someone is there to see them. Bill continues to watch through this week end. Thank you Ian! Hope you will continue to KEEP LOOKING UP!!! Posted by Soddy Mountain Hawk Watch at 8:48 PM

Saturday's Post and Sunday's Note

October 18 and 19, 2025 - Saturday and Sunday. We were preparing for the cold front the weekend brought in. Lots of rain. But Bill pulled out a few raptors just before it hit. Although it did not rain later on Sunday, winds were still pretty bad, and weather directions just weren't good for flights. Plus it was a bit much if you were unprepared for it on the hill, as a human. Bill decided to call it a day on Sunday. I'll put up both posts, Saturday first followed by Sunday:

First Golden Eagle of the Year! Oct. 17, 25

October 17, 2025 Friday: This is one of Bill's favorite kinds of days. Topped of with a Golden Eagle in the noon hour. Great looks too. YAY Here's the report:

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.

If You Have a Couple of Hours, Copy Bill

Oct 15, 25 Wednesday. If you have a couple of hours, do what we always close the blog with - KEEP LOOKING UP! Only this time of year when you are looking at a few Turkey Vultures, take a few, minutes to determine if they are on a path to move in a SWesterly direction. If you can, watch til they get out of sight. Did they thermal a couple of times? Did they get pretty high in the sky. Did they just keep moving SW, or WEST. Did they come from pretty far in the North and just keep moving the whole time in about the same direction. Did they remain together in a group? Well, if they did all that. They probably are migrating South for the Winter. So make your self a migration book, and jot a note with the numbers. the time, the weather and the date. But be sure to make yourself a few notes of what you saw, and answer all the "dids" in your notes. Here's how we do it: (minus the notes - those are for your memories.)

2701 is the Count after Today!

October 14 25 - Tuesday. The Turkey Vultures from yesterday shoved Bill right up to within 2 birds of the 2700 mark. So even though he didn't get but 3 Sharpies today, he still crossed into the 700s. 2701 after todays report: