Today, 11 participants visited the Snickers Gap,VA hawk watch site. Eight species of raptors were observed at various heights and distances. A late Broad-winged Hawk was a surprise. Also, a few Bald Eagles were seen, one of which flew right across the gap providing excellent views. Cooper’s Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks were well represented.

Snickers Gap welcomes one an all to visit and experience one of the specticles of fall migration. The site is in operation from Sept 1st through early December. Both volunteers with experience and those willing to learn are welcome.

If you are interested, contact Joan Boudreau or Bob Abrams at 703-734-1238 or icepeep@aol.com or just come on up (if no one is watching when you arrive start counting!). The Hawkwatch is about 10 minutes west of Purcellville where Route 7 crosses the Loudoun-Clarke County line and the Appalachian Trail (AT) on the Blue Ridge Mountains near Bluemont (formerly Snickersville). The watch is adjacent to the highway (take a left at the top of the ridge on Rte 601 and an immediate right into the parking lot) and is conducted from the parking lot serving both commuters and AT hikers.

The Snickers Gap Hawkwatch is manned solely by volunteers and is one of several official watch sites in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. It is affiliated with the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA), which compiles the migration data of over 200 such sites located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Typically, about 12,000 raptors are counted here each season.

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