Beginner and expert birders are welcome to join the official counter looking for returning raptors and other spring migrants from April 1 through May 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily at the Sanctuary’s beautiful North Lookout.
Trail fees apply for non-members and cost $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Members are admitted free, year-round, and memberships can be purchased online or at the Visitor Center.
During the count, staff, trainees, and volunteers will be perched at the Lookouts to help visitors learn about and identify raptors, including broad-winged hawks, redtails, ospreys, bald eagles, and more.
The Sanctuary has monitored the spring raptor migration since the 1960s and reports an average of about 1,000 raptors each 45-day season. Usual one-day peak counts can reach more than 100 birds in mid to late April, especially on days with southerly winds and cloud cover.
Click here to learn more about the migration timing of individual raptor species.
For raptor enthusiasts and those who cannot make it to Hawk Mountain, daily counts are posted throughout the season online.
Those who wish to hike to the North Lookout and enjoy the view and migrating raptors should wear sturdy shoes and be prepared for a walk over rocky terrain.
The nearby South Lookout may be preferable to those with small children or with limited mobility and can be reached using a 900-foot-long ADA accessible Silhouette Trail with bench seating.
Since 2000, International Conservation Science trainees have assisted in conducting the daily count at the North Lookout, learning migration count techniques from the Sanctuary’s experienced volunteers and staff. You can meet these trainees as they monitor the migration and host several of the weekend programs.
Weekend Programs
While visiting the Sanctuary for migration, visitors are welcome to join the spring weekend programs which also begin on the first and are held every Saturday and Sunday throughout the count.
Hawk Mountain's signature live raptor program Raptors Up Close! will continue through until Memorial Day, May 29th. The program is sponsored by M&T Bank and is held in the ADA-accessible outdoor Amphitheater.
The Name That Raptor program, also hosted at the Amphitheater, teaches birders identifying factors such as silhouettes, behavior, and markings. Visitors can then also learn about the piece of history their feet are planted on, traveling back in time to its founding in 1934 with the History of Hawk Mountain program.
International trainees studying long-distance migratory patterns offer discussions of their work and allow hands-on sampling of the tools used in the field during the Trapping & Tracking program, held within the Visitor Center by the birdfeeder windows.
More information about the programs and when they are held can be found at the Weekend Programs webpage.
Visitors can also make the most of their spring visit by attending one of the Sanctuary's many events for all ages.
Visit Hawk Mountain Events to browse dozens of walks, talks, and workshops.
For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary website or call 610-756-6961. Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Sanctuary, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit them on Flickr and visit their YouTube Channel. Click Here to support Hawk Mountain.
[Posted: March 16, 2023] PA Environment Digest
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