Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
SOAR SUBJECTS
It’s a great time to visit Hawk Mountain, where you can view the great diversity of migratory birds in flight.
The second half of October offers the season’s greatest diversity of migratory birds, making this a great time to plan a trip to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Albany Township.
And, with cooler temperatures and leaves turning autumn colors, visitors are sure to have an experience to remember, according to Gigi Romano, communications specialist.
According to David Barber, a Hawk Mountain research biologist who leads the annual raptor count, the migration schedules of various species overlap during the next two weeks, meaning that viewers will have the opportunity to see more types of birds than normal.
Spotted one day earlier this week were 13 bald eagles, 15 sharpshinned hawks and a variety of other types of hawks and vultures.
“The bald eagles always cause a lot of excitement,” Barber said. “Everybody loves to see eagles.”
Broad-winged hawks have been by far the most often seen species so far this migration season, with more than 6,700 spotted since the season got underway in August. More than 2,000 broad-wings were sighted in just one day during September.
The abundance of broad-winged hawks seen during a short time frame is due to the fact that the great majority of those birds fly by within a condensed period of time.
“They are our most abundant migrant, and they migrate through in a very narrow window,” Barber explained. “It would be unusual to see a broad-winged hawk now, because nearly all of them have passed through.”
Other prominent species include sharp-shinned hawks, with more than 1,300 spotted so far this season; ospreys, with nearly 300 sighted; American kestrels, numbering around 240;
and turkey vultures, with more than 200 viewed since August.
Also viewed this season have been merlins, cooper’s hawks, red-tailed hawks and other varieties.
While more broadwinged hawks will be observed than any other species, the difference between the number of those and the number of other birds spotted is narrow, Barber said.
Normally, sharp-shinned hawks are the secondmost-often seen raptor and red-tail hawks the third.
The best viewing occurs on days that bring a northwest wind following a cold front.
Barber said that is because those winds create optimal updrafts, enabling the birds to coast and conserve much-needed energy.
“They really want to minimize the amount of energy they expend, so they’ll use those updrafts to help them along,” he said.
Most of the birds are migrating great distances, with some, including the osprey and broad-winged hawk, heading for destinations in South America.
Other species migrate to points in the southern United States, Mexico or Central America.
If you’re planning a visit, it’s a good idea to call Hawk Mountain’s information line after 6 p.m. the day before you plan to arrive.
There, you’ll get a report on what birds were spotted that day, a weather report and a prediction for the following day’s bird conditions. The number for the information line is 610-7566000, ext. 6.
If you’re not sure about your ability to climb the trails to the highest lookout points, there still are many reasons to visit Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
Recently opened, the Silhouette Trail is ADA accessible and leads to the South Lookout, a popular viewing area. The visitor center, native plant garden and education building also are accessible by wheelchair and offer alternatives to climbing steep trails.
The visitor center at Hawk Mountain is open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through the end of November, except it closes at 1 p.m. on the day before Thanksgiving. Trails are open from dawn until dusk.
In December and January, the visitor center is open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m., closing at 1 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Hawk Mountain is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The sanctuary also will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 26 and 27, and on Sunday, Dec. 1 and Dec. 8, to ensure visitors’ safety during deer hunting season.