Birding, Hawks, Internet and SOBOs

One of the MANY advantages of going SOBO is that you walk by Hawk Mountain Sanctuary about the time that the fall raptor migration is going on.

I am guessing its a bit early. Anyone been there lately?

Anyway, for those stuck in the office, here is a fun web site. It is a virtual tour of Hawk Mountain and has a game whereby you are given the chance to ID different raptors from photos taken at the summit.


http://www.virtualbirder.com/vbirder..._01/index.html

On the right day you can see HUGE numbers of hawks congregating in kettles.




EDIT: Here is a link to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

http://www.hawkmountain.org/default.shtml





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Cool - will have to play with that later. Heading for work now. :(

I want to go to Essex, CT this year (along the CT river south of Hartford) -the bald eagles come down in the winter to stay ahead of the ice. I guess its quite the sight to see. The town has built viewing platforms and everything.

Have you been to the Audubon Sanctuary in Sharon, CT rickboudrie? I've only driven by it - we generally have the dog with us so hiking in there is out. I'm a little dense but looking at the map the AT either runs right near it or is very very close. http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctua...es/gethere.htm

Several hundred miles before reaching Hawk Mountain, which is an AWESOME place to visit, the southbounder will pass the Mt. Peter Hawk Watch near Warwick, NY. The watch is on a 200 yard blue-blaze about .1 mile north of RTE 17A.

While the migration along Bellvale Ridge is not as spectacular as Hawk Mountain, October is a GREAT month for migration. I have seen Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons, lots & lots of Bald Eagles, and perhaps a dozen more species from the watch. In fact, after my thru-hike in 2000, I spent perhaps 250 hours up at the watch in Sept, Oct & Nov.

Here's a site to see the counts for Mt. Peter;

http://www.hawkcount.org/month_summa...&go=Go+to+site

There is another Hawk Watch along the AT on Raccoon Ridge, which is in NJ. That's the place where you can see the Delaware River off to the west, and a series of lakes and ponds below the ridge to the east. Raccoon Ridge has much better flights of Golden Eagles and Northern Goshawks than Mt. Peter. They had a Golden Eagle at Raccoon Ridge on Sunday. Golden Eagles, Goshawks, and Red Tailed Hawks are some of our later migrants, with most of the birds moving in November and early December.

One of the things that I miss the most about living in the northeast is the opportunity to visit places like Cape May, NJ. - which is THE PLACE in the northeast for watching migrating hawks. Ever been there Rick? How about Plum Island? Plum Island is a great place to see falcons. The Tree Swallows should be massing in groups of tens of thousands right about now. The striped bass bite should be pretty good too.

CynJ, I know there has been a nesting pair of Bald Eagles on the Connecticut River in Western MA (Barton Cove, right off of route 2. visible with a scope).

Perhaps they are related to those you know!

I don't know that sanctuary in CT, but it does look like it could be close to the trail. At least for a bird.

Mowgli--

I've never been to Cape May, but would love to get there. Coincidently, that's one of the other locations on the Virtual Birding site.

Plum Island on the other hand is my favorite place to bird (Its fairly close to where I live). In the Winter, the question is not whether you will see a Snowy Owl, but how close she will be. last year there was one about 50 feet from the road. The ranger had to threaten arrest to get people to leave at closing. As for more exotic fare, some years ago we were among of the first to spot a fork tailed fly catcher in MA at Plum Island.

FWIW, my favorite Trail Bird is a toss up between the White Throated Sparrow and a Spruce Grouse.

Rick B

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Originally Posted by rickboudrie

FWIW, my favorite Trail Bird is a toss up between the White Throated Sparrow and a Spruce Grouse.

Rick B

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Mine is the Short Eared Owl. They overwinter at the Wallkill River NWR along the NY/NJ border.

Ohhhh...owls.....seeing an owl(s) would really be something!

I love watching the huge wild turkeys we have running around - and I have seen quite a few peacocks lately.

Anyone who likes hawks really should plan on going there at least once during their lives. During the peak migrations, it's rare to have a moment that there are no hawks in sight. I have seen many firsts there, and also incredible views of some hard to see hawks. My favorite was the merlin who sailed only feet over our heads and drew oohs and aahs from all present. Also many eagles and occasional kites. Really, try it. Hang out on the platform by the lighthouse and listen to the several Audubon staffers while seeing some of the best "hawking" around.

Fav trail bird... woodcock GA.

Are there any spots on a northbound hike to see birds? It seems possible to catch them on their way back up.

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Originally Posted by Boo8meR

Are there any spots on a northbound hike to see birds? It seems possible to catch them on their way back up.

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Well, you will still see birds, not just the migration. I recall seeing things like juno's in their nests with eggs or chicks

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Originally Posted by Boo8meR

Are there any spots on a northbound hike to see birds? It seems possible to catch them on their way back up.

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I saw a number of birds while hiking through the 100 mile wilderness in Maine:

Eagles -- I saw several eagles.

Osprey -- Osprey are fairly common in the larger lakes.

Loons -- I love to hear the loons at night and enjoy seeing them.

Piliated Woodpeckers -- I saw two different piliated woodpeckers. They are a magnificant bird. I was not quick enough to get a picture of either of them.

Gray Jays (Camp Robbers) -- I guess they are everywhere.

Blue Jays -- There are a few blue jays.

Crows -- enough said.

Canadian Geese

Various kinds of water birds.

Lots of "lbbs" -- little bitty birds. I did not carry a bird identification book, and did not recognize many of them.

Dont forget the Spruce Grouse!!!!!!!

Being a Yankee bird, they are very brave and won't fly away as you walk up on them.

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Originally Posted by rickboudrie

Dont forget the Spruce Grouse!!!!!!!

Being a Yankee bird, they are very brave and won't fly away as you walk up on them.

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But will they go on squalking about how much better they do things up north?:datz