Hawk Mountain, PA, Hawk Mountain, PA,
(Raptor, shorebird and Passerine Migration)
September 17 - 23, 2008
Reservations and prepayment are required on all Ventures. Your place on this Venture will be reserved when your deposit of $200 has been received. Please make your check payable to VENTURES, Inc. and send it to this address or call the office with your VISA or MasterCard #.
Limited to 10 participants.
In the fall, thousands of migrating raptors, representing as many as 18 different species, stream along the ridges of the Appalachian Mountains or down the Atlantic coast on their way south. Straddling eastern Pennsylvania's Kittatinny Ridge is Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, a 2,380-acre preserve established in 1934 as the world's first refuge devoted to birds of prey. The sanctuary's North Lookout, a 1,521-foot high rocky promontory, provides a spectacular panorama of the Appalachian ridges and valleys, and, depending on wind patterns, often affords close-up views of raptors gliding along Hawk Mountain's unique ridge topography. Cape May, New Jersey, at the tip of a peninsula between Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, is another premier raptor viewing site and is famous for its song birds as well. While traveling between these two birding "hot spots," we will visit Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Delaware Bay, to see wildfowl, waders, and shorebirds, and take the ferry across the bay from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May. October brings the greatest variety of raptor species, not to mention a very good passerine migration, and the bonus of crisp, cool fall weather and colorful autumn leaves.
Leader: Andy Wraithmell
$1750 from Philadelphia based on double occupancy (Single supplement $325)
Price includes: All transportation and accommodation, all meals, admission fees, information packet & bird checklist, and guide/leader service throughout
Not included: Air fare to Philadelphia, alcoholic beverages, and items of a personal nature
Raptors, including Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, American Kestrel, Osprey and Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle ; and a large number of resident and migrating passerines, waterfowl, waders, and shorebirds.
Day 1 - Wednesday, September 17
Fly to Philadelphia. Please plan to arrive by 2 PM. We will meet at the
airport, pick up our van, and drive to the Hawk Mountain area. Next 2 nights
will be in the Hawk Mountain, PA area
Day 2 - Thursday, September 18
All day today will be spent at the overlooks, on the trails, and at the
visitor center at Hawk Mountain. Northwest winds and ridge topography at Hawk
Mountain produce the updrafts that help carry birds of prey southward on their
migration. From August through December, an average of 20,000 hawks, eagles, and
falcons pass over the rocky promontory at North Lookout. Ospreys and thousands
of Broad-winged Hawks arrive in September; October brings the greatest variety
of species, with large numbers of Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. Weather
influences the flights; a northwest wind usually brings the greatest numbers.
Day 3 - Friday, September 19
Today will be another full day at Hawk Mountain. In addition to the
overlooks, there is a trail from South Lookout leading to the "River of
Rocks," an impressive glacial boulder field on the valley floor. The
sanctuary highlands are dominated by an oak-maple forest, with a scattering of
rhododendron, laurel, and hemlock. In addition to raptor watching, we will look
for songbirds in the woodlands. Night in the Hawk Mountain, PA area
Day 4 - Saturday, September 20
Today we will head south to Delaware, and explore the Bombay Hook
National Wildlife Refuge and other habitat along the Delaware Bay Shore. Bombay
Hook is comprised of over 15,000 acres of tidal marsh, fresh water impoundments,
wooded swamps, farmland, and grassy upland. Established as a refuge for
migrating and wintering waterfowl, it also offers haven for numerous other
species of birds. Night in Dover, DE
Day 5 - Sunday, September 21
This morning we will take the ferry from Lewes, Delaware, across
Delaware Bay, to Cape May, New Jersey. In the afternoon we will visit the Cape
May Point Hawkwatch Platform. Cape May is located at New Jersey's
southeastern-most tip, on a peninsula bordered on the east, south, and west by
water. In fall, birds migrating along the coast, and others pushed to the coast
by prevailing westerly winds, funnel down the peninsula. As many species of
birds are hesitant to cross broad stretches of water, they concentrate at Cape
May Point. Night in Cape May, NJ
Day 6 - Monday, September 22
Another full day of bird watching at the Hawkwatch Platform in Cape May
Point State Park and other sites in the Cape May area. Cape May is a renowned
birdwatching destination, and not solely for raptors. Other locales in the area
where we can observe raptors and other fall migrants include The Nature
Conservancy's Cape May Migratory Bird Refuge and the Higbee Beach Wildlife
Management Area. Night in Cape May, NJ
Day 7 - Tuesday, September 23
After a final morning of birding, we will head north from Cape May, back
to Philadelphia for our return flights.
Due
to weather and other conditions, this itinerary is subject to change.