Hawk Mountain Eagle Day offers close-up views of eagles

Visitors to Albany’s Hawk Mountain Wildlife Refuge will have the chance to see both a bald eagle and a golden eagle up close during an Eagle Day event on Saturday, November 5.

Eagle Day coincides with the peak of the golden eagle migration on Hawk Mountain. Golden eagles are rarely seen in the northeast, but an average of 134 eagles are spotted in the reserve in autumn. Fortunately, bald eagles are no longer a rarity from North Lookout, with a record season average of 438. Early November is the best time to catch both golden eagles and bald eagles migrating past Harry on the same day.

One-day eagle programs will be presented by the Carbon County Environmental Education Center at noon and 2 p.m. in the sanctuary’s amphitheater. The program is free for members or with a season pass, which can be purchased at the Visitor Center. Visitors can also visit the Eagle Discovery Station to learn about the long-term migration of eagles from Hawk Mountain and learn biological facts about the species.

After a day of spotting eagles and appreciating fall foliage, stick around for the last fall lecture of the season at the preserve, “River of Predators Veracruz: Conservation Along the World’s Largest Predator Flyway,” presented by site founder Ernesto Ruelas, who is also a former Mountain Hawk intern and current a member of the board. The lecture is free to attend and will be held in the Visitor Center gallery at 5 p.m

Visitors in early November can also expect large numbers of red-tailed hawks, the reserve’s third most abundant migrant, and there is also the chance to see the rarer northern goshawk.

The official Hawk Mountain raptor count runs through December 15th, with weekend programs running through Sunday, November 20th. Check out other upcoming programs at hawkmountain.org/events.

A 2,500-acre refuge for birds of prey, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is open to the public year-round for a trail fee or membership, which in turn supports the nonprofit’s mission of raptor conservation and local and global research, training, and education programs. To learn more about Hawk Mountain or other programs, call 610-756-6961 or visit www.hawkmountain.org.