Hawk Mountain

 
This past week we ventured out to Hawk Mountain raptor conservatory for a morning of adventure. The morning quickly became afternoon as we enjoyed hiking and bird-watching. We visited Hawk Mountain earlier this summer and we did not see any birds, so you can imagine our amazement at seeing half a dozen Sharp-Shinned hawks, twice that many turkey buzzards, an immature Bald Eagle, and a few Osprey as well. One amazing thing about Hawk Mountain is the fellowship that happens once we make it to North Lookout. On both of our trips up we have chatted with such friendly and knowledgeable hikers/birders. This Saturday, there were a handful of other elementary aged kids playing at the top and also quite a few members of the Hawk Mountain staff taking bird counts and calling out what birds we were seeing. This was nice since, honestly, I wouldn't know an immature Eagle from the Ospreys, and I've never heard of a Sharp-Shinned hawk before Saturday. The kids really enjoyed crawling around on the rocks and seeing the birds. They are such great hikers!! The fall foliage is also really pretty from the lookouts.







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