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Well, November is here. Halloween is over and the other holidays are too far away to think about. (At least for me…. I don’t do my shopping until the last minute. I love that last minute rush) Anyway, I was wondering what to write about and for the life of me, I didn’t know what to say. (For those of you, who know me, you probably find that hard to believe!) As I was driving down the road, my eye caught something swooping down from the sky. Then I knew what I had to do. It was like a message from above.

What I had seen was a magnificent hawk diving for some prey. You must admit, there is not much out there that is more impressive than a raptor in flight. Now, I don’t claim to be an expert in the field of migrating of birds, but we can all certainly enjoy the beauty these creatures possess. I’d just like to share a little information with you, so you too can take advantage of seeing these feathered friends.

While small birds have already migrated, late fall and winter give us a unique opportunity to view winter visitors and transients. Raptor migration (mostly hawks and eagles) is at its peak in November and waterfowl migration is just beginning. Weather determines when birds will fly - northwest winds usually bring the greatest numbers.

Probably the best Hawk watching area in Pennsylvania is Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, which is north of Hamburg in Kempton. In fact, this is one of the best hawk and falcon watching sites in North America. It consists of 2,200 acres straddling the Kittatinny Ridge of the Appalachian Mountains. Between August 15 and December 15, an average of 20,000 hawks, eagles and falcons pass over the Sanctuary's North Lookout. With the cold winds of November come Red-tailed Hawks and Golden Eagles. The Sanctuary provides guides and interns at each of the viewing areas. So, if you’re a novice like me, there will be someone there to help you spot and identify the hawks and eagles. In November, one might see Northern Goshawks, Red-tailed Hawks, Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and Northern Harriers. To contact Hawk mountain call 610 756-6961, or visit their website at http://www.hawkmountain.org.

Other places to see raptors throughout the state are; Stone Mountain Hawk Watch on Allenville Road (dirt road) in Huntingdon County, Bake Oven Knob (north of Allentown), Cornwall Fire Tower (manned by members of the Lancaster Bird Club--You can’t access the tower, but birds are visible from the ground.), Second Mountain on Indiantown Gap, Waggoners Gap (Route 74, north of Carlisle), and Jack's Mountain Hawk Watch--located at the top of Jack's Mountain in Mifflin County.

If you prefer not to venture out in the wild, you could visit Shaver’s Creek Raptor Center. Shaver’s Creek is one of only a few federal and state facilities in central Pennsylvania licensed to conduct educational programs with permanently injured birds of prey. They have approximately twenty birds of over a dozen species. The Raptor Center offers the visiting public a wide variety of live specimens, including vultures, falcons, owls, hawks, and eagles. Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center is located at Penn State in University Park. To contact Shaver’s Creek call (814) 863-2000.

Would you rather see waterfowl and gulls? Well, there are several prime places in Pennsylvania to catch a glimpse of these birds, too. Almost any open body of water will offer good viewing but here are some of the best.

Presque Isle State Park is a hook of land that juts into Lake Erie. This isle creates a wonderful migratory gathering point. Presque Isle State Park has been rated by Birder's World magazine as one of the top birding spots in the country. Presque Isle's location on the Atlantic Flyway makes it a favorable spot for birds to stop to feed and rest on their migration across Lake Erie. Waterfowl migration occurs in late November through December. Over 320 species of birds have been recorded on Presque Isle.

In Central Pennsylvania, the Susquehanna River is excellent for birding. An easily accessible viewing area is West Fairview Boat Launching area. Another good spot is Muddy Run’s pump storage area with thousands of geese, wintering Eagles, and Black Vultures.

Middlecreek Wildlife Management Area is in Kleinfeltersville. (owned and operated by  the Pennsylvania Game Commission)  There is a 400 acre man-made lake, which provides habitat for a variety of waterfowl.

In Western Pennsylvania, the Pymatuning region is a good spot. Since 100 species of birds nest in the Pymatuning area, bird lovers seeking to see new species find it especially interesting. The only bald eagles believed to nest in Pennsylvania are located within the waterfowl area at Pymatuning Dam. Migrating geese stop in large numbers and during the peak about 15,000 geese are in the refuge.

I hope this gives you some ideas of where to start. Just get out there and enjoy the beauty of our fine feathered friends. But remember, please take only photographs and leave only your footprints.

      --- Sandra Lee

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