There are plenty of birding opportunities in the month of October. Here are a few that came across my desk in the last week.
Hawk Watch:
October is a great time to watch hawks, falcons and eagles on their southward journey. Click on the embedded links for details:
- The Allegheny Front Hawk Watch, southeast of Central City, counts the most golden eagles of any hawk watch in PA (279 last year!). Golden eagles pass through from late October into December. Experienced watchers will tell you this site sees the most hawks when there’s an east wind, but beware! A due east wind can bring thick fog.
- Hawk Mountain Sanctuary at Kempton, PA dates back to 1934 when Rosalie Edge leased the mountaintop to stop the slaughter of migrating hawks. This hawk watch is a 5-hour drive from Pittsburgh but well worth the trip. Just a week ago they counted 1,389 hawks on southeast winds. I plan to visit Hawk Mountain this Saturday (Sep 29) if the weather is good. The PA Society for Ornithology will have a fall field trip there on Oct 24 (rain date Oct 25).
Three Rivers Birding Club holds outings almost every week. Summarized below are the outings through October. Click here for September details and here for October’s information.
Saturday, September 29 – Harrison Hills Park – leader: Jim Valimont, 8:15 AM
Saturday, October 6 – Presque Isle – leader: Shawn Collins, 9:00 AM
Sunday, October 7 – Frick Park – leaders: Jack and Sue Solomon, 7:30am
Saturday, October 13 – Pymatuning Area – leader: Bob VanNewkirk, 9:00 AM
Sunday October 28 – Moraine State Park – annual Three Rivers Birding Club picnic and bird walk, 8:00 AM.
The Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania holds outings at their three locations: Beechwood Farms Nature Center, Todd Sanctuary and Succop in Butler, Pennsylvania. I’ve summarized the birding activities below but be sure to follow this link to the calendar and sign up online:
Friday, September 28 – Discovery Morning Walk at Todd Sanctuary
Wednesday, October 3, 9:00am – RADical Days Senior Hike at Beechwood
Wednesdays in October 10 through 31, 9:00am – Discovery Morning Walk at Beechwood
Thursdays in October 11 through 25, 9:00am – Discovery Morning Walk at Succop, Butler, PA
Pleasant Hills Arboretum Fall Bird Walks:
Bob Mulvihill will lead a series of bird walks at Pleasant Hills Arboretum on Saturdays: September 29, October 13, and October 20. Meet at the Arboretum parking lot on West Bruceton Road at 8:00am. Walks will last one to two hours. Bring binoculars if you have them. All ages and skill levels are welcome.
Grab your binoculars. See some birds. 🙂
(photo from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original)
Another good location to watch hawk migration is Bear Rocks in the Dolly Sods Wilderness near Canaan Valley WV. I don’t know if there are any organized hawk watches, but it’s a beautiful place, if a bit far from Pittsburgh. The plus side is that there are lots of other attractions nearby, including Blackwater Falls, Seneca Rocks, and Spruce Knob. The Western Pa Conservancy used to do trips down there; my first trip was in 1982.
See
http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/westvirginia/placesweprotect/bear-rocks-preserve.xml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bear_Rocks_Preserve
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_Sods_Wilderness
All of these have good pix.
Any thoughts on birding opportunities for the end of November? We’ll be back for Thanksgiving and I may try to get away for a morning. Maybe go on a search for a Snowy Owl.
The end of November its often good for golden eagles at the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch, but check the weather for Central City before you go. Also check the Three Rivers Birding Club & AWSP websites for their November schedules.