Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Service, Pennsylvania

The Trip

Setting: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is one of the premier raptor-watching sites in North America. Set along the 2,000-mile Appalachian Mountain chain, the Sanctuary sits atop Kittatinny Ridge—a Lenape Indian word for “big mountain.” During fall migration, each day hundreds to thousands of hawks and eagles pass--often at eye level--as they travel along the Ridge. Some ride the warm, rising air of a thermal to gain altitude, and then glide to the base of the next one; others stay close to the Ridge, gliding on the reflected wind. Over 30,000 raptors have been counted during the migration season of August through November and the average is about 18,000 birds of 16 species. These birds of prey migrate from northern breeding grounds to wintering areas as far away as the Pampas of Argentina. Different species come in waves, and we will likely see the spectacle of dozens of broad-winged hawks forming a boiling "kettle" in a single thermal. Ospreys, too, are common in September. We'll look for bald eagles, peregrine falcons, sharp-shinned hawks, and the big buteos like the red-tailed hawk. Smaller birds like warblers, vireos, orioles, tanagers, and sparrows will also be passing through. Ornithologist Olin Pettingill says, "A visit here in fall will be a never-to-be-forgotten thrill." 

Human habitation: The Lenape tribal members are the original inhabitants of Delaware, New Jersey, Eastern Pennsylvania, and Southern New York. For over 10,000 years they have been the caretakers of these lands and of The River of Human Beings, more commonly known as the Delaware River. The Lenape resided in bands along various rivers and creeks. They lived by hunting and growing food, depending on the fertility of the land. 

Many placenames in Pennsylvania are derived from the Lenape Language, such as Manayunk, Conshohocken, and Neshaminy. 

European settlers farmed the valleys and cut the forests for lumber and charcoal. Second- and third-growth forests now cloak the ridges. Early last century, the raptor migration attracted crowds to what are now the Sanctuary’s North Lookout and nearby areas. However, they came to kill, not enjoy, motivated by the mistaken belief that raptors were vermin and should be eliminated. In 1933 a Philadelphia naturalist, Richard Pough, published photographs of rows of dead hawks. The pictures led New Yorker Rosalie Edge to purchase 1,400 acres of the mountain and hire a caretaker to establish the world's first preserve for birds of prey. 

Today, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is a private, member-supported, not-for-profit organization. The Sanctuary heavily depends on volunteers, both individuals and groups like ours. Its primary purpose always has been to promote the conservation, understanding, and love of birds of prey. The detailed migration count records, kept since 1934, are the longest-running of any in the world and have contributed greatly to our knowledge of bird populations and the environment in general. Indeed, Rachel Carson used Hawk Mountain records as part of the abundant evidence to support her argument in Silent Spring.

The Project

Sierra Club Outings have been intermittently contributing to the conservation efforts at Hawk Mountain for over two decades. Our projects have always been varied and determined by the annual needs of the Sanctuary, ranging from office work to heavy carpentry. For example, one year’s participants built a new trailhead check-in desk, rebuilt two stone fireplaces, repaired a hawk flight cage, marked stations in a forest research plot, rerouted a trail, removed non-native vegetation, and stuffed and addressed two mailings, in addition to several smaller jobs. We expect this year's tasks will again vary from easy to strenuous and we intend to match them as much as possible to your abilities and interests.

On Sunday we will meet at the group campsite, discuss the trip, dine, and relax for the evening. Monday morning after breakfast and lunch preparation, we will travel to the Sanctuary for an orientation and tour hosted by the staff. (Each day, two or three participants will be asked to help ferry the group to the Sanctuary.) We plan to work that afternoon and three of the week's remaining days. During those days we can "down tools" and join Sanctuary staff and hawk watchers on the lookouts if the raptor migration becomes highly active. We'll take our off day when the weather promises the best hawk-watching. One memorable afternoon yielded over 1,500 broad-winged hawks as well as numerous ospreys and a bald eagle; another year watchers saw almost 20 bald eagles in a single morning. On the off day, the Appalachian Trail and other trails within the Sanctuary are options for those who prefer hiking to hawk watching. Our service trip ends on Saturday morning after breakfast and breaking of camp.

Getting There

Located in the mountains of east-central Pennsylvania, the Sanctuary is about 30 miles west of Allentown, PA, and 25 miles north of Reading, within interstate driving distance of many metropolitan areas in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, and readily accessible using GPS. Philadelphia International Airport and BWI are approximately 1.5 hours' travel time by car. Traveling from airports serving New York City is approximately three hours. Participants who fly may be able to make carpooling arrangements with others in our group. 

Though easily accessible, the Sanctuary is in rolling terrain, which offers scenic views and access routes through unpopulated areas. Address: 1700 Hawk Mountain Rd, Kempton, PA 19529. The leader will send more information about travel plans and general contact information well before the start of the trip for participants who want to share a ride.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

We will be tenting at a private campground, which is approximately 10 miles from the Sanctuary. The campground amenities include a pool, showers, flush toilets, and electrical outlets. Our campsite will be near an impressive “river” of blue, quartzite boulders.

We will have fresh foods and a varied menu, offering both vegetarian and non-vegetarian selections. Please be aware that we prepare meals for a group and cannot accommodate all individual preferences or extremely restrictive diets. We ask that you describe dietary concerns in the participant forms you submit and add specific details to the food preference form we will send to confirmed participants. If you prefer your stash of snacks and energy food, we encourage you to bring it. As a member of the group, we ask each person to contribute to cooking and kitchen duties for at least one day of the trip. 

Trip Difficulty

Work projects will vary from light-duty to strenuous. The Sanctuary will try to match projects to participants’ interests and skill levels. Most assuredly, participants will work at their own pace and endurance level, though as is common with Sierra Club service trips, we expect to accomplish a lot! 

Equipment and Clothing

Comfortable gear will make the base camp a welcoming home after each workday, so select it accordingly. Overnight temperatures may be in the forties, though the fifties are much more likely. Bring a tent with a waterproof fly and ground cloth, as we expect rain sometime during our stay. A comfortable blow-up mattress or a camp cot is recommended. Bring layered clothing for work and evenings, including rain gear. Working and walking on the Sanctuary grounds requires solid work boots and work clothes. 

Bring towels and personal hygiene items. Though commissary gear is provided, bring a plate, bowl, cup, eating utensils, and cloth napkins (bandanas, neckerchiefs); water bottles for camp and the project site. Bring binoculars and cameras for hawk-watching. (The Sanctuary can lend you binoculars if you don't own them.) You also can bring amenities like camp chairs, and musical instruments are welcome. No radios, tape CD players, or pets, please. The leader will provide a detailed equipment list to confirmed participants.

References

Books:

• Maurice Broun, the Sanctuary's first caretaker, described his years there in Hawks Aloft. 
• Michael Harwood's The View from Hawk Mountain presents the Sanctuary's history to the early '70s. 
• Feather Quest, by Pete Dunne, has a delightful account of a day at North Lookout.
• Edwin Way Teale's Autumn Across America, is the first of his four famous "Cycle of the Seasons" books. 
• Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies (now in its 5th edition).
• David Sibley's The Sibley Guide to Birds.
• More identification details are presented in Advanced Birding by Ken Kaufman (part of the Peterson Field Guide series).
• Hawks in Flight by Pete Dunne, David Sibley, and Clay Sutton.

Websites:

• Be sure to visit the Sanctuary's website: www.hawkmountain.org.
• collaborativehistory.gse.upenn.edu/stories/original-people-and-their-land-lenape-pre-history-18th-century
• delawaretribe.org/blog/2013/06/26/language/
• www.legendsofamerica.com/susquehannock-tribe/

Conservation

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary science is based on the tenet that fundamental ecological research and long-term monitoring are essential for understanding and managing natural resources. Research staff and visiting scientists are involved in many short- and long-range projects. Sanctuary and trip staff will discuss local conservation efforts and how Hawk Mountain’s raptor (and other birds) research and protection mesh with global conservation issues.

Since its founding in 1892, The Sierra Club has worked to preserve and restore the natural environment we all share on this planet. Thousands of grassroots-level volunteers spearhead our efforts to conserve and sustain resources, both in our backyards and on a global scale. Through direct experience in the outdoors, Sierra Club outings enable participants to better understand, advocate, and participate in the environmental conservation goals of the Club.

Service outings stand out as one of the Sierra Club’s most important “boots on the ground” conservation efforts. The work done by service trip participants in our nation’s public lands is a way of practicing conservation in the most direct way possible, whether it is by improving access while preserving wilderness values, restoring wildlife habitat, or repairing human-caused damage. Service trips are a great way to pitch in and tangibly improve a natural area; they help volunteers go beyond talking about conservation, a way to wholly experience the effort to conserve natural habitat.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.