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If You Enjoy Watching Birds of Prey, Don't Miss Acadia National Park's HawkWatch
Whether you're a serious birder or just have a casual interest in watching birds of prey, the annual HawkWatch at Acadia National Park in Maine offers a prime opportunity. The 15th annual season begins on August 19 and runs through October 14, weather permitting.
The opportunity to see birds of prey—including falcons, hawks, ospreys and eagles—often involves stealth, patience and oftentimes travel to an isolated location, not to mention a good dose of luck.
There's never a guarantee when it comes to spotting any bird in the wild, but your odds of success in spotting some of those magnificent larger species are certainly good at Acadia during this annual fall activity.
Park rangers and volunteers will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily during the event to help visitors find and identify birds, and to provide natural history information on raptors and related topics. The site is located on the Cadillac North Ridge Trail, 200 yards from the Cadillac summit parking lot. If you aren't familiar with the area, you'll find maps and driving directions to Acadia on the park's website.
Why is this such a great location and time of year for raptor-watching? A park publication explains:
Every year, strong northerly winds push thousands of raptors from Maine and Canada south along the eastern coastline as they migrate to warmer areas for the winter. With its wide-open views and tallest vantage point on the eastern U.S. coast, Acadia's HawkWatch location on Cadillac Mountain often provides visitors with a close look at the soaring raptors. Each year, program participants see large numbers of sharp-shinned hawks and American kestrels, while many other raptors pass along with them.
For more details see link:
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com...-prime-viewing
http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm
The opportunity to see birds of prey—including falcons, hawks, ospreys and eagles—often involves stealth, patience and oftentimes travel to an isolated location, not to mention a good dose of luck.
There's never a guarantee when it comes to spotting any bird in the wild, but your odds of success in spotting some of those magnificent larger species are certainly good at Acadia during this annual fall activity.
Park rangers and volunteers will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily during the event to help visitors find and identify birds, and to provide natural history information on raptors and related topics. The site is located on the Cadillac North Ridge Trail, 200 yards from the Cadillac summit parking lot. If you aren't familiar with the area, you'll find maps and driving directions to Acadia on the park's website.
Why is this such a great location and time of year for raptor-watching? A park publication explains:
Every year, strong northerly winds push thousands of raptors from Maine and Canada south along the eastern coastline as they migrate to warmer areas for the winter. With its wide-open views and tallest vantage point on the eastern U.S. coast, Acadia's HawkWatch location on Cadillac Mountain often provides visitors with a close look at the soaring raptors. Each year, program participants see large numbers of sharp-shinned hawks and American kestrels, while many other raptors pass along with them.
For more details see link:
http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com...-prime-viewing
http://www.nps.gov/acad/index.htm
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