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Cider Ha'd and Sweet
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The Trees of Autumn
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Apple and Pumpkin Recipes

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October in Vermont

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Going South for the Winter

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Going South For the Winter

by Michael Cox

The trip for us began as we met our companions and loaded cameras, luggage, binoculars, food, alarm clocks, rain gear, hiking boots, first aid kits, portable chairs, Swiss army knives, a hammock, and a cornucopia of other nicknacs into the bus. We came from all corners of Vermont and descended on the Raptor Center at 8:00 a.m. - ugh!

We were prepared for our migration south. Our journey would not take us to Florida or the Bahamas, but to east central Pennsylvania.

You may ask why we chose the heart of Pennsylvania Amish country to journey to. Well, as raptor maniacs, we wanted to witness one of the world's largest natural phenomena - the fall migration of diurnal birds of prey at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

Hawk Mountain boasts the largest North American concentration of migrating raptors. Sometimes thousands of raptors fly past this point in one day - all using the mountain ridges to reduce energy expenditure on their trip south. Raptors use updrafts created by winds hitting ridges and surging upward. These updrafts and thermals (columns of rising warm air) push the hawks upward and southward, thus minimizing energy expended and maximizing distance traveled. Many hawks follow these air patterns south to Central and South America.

As we neared our destination, excitement grew. We started fidgeting and peering out the windows in search of hawks. Often Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels can be seen in trees and on utility poles along roads. Both are very conspicuous since they favor edgeland and openland habitats, and don't rely heavily on stealth to capture prey.

We counted 16 birds on the voyage south. Hope began to fade as clouds rolled in and rain loomed ahead.

We hurried to the south lookout since the north lookout was enshrouded with fog. Then, once we had assembled our entourage complete with spotting scopes, field guides, m&ms, raingear, and an official tally person, we saw it. A spot emerged from the fog flying in a characteristic flap, flap, flap, glide, flap, flap, flap, glide wing pattern, a trademark of the accipiter family.

The accipiters are forest dwelling hawks with short, broad wings and a long tail. They pursue avian prey in dense woods by outmaneuvering and overcoming their winged prey.

This hawk was not chasing prey but was pursuing the deep instilled urge to fly south following the migration of its food source. As we witnessed this Sharp-shinned Hawk fly past, one had to stop and ponder the journey this small hawk was making.

It was leaving its home territory to venture into unknown areas in search of sustenance. During migration, hawks must deal with unfamiliar landscapes, unfamiliar prey and thousands of human created road blocks. They must contend with powerlines, fences, vehicles, toxic environments, and buildings.

In fact, just this fall, more than 20,000 Swainson's Hawks have died in Argentina due to ingesting monocrotophos, a pesticide used to kill grasshoppers. However, not all mortality is related to human activities. Sometimes prey supplies are short and young birds often lack hunting experience. Far fewer birds make the return trip in the spring.

I then awoke from my momentary torpor to realize that there were several more hawks emerging from the mist. In all, we counted 37 raptors of 5 species in just over one hour. Not a bad number for the weather.

One also has to ask how they find their way back and forth and how they make the incredible journey. Some species don't even eat regularly on the trip. The Swainson's Hawk and the Broad-winged Hawk migrate in huge flocks, called kettles, and seldom eat on their migration to South America. ÎHow do they do it?' Thermals and updrafts.

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Michael Cox writes from the Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Woodstock, Vt.