Hawk Mountain Sanctuary’s annual Autumn Migration Hawkwatch in Albany Township takes place daily from Aug. 15 through Dec. 15.
Visitors can join the sanctuary counters as they monitor the southbound raptor migration from the famous North Lookout. Sanctuary staff, trainees and volunteers will be stationed at the lookouts to help visitors spot and identify raptors, including broad-winged hawks, kestrels, vultures, ospreys, bald eagles, and more. An average of 18,000 raptors pass the Sanctuary each autumn.
Daily counts are posted throughout the season at hawkmountain.org/count. Visitors are welcome to spend the day at the North Lookout.
Come equipped with binoculars and a full daypack to make the most of the day. Visitors with small children or limited mobility may prefer the South Lookout, which can be accessed via the ADA accessible Silhouette Trail. Trail fees apply for non-members: $10 for adults, $7 for seniors, and $5 for children ages 6-12; ages 5 and younger are free.
Members are admitted free. The sanctuary is located in Albany Township. 90th anniversary The 2,500-acre Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey and an international center for raptor conservation.
Its Sanctuary is open to the public year-round by trail-fee or membership, which in turn supports the organization’s raptor conservation mission and local-to-global research, training, and education programs. This year the Sanctuary celebrates 90 years since founder Rosalie Edge.