Animals: Hawk Sanctuary

Last Sunday, as they will every fair Sunday until the end of November, farmers flocked up Blue Mountain, in Pennsylvania-Dutch Schuylkill County, to watch for hawks and eagles gliding above them, to sit fascinated watching—and never to make a murderous move toward a shotgun. For the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, atop Blue Mountain, is the only spot in the world where birds of prey are protected, and perhaps the world’s best place to see them on the wing.

Hawk Mountain is part of Pennsylvania’s Kittatinny Ridge, an ancient flyway for migrating hawks. Cool fall winds striking the 1,000 ft. escarpment on the west side of the ridge create strong upward air currents on which the big birds can glide at 50 or 60 mi. an hour without moving their lazy wings. Hawk Mountain is the flyway’s narrowest point, where the flights of birds become concentrated. On an especially good day, visitors may see 3,000 assorted hawks fly over.

Local people say the number of hawks that flew over Hawk Mountain decreased 75% in the past ten years. Hawk Mountain became a preserve in September 1934. In the years preceding, local farmers and hunters went with guns every fall to the top of Hawk Mountain and blazed away at the migrating hawks. Between 3,000 and 5,000 were killed every season. In 1934, peppery Mrs. Rosalie Edge, militant head of the New York Emergency Conservation Committee, secured an option on the two square miles of Hawk Mountain, scrabbled together $924.40 to pay the expenses of a keeper and a deputy sheriff, presently bought the property for $3,500.

Answer to the keeper problem was a young ornithologist named Maurice Broun, who still works during the off season at “Long Trail,” Vermont. He and his wife popped down to Hawk Mountain, immediately posted “No Hunting” signs all around. His deputy sheriff kept off indignant gunners, and Ornithologist Broun set about making Hawk Mountain an attractive observation point. His routine: in season, every day from 7:30 a. m. until 4:30 p. m. to stay on the mountain tallying birds, while his wife stays at the foot of the mountain directing visitors, mostly neighbors. Majority of birds that fly over are ordinary broad-winged hawks, sharp-shinned hawks, eastern red-tailed hawks. Among thousands, however, are the rare golden eagles, turkey vultures, bald eagles, an occasional gyrfalcon flying down from Greenland.

Because the Northeast was hit by a sudden warm spell, last week visitors found hawks relatively few over Hawk Mountain. Next fortnight is expected to be the best of the season for hawkseeing. With the broadwing season about over the migrators will be led by sharp-shins and redtails, with a scattering of the first golden eagles.