by Dan Simon

"The skies are alive."

Keith L. Bildstein, the Hawk Mountain Bird Sanctuary's director of conservation science, was perched on a rock overlooking the valley, walkie-talkie in hand, and as he talked into the device, he continued to point out different raptors in the afternoon sky.

Hawk Mountain in Kempton, Penn., is one of the state's most popular spots for watching the fall raptor migration. ©GreenWorks photo by Dan Simon

It was a fairly typical Saturday afternoon on the world's oldest wildlife refuge for raptors, the birds of prey that kill primarily through their talons.

Bildstein and Israeli researcher, Dr. Reuven Yoself, director of the International birding and Research Center in Elat, Israel, were just kind of hanging out, enjoying a rare day away from the office. Yoself, who's also an expert on birds, has conducted a research study on the West Nile Virus and is in the midst of a multi-nation speaking tour. He was also one of the 70,000 visitors the sanctuary draws each year.

Like a pair of school boys skipping a particularly dull class, the two academics were enjoying a warm fall day as Osprey and Vultures sailed above and below and an occasional Monarch butterfly drifted by in the air currents.

Hawk Mountain's North Lookout provides a striking view of the valley. On a good day you can see about 70 miles. Getting to the lookout requires a mile hike up a steep rocky trail. ©GreenWorks photo by Dan Simon

Hawk Mountain draws all sorts of birders, sometimes splitting families between raptor fans and songbird lovers. Sometimes romances form on the mountain other times one spouse will introduce another to the joys of the hobby.

"I seem to have a lifebook, and I didn't even know it," one man said, referring to the fact that his girlfriend's been keeping one for him for several years. A "lifebook" is a diary of bird sightings dedicated bird counters maintain.

While there are a number of observation points and trails on the mountain, the two main vantage points for birders are the North and South lookouts. Depending on which way the wind is blowing, either may offer relatively close looks at the hawks, eagles, harriers and other species that fall into the raptor category.

You can always count on an enthusiast to call out the type of bird and its location, although it may take some work to learn the landmarks they're calling off. Fortunately, most birders are more than happy to explain both the terrain and the nuances of their avocation.

Birders are wired a little differently than you or I, but in a nice sort of way. The sanctuary, which has only a small, professional staff of 17 full-timers and three seasonal workers, relies on some 200 of these enthusiasts to help make it work. Many of these people help run sanctuary operations or tend lookout points or act as official spotters and counters. It's typical for a volunteer to finish an assigned responsibility and then climb up to another overlook and help out there.

Hawk Mountain is located a few miles from Allentown, Penn., and draws about 70,000 visitors a year. ©GreenWorks photo by Dan Simon

"The volunteers are special because they're doing what they want to do, and they're doing it in such an enthusiastic way, that when visitors come here, they become the perfect spokespeople," Bildstein said. "It's wonderful to have a paid staff member to educate the public. It's even more exciting for the visiting public to see the knowledge coming forth from someone who's not being paid, doing it just for the love of conservation in general and for Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in particular.

"We've had people working here for more than a quarter of a century."