It's Fall, and the Hawks are Migrating

FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc. P.O. Box 341 Arden, NC 28704 P.O. Box 20986 Roanoke, Va. 24018 800-228-7275 (toll-free) 540-772-2992 (fax) staff@friendsbrp.org FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a non-profit, volunteer organization that is dedicated to preserving, promoting and enhancing the Blue Ridge Parkway, a national treasure. FRIENDS programs focus on preservation, protection and education. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia, whose current principal business address for identification purposes is P.O. Box 20986, Roanoke, Virginia 24018.	FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc. A non-profit, volunteer organizationdedicated to preserving, promoting and enhancing the Blue Ridge Parkway, a national treasure.
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	It's Fall, and the Hawks are Migrating With the return of cooler weather in September comes one of my favorite Blue Ridge spectacles – the southward migration of hawks. Among the earliest, and by far the most abundant of the migrants, is the broad-winged hawk. On a good day in mid-September at one of the premier hawk-watching sites as many as 10,000 of these birds may pass by. In the summer, broad-winged hawks are common in the woodlands of eastern North America, where they prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds. By September, broad-wings begin to gather into groups in preparation for their long trip to their wintering grounds in Central and South America. Hawks conserve energy by using thermal updrafts to gain altitude. They then glide to the next updraft and repeat the process. The sight of hundreds of hawks spiraling upward in a thermal (a phenomenon called “kettling”) is unforgettable. Kettling hawks can be seen from many places along the Parkway. Some of my favorites are Afton Mountain, Harvey’s Knob north of Roanoke, Va. and Bald Knob, north of Meadows of Dan. If you can’t make it for the broad-wing show in September, don’t worry. Other species, including ospreys, can be seen in migration along the Blue Ridge throughout October and into early November. Just pick a spot with a good view to the northwest and look up. *In N.C., head for hawk-watching in the Mt.Pisgah area (MP 408-415) - J.S. Beard Virginia Museum of Natural History
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