Pack Monadnock & Raptor Migration

It's called the Hawk Watch. Every fall Pack Monadnock hosts NH Audubon naturalists and volunteers at the Raptor Observatory site. 

Accessible via a 1.5 mile hike or the auto road in Miller State Park, the clearing atop South Pack Monadnock lies directly along the migration route and offers the opportunity to view hundreds of raptors.
 

 My hike up this week was gorgeous. Booth, the puggle, joined me for a late afternoon trek up the Wapack Trail.The foliage was lovely and the often damp trail offered up the musty, leafy aroma of fall.  Views were spectacular, with peak-a-boo-sunshine providing some unique lighting.  At the watch station Audubon representative, Katrina, was happy to answer my questions and talk about this season's hawk watch. Her enthusiasm for her work was evident as she detailed the rare sighting of a Swainson's Hawk this year. After 20 minutes of observation without a late afternoon raptor appearance, we headed back down the Marion Davis Trail.


The daily reports are fun to peruse, and this year marks record numbers sighted at the Pack Monadnock Observatory. In addition there is further entertaining information about non-raptor migratory birds and the visitors (including dogs, on occasion) that visited. It is with great pleasure that, in addition to hiking up to partake in the viewing, the Jack Daniels Motor Inn supports the Raptor Observatory annually: