Click Here for All the Pictures from this Trip
I had this weird feeling when I pulled up to Laura's house at 6:30am that I forgot something for the trip. Jim, Laura and I were heading up to Hawk Mountain to meet Jack and Dorthy, but we weren't bringing our bikes. I don't think I have even been on a trip with these people and not brought a bike along.
The main purpose of this trip was to watch the hawk migration from the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, which is just northwest of Allentown PA. This sanctuary was created to stop the practice of shooting the hawks and create a place where bird watchers could come and watch the migration. Hawk Mountain sits along the Kitteny Ridge which provides a lot of updrafts and thermals which the hawks use in their migration.
I didn't know a lot about hawk migration before I started planning this trip. The migration is very weather dependent. Hawks use thermals and wind to migrate, so the amount of sun and direction and strength of the wind determines how many hawks you will see on a given day. Each type of hawk has a slightly different migration times and patterns. The main type of hawk we saw at Hawk Mountain was the broad-winded hawk which migrates in the hundreds to thousands. The peak migration time is usually mid Sept which is why we chose now to go the Hawk Mountain
It was about a 2-hour drive to get there. While waiting for Jack and Dorthy to get there we checked out the amphitheater which had some neat carvings.
Jack and Dorthy got there about 15 mins after we arrived. Then we all made the made the mile walk to the North Lookout which is the best place to see the migrating hawk. We quickly passed the South Overlook which a good view of the valley even though it was a little hazy.
The trail to the North Lookout was a little rocky but as long as we took it slow it wasn't a problem. There were a few places where we had to walk up a set of bolder steps but there were usually handrails that made it a little easier.
Once we got to the lookout, we had an unobstructed view of the valley and surrounding mountains.
The North Lookout is a big pile of rocks, so you find a comfortable rock and hopefully bring a cushion with you and hang out and watch for hawks. There is a naturalist there who explains the lay of the land and what to watch for. They also point out hawks or any other interesting wildlife they see like monarch butterflies and dragonflies who are also migrating at this time.
The way the hawk migrate is that they wait for sun to create the updrafts and thermals then use them to gain altitude.
Once they are high enough the soar/glide to the next ridge/mountain then do the same thing throughout the day to head south eventually ending up in central or south America. The wind was out of the southwest so when they soared past us it was in the direction of the sun, so I didn't get any great pictures mostly silhouettes.
But it was interesting watching them go by and listening to the naturalist talk about the hawks and their behavior. I also got a few pictures of a turkey vulture cruising by the ridge.
I had never really been to a hawk watch before so wasn't sure what to expect. I was thinking it might be like a flock of geese flying in formation but what it ended up being is kettles (that what a flock of hawks is called) of 5 to 15 hawks slowing rising in the thermals and then gliding by us. According to HawkCount there were at least 300 broad-wing hawks passing us during the two hours we were hanging out there. So, it ended up being a slow trickle of hawks going by instead of large groups. When we first got to the look out there were only a few people there including a couple of guys from Texas who we talked with for a while. They were serious bird watchers since they knew everything about the migration and seemed excited about each one they saw.
After a couple of hours there we had had enough. Also a half hour or so after we got there a bunch of middle school kids and another bunch an hour later. They were a little annoying so just after noon we headed back to the parking lot. After a stop in the visitor center, we headed for ice cream and then the hotel. We stayed at the same hotel we did for the Trexlertown trip earlier in the year so it was familiar and we knew where to go for dinner.
The next day instead of going back to Hawk Mountain we decided to check out the Trexlertown Nature Preserve. This was created in 1854 as a game preserve to protect the bison, elk and deer herds that were there. Eventually this became a county park (that still have wild bison, elk, and deer). There is over 20 miles of trails so there was plenty of hikes to choose from. We did the Elk View trail which goes by the bison and elk pastures. It starts down by the river, so we had to climb up a ridge after going past the covered bridge. This is one of the bridges we cycled over on the Trexlertown trip in May.
We did saw the bison at the top of the trail.
They were just grazing in the field giving me the side eye. From here we also go a good view of the valley and the zoo that is inside the preserve.
Going to the zoo was one of the other things we thought of doing but there was some light rain at the end of our hike, so we decided to skip it. After the hike we headed to the Allentown Farmers market for some lunch and to pick up some other goodies. It was a really big farmers market probably about 4 or 5 bigger than the one in Trenton. I had to restrain myself from picking up too many sweets and good-looking pastries. After lunch we headed home.
It was another good overnight trip to the Trexlertown area. It was good that Jim and Jack came along as they haven't riding with us as much. Jim and I spent a lot of time talking about my Ioniq 5 EV which is now a year old. He has a curious mind and he and I like talking about technology so it was good catching up with him. This wasn't a bike trip but felt a little like one. I may do some more of these types of trips in the future as there are some of interesting places to explore that are better done without a bike.
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