Hawk Migration--Hanging Rock, WV

September 25, 2010

I went with the Blacksburg Parks and Recreation trip to Hanging Rock to watch the raptor migration.  I have to admit that it was not quite what I was secretly imagining, although it was certainly worth the trip.  Yes, there were quite a few raptors--we were there for about 3 hours and saw over one hundred.  They were mostly broad winged hawks, sprinkled with a few red-tailed, sharp-shinned, and Cooper's hawks, ospreys, and a kestrel.  About what one would expect from previous raptor distributions at that site. It was a good thing that an experienced birder was there making a count of the different types, though.  It takes a practiced eye to see the differences in coloring, especially when the birds are generally pretty far away.  Binoculars were a must!
This is a picture of a typical sighting:

 So, the hawks did all come down the ridge from the north, and they generally stayed a distance from the observatory and whizzed right by.  There were, however, a couple of interesting exceptions.  Near the observatory, birders have put an owl replica on a post.  Apparently owls and raptors are natural enemies, and the raptors will sometimes be drawn in to attack the owl, giving observers a closer view of the raptor swooping close enough to realize the owl is not real.

The birder manning the observatory described a phenomenon that is sometimes observed called "kettling."  At times there will be a spiraling updraft marked at the top by a white puffy cloud.  Several to hundreds of birds will spiral up this column forming a "kettle" shape before "pouring" out the top to continue their migration.  We did not observe this on Saturday.

Toward the end of our time at Hanging Rock, some sail planes passed by.  It was amazing how fast they were going and it was easier to appreciate the speed of the hawks.