DREHERSVILLE - It's a busy time at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. With various wildlife programs scheduled for September and it being the peak migration season for raptors, there will be plenty of things to do and see.
"I think Hawk Mountain is just a great place to visit in general because of its beautiful location and views," Mary Linkevich, director of communications and grants at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, said Friday.
Visitors at Hawk Mountain will have the best opportunity to see several different birds of prey throughout the month.
"This time of the year is the best time to see bald eagles," Linkevich said. "Historically, there's a 50 percent chance on any given day from the end of August through September."
Those numbers have been growing each year, she said, as there have been more resident eagles in the area.
"Already, we have seen 383 birds of prey migrating and the highest number seen on any one day is 84, and that includes 21 bald eagles," she said.
Mid-September is also a great time to see broad-winged hawks, Linkevich said. It's the most numerous migration at the sanctuary with an average of 8,000 hawks passing through the area over a two-week window.
The sanctuary has trained experts at each lookout.
"You don't even need to know anything about birds. It's a fun and easy outdoor activity," she said.
There will also be live raptor programs almost every weekend at the sanctuary.
"I love wildlife and the hawks are especially impressive because of their size, strength and ability," Linkevich said.
Other than the red-tailed hawk, the most popular raptor in the area, Linkevich said a lot of people usually don't have an opportunity to see birds of prey.
"They hunt prey so they are good at being hidden," she said. "This is a chance to see wildlife in the wild with the backdrop of the great views. The other thing that's really cool at Hawk Mountain is that you can see a bird coming from far away, approach and then fly overhead."
It's an exciting thing to witness, especially for the first time, Linkevich said.
"For me personally, it's fun to watch other people, especially kids, see something for the first time. Nothing beats it," she said.
There will also be activities involving other wildlife, such as butterflies and dragonflies.
On Saturday, Michael May, professor emeritus of entomology at Rutgers University, will host a program about dragonflies. Linkevich said it will be the first time Hawk Mountain has featured a program about dragonflies.
"They seem like something people don't know much about and it's a great chance to learn from the best in the field," she said.
Monarch Migration Celebration will be held Sept. 14. The annual program teaches people about the monarch butterfly and their 3,000-mile migration from northern United State to Mexico.
"I think it's just another way to interest people in wildlife and nature and observe the changes in the environment in their own backyard," she said.
September is also the migration peak for the butterfly and the dragonfly.
"As a migration watch site, it makes a lot of sense to have programs that tie into other migrants. We try to have programs that connect to what is happening seasonally outside," Linkevich said.
For more information call 610-756-6961 or visit www.hawkmountain.org.