Hawkwatching on the Chelan Ridge

Each autumn, thousands of hawks, eagles and falcons cruise along a high ridge perched above Lake Chelan on their way to winter territories. This year, during the peak of migration, you can witness this amazing spectacle by joining biologists from the US Forest Service, HawkWatch International and North Cascades Institute naturalists for a September “power weekend” of birding.

Working together as a team, we’ll gather local data in a larger effort to capture information on the health of North America’s raptor populations. You will learn all about raptor biology and hone your identification skills by assisting researchers as they count passing hawks. The field station also bands hawks in order to gather information on bird populations, movements and survival, providing participants the rare opportunity to get a close-up look at these magnificent birds.

Additionally, we’ll take some time to explore the surrounding ridge tops and learn about the ecology of this remote area. When the sun g