WEST GLACIER – Glacier National Park will be hosting its annual Mount Brown Hawk Watch program on October 14, 2023, near Lake McDonald Lodge.
The event will begin at 11 a.m. at the Golden Eagle interpretive sign near Jammer Joe’s Restaurant parking lot in the Lake McDonald Lodge area; snacks and hot beverages will be provided.
Park biologists and volunteers will teach participants how to identify and count migrating raptors.
They will also be available to answer questions about the role of raptors in the ecosystem, the risks they face, and how the Mount Brown Hawk Watch Program began.
Educators from Montana Wild Wings Recovery Center will also be taking part with live raptors from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., offering a look at some of the raptor species that migrate past Mount Brown.
The counting of migrating raptors will resume at 2 p.m.
Park officials note participants should bring their own binoculars and be prepared to count Golden Eagles on their annual migration south past Mount Brown.
Attendees need not stay for the entire program.
Volunteers can also choose to hike on their own to an observation point and count migrating raptors just below Mount Brown fire lookout throughout September and October.
Volunteers interested in hiking to the observation point and participating in the count should email GLAC_citizen_science@nps.gov for additional details.
Golden eagles migrate from northern breeding grounds to warmer climates each fall and one of the most important routes passes through Glacier National Park along the Continental Divide.
Large numbers of other raptors also use this migration corridor during the fall and spring months.
Funding for the Mount Brown Hawk Watch program is provided by the National Park Service, Glacier National Park Volunteer Associates, and Glacier National Park Conservancy.
Additional information about the Mount Brown Hawk Watch program can be learned by contacting GLAC_citizen_science@nps.gov or calling (406) 888-7986.
