By Dan Casey
The 18th full season of fall raptor migration monitoring is underway from August 25 through the first week of November, weather permitting, at the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch. Over the past 17 years, volunteers and paid observers have counted more than 47,000 hawks, eagles, and falcons from this scenic mountaintop site northeast of Bigfork. The survey effort has been a partnership between Flathead Audubon, Flathead National Forest, and Montana Audubon, with additional past contributions from the American Bird Conservancy and the Plum Creek Foundation. The hundreds of volunteer hours every year to help spot birds traveling south along the ridge to their wintering grounds have been critical to our success. Due to their (your!) efforts, more than 22,000 Sharp-shinned Hawks and 6,500 Golden Eagles, along with 16 other species, have been counted passing the site. Last year we counted more than 4,100 birds during a record effort of 396 survey hours over 56 days on the ridge.
The best days are typically warm days with southwest winds, with peak migration typically occurring during the second half of September. The early part of the season sees a majority of Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks, with eagles dominating in October. However, it is not uncommon to see dozens (or even hundreds!) of birds of 10 species or more on a good day.
If you would like to participate, or have questions, you can contact Dan Casey at 406-270-5941. A visit to the site involves a one-way hike of just over 2.4 miles, climbing from the Jewel Basin parking lot to the ridgeline site at 7,100’ on the flanks of Mt. Aeneas. Flathead Audubon maintains a “Jewelers” email group, where observers can coordinate visits, see regular survey updates, check on predicted weather at the site, and see project reports and photos. More details, updates and past reports are available on the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch link at the Flathead Audubon webpage: https://flatheadaudubon.org/conserve/jewel-basin-hawk-watch/
We hope you will plan on joining one or more surveys this fall. Huckleberries, colorful foliage, scenic views, and close-up views of passing hawks make for a wonderful way to spend a day!