Hawk watchers flock to Afton Mountain

BY ALICIA RIMEL
Media General News Service
Published: August 25, 2008

Most days, behind the Inn at Afton on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a few binocular-toting hawk watchers wait patiently - their eyes glued to the sweeping panorama of mountains and sky.

Those gathered scan the atmosphere for eagles, ospreys, hawks and falcons.

“I’ve always been a bird lover,“ said Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch Co-Coordinator Victor Laubach. “And we’re one of many official hawk-watching sites in North America. Each site records daily counts during the fall migration. So it’s really the only way we can monitor raptor populations.“

For 32 years, hawk watchers have gathered in the overlook parking lot to keep track of the hawks passing overhead.

This year’s local hawk watch kicked off Aug. 16, though the bulk of the hawk population does not move through the area until mid-September, Laubach says. Birds are migrating from Northern breeding grounds to their winter homes in warmer, Southern climes.

“... Last year, our best day, we saw 6,000,“ Laubach said. “That was a pretty unusual day. But, overall, the whole season - on a really good season - we might see 20,000 total, and on a low season, we might see 10,000 total. On a good day in September or October, you’ll see several hundred hawks a day, easily.“

Watching the birds takes teamwork - one reason the group hopes to recruit more pairs of eyes. Flying high, the hawks can sometimes appear to be no more than a black speck against the span of blue and white.

But at some points in the fall migratory season, those who set up behind the Inn at Afton will experience a majestic treat.

“Broadwings tend to travel together,“ said Rose Thomas, of Woodbridge, a volunteer. “That’s when you see the large numbers ... they like to ride the thermals, so you’ll often see them in groups. So they’ll kettle together. It’ll look like a swarm. They’ll slowly go round and round like steam coming out of a kettle. And then, after they get so high, they’ll kind of [dive] off the top. They’ll look like little bombers. It’s actually nice when you see a bunch of them.“

Hawk watchers keep a detailed count of the birds, delineating between the various species. Volunteers must first “complete a refresher course on calculating wind speed [and] direction, counting techniques and more ... [along with] a Basic Refresher on Raptor ID PowerPoint presentation.“

Data collected from the Rockfish Gap Hawk Watch is passed along to the Hawk Migration Association of America.

Laubach and his associates always encourage new members to join.

“It’s a great place to bring your kids and a picnic and help us look for birds,“ Laubach said.