Hawkwatch

In concert with the Mat-Su Birders, the Anchorage Audubon Society annually hosts this great event.

This unique northern migration site, located 120 miles northeast of Anchorage, has been known as a good location to see migrating spring raptors since the 1970s. This valley migration site is best known for its large concentrations of the Harlan’s subspecies of Red-tailed Hawk, but good numbers of Golden Eagles, Rough-legged Hawks, Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Bald Eagles, and Northern Goshawks can also be seen from March – May. The count site is easily accessed by any vehicle via a highway pullout on the Glenn Highway.

Directions

From Anchorage, take Hwy 1 (Glenn Highway) towards Palmer and continue on Hwy 1 until you reach the milepost 120 pullout. The main count site (April 1 – May 15) is located at the milepost 120 pullout (GPS coordinates: 61.865761, -147.349418). This is roughly a 2-hour drive from Anchorage. From March 7 – March 31, the count site is located just one mile further east at the milepost 121 pullout (GPS coordinates: 61.881901, -147.336551). Both count sites are handicap accessible, however restrooms are generally not available on site.

What to Bring

Binoculars
Bird Field Guide
Water
Food
Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Seasonal clothes (it can be extremely cold in March and April with temperatures reaching Zero degrees Fahrenheit). Long underwear, multiple warm layers (base layer, down jacket, winter pants, etc.), warm, thick gloves, winter hat, warm socks, winter boots, hand/feet warmers
Camera

When to Visit

Camping near the count site is generally not advised due to cold temperatures and snow cover. However, lodging options are available within a 10-mile drive from the count site at Sheep Mountain Lodge and at Eureka Roadhouse. Lodging operations can vary by season so it is highly advised you make a reservation inquiry before you travel to the count site.

Media

Map

CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 Annual Event – Hawk Watch Weekend – April 18 – 19, 2020

Posted on January 14, 2020 by Web AdministratorApril 13, 2020

CANCELED DUE TO COVID-19 The Gunsight Mountain Hawk Watch Weekend

The Harlan’s Hawk Capitol

of the World!

at Milepost 118.8 of the Glenn Highway: 10:00 AM

We’ve been holding out for miraculous good news, but it looks like Anchorage Audubon is forced to cancel both our April program and The Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch Weekend.

Birding is one of the few things that can go on as usual in a pandemic, but for everyone’s safety, we can’t do it in organized groups.

We hope you get out on the trails. Spring arrivals are just starting and we don’t want anybody to miss the fun. We’ll post upcoming events as soon as we know if they’ll be possible.

Stay safe and well, and we hope to see you soon.… Read the rest

Annual Event – Hawk Watch Weekend – April 20 – 21, 2019

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Web AdministratorApril 23, 2019

The Gunsight Mountain Hawk Watch Weekend

The Harlan’s Hawk Capitol

of the World!

at Milepost 118.8 of the Glenn Highway: 10:00 AM

Our Annual Hawk Watch Weekend in collaboration with the Mat-Su Birders will take place this year on April 20 & 21st. It’s the Greatest Event of the Birding Year in Alaska!

Our Hawk Watch is known as “The Harlan’s Hawk Capital of the World” because you’ll see more Harlan’s Hawks here than anywhere else on Earth.

There is no ornithological tailgate party like this anywhere in the country!

Celebrate the return of spring migrating raptors with this annual Anchorage Audubon field trip of the spring. Migrating raptors that can be seen along the ridge line near MP 118.8… Read the rest

HawkWatch 2018 – March 7 – May 15, 2018

Posted on March 10, 2018 by Web AdministratorJune 8, 2018

HawkWatch International

Count Hawks at Gunsight Mountain

at Mileposts 120 and 121 of the Glenn Highway

This spring, a decades-long goal will happen for the third year in a row! We have always wanted to do a complete and thorough Hawk Watch for an entire season at Gunsight Mountain.

This year, thanks to Neil Paprocki, it will become a reality once again!

Neil monitored our Hawk Watch site for 2 weeks in the spring of 2015.

His Hawk Watch International team returned in 2016 to count for the full season, and tallied over 3,000 migrating raptors. That total included over 1,100 Golden Eagles and over 1,000 Harlan’s Hawks.

In 2017, Neil returned again with two additional hawk watchers for the entire season.

… Read the rest

Annual Event – Hawk Watch Weekend – April 21 – 22, 2018

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Web AdministratorApril 30, 2018

The Gunsight Mountain Hawk Watch Weekend

The Harlan’s Hawk Capitol

of the World!

at Milepost 118.8 of the Glenn Highway: 10:00 AM

Our Annual Hawk Watch Weekend in collaboration with the Mat-Su Birders will take place this year on April 21 & 22nd. It’s the Greatest Event of the Birding Year in Alaska!

Our Hawk Watch is known as “The Harlan’s Hawk Capital of the World” because you’ll see more Harlan’s Hawks here than anywhere else on Earth.

There is no ornithological tailgate party like this anywhere in the country, and this year we know of at least one birder who’s traveling all the way from Utah for the event.

Celebrate the return of spring migrating raptors with this annual Anchorage Audubon field trip of the spring.… Read the rest

The Best Alaskan Hawkwatch Article

Posted on March 10, 2018 by Web AdministratorJune 8, 2018

The Best Alaskan Hawkwatch Article

The BEST Article Ever Written on Hawkwatching in Alaska!

A few years back, The American Birding Association’s magazine, Birding, ran an article about our own Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch by Paul and Cecily Fritz.

The Fritzes led the hawkwatch effort at Gunsight Mountain for many years, and this article describes the site perfectly. They explain why our hawkwatch is very different from most other hawkwatch sites in the country, which raptors can be seen, when they can be seen, and why the birds even fly in a strangely different direction.

(Website administrator edit on 3/10/2018: The PDF of the article has been embedded here because it appears to be not longer available on Hawkwatch International’s website. … Read the rest

HawkWatch Volunteers Needed – April 17 – May 15, 2017

Posted on April 6, 2017 by Web AdministratorAugust 1, 2017

HawkWatch International

Count Hawks at Gunsight Mountain

at Milepost 118.8 of the Glenn Highway

The raptors are coming through Gunsight Mountain (there’s nifty movie here!) like gangbusters. The Golden Eagle tally is over 600 and the Harlan’s Hawks streamed in with 61 on Monday. Also on Monday, there were 3 Sharpies, 1 Rough-legged, 2 Goshawks, and an amazing Boreal Owl calling during the middle of the Day! There has also been a Hawk Owl hunting near the Hawkwatch site at Mile 120.

The Hawkwatchers would appreciate any help they can get—scanning the sky for an entire day is pretty tiring and the more eyes the better.

Last year, OUR area volunteers (all of you folks) tallied SIX HUNDRED hours of assistance at the site, and those hours contribute to the equation when funding and grant money is awarded.

… Read the rest

Special Program: Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch – Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Web AdministratorMarch 12, 2017

Neil Paprocki presents:

Special Program: Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch

at the First Congregational Church, 2610 E. Northern Lights Blvd – 7:00 PM

We’ve got a real treat next Wednesday, March 8th, when Neil Paprocki will give a last minute program about the Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch. Neil will be in town to get his team started on the Second Ever full-season monitoring of the raptor migration through the Gunsight Mountain area.

Once again, Hawkwatch International will monitor the migration from March 7 until approximately May 15, and Neil will give us a glimpse into this year’s plans as well as last year’s findings.

So mark your calendar at the last minute: Wednesday, March 8th. 7:00pm at the First Congregational Church on Northern Lights just east of Lake Otis.

… Read the rest

HawkWatch International – March 7 – May 15, 2017

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Web AdministratorAugust 1, 2017

HawkWatch International

Count Hawks at Gunsight Mountain

at Milepost 118.8 of the Glenn Highway

This spring, a decades-long goal will finally happen for the second year in a row! We have always wanted to do a complete and thorough Hawk Watch for an entire season at Gunsight Mountain.

This year, thanks to Neil Paprocki, it will become a reality once again!

Neil monitored our Hawk Watch site for 2 weeks in the spring of 2015. His Hawk Watch International team returned in 2016 to count for the full season, and tallied over 3,000 migrating raptors.

That total included over 1,100 Golden Eagles and over 1,000 Harlan’s Hawks. This year, Neil will return with two additional hawk watchers for the entire season.

… Read the rest

Annual Event – April 15-16, 2017

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Web AdministratorAugust 1, 2017

The Gunsight Mountain Hawk Watch Weekend

The Harlan’s Hawk Capitol

of the World!

at MP 118.8 of the Glenn Highway: 10:00 AM

Our Annual Hawk Watch Weekend in collaboration with the Mat-Su Birders will take place this year on April 15 & 16th. It’s the Greatest Event of the Birding Year in Alaska!

Our Hawk Watch is known as “The Harlan’s Hawk Capital of the World” because you’ll see more Harlan’s Hawks here than anywhere else on Earth.

There is no ornithological tailgate party like this anywhere in the country, and this year we know of at least one birder who’s traveling all the way from Utah for the event.

Celebrate the return of spring migrating raptors with this annual Anchorage Audubon field trip of the spring. Migrating raptors that can be seen along the ridge line near MP 118.8 include Golden Eagle, Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Northern Goshawk, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, and Merlin. Swainson’s Hawk and Osprey have also been seen migrating through this area as well as Swans, Lapland Longspurs, Snow Buntings, and the occasional Northern Hawk Owl. Bring warm clothing, binoculars, spotting scopes, lunch, snacks, and lawn chairs and sit back while you watch migrating raptors glide over the nearby ridge.

Generally great weather, albeit a little chilly sometimes – The dog doesn’t quite seem so enraptured by the passing raptors as is everyone else.

The Hawkwatch is a spectacle that is unrivaled in Alaska. It’s a great gathering, a fabulous party, and the birds are astounding. If you have never attended the Hawk Watch, you’ll never be the same. The scenery is gorgeous!

Hawk Watch Panorama taken from a 100 Megapixel image of the Chugach Mountains to the south of MP 118.8 of the Glenn Highway

Meet at 10:00 AM at the wayside at Milepost 118.8, Glenn Highway. A short raptor identification talk will take place at 10:30 AM. On Sunday, April 16, the Mat-Su Birders will host their annual Hawk Watch Potluck BBQ at the same location. For details on the Mat-Su Hawk Watch – www.matsubirders.org/html/calendar.html.

Hawk Watch – Northern Harrier (note the black wing tips)

A special birder’s banquet will be hosted by the Sheep Mountain Lodge on Saturday night, and plans include a talk by the Professional Hawkwatchers from Hawkwatch International who once again will be conducting an entire-migration census of the site during March, April, and May. Rooms are available at The Lodge for those who want to stay on site for the entire Hawkwatching Weekend.

Hawk Watch 2012 – Golden Eagle

And once again, Anchorage Audubon and the Mat-Su Birders are honored to supply Port-A-Potties at the event for your Hawkwatching pleasure.

We’d Love to Have You Join Us.

Saturday & Sunday, April 15 & 16, 2017

MP 118.8 Glenn Highway

The Hawk Watch Report from Yesterday – April 7, 2016 – April 8, 2016

Posted on April 8, 2016 by Web AdministratorOctober 9, 2016

The Hawk Watch Report from Yesterday

Gunsight Mountain

“The Harlan’s Hawk Capitol of The World”

golden_eagle_1

Thursday, we took a trip to the Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch site. Weather was low ceiling and very few birds were flying, but Fish & Game has been trapping and banding Golden Eagles and we scored when they released one of the birds right in front of us.

We can’t promise looks that good at the Hawkwatch Weekend Party next week, but you never know what you’re going to see at the Hawkwatch.

golden_eagle_2

Details for the Hawkwatch Weekend are on the Anchorage Audubon website at:
http://www.anchorageaudubon.org/content/view/20/35/

and on the Mat-Su Birders website at http://www.matsubirders.org/

golden_eagle_3

We’d love to see you there.

golden_eagle_4

The Best Alaskan Hawkwatch Article – April 6, 2016

Posted on April 6, 2016 by Web AdministratorMarch 10, 2018

The Best Alaskan Hawkwatch Article

The BEST Article Ever Written on Hawkwatching in Alaska!

A few years back, The American Birding Association’s magazine, Birding, ran an article about our own Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch by Paul and Cecily Fritz.

(Website administrator edit on 3/10/2018: The PDF of the article has been embedded here because it appears to be not longer available on Hawkwatch International’s website. Special thanks and credit to Paul and Cecily Fritz and to Hawkwatch International.)

Hawkwatch - Paul and Celicy Fritz-1

We have a gem in our own backyard, and we’d love to see you sometime this spring at Gunsight Mountain!

The Hawks Are Here! – April 5, 2016

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Web AdministratorOctober 9, 2016

The Ultimate Hawkwatch at Gunsight Mountain – “The Harlan’s Hawk Capitol of the World”

This year, Hawkwatch International is once again monitoring the Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch site, but this year it’s bigger than ever. There will be 2 professional hawk watchers at the site from March 7 until May 15!

Paul and Cecily Fritz dreamed of such a full-scale monitoring effort twenty years ago, and it’s finally happened.

Last year Neil Paprocki manned the site for 2 weeks, and this year it’s the Full Deal.

In the past, Paul and Cecily usually started visiting the site around March 25, and by that date, the Golden Eagle migration was really starting to happen. But Carol McIntyre (Denali Park biologist) had said that Goldens were on the nest in Denali around March 15. Those birds take a different route than the Gunsight Goldens, but it would indicate that the birds were moving early in March.

Two weeks ago, the counters had a day with 229 Golden Eagles, and YESTERDAY, the first Rough-legged Hawks came through the sige. Harlan’s Hawks have been seen for at least a week.
If you’d like to see their counts, they are posting daily results at:

Like last year, we are also asking for volunteers to help the observers. Watching the whole sky for an entire day is hard work, and the more eyes the better.

If you want to join the counters for a day, please do so. They’d love the assistance and the company, but be advised that the count may be taking place at Milepost 121 or Milepost 120 instead of the regular Hawkwatch Weekend site of mile 121.

Hawkmasters Davis and Rubenthaler would probably appreciate any fresh provisions you’d like to bring along, but please use disposable or recyclable dishes/utensils so they don’t have to worry about returning them.

Also please be advised that they have job to do, so large groups of absolute beginners who need a personal course in Hawkwatching is not the most productive use of their time. Fortunately, that’s EXACTLY what the Hawkwatch Weekend is for.

We hope to see you up the road.!

NO Audubon Meeting This Thursday – March 17, 2016 – March 14, 2016

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Web AdministratorOctober 9, 2016

NO Audubon Meeting This Thursday – March 17, 2016

Sorry for the confusion, but there is NO Audubon meeting this Thursday.

Our regular meeting has been replaced by Neil Paprocki’s special Hawkwatch Program on SATURDAY – March 19, 2016.

SPECIAL MARCH PROGRAM

Neil Paprocki from Hawkwatch International
presents

“The Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch
Monitoring Program for 2016″

the-ultimate-hawkwatch-2

Our March 19 Meeting is TOTALLY DIFFERENT this year. It will NOT take place on our usual Third Thursday because of the availability of a Special Guest Star. Neil Paprocki from Hawkwatch International will present a SPECIAL program on The Gunsight Mountain Hawkwatch.

This year, for the First Time Ever, Hawkwatch International is monitoring our migration site for the full TEN WEEK Migration Season from March 7 thru May 15! This is a dream collection of data that has been envisioned for 20 years.

Neil Paprocki and his team arrived at the sight on March 7, and will give us a glimpse into the early Golden Eagle migration, the results from last year’s limited monitoring of the site, and an overview of the Gunsight Mountain migration. This will be a total treat for all Raptor Fans, but EVERYTHING IS DIFFERENT FOR THIS MEETING.

The Program will happen on SATURDAY, MARCH 19 at 7:30pm, and even the location is different. For this meeting ONLY, we will meet in the UAA Consortium Library, Room 307.

We hope you can join us, and there will be special scholastic cookies in honor of the UAA Library.

HawkWatch International – March 7 – May 15, 2016

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Web AdministratorOctober 25, 2016

HawkWatch International

Count Hawks at Gunsight Mountain

at Milepost 118.8 of the Glenn Highway

This spring, a decades-long goal will finally happen. We have always wanted to do a complete and thorough HawkWatch for an entire season at Gunsight Mountain. This year, thanks to Neil Paprocki, it will become a reality!

Neil monitored our HawkWatch site for 2 weeks last spring, and this year Neil will return with TWO additional hawk watchers for the entire season.

Last spring, we asked for local help for Neil because “The More Eyes on the Sky, The Better.” We will be doing that again this year, and we’ll let everyone know about the particulars when we have more information.

… Read the rest

Gunsight Mountain Hawk Watch – April 16 – 17, 2016

Posted on January 5, 2016 by Web AdministratorOctober 25, 2016

Gunsight Mountain Hawk Watch

at Milepost 118.8 of the Glenn Highway

Our Annual HawkWatch Weekend in collaboration with the Mat-Su Birders will take place on April 16 – 17th, 2016.

Celebrate the return of spring migrating raptors with this annual Anchorage Audubon first field trip of the spring. Migrating raptors that can be seen along the ridgeline near MP 118.8 include golden eagle, red-tailed hawk, rough-legged hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, northern goshawk, American kestrel, peregrine falcon and merlin. Swainson’s hawk and osprey have also been seen migrating through this area. Bring warm clothing, binoculars, spotting scopes, lunch, snacks, and lawn chairs and sit back while you watch migrating raptors glide over the nearby ridge.

The Hawkwatch is a spectacle that is unrivaled in Alaska.

… Read the rest