Eagle Watching at Waggoner’s Gap

Caprivi, PA, 3-4 November 2021

vista north from the watch

Early November is when the Golden Eagles pass down along the Appalachian Ridges of Pennsylvania on their way to their wintering home a bit further south and west. These eagles, rare in the East, breed in northern Quebec and Labrador and winter in the central Appalachians mainly. Eastern birders, such as myself, like to spend some time with Golden Eagles when possible.

Counter Brandon Brogle (left) and early-birds waiting for the first eagle

To do this, on the early morning of Wednesday 3 November, I headed north to Waggoner’s Gap hawkwatch, about a fifteen-minute drive north of the college town of Carlisle, just west of Harrisburg. I stopped at the Carlisle Diner, on West High Street, for a hearty breakfast to prepare me for spending 7 hours on the high rocky promontory. It would be cool and breezy up there, so I need the nutrition to keep me from hypothermia. There was a heavy frost that day in the countryside.

Blue Jay and autumn leaves

By 9:15 AM I joined the small hawk watch group on the high ridge (for those who would like to visit, one can plug in “Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch” into the GPS and it will take you to the parking lot of the hawk watch, just below the ridge. This is a good place to park because it is off the road and also has a port-a-potty.)

Red-shouldered Hawk

I had chosen this day because weather.com predicted northwest winds of ca. 12 mph, perfect for hawk migration. A slightly higher-speed breeze would have brought more birds, but this breeze would prove sufficient for a decent flight this day. Skies were mainly clear, and the leaves of the various ridges were burnished with gold, red, and various browns of autumn. This is a nice spot to spend the day away from the office and the computer...

Golden Eagle

Waggoner’s Gap is the most productive hawk watch in Pennsylvania and is famous for its counts of Golden Eagles in early November. It draws hawk-watchers from all over. There is a regular crew of about 10-15 who are hawk-watching stalwarts—you’ll see their names in the “Hawk Count” reports on the HMANA website (Hawk Migration Association of North America).

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Each hawk watch (and there are more than two hundred of them across the continent) logs in a count each day, along with weather and observer details.

flock of Common Grackles

This year, Waggoner’s had a new “counter”—Brandon Brogle. Brandon is sharp as a tack. He has good eyesight and great ears. He calls out the birds (hawks and passing non-raptors such as songbirds) as they pass by. Brandon is contracted to count passing raptors at Waggoner’s from late August to early December.

Frosty morning vista to the south

The group that assembles atop the open rocky ridge is a mix of regulars, occasionals, and newbies. It is a nice little society that forms every morning, with conversation about birding, local issues, and lots of joking and joshing around, though things tend to get quiet when the raptors are streaming by in numbers. Watchers come and go as their day's schedule allows. It's all very informal and nice.

adult Bald eagle

Most autumns I try to spend two days on the Mountain, and 3-4 November were chosen because both offered NW winds. It is absolutely a good idea to time one’s visit to good hawk-flight weather. Northwest is best (winds between 10-25 mph preferred). Barring that, winds with a westerly component trump those with an easterly component. Windy days tend to trump days without any breeze at all (as I would find out on this trip).

Golden Eagle (juvenile)

Day One up top was just about perfect. Eagles were featured. We tallied 19 Bald Eagles and 12 Golden Eagles—that’s makes for a nice day of watching!

Golden Eagle (juvenile)

The watch on Day One counted 194 raptors. Aside from the 31 eagles, we had 123 Red-tailed Hawks, 25 Sharp-shinned Hawks, 6 Cooper’s Hawks, 6 Red-shouldered Hawks, 2 Merlins, and 1 American Kestrel.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Non-raptors also passed by: a Pileated Woodpecker, Common Ravens, flocks of American Crows, Common Loons high overhead, Cedar Waxwings, Purple Finches, and American Robins, among others.

Pileated Woodpecker

For those who have never done a hawk watch, here’s the deal. As an observer, you are perched on some big whitish rocks on the crest of the Kittatinny Ridge—a long ridgeline that trends from east-north-east to west-south-west (this ridge is the same as the one where the more famous Hawk Mountain sits, about an hour drive to the east.) The raptors ride the winds, which brings them by the watch site.

Blue Jay

Some pass close by, but the majority pass by from a distance. Often the birds are no more the little dark specks in the sky. Viewed with a spotting scope, they can be identified by their shape and behavior and by the amount and location of white on the bird. When they get close, then one gets to see details—color, pattern, and the look in the bird’s eye.

Common Ravens

The eagles attract attention because they are huge and they are majestic. Typically, a passing eagle will be in view for a minute or two, sometimes longer. Of course, the hope is that the big bird will come closer and closer and closer and finally pass right over the watch site. This typically does not happen, but a few birds every day provide great views, which makes it all worthwhile.

Turkey Vulture

A day with double-digit Golden Eagles is a Good Day for everybody. So, my first day was a rousing success. And one Golden circled us a couple of times, allowing us to see the white of his tail and wing patches—telling us this was a juvenile bird.

Golden Eagle (juvenile)

I spent that night in the Comfort Suites in the middle of downtown Carlisle (a sweet little town with lots of history and Dickinson College’s handsome campus right there). I dined happily at Issei Noodle right on West High Street—a place the college students love. It has great Asian fare.

Eastern Chipmunk

On Day Two, after my hefty breakfast at Carlisle Diner, I headed upslope and met the small group atop the rocks at 8:30 am. Another gorgeous day, with very light northwest breezes. But, sadly, I saw not a raptor or vulture by the time I departed at 11 am. A long 2.5 hours without a single big bird. This was the first time I have been skunked at a hawk watch.

adult Bald Eagle

I should have stayed... In spite of the light winds, the hawkwatch did produce that day: 2 Bald Eagles, 13 Golden Eagles, 22 Red-tails, and a handful of other hawks. It was a slow day, but the 13 Golden eagles made it a winner. Six of these birds passed by within 20 minutes of my hasty departure. Woe is me!

It pays to stay and watch...

Red-shouldered Hawk (adult)

One can see other things at the hawkwatch. Two weeks before, a Fisher visited the rocks and was photographed by Chris Payne. What a bonus for the watchers! The site is visited by various mammals from time to time: the daily chipmunks, but the occasional Short-tailed Weasel and every now and then a wandering Black Bear. So there is more than just hawks and eagles.