Grandfather Mountain's annual Hawk Watch returns in September

LINVILLE, N.C. — Grandfather Mountain, the not-for-profit nature park run by the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation, will host its annual Hawk Watch throughout the month of September, included in park admission. Visitors have the chance to witness a stunning aerial spectacle — thousands of raptors migrating over the mountains and south toward their wintering grounds. Guests are invited to join the mountain's naturalists as they count and celebrate the number of passersby in the sky. Participants can observe the migration from viewing locations on Linville Peak (across the Mile High Swinging Bridge) and Half Moon Overlook (the first major overlook when entering the park). "Hawk Watch is one of the best and easiest ways for local and visiting bird lovers to get involved with conservation efforts," said John Caveny, vice president of conservation and education for the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation. "The data we collect provides important migration data." Raptors are birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles, owls and vultures. The telltale signs of the raptor are sharp talons, a hooked upper bill and keen eyesight. While some raptors remain in place during winter, most will travel south, where food is more abundant. Grandfather Mountain is one of more than 300 Hawk Watch sites officially designated by the Hawk Migration Association of North America. The mountain sits along the eastern escarpment of the Appalachian Mountains, and its rocky peaks generate strong thermal uplifts and allow excellent visibility. These factors make it a prime viewing spot for this phenomenon. Perhaps the most dramatic visual display comes courtesy of the broad-winged hawk, which migrates in groups of hundreds or thousands, called kettles. Those sightings are most common around the second or third week of September. During 2015's Hawk Watch — the year with the most birds observed from the park — Grandfather Mountain President and CEO Jesse Pope spotted a kettle of some 4,800 broad-wings passing over in less than 30 minutes, along with other kettles of considerable size, amounting to nearly 10,000 raptors in one day. Beyond nature putting on quite a show, Hawk Watch serves an important purpose. The annual tallies amassed by Grandfather Mountain and other locations are crucial in tracking hawk populations and migration routes over time. This data proves instrumental in making informed land management decisions. Counts will be conducted every day that the weather permits — the hawks don't typically fly in fog or storms — from an area inaccessible to the general public and will be posted daily at www.hawkcount.org. Furthermore, Grandfather Mountain is welcoming volunteers to aid in the official count. Volunteers must attend a mandatory orientation session in the Top Shop on Monday, Aug. 24, at 1 p.m. to participate. Registration is required. Those interested should contact hawkwatch@grandfather.com by Aug. 20 and share their name and the number of folks attending the meeting. More than 230 observation hours were invested in Hawk Watch in 2025, between both volunteer and staff time. Last year saw the second-highest tally on record with a total of 7,250 raptors recorded overhead. Broad-winged hawks were the most-counted species, as they have been since the mountain's first Hawk Watch in 2008. "Last year's count was busy despite ample cloud cover, so we can't wait to see what this year brings," Caveny said. Along with migration, September is a transformative month and a time when Grandfather sees several seasonal changes.