Imagine standing on a rocky ridge high above Lake Chelan on a windy fall day, scanning the sky for eagles and hawks. This could be you! Visitors are welcome to drop-in without reservation. Be sure to print and carry hard-copies of the driving directions as it is easy to take a wrong turn (I’ve done this!) . https://hawkwatch.org/migration/item/74-chelan-ridge-hawkwatch. There is no cell coverage, so don’t rely on Google Maps to get you there.
Janet Millard, USFS Chelan Ridge HawkWatch project leader, is offering two field trip dates to Wenatchee Naturalists and NCW Audubon Society members and friends. Sign up now to participate on either Friday Sept. 27 or Monday Sept. 30 (9am-4pm). You’ll get to scan the skies while talking with volunteer biologists who perched on the ridge during daylight hours collecting data for the 10-week monitoring period. Janet Millard will be our on-site host.
This year marks the 21st year that HawkWatch International (https://hawkwatch.org/) has conducted annual standardized counts at Chelan Ridge. The mission of HawkWatch is to conserve our environment through education, long-term monitoring, and scientific research on raptors as indicators of ecosystem health. Staffed late August through October, community science volunteers count numbers of raptors using our North Cascades migratory flyway. Observers record species, sex, age, color morph, quantities, and behaviors of daytime seasonal migrating raptors. Trained staff conduct trapping and banding, often giving visitors the chance to see a live raptor up-close before it is released to continue its migration south.
The project is a long running partnership between the USFS Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest and HawkWatch International, part of network of 8 western U.S. monitoring sites. Data is shared with partners who scientifically assess population status across the Americas, inform the public, and contribute to effective conservation of migratory raptors. You can explore all prior years data for Chelan Ridge and the other 7 locations at https://hawkwatch.org/our-work/publications-and-reports/item/403-migration-reports
Chelan Ridge counts typically range between 1,600-2,000 migrants of up to 17 species per season. The most commonly seen species are Sharp-shinned hawk, red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, Northern harrier, golden eagle, and American kestrel.
Download a HawkWatch International PDF Brochure: https://hawkwatch.org/images/stories/Conservation_Science/Site_Brochures/Chelan_brochure_2014.pdf
Registration and Logistics
16 people per day (4 vehicles)
Time: Meet at 8:45am, with a planned return time of 4:00 – 4:30 pm.
Transportation: We will meet and carpool from the Olds Station Park-and-Ride at 320 Penny Road in Wenatchee. Please volunteer to drive or bring cash to help cover gas costs. The drive takes almost 2 hours and much of it is on bumpy dirt roads, so high clearance vehicles recommended. Bring lots of clothing layers, water, snacks, lunch, and binoculars.
To register for Friday Sept. 27, email Susan Ballinger (skylinebal@gmail.com)
To register for Monday Sept. 30, email Richard Scranton (Rscran4350@yahoo.com)