Lehigh Gap Nature Center records fifth-highest season total in annual raptor count

HEIDELBERG TWP., Pa. — It was a record-breaking season for Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s autumn raptor count.

“It was really a fantastic year,” LGNC Executive Director Chad Schwartz said. “We ended with our fifth-highest count since the count began in 1961.

“We didn't expect it, and we still don't know exactly what resulted in those bigger numbers this year, but it was probably just the right combination of weather conditions this year that guided the birds along the ridge.

"So we’re happy that it happened.”

LGNC’s annual autumn Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch ended late last month, with 21,791 migrating raptors recorded.

Not only was the overall count more than double last year’s total, but counters this year also set records for the number of bald eagles and turkey vultures spotted from the lookout.

And through a partnership with the state Game Commission, center officials and volunteers have been able to expand their outreach and educational efforts, engaging more volunteers and visitors.

“The numbers were just up along the ridge in general, but having people up there every day made it possible for us to document this year,” Schwartz said.

“So we wouldn't be able to run the hawk watch without all the people who are involved up there, and the Game Commission has really allowed us to expand that group that's up there.”

A record 686 bald eagles

A decades-long tradition, the hawk watch is run by LGNC staff, with the help of many volunteers who count birds of prey as they migrate along the Kittatinny Ridge.

The ridge, made up of 185 miles from Pennsylvania’s southern border, west of Chambersburg, Franklin County, up through the Poconos and to Delaware Water Gap, acts as a raptor superhighway along Blue Mountain, right in the Lehigh Valley’s back yard.

The raptor count, one of the longest continuous counts in the world, it’s an important part of conservation research.

Raptor populations have been decimated by both their state-approved slaughter in the 1960s — they were viewed as a threat to poultry and other game animals — as well as continued habitat loss.

This year’s count, which ran from Aug. 15 through Nov. 28, included three paid staff and more than 50 volunteers, counting 16 different raptor species.

“This year, there's strong what we call ridge adherence,” Schwartz said. “So, they stuck to the ridge because the conditions were just right for them along the ridge.”

Of the nearly 22,200 birds of prey counted, there were 14,831 broad-winged hawks — second only to 1978’s record of more than 15,500.

There also were 686 bald eagles and 1,620 turkey vultures recorded, both setting records.

The previous record for bald eagles was 455, set in 2020, Schwartz said.

“Numbers are looking good for bald eagles, and that's just incredible,” he said. “If you look back at our numbers the first year, we had two that first season. This year, we had almost 700.”

Population rebound

The increase in bald eagles is a strong sign of the population rebounding from the DDT era, he said.

DDT, or dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, was developed in the 1940s as the first modern synthetic insecticide, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. However, it was banned in 1972 after its use was linked to a decline of bald eagle and other bird-of-prey populations.

There also were 128 golden eagles recorded, representing the fifth-highest season total for the species.

All but three of the species counted showed increases over 2024 totals, according to data collected at the hawk watch.

More than half of the species counted — including turkey vulture, black vulture, bald eagle, Cooper’s hawk, red-shouldered hawk, broad-winged hawk, golden eagle, Merlin and peregrine falcon — exceeded their respective short-term and long-term averages.

While totals for northern harrier, red-tailed hawk and American kestrel surpassed their respective five- and 10-year averages, they fell below long-term averages.

A growing community

Now that the count has ended, data will be shared with HawkCount, run by the Hawk Migration Association of North America.

“They will take the information that we report and do what they can to learn from that,” Schwartz said.

“Having decades of data allows the scientists to really study these migration patterns, figure out why we have bigger numbers along the ridge some years versus others.

“So what answers we don't have right now, the scientists will be able to ascertain by looking at the bigger picture from all these hawk watch sites over the years.”

While the data collected helps researchers get a sense for the overall population trends in some species, in other cases, it also reflects their migratory patterns from year to year.

Alongside the count, staff and volunteers engaged visitors in the effort, expanding the local community of hawk watchers and bird-of-prey enthusiasts.

The second year of a five-year partnership with the state Game Commission, this year it’s allowed the center hire Weekend Hawk Watchers, buy new supplies and educational materials and expand hawk watch outreach efforts.

“We've been able to do so much with the Game Commission support,” Schwartz said. “Alongside the count, we made a new brochure to hand out to visitors up there, [which] talks about the history of the count and science of migration and things like that.

“We have that new weekly e-newsletter that we've been sending out during the count. So every week, we sent updates on how the migration was going, what to look forward to — so that way, folks know when they might want to get up there on the mountain.”

'A fun community of people'

There were a lot of new volunteers this year, Schwartz said, as well as a few programs, including a public guided hike in September, which aligned with the peak of the broad-wing migration.

“It was exciting having a big group of people up there to witness hundreds of birds flying through the hawk watch,” he said.

“So hopefully that sparked an interest in some people, and, actually, a lot of the folks who were there that day did come back later in the season.

“We always hope for that. We always want to get people excited and hope that the migration is strong when we have groups up there. But regardless, it's just a fun community of people.”

More than 3,700 people visited the hawk watch this year, according to center data.

“It's a really, really good group of folks up there, and that's one of the things that makes Bake Oven Knob so special,” Schwartz said.

“It's a popular spot for people to explore, and we have that great community that's growing there over the years.”