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Where to Go
Hawkwatching: An Introduction and Directions to Fall Hawk Watch Sites
in Massachusetts*
by
Paul M. Roberts
Where
should you go hawkwatching? Massachusetts birders are fortunate in having
many excellent sites from which to chose. Three of the state’s premier
hawkwatching sites are discussed in some detail below. Go to any of
these three locations in September, on a weekend in October and early
November, or on a weekday with a nice cold front, and you are likely
to find another hawkwatcher or two. Additional pairs of eyes are quite
valuable, and their experience may be helpful in identification. Wachusett
Mountain averaged over 12,000 hawks a season over 24 years, and that
total represents primarily September counts, as later coverage is sporadic.
With better coverage in October and early November, the average would
likely be much higher. Mount Watatic has averaged 7700 hawks a season
over fourteen years and 11,400 over the past five years. (Watatic numbers
basically reflect more extensive coverage in the second half of the
season.) Mount Tom averages around 2500 hawks with only several days’
coverage a year, primarily during Broadwing season. No doubt many more
hawks would be seen at either site with additional coverage.
You
need not go to a major site to see a good flight, however, especially
in September. Massachusetts has many excellent but lesser known and
infrequently covered hawkwatch sites, several of which are briefly described
below.
Be
Prepared
When
you go hawkwatching, take clothing more than adequate to keep
you warm. It can turn quite cold on windy, exposed hawkwatch sites.
Also take adequate food and drink. If the hawks are flying, you
won’t want to leave the site in pursuit of physical sustenance.
It's also advisable to take binoculars, a spotting scope, a compass,
a notebook, and one or more friends with you. The more eyes the
better. The compass will help you find the site and evaluate the
view as well as determine flight directions. The notebook is for
recording the numbers you count, the time you see each bird or
kettle, and what you observe about the hawks, including questions
you have about the birds you can’t identify. Using your binoculars
and scope, you should regularly scan the sky in all directions,
including directly overhead and behind you. It's amazing how many
hawks can pass by unnoticed, only to be seen flying away from
you! Finally, you should take several field guides with you, so
you can look up those questionable birds.
With
time, patience, good judgment, and a bit of luck, you can discover
the unique rewards of hawkwatching.
Major Massachusetts Fall Hawkwatch Sites
Massachusetts Spring Hawkwatch Sites
Mount
Tom State Reservation,
Easthampton, MA
Mount
Watatic,
Ashburnham, MA
Wachusett
Mountain State Park,
Princeton,
MA
Other
Massachusetts Fall Hawkwatch Sites
Barre
Falls Dam, Barre Falls
Bolton
Flats, Lancaster
Downtown,
Newburyport
Page
School, Route 113, West Newbury
Buck
Hill (Blue Hills Reservation)
Wachusett
Mountain State Park,
Princeton, MA
The
best-known site in Massachusetts is Wachusett Mountain (2004 feet),
a monadnock offering excellent views in all directions. The primary
advantages of Wachusett are its proximity to many eastern Massachusetts
birders – it is only an hour west of Boston – and that you can
drive to the summit (the road opens at 9 a.m. Memorial Day through
the last Sunday in October). The summit also accommodates people
more comfortably than can Mount Tom, which can be both an asset
and a liability on weekends when foliage is at peak. If you prefer
to hike, there are a number of beautiful trails to the summit.
When the road is closed, the Pine Hill Trail is the shortest,
quickest, and of course steepest route to the summit, requiring
about twenty minutes.
In
fall, the best observation site is from the northeast edge of
the summit parking lot, scanning the sky from Gardner in the northwest
to Boston in the east and Worcester to the south/southeast. A
second lookout only several dozen yards away, just to the right
of the fire tower, provides a good view to the west and northwest.
Another
good site is the Oxbow, located just a relatively short walk (quarter
mile) from the Visitor Center on the "down road" only a few hundred
feet from its merger with the "up road." When winds are strong,
thermals are often blown apart, encouraging hawks to tend to rely
more on orographic lift, created by wind deflecting off surfaces
like mountain slopes or ridges. Also, some species, such as sharpshins,
tend to be ridge fliers, using orographic lift to help them migrate
and often to hunt in the process. Even under prime thermal conditions
in September, with Broad-winged Hawks kettling by hundreds or
thousands, a number of sharpshins, kestrels, and other hawks may
skirt the summit. (Hawkwatching from Little Wachusett, to the
south of Wachusett, long ago revealed that at times a number of
hawks don’t go over the summit, or past the Oxbow.) Late in the
season, when you’re looking for birds such as Red-tailed and Red-shouldered
hawks that don’t migrate as far as Broad-winged Hawks, the Oxbow
may offer excellent views of hawks that might not be seen from
the summit.
Directions:
Take Route 2 to Route 140 (south) in Westminster. Take Route
140 south several miles to Wachusett Lake, where you turn right
onto Mile Hill Road, following the signs to the Wachusett Mountain
Ski Area. Drive past the ski area to the reservation entrance
partially up the mountain on your right. Restrooms and water are
available in the Visitor Center to your left. Immediately inside
the reservation, turn right again onto the all-weather road to
the summit. Don’t have an extra large coffee on your way to the
hawkwatch. There are no facilities on the summit. The drive to
the restrooms is about three miles roundtrip. You can pretty well
guarantee that when you drive to the restrooms, the flight or
the bird of the day will occur.
Mount
Watatic, Ashburnham, MA
Mount
Watatic (1832 ft) has emerged as one of New England’s top hawkwatching
sites, due to the efforts of Tom McCullough and, more recently,
Petti Staub. The bad news is that a moderately long, steep hike
is required to reach the site. The good news is that means there
is no auto congestion and relatively few people at the watch on
any one day. Fall hawkwatching is best done from East Watatic,
the bare knob to the southeast of the summit. Watatic, the southern
terminus of the twenty-mile-long Wapack range or ridge, is an
excellent site for observing thermal and ridge fliers.
Directions:
From Boston, take Route 2 west to Route 31, then 31 north to
Route 12. Follow Route 12 to Ashburnham, turn right onto Route
101, and take it to Route 119. Turn left onto Route 119. Continue
1.5 miles west on 119 to an off-road parking area and an old logging
road on your right. The Wapack trail, well marked with signs and
yellow blazes along its 1.1 mile, approximately 45 minute route to
the summit starts .2 miles from the parking lot and is the most
direct route from this lot. East Watatic is quite exposed to strong winds; pack
adequate clothing and beverage. Water and restrooms are not available
on the mountain.
Mount
Tom State Reservation, Easthampton, MA
The
first major hawkwatch site identified in New England (1936), Mount
Tom , at 1202 feet, offers beautiful views of the Connecticut
River Valley. In the fall, Goat’s Peak Tower is the best observation
point. It is essential to use the tower, and that is one of the
drawbacks to Mount Tom. On weekends, when a good flight is anticipated,
the tower can be crowded. On such occasions some hawkwatchers
will migrate to Skinner State Park, across the Connecticut River
from Mount Tom, to hawkwatch.
Directions:
Take Interstate 91 north from Interstate 90. Take Exit 17W onto
Route 141, continuing 1.7 miles to the reservation entrance, Christopher
Clark Road, to the east. Take Clark Road 2.9 miles. Not far beyond
the park headquarters, you’ll see a large parking lot to your
right. Park here, and walk up the surfaced road that climbs the
hill at the rear of the lot. A fairly steep ten-minute hike will
take you to Goat’s Peak Tower. Restrooms are available at the
park headquarters.
Other
Massachusetts Fall Hawkwatch Sites
Barre
Falls Dam, Barre Falls
Recently
discovered by Bart Kamp, Barre Falls has the potential to be a
very good site. From the east, take Route 2 west to Route 68 south
in Gardner. Follow Route 68 through the center of Hubbardston
to Route 62 west. Follow Route 62 west about 3 miles to the entrance
to Barre Falls Dam on the left. About a half mile down on the
left is an unpaved parking lot, which is the hawkwatch site. Restrooms
can be found further down the road, next to the picnic area.
Bolton
Flats, Lancaster
Many
hawks tend to fly along the Interstate 495 ridge and cut southwest
across the flats. This is one of the most promising sites in Massachusetts.
From Interstate 495 in Bolton, take Route 117 west. Cross Route
110, and turn right into the Bolton Flats Wildlife Management
Area parking lot. Scout along Route 117 for good views to the
north and east. In October this is a hunting area, so hawkwatch
only on Sundays in the late Fall.
Downtown,
Newburyport
Downtown
Newburyport between Cashman Park and the public parking lot east
of the Route 1 bridge, offers excellent opportunities. Some observers,
like Jim Barton, have had good numbers of Osprey coming from coastal
New Hampshire and turning westward up the Merrimack here. On October
3, 1998, Rick Heil observed a flight of 250 hawks, including an
amazing 71 Ospreys, 57 Northern Harriers, 5 Merlins, and 13 Peregrine
Falcons (Fall 1998 EMHW Report). The assumption is that
hawks migrating close to the coast follow the southwest-oriented
curve of the New Hampshire coast and continue southwest through
Newburyport rather than swing southeast toward Plum Island.
Page
School, Route 113, West Newbury
The
Page School appears to be most productive on the day of or following
strong northwest winds. As many as 5000 hawks have been seen here
in a single day. Take Route 113 west from Interstate 95 in West
Newbury. Cross the Artichoke Reservoir (Garden Street on left).
In about .8 mile after Garden Street, the entrance to the Page
School will be on your right. Drive left around to the back of
the school building. On weekdays, when school is in session, please
stop at the school office to request permission to hawkwatch.
Buck
Hill (Blue Hills Reservation)
Buck
Hill offers a 360 degree unobstructed panoramic view of the Blue
Hills and surrounding
environs including the Boston Harbor & Islands and the hills
to the West and North West
including Wachuset and all those between and as far as Mt. Monadnock
75 miles away on a clear day. This is a good fall location for
hawk watching and is relatively quiet with the occasional hiker
passing through.
Directions: Route 128 / 93 to Exit 5B (Route 28 North, Milton,
MA) Follow Route 28 North approximately 7/10 mile
Buck Hill parking area is on the left.
You will see a break between the guard rail, a trail map kiosk
and a granite Buck Hill marker at the head of the trail to the
summit. Follow the blue dot (Skyline Trail) to the summit.
Although this
is a short hike it is rocky and somewhat steep in a few areas
so wear appropriate footwear Information provided by Mike McWade
*A
revision of an article originally published by Bird Observer,
Vol. 29, No. 4, 2001, pp. 268-279. Printed with permission
