Hawk Watching at the Route 15 Overlook
11/1/15
By David Brown
This fall I began hawk watching at the overlook on route 15 near South Williamsport that looks out over the Williamsport Regional Airport. This is a unique location because unlike most hawk watches, this spot has a steady stream of visitors who saw the sign “scenic overlook 1 mile” and were intrigued enough to stop. Just like the raptors, it is easy to place these visitors into categories. These are the young couples, the older couples, the foreign tourists in vans, the families with children in minivans, the commercial drivers, the lonely solo travelers, the photographers, and so on. Many have license plates from other states.
It is a fact of hawk watching that the majority of birds are distant. Even the ones that pass directly over are usually fairly high. However, each species has a unique feel. That distant speck that has a sharp 'V' shape and wobbles is a turkey vulture. That lanky raptor with drooped wings is an osprey. The bird plowing into a strong headwind and holding rock steady is undoubtably an eagle. That one with razor sharp wingtips that continually flaps as it zooms past is a falcon. That small bird getting blown around with rounded wings, a long tail, and no head is a sharp-shinned hawk. The one that is slightly larger and shaped like a cross is a Cooper's hawk. That one facing into the wind and hovering like a kite on a string is a red-tailed hawk watching for rabbits below.
Red-tailed Hawk
Each species has its preferred flight path. The bald and golden eagles ignore the mountain gap and pass directly overhead, sticking to the ridge, while the smaller kestrels and sharp-shinned hawks take the lower route through the gap heading south. Similarly, the young kids run ahead and head straight for the large metal binoculars mounted near the fence. Some visitors stay in one spot while others walk the whole fence to make sure they see from every angle. The tourists have point-and-shoot cameras but others take photos with their cell phones and tablets. The baby boomers take photos of each other or ask me to take a group photo. The millenials prefer to attempt selfies.
Golden Eagle
Some people are curious what I'm seeing and strike up memorable conversations. There was the couple from New York who were finishing a three month trip around the United States with their dog. There was the truck driver from Hungary who had his girlfriend visiting him and wanted to bring her through our area because of how beautiful it is. There was the man from Oregon who took pity on me for standing there in the cold and gave me his extra donut.
They stop to look down from the mountain and I stop to look up, but we're all there to see, and perhaps even experience, something. I go home with a hundred photos of distant birds and they go home with distant photos of hills they may never see again. They may never see me again. I may never see those same birds again, but that's okay because there are always other birds and other overlooks.
