Golden Eagle Photo Credit: Jan Wassink
Golden Eagle – Photo Credit: Jan Wassink

In celebration of the Year of the Bird, Glacier National Park has launched a new Hawk Watch Program. Volunteers can choose specific dates in September and October to hike approximately 4.5 miles up the Mount Brown trail (roughly 4,000 feet in elevation gain) to collect data from 10 AM to 4 PM. A second site near Lake McDonald Lodge is accessible by road and will focus on counts of migrating golden eagles during October from 12 to 4 PM daily. If fire conditions do not allow access to these areas, alternate sites may be identified. 

Each year, golden eagles migrate from northern breeding grounds to warmer climates. One of the most important North American golden eagle migration routes passes directly through Glacier National Park along the Continental Divide. Large numbers of other raptors also use this migration corridor during the fall and spring months. 

Glacier National Park Volunteer Associates, the Glacier National Park Conservancy donors provide support for this program. Contact GLAC_citizen_science@nps.gov or call (406) 888-7986 for more information or to sign up.