Visit Bedford Audubon's Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch

The Hawkwatch is staffed seven days a week, weather permitting, from August 15 to December 1 each year. School, Scout, and other groups are welcome! Please call 914.232.1999 for registration and details at least two weeks in advance.

The most favorable weather conditions for hawk flights at Chestnut Ridge are autumn days with blue skies, puffy cumulus clouds, and northwest winds that follow a cold front out of the Great Lakes. Don't be discouraged if these weather conditions don't occur during your planned visit. West, northeast, and even south winds can produce a reasonable flight of hawks at Chestnut Ridge.

Migrant hawks don't often pass through in a steady stream, so plan on spending a few hours at the Hawkwatch! Bring binoculars and a spotting scope, if you have them. A field guide is helpful, but the Hawkwatch staff will be happy to help you spot and identify raptors and other migrating birds.

Caution: Once you've experienced hawk watching, you may be hooked for life! Hawks, eagles, and falcons are nothing less than some of nature's most beautiful and graceful creatures.

Directions

Take I-684 to Exit 4 (Bedford/Mt. Kisco/Route 172) and turn off the ramp toward Mt. Kisco (Left if coming from the south, right if coming from the north).
Drive about 100 yards and take first left onto Chestnut Ridge Road.
Drive about 1.5 miles and look for The Nature Conservancy's Butler Sanctuary entrance on the right.
Continue across the bridge to the parking lot.
The Hawkwatch is up the hill to the left (see sign just inside the fence).

Please check our Calendar of Events for the latest field trips, workshops, and special events!

For 2012, Bedford Audubon is developing an educational curriculum in line with New York State and Advanced Placement standards for high school students. If you are an educator and would like to assist us, please call Janelle at 914.232.1999.

Other school, Scout, and other groups are welcome! Please call 914.232.1999 for registration and details.

Volunteer

If you would like to volunteer your time at the Hawkwatch – spotting raptors, taking data, or assisting with nature interpretation – please fill out a Volunteer Application Form and email it to Naturalist-in-Residence Tait Johansson at tjohansson@bedfordaduudbon.org.

Support the Hawkwatch

Bedford Audubon needs your support for the Hawkwatch! Each season we hire a skilled Hawk Counter, as well as an Intern to assist the Counter with spotting, nature interpretation, and public programs.

Please consider making a secure online donation today to support the Hawkwatch! Be sure to include the Hawkwatch in the comments section.

Our Data

Bedford Audubon's contribution of data to the Hawk Migration Association of North America is in its third decade. The Hawk Count is conducted using data protocols established by the Hawk Migration Association of North America. The data serves as an ecological litmus test that reflects changes in the health of our environment, and the data produced by Bedford Audubon and other Hawkwatch locations enables the Hawk Migration Association of North America and its partners to produce reliable analyses of raptor population trends that drive conservation research and legislation across the country and all of North America.

You can view our data online at Hawkcount.org.

Hawk Migration Association of North America

Bedford Audubon is a proud member of the Hawk Migration Association of North America. The Hawk Migration Association of North America is a membership-based organization committed to the conservation of raptors through the scientific study, enjoyment, and appreciation of raptor migration. They collect hawk count data from almost two hundred affiliated raptor monitoring sites throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Genevieve Rozhon Joins Bedford Audubon for the 2012 Season >

Visit the Hawkwatch >

Guide for Schools and Scout Programs >

Stalking Birds of Prey Through the Eyes of Binoculars (1991 New York Times article) >