Bird watchers gather at Hawk Cliff during the fall migration of thousands of raptors - broad-winded hawks, kestrels, sharpies, peregrine falcons. On the weekends of Sept 14, 15 and 21,22 Monarch Watch and the Hawk Cliff Banders give talks and demonstrations at the site.
On September 15th, Bruce Parker from Monarch Watch explained the process of banding monarch butterflies. He said that butterflies used to be commonly seen in the hundreds but numbers have been decreasing over the past ten years. And there has been a drastic decline from last year to this, so
that Monarch sightings are becoming rare. Loss of habitat is thought to be the main culprit, and Bruce suggested a video which explains what's behind the habitat loss.
that Monarch sightings are becoming rare. Loss of habitat is thought to be the main culprit, and Bruce suggested a video which explains what's behind the habitat loss.
Cyril Crocker from the Hawk Cliff banders association explained that the Hawk Cliff location is one of the best sites to see raptor migration in North America. He outlined the factors making that so, the banding process and displayed several birds before their release. Banding provides large amounts of information, including how long the birds live. Cyril said that though programs to re-introduce bald eagles have been successful, banding has shown that their life span is now twelve to fifteen years as compared to the historical norm of twenty-five years, a decline thought to be caused by pollutants such as mercury.