Hawk Watch participants count a total of 1,145 Broadwings with 451 passing overhead in a single peak hour, setting the record up to this date. The standing record for the Hawk Watch is set five years later on September 16, 1989 with a count of 5,361 Broadwings. The Hawk Watch, officially established in 1974 by Research Associate Dr. Heinz Meng and Dan Smiley, is a vital program for observing the migration of birds over the Shawangunks and collecting important research data.

 

Photo:Red-tailed Hawk in flight by David Johnson