October Hawk Watching

Stairs to the hawk lookout platform

It has become a fall ritual for me to climb up the 500-foot basalt ledge near my home in Cedar Grove to the NJ Audubon Hawk Lookout. 

From this flattened area on First Watchung Mountain, you can see birds following this first ridge west of the lower Hudson River Valley as it runs northeast to southwest. They also follow the coastline when the ridge fades away and it leads them all the way to Cape May at the tip of our state. 

There will be someone from Audobon there from September 1 through November 30 from 9am - 5pm, but early October is the peak time and this month is a great month to take a look. The spring watch is from March 16 to May 15.

For directions to the hawk watch: njaudubon.org/watches/montclair-hawk-watch/

NJ Audobon also has a Cape May hawk watch location.