Saturday, Sept. 2 will be an exciting day as Hawk Mountain hosts a celebration for the annual International Vulture Awareness Day and begins its weekend programs.
The International Vulture Awareness Day event will begin at 12 p.m. and will include a live vulture program, educational crafts and activities for children, and information on the Sanctuary’s long-term research on the social scavenging raptor. Visitors are encouraged to head to the trails in search of a vulture soaring low over the lookouts.
On the way, visitors can take the Silhouette Trail, which features a trail-side gallery of life-size, in-flight silhouettes of 7 of the world’s 22 species of vultures and condors, including four New World species (Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Andean Condor, and California Condor) and three Old World species (Hooded Vulture, Griffon Vulture, and Egyptian Vulture). A brochure describing these will be available at the trail entrance.
The focus of our celebration is to help visitors fall in love with vultures,” Senior Educator Rachel Spagnola expressed. “We do that by providing hands-on activities, inviting guests to explore our newest trail sprinkled with life-size vulture displays, and offering opportunities for up-close and personal vulture viewing. We encourage all to spread their wings on IVAD and explore the birthplace of raptor conservation, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary!”
In addition to the celebration event on Saturday, the Sanctuary’s fun and educational weekend programming will kick off. This year’s Autumn Weekend Programs will run each Saturday and Sunday through November 12. The programs are also offered on Labor Day and Columbus Day. Admission is free for members or with trail fee.
Programs offered are Hawk Mountain’s signature live raptor program, Raptors Up Close, along with Trapping and Tracking, Binoculars Basics, and Name That Raptor. These available programs cover a variety of raptor observation basics and offer guests a unique and beneficial education opportunity while visiting the Sanctuary. Visitors will also have the chance to meet the new class of international trainees and learn from them the tools and techniques used at Hawk Mountain. For more details on the autumn programs and their schedule, visit hawkmountain.org/weekendprograms.
For any information regarding these programs or any other events offered at Hawk Mountain, visit hawkmountain.org/events.
The 2,500-acre Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey and is open to the public year-round by trail-fee or membership, which in turn supports the non-profit organization’s raptor conservation mission and local-to-global research, training, and education programs. To learn more about Hawk Mountain, please call 610-756-6961 or visit www.hawkmountain.org.
