Back to the Mountain
Hudson River - Bear Mt - 8/21/26
It’s been a busy week for Sharon and I and so unfortunately this will be an abbreviated Natdigital blog. We did manage to get away for several hours on Thursday and decided to make an early trip up to the Bear Mountain Hawkwatch site. This is definitely one of our favorite haunts during the fall months and we’re looking forward to the hawk migration which should begin in earnest in about a week or two. Realistically, our numbers have been less than stellar over the past several years. Not sure why the hawks have not been showing up like they used to, but we keep hoping it was just a case of different weather patterns, prevailing winds, or just a natural change in patterns of movement. Whatever the cause, we are still hopeful that this year will produce more variety and numbers than we’ve been experiencing lately.
Once we we were set up in our chairs & looking out to the east, it was not long before we were greeted by two of our favorite “regulars” up here on Bear Mountain, the Common ravens.
Common Ravens - Bear Mountain - 8/21/26
Not that many years ago, it was a rare sight to have ravens flying over Bear Mountain, but now it is a regular occurrence. Always a treat to be afforded the opportunity to see these remarkable corvids cavorting over the ridge and down into the valley. We never know what to expect….playful interactions, loud vocal calls such as we had today, and aerobatic maneuvers that would make the most experienced stunt pilots envious. Today, it was just a welcoming fly-by with very audible “hellos” as you can see if not hear in these images..
Common Ravens - Bear Mt - 8/21/26
The other “regulars” to make an appearance were the Turkey vultures. On many days, when the winds are coming in from the east and creating serious updrafts as the winds hit the windward side of the mountain, we will see large assemblages of mixed turkey and black vultures flocks. As is the case with the ravens, the Black vultures used to be an anomaly….a bird of note when one was seen flying in among the more common Turkey vultures. Nowadays, however, the numbers are often just about equal as the Black vultures have settled in here in the valley. For today, it was just a triad of Turkey vultures.
Turkey vulture - Bear Mt. - 8/21/26
Our next “regular” was not a bird but rather an invasive insect which has become all too common up here on the mountain. Their numbers were not great today, but we did find them once we started to look in earnest. They are a rather pretty member of the insect community, but they are certainly not welcomed by those folks whose livelihood revolves around agriculture.
Common lanternfly - Bear Mt. - 8/21/26
These insects pose serious threats to vineyards, orchards, nurseries, and hardwood trees. Originally from Asia, adults are distinctive with grayish forewings patterned with black spots and bright red hindwings; nymphs are black with white spots, later turning red. They feed voraciously on sap from a wide range of hosts—especially tree-of-heaven aka Ailanthus which is also invasive and found in large numbers up here on the mountain. The abundance of the Ailanthus tree has lead to an abundance of the lanterflies up here as well. No problem finding either all season long.
Another lanternfly - Bear Mt - 8/21/26
And so, in spite of the lack of raptors today, it was again a most pleasant day to be up on Bear Mountain enjoying the cool breezes that were wafting by while enjoying the views of nature as well as the different varieties of vessels plying the waters of the Hudson. We look forward to monitoring the upcoming migration with our “family” of fellow-hawk watchers. Hopefully, we’ll have lots of great images of great raptors to share this fall.
