Hawk Watch

For the last several years, a small group of focused observers has taken their scopes up to the Modoc Rim to observe just a small fraction of the raptors that move through the Klamath Basin during fall migration. With a natural westerly breeze that is forced upward at the Modoc Rim, raptors can’t help but follow the easy ride southward along that north-south escarpment. Each year, falcons, buteos, eagles, harriers, Coopers’ and Sharp-shinned Hawks “float” past the gazers for brief looks. In between, there is much standing, discussing, and observing as passerines move past, also heading southward.