Nature Done Wright

My  new column for The Record is about the record-setting raptor counts at State Line Lookout, featuring photos by Karl Soehnlein and an interview with him.

Here's the opening:

Every autumn, I write about the joys of visiting our local hawk watches. For me, the quantity of raptors is secondary to the camaraderie, the great looks at individual raptors, and the sights of the season.

But this fall, the totals from the region’s top hawk watch in Alpine were so noteworthy I thought I’d pass them along.

State Line’s annual fall raptor count officially ended yesterday, but by the end of October the 16 volunteer counters and other observers had already tallied new records for five species: 954 Ospreys, 339 Bald Eagles, 506 Cooper’s Hawks, 680 American Kestrels and 121 Merlins.

The link is here.