Nature Done Wright

A view of State Line Lookout and the Hudson River beyond in Alpine.

By Jim Wright
Special to The Record | USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY
  The fall raptor migration is fast upon us, and for birders, things are really looking up.
   As the new coordinator of the State Line Hawk Watch’s volunteer raptor counters, I invite you to visit the lookout in Alpine and enjoy the action. 
    The place has a lot going for it. The migrating hawks and local raptors can put on quite a show. The panoramic Hudson River vistas from the 520-foot-high cliff are spectacular, and the park itself offers plenty of trails and wide traffic-free roads to take walks. A nifty old-school cafe with restrooms awaits just a few yards away. The lookout is wheelchair-accessible. And admission is free, although you do have to pay to park.
  In case you’re wondering – and everybody does – how can you tell if a raptor is migrating or not? The rule of thumb is “altitude and attitude.” Migrating raptors typically fly fairly high in the sky and with determination as they head south.
  Here are the best times to see the various raptors:
Broad-winged hawks migrate past the lookout in large numbers, typically from mid- to late September.  Your hawkage can vary drastically since witnessing a huge flight involves mostly luck, but on Sept. 15, 2022, I helped count 1,200 broad-wings in one hour at State Line.)
Ospreys appear on the Hudson River through October. The high-flying ones are migrating.
Bald eagles might be seen going down and up the river in September.  
Local peregrine falcons can often be seen perched on a nearby cliff or in flight. They also make a very loud appearance when migrating peregrines or red-tailed hawks fly past.
Turkey vultures & black vultures are mostly local yokels, and they’re the raptors you’re most likely to see most of the time at the lookout.
Peak fall foliage typically occurs mid-to-late October. Dress according to the weather forecast, mindful that the cliffside lookout can get breezy.

If you go: State Line Hawk Watch is located off the northbound Palisades Interstate Parkway at State Line Lookout in Alpine, about two miles north of Exit 2. Raptor-counter volunteers will staff the hawk watch on most days, weather permitting, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Tuesday, Sept 8, through Sunday, Nov. 15. If they aren’t busy looking through their binoculars, they’ll be happy to answer questions and hand out information sheets on how to identify the various raptors. One of the main goals of the hawk watch, after all, is to introduce the public to the joys of watching raptors.   What to bring: Binoculars, sunscreen and a comfortable portable chair.

    The Bird Watcher column appears every other Thursday. Jim’s latest book is “The Peregrine Falcon,” from Schiffer Publishing. Email him at celeryfarm@gmail.com.