Bedford Audubon Society

Visit Bedford Audubon's Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch

The Hawkwatch is staffed seven days a week, weather permitting, from August 15 to December 1 each year. School, Scout, and other groups are welcome! Please call 914.232.1999 for registration and details at least two weeks in advance.

The most favorable weather conditions for hawk flights at Chestnut Ridge are autumn days with blue skies, puffy cumulus clouds, and northwest winds that follow a cold front out of the Great Lakes. Don't be discouraged if these weather conditions don't occur during your planned visit. West, northeast, and even south winds can produce a reasonable flight of hawks at Chestnut Ridge.

Migrant hawks don't often pass through in a steady stream, so plan on spending a few hours at the Hawkwatch! Bring binoculars and a spotting scope, if you have them. A field guide is helpful, but the Hawkwatch staff will be happy to help you spot and identify raptors and other migrating birds.

Caution: Once you've experienced hawk watching, you may be hooked for life! Hawks, eagles, and falcons are nothing less than some of nature's most beautiful and graceful creatures.

Directions:

• Take I-684 to Exit 4 (Bedford/Mt. Kisco/Route 172) and turn off the ramp toward Mt. Kisco (Left if coming from the south, right if coming from the north).
• Drive about 100 yards and take first left onto Chestnut Ridge Road.
• Drive about 1.5 miles and look for The Nature Conservancy's Butler Sanctuary entrance on the right.
• Continue across the bridge to the parking lot.
• The Hawkwatch is up the hill to the left (see sign just inside the fence).

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