My mom and dad took us on a day trip to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, which was a little less than an hour's drive from home. Little did I know that it would be the trip that would introduce me to a life of birding. We hiked up to the North Lookout.
Not only were we able to check out the views, we were able to see one of the best migration days of that year. We saw over a thousand Broad-winged Hawks and two adult Bald Eagles that were low enough that I could enjoy them naked eye since I didn't have any binoculars at the time. I left there totally impressed by what I saw. A couple years later, when I finally got my driver's license and my first pickup truck, I would begin spending almost every Fall weekend at Hawk Mountain. In the mid-1970's, I would often assist with the count. At that time, Alex Nagy was the Curator and Jim Brett was his assistant. I would also meet many great hawkwatchers that included Babe Webster from Bucks County. Eventually, she, her husband George, and I would end up birding together in many different parts of the country.
