A Birding Trip to Bombay Hook N.W.R. in Delaware ~ April 22, 1979

I went on my first out-of-state birding trip to Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware with Ron and Karen Wagner. It was my very first look at a coastal area and saltmarsh habitat. Life birds seen there included Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, Blue-winged Teal, Willet, Laughing Gull, Black-necked Stilt, and Dunlin.

---

Visiting Hawk Mountain Sanctuary on Crutches ~ September 12, 1976

I had been attending the Northampton County Community College during the day and then going to my part-time job delivering furniture for Yeisley Furniture in Nazareth in the late afternoon. Back in July, my co-worker Mr. Anderson and I were between deliveries near Weona Park in Pen Argyl when a grocery store salesman reaching in the back for his suitcase accidentally crossed the center line and hit us head on. With both vehicles doing about 40 miles per hour, we stopped real quick.

Our Ford box truck.

His Chevy Malibu station wagon.

The driver of the station wagon definitely got the worst of it. My co-worker had broken ribs and I ended up with a broken ankle and a chipped disc in my lower back. I tell you this because the accident was a very timely act of fate. I always wanted to fly airplanes and thought that the Air Force was my only remote chance of that happening, so I was scheduled to see an Air Force recruiter the very next day. Obviously, that appointment was cancelled and my Air Force option was permanently squashed when I found out they wouldn't consider me because I had a back injury.

I had a cast on my right leg for around eight weeks, so some of my September hikes to the lookouts at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary were done with crutches. It was a little challenging, but not that difficult.

At the South Lookout in September.

---

Spring Raptor Migration at the Delaware Water Gap ~ April 4, 1976

I spent several weekend days monitoring the raptor migration from the fire tower on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware Water Gap. Here are two photos taken from the fire tower.

The view looking east towards New Jersey and the Delaware Water Gap.

The view looking west towards Wind Gap.

---

A Really Good Day at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary ~ November 5, 1975

It was a really good day at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Highlights included 218 Red-tailed Hawks, 18 Northern Goshawks, 5 Rough-legged Hawks, 4 Golden Eagles, 18 Red-shouldered Hawks, and 10 Northern Harriers.

One of the five Rough-legged Hawks, this one a light phase bird.

This bird's zebra-like wing pattern got everyone's attention. It turned out to be a leucistic Red-tailed Hawk.

A wild-looking, leucistic Red-tailed Hawk.

---

Dark Phase Gyrfalcon at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary! ~ November 2, 1975

It was an extremely mild November Sunday on the North Lookout. The temperatures reached the 60's and there was little or no wind, certainly not favorable for a good raptor flight. A little after noon, two birds (only the fifth and sixth birds of the day) were spotted along the south slope of "1". The two birds (one larger than the other) were barely visible. Speculation was that they might be a Red-tailed Hawk and a Sharp-shinned. The larger bird left the slope and headed towards South Lookout. It was an immature Golden Eagle, which meant the smaller bird was no Sharp-shinned. Luckily, that bird headed right for us at the North Lookout. As it got to the lookout, it veered just to the south. That's when Jim Brett called out, "Gyrfalcon!" It was a dark phase bird. No one there could believe what they were seeing, but it WAS a 'Gyr'! It was another example where birds fly where and whenever they want to regardless of what predictions we might come up with. Unfortunately, everyone was so stunned that no one got a photo of the bird as it went by. Alex Nagy, the Curator of Hawk Mountain at the time, drew this picture for the cover of the newsletter containing the 1975 migration report.

The April 1976 cover of the Hawk Mountain newsletter.

---

Once again, I spent my Fall weekends at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Here are some photos from that season.

The Headquarters Building on August 25, 1974.

On the North Lookout on August 25, 1974.

My brother, Don, and my friend, Ron Wagner on the North Lookout on September 22, 1974.

On the North Lookout on November 3, 1974.

---

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary ~ September 23, 1973

As usual in Fall, I went to Hawk Mountain Sanctuary to check out the raptor migration. It was a fairly slow day, but I got this photo of Jim Brett at the South Lookout.

Jim Brett (standing behind the tree) at the South Lookout.

---