Montclair Hawk Watch - 50th Season

The Montclair Hawk Watch is open from September through November. Right now is the prime migration season. 10,000 to 40,000 Broad-winged Hawks will pass over the Montclair Hawk Lookout between September 14 and 28. On Sunday, September 17, there is an Open House from 10am to 5pm. On other days, the Hawk Watch is staffed by members of the New Jersey Audubon Society. The society members are there to answer questions and help visitors spot migrating birds. This year marks the 50th consecutive season of Hawk Watches in Montclair.

The day we went was a bit hazy, so the views of New York City were not all that clear. It was, however, fairly easy to spot the bald eagles and hawks that flew overhead. There were about 20 visitors at that time, and most had brought either binoculars or telescopes with them.

The access to the Hawk Watch is a short climb up some steep, well maintained steps. One thing that really struck me was a Pine tree laden with pine cones. I have not seen so many pine cones on one tree in a long while. For directions to the Hawk Watch, go here.

The Montclair Hawk Watch is Open

The New Jersey Audubon Society will be holding an Open House at the Montclair Hawk Lookout on Sunday, September 17 from 10am to 5pm. If you can’t make it to the Open House, the Lookout is open to the public from September through November each year. The height of the migration of Broad-winged Hawks is usually between September 14 and September 25. October is the month to see the greatest number of hawk species.

The following directions are from their website: To reach the Montclair Hawk Watch from the Garden State Parkway in Bloomfield, take exit 151 for Watchung Avenue and head west on Watchung to its end at Upper Mountain Avenue in Montclair, about 2.1 miles. Make a right turn and go north on Upper Mountain 0.7 miles to Bradford Avenue. Make a left turn and go up Bradford 0.1 miles to Edgecliff Road and make a right turn. Go up Edgecliff 0.2 miles and park on the shoulder (to avoid parking problems, please park well off the side of the road). The lookout path is on the south side of the road. MAP