Eric Masterson to bike the migration route of Broad-winged Hawks

At the end of August, Eric Masterson, journalist and birdwatcher, will depart from his New Hampshire front door to bicycle south following the route set by Hawk Mountain's migrating, satellite-tagged raptors, during which he will create a narrative log of the journey of these birds.

Masterson will follow the path of broad-winged hawks as they migrate from his home in New Hampshire to South America. Crossing 5000 miles and 5 time zones, the route traces the Appalachian Mountains south to the Gulf coast. He will then continue west and south through Mexico and Central America, finishing the trek in Colombia in the spring of 2017.

Masterson plans to reach the Sanctuary in the first days of September. Along the way, he plans to visit multiple hawk-watching sites, including Veracruz River of Raptors in Mexico that counts nearly 2 million broad-wings each autumn. Currently, he aims to cover about 50 miles a day, with alternating rest time.

"There is something beautiful about getting to the end of the road," he said.

Hawk Mountain will act as a scientific advisor to Masterson for his journey. He will chronicle the adventure on his blog found at ericmasterson.com. He refers to this project as A Kettle of One, and you can read more about his inspiration and plans on his site.

Since 2014, Hawk Mountain has tagged 13 Pennsylvania-nesting broad-winged hawks to understand the conservation challenges they face. To learn more about broad-winged hawks and the Sanctuary's research, visit hawkmountain.org/broadwing. To see when PA broad-wings begin to move check out our tracking map. Hawk Mountain research is supported by Pennsylvania Game Commission State Wildlife Grants and other donors. Visit the info page linked above to learn how you can contribute.