Situated along the Appalachian Trail within PA State Game Lands 217, Bake Oven Knob is a popular overlook on the crest of the Kittatinny Ridge above Heidelberg Township, Lehigh County. Each year, thousands of people flock to the Knob to experience its stunning vistas and natural wonders. But did you know that it’s also home to one of the world’s longest continually- running migratory bird of prey studies, led by Lehigh Gap Nature Center?
The Kittatinny Ridge
A Raptor Migration Superhighway
Each autumn, many North American raptors – birds of prey, including hawks, eagles, falcons, and vultures – migrate in search of food to survive the winter months. This journey often ends thousands of miles south of their summer breeding grounds. The Kittatinny Ridge, known locally as the “Blue Mountain,” plays a critical role in guiding and powering these long-distance flights.
As the southernmost major ridge in the Appalachian Ridge and Valley Province, the Kittatinny is a raptor migration superhighway. The mountain serves as a ‘road map,’ pointing migrating raptors away from the coast toward their wintering grounds. At the same time, it generates winds – waves of air known as updrafts and rising columns of warm air called thermals – that help them conserve energy as they fly. Lastly, the ridge’s vast stretches of forest provide important stopover sites – habitat for migrating birds to rest and refuel.
Raptor Conservation at Bake Oven Knob
Once upon a time, before their ecological importance was well understood, birds of prey were considered vermin – threats to livestock, pets, and even children. It was believed that the only good raptor was a dead one. Bake Oven Knob, like other prominent overlooks on the Kittatinny Ridge, was a well-known raptor hunting site due to its location along a major migratory route.
Perceptions of raptors eventually changed. As scientists began to recognize their value as apex predators, concerned conservationists fought for their protection. In 1934, conservation advocate Rosalie Edge established Hawk Mountain Sanctuary – the world’s first raptor sanctuary – west of Bake Oven Knob. Hawk Mountain immediately began efforts to count raptors instead of kill them.
Hawk Mountain curator Maurice Broun later trained volunteer “ridge runners” to establish hawk watches at other hunting sites along the ridge. Among those volunteers was local ornithologist Donald S. Heintzelman, who initiated an autumn hawk count at Bake Oven Knob in 1961. Over 800,000 migrating raptors have since been counted at this site, now known officially as the Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch. Heintzelman later founded the conservation nonprofit Wildlife Information Center, now known as Lehigh Gap Nature Center (LGNC).
Today, raptors are fully protected by state and federal law. And, in partnership with the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Bake Oven Knob Hawk Count continues each August through November under the leadership of LGNC.
Why We Count
Because birds are some of the best indicators of environmental health, understanding how they’re doing can tell us a lot.
Counting birds over time allows scientists to study their migratory patterns, track their populations, and understand the threats they face. Population declines observed at hawk watches after World War II were key to discovering that the pesticide DDT was harming certain bird species, including Bald Eagles. This led to the ban of DDT in the U.S. and the recovery of impacted bird populations. Hawk watches were key to this conservation success story.
All of the migratory raptor data collected at the Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch are shared with the Hawk Migration Association, an international organization that manages records from hundreds of hawk watches across the continent. Our observations at Bake Oven Knob have a global impact.
What we count
Of the 19 raptor species recorded at Bake Oven Knob since 1961, the following are most commonly seen:
- Broad-winged Hawk
- Red-shouldered Hawk
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Cooper’s Hawk
- American Goshawk
- Northern Harrier
- Bald Eagle
- Golden Eagle
- Osprey
- American Kestrel
- Merlin
- Peregrine Falcon
- Black Vulture
- Turkey Vulture
We also officially count monarch butterflies!
Visit our page on HawkCount.org to view our latest sightings.
We’re on the lookout for volunteer hawk watchers!
Whether you are an experienced birder or just enjoy being outdoors, we could use your help at the Bake Oven Knob Hawk Watch. Here’s how you can get involved each August through November:
Be an Observer
Help our hawk counters locate migrating raptors from two scenic lookouts on the ridge. This volunteer role is great for birders of all ages and experience levels.
Be a counter
Sign up for a weekend shift at the hawk watch to count and record migrating raptors. This volunteer role is for more experienced hawk watchers.
Visit Bake Oven Knob
The Bake Oven Knob lookouts can be accessed via the Appalachian Trail (AT) from the parking lot along Bake Oven Road at the crest of the Kittatinny Ridge.
The trail enters the forest at the southeast corner of the parking lot. Walk along the AT (marked with white blazes, or paint marks, on the trees and rocks) for 0.4 miles. This very rocky trail climbs steadily as it follows the ridge top through an oak dominated, mixed hardwood forest. When the trail becomes quite steep next to a rock slide, then levels off at what is obviously the highest point on the ridge, you will see an old concrete foundation of an abandoned beacon tower for airplanes. To your right, about 25 yards away, is the dramatic South Lookout, offering a panoramic view of the Lehigh Valley.
To reach the North Lookout, continue straight past the concrete foundation 0.1 miles along a very rocky, downhill trail. At about 0.1 miles, the trail drops over several very large boulders to a flat, grassy spot. The North Lookout is the pile of boulders just east through the trees. Scramble over the top of the boulders to the front of the lookout. Alternatively, skirt the lookout to the north following the AT blazes on the rocks for about 50 feet and then climb up the side of the North Lookout on your right. From here, you will be able to see both sides of the ridge, but you will not be able to look directly down on the forest canopy below as at the South Lookout.
Coordinates
40º 44′ 41″ N, 75º 44′ 17″ W
Kittatinny Raptor Corridor Handbook
Developed by Donald S. Heintzelman, the Kittatinny Raptor Corridor Handbook is an educational resource for schools in the Raptor Corridor area. The handbook includes nearly three dozen bulletins, including field trip guides, bibliographies, and information on habitats, wildlife, and ecotourism. View and download the handbook.