Hawks Over Holyoke provides close up views

Date: 9/19/2014

HOLYOKE – This weekend, Heritage State Park will showcase some of the most talented pilots as it celebrates the Hawks Over Holyoke event.

The event publicizes annual migration of the hawks and will take place at the park, 221 Appleton St., on Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Two shows, “Eyes on Owls” and “Live Birds of Prey,” will be featured. Admission is free. Visitors are invited to bring lawn chairs and lunch. Only service dogs allowed.
   
The Children’s Museum at Holyoke will offer half-price admission and bird-related craft activities during the event. The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round will operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in honor of the festivities. “We wanted to bring people to Holyoke to enjoy a well-rounded time at the park,” Susan Kelley, executive director of the Children’s Museum, said.
   
“This year, we wanted to bring the event to the heart of Holyoke,” Kelley said, adding that the event was conducted at Mount Tom last year. “We’ve all worked together on this.”
   
Kelley hoped Hawks over Holyoke would become an annual event. She described the day as “fun-filled” and family-friendly. She credited Dr. Linda Henderson of the Holyoke Animal Hospital for organizing the event. “We’ve all worked together on this,” she said.
   
“We’re glad this program will be bringing a regional audience to downtown Holyoke to learn about wildlife in the [Pioneer] Valley,” Charlie Lotspeich, Heritage Park supervisor, said.
  
 He explained that the program would teach residents how to find hawks in the wilderness on their own to view the birds’ migration. “It’s a great opportunity to bring together the educators of the Children’s Museum with the folks who really know about hawks at Mount Tom,” Lotspeich stated.
   
Matt Cannon, Land Stewardship coordinator for the Harwich Conservation Trust, discussed the owl and raptor programs that the conservation sponsors.
   
“We see it as a bridge between what we do in the field and our conservation efforts. [The offerings] are important as an educational component. There’s not many other organizations that do live animal education programs,” Cannon said.
   
Cannon has experienced the “Eyes on Owls” and “Live Birds of Prey” programs first hand. “There’s a sense of mystery when you here them in the wild. To see them in-person gives you more of a sense of awe,” he said.
   
Harwich also offers a Mission Wolf program in addition to the two bird demonstrations. According to Cannon, people of all ages are interested in the trio of offerings.
   
Cannon noted that both the owl and raptor workshops feature birds found outside of the Northeast region. He touted the handlers of the shows, stating that they have “incredible experience and knowledge.”
   
For complete details about the event, visit www.hawksatmttom.org.