A few weekends I was looking for something to do and headed up to the Bridger Raptor Festival at Bridger Bowl. I got there just as the live raptor presentation was ending and milled around the lodge looking at displays from all the non-profits. I was definitely interested, but not necessarily engaged. Then I started talking to a guy from the Montana Audubon Society and he suggested I hike the ridge to the top of the ski area and check out the raptor survey. MAS posts a couple of observers up there to count the migrating eagles and hawks. The hike up was fun, especially when I got to the little goat path that winds up to the knife edge that is The Ridge. Sure enough there were the staff with binocs turned northward...and the golden eagles were coming down in a steady stream. I was amazed to see about 20 eagles and 10 hawks in the hour I was there. Sometimes appearing out of nowhere, sometimes easily spotted from a mile out, they followed the crest of the Bridger Range from north to south. Most of them flew about 200 yards out from where we were. I met a lot of really cool people who knew more about birds than I could ever imagine. It was awe-inspiring to be sitting 3000 feet off the valley floor watching birds coast by. They were massive and their flight appeared effortless even into the fierce headwind. A good day in the mountains.
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