Annual HawkWatch to be celebrated October 7 at Driftless Wetland Centre

Saturday, October 7, the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, in partnership with the Upper Iowa Audubon Society, will host HawkWatch.  This event celebrates the fall migration of hundreds of thousands of raptors and other birds along the Mississippi River Flyway.

HawkWatch is a free event, designed to appeal to everyone, including families, amateur birders and raptor enthusiasts. HawkWatch activities will be held at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre, located at 509 Hwy. 18 in Marquette, a half-mile west of the Marquette-Joliet Bridge on Hwy 18.

A schedule of events will be available at the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre or online at www.driftlessareawetlandcentre.com. Birding experts will be on hand to help identify raptors and other birds migrating through the area. Iowa Raptor Project staff will be giving live bird presentations at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Storyteller Terry Visger will be performing nature stories at 11:15 a.m. The event will also feature face painting and hands-on educational activities for children throughout the day.

Activities will begin at 10 a.m. and will wrap up at 3 p.m. A food stand will be provided by the Friends of the Marquette Driftless Area throughout the day.

Sponsors for this year’s event include the Upper Iowa Audubon Society, Friends of the Marquette Driftless Area, Casino Queen Marquette, the Rotary Club of Prairie du Chien and the City of Marquette. Contact the Driftless Area Wetlands Centre at 563-873-3537 with any requests for additional information.