November 9, 2008 - Going Golden
Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

We don’t usually associate Golden Eagles with Pennsylvania, but there is a definite connection. Golden Eagles visit briefly each fall and again in the spring. Researchers have established that Golden Eagles travel lofty freeways through Pennsylvania each autumn. The majority of the Golden Eagle population that nests in eastern Canada passes through the Keystone State to their wintering grounds. Relying on prevailing winds, these large raptors follow ridges from north to south through a 30- to 60-mile wide corridor. Hawk watch sites at Bald Eagle Mountain, Tussey Mountain, Stone Mountain, the Allegheny Front and Kittatinny Ridge maintain spotters who track migration numbers of raptors verifying the importance of this migration route to eagles. So each autumn as the colorful foliage fades and falls to the ground, Pennsylvania is still going golden.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.