Glacier National Park held Mount Brown Hawk Watch on 3 October
Published on 10/04/2026 at 01:34 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael MĂĽller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Glacier National Park held its Annual Mount Brown Hawk Watch Open House on 3 October 2026 in West Glacier, Montana. The event brought live raptors, park biologists and migration monitoring together at an established observation site in the northern Rocky Mountains.
Mount Brown Hawk Watch brought raptors to visitors
The open house took place at the interpretive sign by Jammer Joe’s parking lot. The National Park Service scheduled live raptors from noon to 2pm, followed by raptor monitoring from 2pm to 3pm, with staff teaching participants how to identify migrating birds and explaining the risks facing them.
The event was part of the annual Hawk Watch Programme, which also includes monitoring near Lake McDonald Lodge during the end of September and October. The park’s event notice said the Mount Brown and Lake McDonald sites were selected in 2018 because they produced consistent raptor counts and were relatively accessible.
A report by the Hungry Horse News also recorded the 3 October programme and its timetable. The date linked the public open house to the wider autumn migration period rather than to a single wildlife sighting.
The park’s 1910 history frames the autumn count
Golden eagles migrate from northern breeding grounds towards warmer winter areas, and a major North American migration route passes through the park. The National Park Service said biologists recorded nearly 2,000 golden eagles passing Mount Brown annually in the mid-1990s, while more recent data from outside the park indicated significant declines.
Glacier National Park began its Raptor Migration Project in 2011 to investigate suitable monitoring locations. Hawk Watch sites now form part of an international effort to track long-term raptor population trends through systematic counts.
The park was established on 11 May 1910 and protects 1,583 square miles of northern Montana. Together with Waterton Lakes National Park in Canada, it became the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in 1932 and a World Heritage Site in 1995. That protected landscape gives the October count a setting shaped by both wildlife research and cross-border conservation.
Visiting Glacier National Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Annual Mount Brown Hawk Watch Open House was held on 3 October 2026 at the interpretive sign by Jammer Joe’s parking lot.
- The programme ran from 11am to 3pm, with live raptors from noon to 2pm and monitoring from 2pm to 3pm.
- The Mount Brown Observation Point hike is about 9 miles (14.5 km) round trip and gains more than 4,000 feet (1,220 m); the event notice advises bringing binoculars.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Glacier National Park
When did the Mount Brown Hawk Watch take place at Glacier National Park?
The Annual Mount Brown Hawk Watch Open House took place on 3 October 2026 at the interpretive sign by Jammer Joe’s parking lot.
What is Glacier National Park?
It is a national park in northern Montana established on 11 May 1910 and covering 1,583 square miles.
Where is Glacier National Park and how do you get there?
The park’s headquarters mailing address is in West Glacier, Montana, in the United States. The Hawk Watch meeting point was the interpretive sign by Jammer Joe’s parking lot.
