Charlotte R. Catalano may not be a life-long Pennsylvanian, but her love of raptors and hawk watching have brought her here to the Commonwealth for almost half the year.

Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin and now staying in Mechanicsburg, Charlotte is working as the hawk counter for Audubon Pennsylvania at Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch on the Kittatinny Ridge.

Prior to arriving in Pennsylvania, she worked for an Audubon chapter in New York and at a bird observatory in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Charlotte has had a long-time interest in wildlife, however, raptors caught her attention and interest several years ago.

She first started hawk watching four to five years ago, but it has gotten more serious for her since 2017 -- working for two other hawk watches in North America (Chestnut Ridge and Whitefish Point).

Each experience fuels her passion for hawk watching and expands her knowledge about raptors.

Before coming to Pennsylvania and Waggoner’s Gap, Charlotte had no knowledge of the Kittatinny Ridge.

The geography of this unique and important landscape is teaching her about how the shape and layout of certain ridges influence raptor migration, such as the sandstone on top the mountain and fertile lands below.

Charlotte devotes her time to monitoring raptor migration because is a vitally important tool to gauge both raptor population health and migratory trends.

Charlotte says, “In the face of climate change, longstanding hawk watches like Waggoner’s Gap offer vitally important information about how birds of prey are responding to a climate in flux.”

“For instance, Waggoner’s Gap has seen a reduction in the number of red-tailed hawks in migration not because of a population decline, but because more red-tailed hawks are staying further north each winter,” she says.

If you have a passion for something in nature, Charlotte recommends that people take a look at what citizen science opportunities may be out there.

For her, it’s a great way to learn about birds, meet many interesting people, and perhaps most importantly, become more engaged with the natural world.

Know of a good natured Pennsylvanian who is passionate about outdoor recreation and/or conservation that we should feature? Contact DNCR at ra-resource@pa.gov to nominate someone.

For more information on state parks and forests and recreation in Pennsylvania, visit DCNR’s website, Click Here to sign up for the Resource newsletter, Visit the Good Natured DCNR Blog,  Click Here for upcoming events, Click Here to hook up with DCNR on other social media-- Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.

(Reprinted from DCNR’s October 16 Resource newsletter newsletter.  Click Here to sign up for your own copy.)

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Related Article:

DCNR Good Natured Pennsylvanians: Ron Freed, Volunteer Hawk Watcher At Waggoner's Gap, Cumberland County

[Posted: October 17, 2019]

10/21/2019