Your Northern Arizona Outdoor News Source

Your Northern Arizona Outdoor News Source

Grand Canyon Raptors

The Grand Canyon, with its awe-inspiring vistas, isn’t just a feast for the eyes; it’s a journey for the soul. As the Colorado River carves its way through the heart of this ancient landscape, it reveals secrets millions of years in the making, stories etched in stone and whispered by the winds.

But let’s narrow our gaze from the grandiose to the graceful, the majestic eagles soaring above this rugged terrain. Their migration is not merely a change of scenery but a ballet in the skies, a testament to the enduring call of the wild. These raptors, with wings spread wide against the canvas of the canyon, epitomize the freedom and resilience of nature.

Watching these birds glide over the canyon is like viewing a live painting, each stroke a wingbeat, each shade a feather. The migration of these eagles is a rhythmic dance set to the tune of the natural world, a performance that adds depth to the already staggering beauty of the canyon.

In exploring the Grand Canyon, we delve not just into a geographical wonder but into the life cycle of its inhabitants. The eagles’ journey, synchronized with the seasons, is a living chapter in the canyon’s ecological tapestry, a story of survival, adaptability, and the interconnectedness of life.

The Grand Canyon, then, is more than a national park; it’s a sanctuary where the wild reigns supreme, where each creature, from the tiniest lizard basking on a sunlit rock to the mightiest eagle soaring in the azure sky, plays a role in the grand narrative of nature.

In chronicling these journeys, we’re not merely spectators but participants in a timeless pilgrimage, tracing the paths of creatures that call this wonder their home.

The Grand Canyon, with its jaw-dropping beauty and its wild, beating heart, invites us to look closer, to understand more, and to lose ourselves in its vast, untamed wilderness.

So, as we stand on the precipice of discovery, let us heed the call of the canyon, let its beauty overwhelm us, and its stories inspire us.

For in the flight of the eagle, in the depth of the gorge, in the silence of the stone, lies the essence of the wild, the soul of the Grand Canyon.

At least 19 species of raptors fly through the Grand Canyon, and in 1991 Hawk Watch International set up an official count site at Lipan Point, and then in 1997 set up the current official count site at Yaki Point.

The Central Flyway is an established migration corridor that stretches from the upper reaches of Canada’s boreal forests into Central and South America. Visitors to the Grand Canyon National Park can view, count and learn more about this amazing annual event that takes place from the end of August through early November.

Yaki Point is located off Desert View Drive (AZ 64 East), and there is no parking available there. Visitors to the official count site should park at the Visitor’s Center at the South Rim, and take the Orange Route Shuttle Bus to Yaki Point.

August 27-November 5, Daily from 9 am-5 pm, weather permitting

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