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A hawk perches on a distant tree as members of the Flathead Audubon Society monitor raptor migration at the Jewel Basin Hawk Watch on Tuesday, Sept. 16. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)

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Eagle-eyed volunteers track migratory raptors in Jewel Basin
October 19, 2025 midnight

Eagle-eyed volunteers track migratory raptors in Jewel Basin

For the past 18 autumns, Dan Casey has made weekly pilgrimages to the same spot on a ridgeline high above the Jewel Basin. On an average visit, he might spend upwards of six hours nestled in the krummholz and bear grass, recording the age and species of each raptor that flies by, bound for warmer overwintering grounds in the southern United States or Central America.