Hawk Mountain scenery

Hawk Mountain is a Appalachian ridge in central Pennsylvania where birds of prey ride the thermals that speed them on their southerly migrations. High above the wooded valleys, overhanging rocky platforms provide incredible birds' eye views that swoop to dizzying blue horizons.
Torn between blipping the long vista and the immediate scenery, I decided upon this shot directly down into the multicoloured foliage of a million trees.

Hawk Mountain refuge has protected and recorded hawks and raptors since it was established in 1934. At that time birds of prey were considered to be pests and slaughtered in their thousands. Thanks to this sanctuary and other conservation measures, around 20,000 hawks, eagles and falcons are now logged here between mid-August and mid-December.