Blog #423 Watching Raptors Migrate at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

October 10, 2022

A hawk observer on Hawk Mountain, courtesy of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

Observing large numbers of Ospreys and other raptors on their fall migration is a thrilling experience. One of the foremost hawk watches in the Northeast, famous for its spectacular autumn hawk flights, was established at Hawk Mountain, Kempton, PA. In 1929, the year of the market crash, the Pennsylvania Game Commission put a $5 bounty on goshawks. Goshawks sometimes preyed upon valuable game birds, so hunters aimed to eliminate them with their guns blazing.

Two years later, amateur ornithologist and budding conservationist Richard Pough went on an outing to Hawk Mountain, the foremost autumn hawk watch on the Eastern Flyway. Pough, opposed to the wholesale slaughter of predators, especially predatory birds, was horrified by what he found. Hunters were standing shoulder to shoulder up the mountain trail shooting hundreds of passing hawks out of the sky for "sport."

Richard Pough’s photographs of hundreds of slaughtered raptors shot for sport,

courtesy of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

Hawk Mountain is bustling with bird enthusiasts from August through December as sixteen species of raptors fly by the mountain in concentrated flocks.

North American Eastern Flyway for Ospreys and other birds on migration,

courtesy of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

The high volumes are observed because migrating Ospreys avoid barriers like high mountains, preferring to cut through valleys and along narrow pathways of land. In North America, all the major mountain chains run north-south. Crosswinds hitting these ridges form updrafts, enabling raptors to slope soar long distances while saving energy.

Hawk Mountain is in the middle of the Kittatinny Ridge in the Appalachian Mountain chain. The 300-mile-long Kittatinny Ridge extends from 60 miles north of New York City to 20 miles west of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. In the autumn, Osprey and other raptors from eastern Canada, New England, and New York slope soar.

Diurnal or daytime migrant raptors, like Ospreys and other hawks, prefer to migrate on

northwest winds after passing a cold front, courtesy of Hawk Mountain.

Hawk Mountain is part of the Appalachian section of the Eastern Flyway. Ospreys heading for South America soar along the mountains and funnel into Florida. Here they switch to the more energy-intensive flapping flight to power them across the water to Hispanola (Cuba and Dominican Republic) and the rest of the Caribbean Sea en route to Venezuela. These energy-intensive powered flights enable Ospreys to take more direct routes across land and water. During migration, they fish daily in the early morning or late afternoon and sometimes fly clutching a meal. Occasionally, Ospreys migrate and overwinter in groups of 3-4 birds. It's thought that such flocking enables Ospreys to locate thermals and find schools of fish more efficiently while traveling or living in their wintering grounds.

Young boy uses binoculars at South Lookout to locate passing birds.

Enthusiastic hawk watcher at Hawk Mountain, courtesy of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

Ospreys from the Northeast migrate south from July through October. Decreasing day lengths in late summer induce migratory restlessness, which strongly influences the timing of flights. In autumn, the passage of a cold front carried by northwest winds usually induces a large movement of raptors along the Appalachian Mountains. This is the time to see Ospreys, hawks, eagles, falcons, and other diurnal or daytime migrating raptors soaring along these mountain ridges.

Seasonal timing also varies by species. At Hawk Mountain, the peak passage of broad-winged hawks, which depend largely on thermal soaring, occurs in mid-September. Osprey, bald eagles, and kestrels are also early migrants. Large numbers of sharp-shinned hawks pass the mountain in late September and early October. The peak of red-tailed hawk migration occurs in early November.

Visit Hawk Mountain | Hawk Mountain Sanctuary: Learn Visit Join

Hawk watchers at Hawk Mountain, courtesy of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.

Visiting Hawk Mountain is a must for all hawk lovers in the area. The scenery is breathtaking, and the seminars and programs given at the sanctuary are top-notch. Learn more about the at https://www.hawkmountain.org. Use the Count to Date and Peak Migration charts below to plan your visit. It's a 3+-hour drive each way from Ithaca, but the spectacle is well worth the trip.

Hawk Mountain Count to Date: October. 11, 2022