Hawk Watch

Mid-September is the peak of the fall broad-winged hawk migration as thousands of them make their way to winter quarters in Central and South America. Sometimes they follow the ridges of central Pennsylvania, riding the waves of air sweeping over those ridges; often and on days with little or no wind they ride thermals of warm air rising above fields or other open areas and then glide to the next rising thermal.

One hazy September morning I joined a number of other folks at a north-facing overlook in hopes of seeing a few of those migrants. And see some we did, first a few broad-wings riding the breeze and the thermals rising from the lowlands below as they followed the ridge in a southwest direction –

There were a couple of immature red-tailed hawks mixed in the parade of migrating broad-wings –

After a while two ospreys joined the parade, going up and over the ridge –

Followed by a sharp-shinned hawk in it’s typical flight of four flaps and a sail over and over again –

All the while there were broad-winged hawks going over, here two juveniles and an adult –

 

 

Far out from the ridge, rising on a thermal of warm air, were some broad-wings and two adult bald eagles, one of which gradually worked its way closer –

They were barely out of sight when what should come along but a juvenile bald eagle –

The final bird of the day also happened to be the closest to the overlook, it was a male kestrel, our smallest falcon –

The sightings were well worth the few hours I spent at the overlook, it’s a great spot not too far from home. Now it’s October when the red-tailed hawks head south on north winds, I’ll be there – and in November when the cold north winds carry golden eagles south.