Schedule Protocol Our Counters Data Sheets: excel Experience |
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Directions Data From 1971 This Season Species Watches FIRE NEHW HMANA ![]() |
(Updated 09/01/2021 . Refresh page for most recent.)
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(Turn on audio when ready - hoover lower right, click on speaker icon.) October, 2020 |
Open video directly |
Hook - 2020 Summary | ||
Dec 31 2020 | ||
2020,
alias: The Year of the Bald Eagle, The Year of
the Vultures, The Year of the Kestrel...
We had records for Bald Eagle and both vultures, our 2nd highest year for Shoulders, and a great return of Kestrels. Check out the video.
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Hook - 2019 Summary | |||
Dec 31 2019 | |||
Both Fun! and Disappointment...
The Fun - The 2019 Season at Hook Mountain was a mix of fun and disappointment. Local hawks like Redtails flew so close they just missed our heads as they dove down on the owl decoy (see video). And, we delighted at the sight of so many Bald Eagles, many flying directly overhead or below eye level around the mountain. We see lots more than we count – those headed north or east don't make the list.
Low Counts - But, our old regulars, our most numerous migrants – Broadwings, Sharpies, and Kestrels – all had low counts this season. In fact, counts for all species were below the 10 year average! And, four species had record low counts: Northern Harrier (35), Sharp-shinned Hawk (799), Red-tailed Hawk (22) and American Kestrel (139). That's all-time low counts, since 1971, for four species! See: Hook Daily Counts, 2019 Hook Yearly Counts since 1971, with averages Not Explained by Fewer Hours We also had fewer days and fewer hours of coverage than in all other years since 2004. This definitely contributed to the low numbers; yet the four record low species also had low hawks per hour. The numbers were definitely down. So, there were two bottom lines for Hook in 2019. 1st not enough hawks, and 2nd not enough coverage.
Next Year will be Better!
The bright side is that next year has to be better! After all, 2018 was such a good year that we counted more Sharpies than in 22 other years. That was only one year earlier. So, the numbers suggest that 2020 will swing back to a larger count. 2020 - Hook's 50th Year! And, 2020 is Hook's 50th Year! 50 years of hawk watching on Hook is something to celebrate throughout the season! All of you have been a part of our watch and contributed to our numbers in years past. It would be so neat to have you help us with our Year50 count next season. So, plan to spend time on Hook next year. Bring a friend along to share the Hook experience, and be sure to take a picture of yourself on Hook so we can include it as part of our 50th Year. See you then! Trudy merlin@pipeline.com |
Hook Update - Fall 2019 | |
Aug 21 2019 | |
Hello Hawk Watchers! The Hook Mountain Hawk Watch season is beginning on Sep 1. This is our 49th season, and our volunteer counters have counted almost 540,000 hawks since 1971, including more than 325,000 Broad-winged Hawks. Last year we saw a return of the Sharp-shinned Hawk to the skies over Hook! What a delight! The 3 years prior - 2015, 2016, and 2017 -were record low years for Sharpies, with lower numbers in each succeeding year. In 2018 we broke that pattern and counted 2337, more than in 22 other years! Did you help us count those Sharpies last year? Thank you for being there! Join us again this year. We need your eyes to count all of this year's Sharpies, along with as many other species as we can find. Be sure to check out our other 2018 successes in the summary video, from the luncheon last year, including: > Record Black Vultures > Record Turkey Vultures > Record Red-shouldered Hawks, at 30% above the previous high, with 78 in one day! Looking forward to counting hawks with you on the Hook, Trudy |
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Hook Update - Fall 2018 | |||||||
Sep 9 2018 | |||||||
Hello Hawk Watchers! The Hook Mountain Hawk Watch season has begun! This is our 48th season, and our volunteer counters have counted more than 530,000 hawks since 1971, including more than 320,000 Broad-winged Hawks. Last year Hook had the 2nd highest single day count for Broadwings in the whole NorthEast - 3164 on Sep 22. Were you there that day? Broadwing Season Days of more than 1000 Broadwings -the Grand Counts - have occurred on various dates in September. In 2014 we had Grand Counts on two days in a row - 2448 on 9/14 and 1349 on 9/15. In 2011 it was 14,670 on 9/17, our best count this century! All these dates, and Grand Counts for every other year, have occurred during the concentrted flight period of 2 weeks - Sep 10 to Sep 23. And, this year's Broadwing season is about to begin. So, come up to Hook and help us! We need your eyes to spot them. Hook in Action This year has already seen some drama on the Hook: an immature Bald Eagle chasing a kiting Red-tailed Hawk (Trudy), a Kestrel - chased by a Cooper's Hawk - escaping across the valley and over the high school (John), a Merlin zooming across the summit 3 times trying to flush up some lunch (Drew), and a pair of Peregrines patrolling the Hook all day (Danielle, Felicia). There is so much to be seen and so much fun seeing it. Join us! Looking forward to seeing you on the Hook, Trudy |
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Hook - Fall 2017 Summary |
This 2017 summary was presented at our December Luncheon, along with summaries of 4 other watches in the area: Fire Island, State Line, Mount Peter, and Bear Mountain. |
Hook Update - Fall 2017 | ||
Oct 22 2017 | ||
Broad-winged Hawks
The hawks have been flying at Hook! We welcomed days with North winds and cool temperatures in September this season, a big change Broad-winged Hawks
The hawks have been flying at Hook! We welcomed days with North winds
and cool temperatures in September this season, a big change from the
very hot September days of the last couple of years. With the return
of bygone weather, we also had a few more hawks, with 4952
Broad-winged Hawks, more than the last 2 years and just about at
average. This is well above our median count of 3405, often considered
more typical than the average. So, we did well with Broadwings this
year, thanks to your dedication to being on the Hook! (See
Fall 2017 Dailies.)
For a comparison of the strikingly different winds in September 2016 and September 2017,
see below. John, Vince, and Steve enjoyed seeing our only Golden Eagle of the year so far. It was a close view, and we all wish we were there that day. Our next Golden will be the 200th all-time Golden Eagle at Hook. I can’t wait to find out which day it will be, and which of us will get to see it! Dates for Golden sightings in the last 3 years were: 2014: 10/25, 10/27 (2), 10/31, 11/7, 11/11 2015: 10/16, 10/17, 10/19, 10/23 (2), 10/30 (2), 10/31, 11/14, 11/23 2016: 11/6 (2), 11/18, 11/23 (2) For the dates above when 2 Goldens passed over Hook, the following winds are noted on Wunderground, using wind speed as average > gusts: WNW 9>23, NNW 10>28, WNW 10>23, NNW 11>29, NW 12>25. Drew is right – he always says that Goldens like the blustery days. So, be sure to get up to Hook on any of the next blustery days.
Possible Record Highs - Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon Possible Record Low - Sharp-shinned Hawk We have counted 1070 Sharpies so far. Our record low, in 2016, was 1426, so we need almost 400 to avoid a new record low. Hopefully we will do that. The adults are moving through now, so there will be more to come. But, on average we can expect only about 255 more to come. Hopefully, I am wrong about this one, but it looks very much like we will hit a new low for our beloved Sharpies. Kestrels are still below average: a count of 190 compared to an average of 221 by Oct 22. We have already past the low of 152 for the year in 2008, so at least it will not be a record low year. And, there is hope that we can break 200 again this year. So, be sure to come up to Hook and help us count! Trudy September Winds during the Broadwing Season Below are two
graphs that require a bit of interpretation.
They show wind direction for
September 2016 and September 2017.
The vertical axis at left
represents clockwise degrees from north.
Both 0⁰
and 360⁰
represent north, so North is both
at the top and at the bottom of each graph.
The top square represents NW
winds, and the bottom square represents NE winds.
The middle line, at 180⁰
represents South winds.
The two vertical lines show the
bounds of our typical Broadwing season, from Sep 10 to Sep 24.
The
difference in the wind patterns for the two years is striking, with
a jumbled mix of winds in 2016, when the Broadwing flight was weak
and late; and north winds predominant this year, with our stronger
flight.
2016:
2016 was the year
when we thought the Broadwings would never come.
Looking at the winds above, 9/11 and 9/14 both had NW
winds and look good for hawks.
However, further investigation shows high winds on 9/11, and
rain with thunderstorms on 9/14 and 9/15, inhibiting migration.
By 9/20 the winds had more or less shifted towards North, and
the BWs finally came. Our 2
days with counts of more than 100 finally arrived with 2212 BWs on
9/21 and 176 on 9/24.
2017:
The
two days with our highest Broadwing counts this year were 9/11 with
839 and 9/22 with 3164.
These days are noted on the graph by the boxes on the horizontal
axis. Note that each of
these occurred after 2 days of sustained NW or NNW winds.
The only other days with triple digit counts were 9/10 with
100 and 9/12 with 377.
These days also were preceded by a day or more of NW winds.
We have known for
years that our Broadwing flights were associated with light winds
and well developed thermals.
We also suspected that their numbers were effected by winds.
These graphs support the wind hypothesis. |
The Broadwings are coming! along with International Hawk Migration Week, 2017 |
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The Broadwing season is here, and along with it, the International Hawk Migration Week (IHMW). IHMW begins this Saturday, Sep 16, and continues to Sunday, Sep 24. It is sponsored by HMANA, the Hawk Migration Association of North America, to celebrate the wonder and phenomenon of hawk migration across the continent.
Broad-winged Hawks are our most numerous species at
Hook. They migrate over Hook from now to Sep 24,
accounting for 50% of our total hawks in just 2 weeks.
They peaked on Sep
16 for five of the last 17 years, and the median
peak date is Sep 17. This past weekend had very
favorable weather conditions for the whole Northeast,
and many watch sites north of us have counted hundreds
already. And three sites, in Maine, Massachusetts,
and New Hampshire, had more than 1000 on Sunday.
So, the Broad-wings are headed this way! They are
coming, and will be flying right over your heads any
minute now! Experience the magic! Come and help us count hawks on Hook! Celebrate the remarkable phenomenon of hawk migration! Trudy Directions to Hook |
The 2017 Season Begins! |
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We counted 43 hawks of
9 species in August, so we have a good start on the
season. On Sep 1 we had a dark morph Broad-winged
Hawk pass between Nyack and the Hook headed due west.
Neat sighting! They are unusual in the east! |
Fall 2016 Dailies |
Hook Update - Fooled by the Broadwings | |
Oct 1 2016 | |
While Penn & Teller might have been able to give you the correct date
for the Broadwing peak this year, I definitely got fooled !
Our big day this year was Sep 21 !
That was a week later than I expected.
It was Steve’s day, and Tom was the one who spied the
Broadwings kettling off to the northwest of Hook, late in the day.
Their total Broadwing count that day was 2212.
And, like many of you, I missed it. (See
Fall 2016 Dailies.) Osprey and Bald Eagles are doing well so far this season. The Osprey count of 291 is about 40% above average (since 2004), and the Bald Eagle count of 102 is 33% above average. We set new records for Bald Eagle in 2013, 2014, and 2015. With an above average year, there is a temptation to think that we will set a new record again this year. However, we need a few extra Eagles to catch up to last year, when we had 110 by Oct 1.
The Not-so-Good News: Harriers, Sharpies, and Kestrels At 33 on Oct 1, Northern Harriers are down 44%, but are typically variable. Furthermore, they continue to migrate throughout the season. So there should be many more coming before the end of the season. We have counted only 531 Sharp-shinned Hawks this season, 43% below average. This is behind last year’s 740 by Oct 1. Last year was our rock bottom year for Sharpies, with only 1433 for the whole season! In most years we have had one or two days with more than 100 Sharpies. This year our highest count was on 9/26, when Carol’s group counted 83. I am hoping that, like the Broadwings, our Sharpies are also a week behind, and we will be seeing higher than usual numbers for the weeks ahead. At only 119 American Kestrels on Oct 1, we are 24% below average and also behind last year’s 161. We have struggled in recent years to reach at least 200 Kestrels per year, and continue in that struggle. When I look back to the dates when averages for these three species were equivalent to this year’s Oct 1 count, the dates range from Sep 20 to Sep 22. So, it appears that our flight is a little more than a week late. Hopefully, it is a weather artifact and the flight will recover in the weeks ahead! So, be sure to come up to Hook and help us count! Trudy |
Hook Update-the Broadwings are Coming |
Sep 11 2016 |
It’s that time of the year again – the Broad-winged Hawks are about to
descend upon us!
While this is only 12 years of data, there seems to be a pattern of peak days occurring earlier in the season in the years since 2010 than in the years before 2010. Check out the graph of September Dates vs. Years.
The graph suggests that counts of more than 1000 BWs occur about 1/2 day earlier each year.
So, when will our big day be this year? Trudy |
2016 Fall Season Begins |
The 2016
Fall Season at Hook Mountain officially begins on Thursday,
Sep 1.
We are looking forward
to a good season ahead.
Join us for the fun and excitement of watching hawks
migrate past the Hook! |
Fall 2015 Dailies |
Hook Mountain Update |
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Nov 1 2015 The Eagles are Flying! |
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Golden Eagles We have reached 8 Golden Eagles by Oct. 31! Our average for a year is 6, so we are doing well. The First Golden arrived on Friday, Oct. 16, and we have had 2 days with 2 Goldens each, and they were both Fridays! Other days with 1 Golden each were on two Saturdays and a Monday. This is fantastic! And we should be getting more. On average, we get 1 Golden Eagle a week for the first 3 weeks in November.
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Bald Eagles We have not only set a new record for Bald Eagles, but we have reached 2,000 counted since 1971! That is yet another benchmark for this season. The 2,000th Bald Eagle passed by on Friday, 10/30, along with 9 other Bald Eagles and 2 Goldens that day.
Northern Harriers On Tuesday, 10/27/2015, we counted Northern Harrier #7,000 at Hook since 1971. This is the season for the adult males, known as Gray Ghosts to hawk watchers, to migrate. Be sure to get out to see some. They are a special sight. More Big Hawks are Coming this Month The month of November is when the buteos, vultures, and eagles fly over Hook. Come to the Hook to help us count the Red-tailed Hawks, the Red-shouldered Hawks, more Eagles, and maybe a Goshawk or two! Trudy |
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Unusual Sighting at Hook Oct 15, 2015 |
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We are calling this gyrocopter the Go Kart Copter | ||||
Hook Mountain Update |
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Oct 3 2015 Half the Broad-wings; Double the Merlins |
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Half our average Broad-winged Hawks Our Broad-winged Hawk (BW) count to Oct 1 is under 2300, less than any year since 2003, and less than half our 10-year average of 4967. Watch sites to our west and to our east have counted lots more this year, so the BWs did come through - just not over Hook. More went west than east – Mount Peter had more than 11,000, but Quaker Ridge had less than 6000. I suspect that prevailing south winds early in the migration window kept many of the hawks north of us, and due North winds during peak week sent the hawks that had passed us south to our west and the hawks remaining in New England went south to our east. At Hook our peak days for BWs were Wed 9/16, when we counted 1399, and Mon 9/21, when we counted 625. |
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Double our average Merlins We have had a good Merlin (ML) year so far, with 54 by Oct 1st, compared to our 10-year average of 26. We have counted MLs on 24 of the 32 days and more than 10 MLs on 6 days! Our record year for MLs was 1990 when we counted 119! Prior to 1990 our highest ML count was 46 (in 1989) and since 1990 our highest ML count was 74 in 2011. So, the 119 MLs in 1990 was truly extraordinary. Is there a chance we can reach that and set a new record? We need 66 more MLs to set a new record. Our average number from now to the end of the season is 28, which would give us 82. If that 28 is doubled, as this season has gone so far, we would reach 110, just shy of the record. So, keep watching the skies over Hook for Merlins. We just might be recording another extraordinary year. Other Species We have counted above average numbers of Osprey, Bald Eagle, and Peregrine Falcon. We have below average numbers of Northern Harrier and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Cooper’s Hawks and American Kestrels are below average, but not very far below. And, of course the Red-shouldered Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks are yet to come. [You can see a comparison of this year’s total to the 10-year average to date, posted regularly at the bottom of the 2015 daily counts. Two All-Time Benchmarks Reached! 12,000 Osprey; 20,000 Kestrels Our counters have accomplished 2 grand totals this season – total numbers of hawks since we started in 1971. We reached 12,000 Osprey on Monday, Sep 7th, and the big 20,000 Kestrels on Tuesday, Sep 15th. Congratulations to all who were on the Hook on those days, and also to all who have spotted an Osprey or Kestrel on each day of our history!! You have done a great job documenting these and other species. It looks like we have much to celebrate at our luncheon this year. [See yearly data with records.] May you see many more hawks this season!
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Hook Mountain Update |
Sep 12 2015 |
It is September 12th and our Broad-winged Hawks are on delay, waiting for the weather to break. Today there were several hawk watch sites up in New England that had triple digit numbers of BWs, so they are finally headed our way. Watch for them to pass Hook during this week. Most will be flying by when the sun is shining and thermals abound. Also watch for our 20,000th American Kestrel. We only need 10 more Kestrels to reach that magic all-time number! (since 1971) There are exciting days ahead! Trudy |
Sep 7 2015 |
We have been counting hawks at Hook for about a week, and we are doing quite well in spite of the very hot temperatures on some of those days. Some hawks have been coming through – 162 hawks, 11 species counted by Sep 6 – and of course some have just been flying around, giving us a show. There are a couple of all-time events we know are coming. 12,000th Osprey in the next couple of days. 20,000th Kestrel within the next week or so The Broad-winged Season is almost here Looking forward to seeing you on the Hook!
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***
Hook Luncheon
*** Saturday, Dec 6 2014 Season Summary Video We celebrated our hawks! We celebrate our Watchers! |
2014 | Count | Season Summary | |||
2013 | Count | Season Summary | 2012 | Count | Season Summary |
2011 | Count | Season Summary: The BIG Year | 2010 | Count | Season Summary |
2009 | Count | Season Summary | 2008 | Count | |
We Did It!! |
*** New Record of Red-shouldered Hawks!! *** |
The Shoulders are still moving through! Not only did we break the record, but we are ahead of the record by 25! And we have another 10 days to 2 weeks left to their flight season at Hook. There were double digit numbers of RSs in 6 of the last 8 days, with a resounding 64 counted on Halloween. The big questions at this point are: "How many more are coming?" "Does this reflect a real population increase?" |
How Close? |
Copperhead |
Hook on the Radio (start 9:45) |
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Join the fun! Directions.
![]() Photos by Steve Sachs - great stuff! |
Cooper's Hawk Video
Fall 2010
Count: Record BV, BE, and CH! |
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![]() Golden Eagle, 10/19/06: video (6000KB) |
Updated: 09/01/2021
Records (coming soon) | Hawk Watchers | Report forms: excel, pdf |
Important Bird Area | Directions | Hook Mountain State Park |
Find the Action here!
Red tail video Slow motion Broadwing fledglings Bald Eagle: photos, 10/7/04 Snowy Owl at Piermont Cooper's Hawk at Nest
Hawk Data for Hook Mountain
Hawks at Hook: Yearly, since 1971 Bald Eagle: seasonal data Sharp-shinned: seasonal data Am. Kestrel: seasonal data If you are a hawkwatcher and willing to keep the count, we need you! Contact Trudy Battaly, merlin@pipeline.com, if you can help. (Unless otherwise noted, photos by Trudy Battaly.)
Updated: 09/01/2021