Hook Mountain Hawk Watch

(Updated 12/26/2008. Refresh page for most recent.)

Species Trends

American Kestrel: Cause for Concern	Merlin: Good News	Peregrine: More Now
Broad-winged Hawk	Red-tailed Hawk	Red-shouldered Hawk


2008 Count	Season Update	Join our Forum	How Close?

Up Close and Personal

Action Videos at Hook!!

New Silhouette Guide

Red-tailed Hawk at Hook Mountain, photo by Trudy Battaly

Season Update, 10/15/08

The migration season at Hook is bringing its ample supply of thrilling experiences watching the beautiful raptors soar and glide over and along side the mountain. And, of course, there are those moments when they interact with each other, and dive down on the owl! Hook Mountain is definitely the place to feel that dynamic raptor heartbeat.

To see a summary of the count for this season, click on Hawk Counts on the menu bar above, and select This Year.

As of October 14, we have counted 4675 hawks, including 2544 Broad-winged Hawks and 1420 Sharp-shinned Hawks. On Sep 8 Carol Weiss counted our first ever Swallowtail Kite! What a neat addition to our count!

Species that are Above Average
Several species have numbers above the average of our last 4 years, including Turkey Vultures, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, and Golden Eagles. Interestingly, these are species we expect to see migrating during the latter half of the season. It gets you wondering if the migration is earlier this year.

Red-shouldered Hawks
At 23 Red-shouldered Hawks (RS), we have counted almost twice the average of the last 4 years. But, it is still early for RS, so this may change.

The all-time yearly record for RS was 194 in 1999. In the last 4 years, we have had a total of 13 double digit days for RS beginning on Oct 16, with the daily max of 31 on Oct 27, 2006, and the yearly max of 145 in 2006. So, let’s watch for those RSs and hope we can break some records this year.

Some vultures and Red-tailed Hawks have started moving, so we need to watch as these species pass. It is tempting to ignore them because there are still so many hanging around.

Red-shouldered Hawk flies past us and behind the trees. Photo by Trudy Battaly.

Golden Eagles
Our Golden Eagle count is already up to 2, thanks to Carol and Danielle for spotting them. See the forum for Danielle’s description of the Golden that passed by last Saturday.

Species that are Below Average
The counts for Osprey (OS), Northern Harrier (NH), and American Kestrel (AK) are 25% or more below the 4 year average. The NH numbers are low at FIRE also, so this likely represents a cyclical low. But the OS count at FIRE is well above average, so it is possible that the OS shifted flight paths this year.

American Kestrels
The Kestrel count continues to be low. We had two double digit days this year, thanks to Steve, but last year we had 11 double digit days. With most Kestrels through by this time of the season, we can only accept that this is another low year for AK.

Bald Eagles
We see Bald Eagles almost every day at Hook, this year averaging 1.2 a day. Many of them are not actually migrating, but instead are flying around the area, using the Hudson River and Rockland Lake for hunting. We are about 10% below the count of recent years. I have noticed that many of the BE that I have seen this year are adults. Have you noticed that also? Perhaps the age distribution of the population is beginning to stabilize after the population crash of the 60s.

Thanks to our Counters
Thanks to all of you who have helped us with the count this year. Keeping the numbers is the only way we can compare this year to other years and other places, and look for trends. Your efforts provide a significant way for us to help these magnificent raptors!

Thank you all, and may you all soar with the eagles!

Trudy

Slow motion Red-tailed Hawk on swoop to owl. (Click for normal speed.)

The new season is beginning!

The Hook Mountain Fall 2008 season begins on Sunday, Aug 31. The forecast is for NW winds - perfect for a flight of hawks, and Hook Mountain is the perfect place to be. Why? Because you get very close to the hawks! Check out this link: How Close? Then join us up on the mountain. Directions.

The path up the mountain from Rte. 9W has been named Paddy's Path. Paddy French helped us with the watch for many years. If you come to our luncheon at the end of the season, you might be lucky enough to sit near him and get to hear some of his wonderful stories about his days on Hook. Stiles Summit is named for Stiles Thomas who started the Hook Mountain Hawk Watch in 1971. Stiles still climbs the mountain to count for us. Thank you Stiles for bringing this wonderful place to our attention. It is a place where you can enjoy the excitement of hawks as they migrate or swoop at the owl, a place where you can enjoy the company of other hawk watchers and naturalists who cherish its natural beauty, and a place where you can occasionally share a few isolated moments during quiet days, just you and the hawks.

Join us. You will love it.

Summary of the Fall 2007 season

We counted 6165 hawks n 2007. Each year has its own unique character. The Black Vultures continue to creep up in numbers, with a record 46 this year. Black Vultures are increasing throughout the Northeast.

This year we did well with Osprey, Northern Harrier, Northern Goshawk, and American Kestrels. While not records, our counts for these species were above the average for the last several years. This is especially good to see for the Kestrels, which have been declining in the Northeast in recent years. Our count of 332 Kestrels is the highest since 2002. Our Northern Goshawk count of 10 is the highest since the 11 counted in 2001, and is at the average since 1985.

We have two unusual sightings this year. On Sep 26 Steve Sachs photographed an albino Redtail, and on Sep 28 Alan Wells photographed a Copperhead. Neat sightings! These are both firsts, at least in recent years.

Join the fun! Directions.

*Photos by Steve Sachs - great stuff!*	Cooper's Hawk Video Fall 2007 Count: Record BV, 46! Fall 2006 Count: Record GE, 20! Fall 2005 Count: Record CH, 278! Fall 2004 Count: Record CH, 185
	We are an all volunteer group of hawk watchers, and we need your help! Please contact Trudy if you can take the count for a day. If you would like to learn, we will pair you up with one of our watchers.

Records (coming soon)	Hawk Watchers	Report forms: excel, pdf
Important Bird Area	Directions	Hook Mountain State Park