Hawkwatching

[1] Groups of hawkwatchers often congregate along well-known migratory routes[2] such as mountain ridges, coastlines and land bridges, where raptors ride on updrafts created by the topography.

The overarching goal of hawkwatch programs is to provide long-term data on regional raptor abundance to help track population trends through time.

[4] Several books specialize in learning hawk identification, which is usually challenging because of the distances and the speed at which the raptors migrate.

Hawkwatchers who want greater detail on subspecies view photo field guides like Raptors of Western North America and Raptors of Eastern North America by Brian K. Wheeler,[7] and his updated 2018 field guides with paintings, Birds of Prey of the West and Birds of Prey of the East.

Noteworthy hawk sites include: It also annually records over 300 Peregrine Falcons, over 100 Merlins, and over 1,000 American Kestrels.

A high flying osprey passes the Allegheny Front Hawk Watch as it migrates south for the winter. The distinct M-shape of the silhouette is a key identifier for this species.
Pete Dunne , director of the Cape May Bird Observatory , on the Cape May Hawkwatch platform