Each fall, migrating birds can be seen flying south to their wintering grounds. This is the ideal time of year for New York residents and visitors to head to Bird Conservation Areas across the state for great bird watching opportunities. With birds on the move, your favorite birding site can change within a few days with different species traveling through.
Every spring and fall, thousands of raptors migrate, and birders may see or hear eagles, kestrels, sharp-shinned Hawks, ospreys, broad-winged Hawks, and peregrine falcons among others. The NYS Birding Trail highlights several hawk watches including Bear Mountain Hawk Watch at Bear Mountain State Park, Hook Mountain Hawk Watch, and Mount Peter Hawkwatch Trailway.
The best time to look for migrating hawks in astonishing numbers is after a cold front, with a north or northwest wind.
Audubon New York says these are the top spots to watch hawks migrating at this time of year:
Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch – located in Mt. Kisco, NY. There are hawkwatch staff from Bedford Audubon on site 7 days a week, 9 am – 5 pm.
Fire Island – located on the south shore of Long Island. Click here for directions to the hawkwatch site.
Franklin Mountain Hawkwatch– located on the Delaware-Otsego Audubon Society Sanctuary overlooking Oneonta, NY.
Hook Mountain State Park – located in Nyack, NY, this hawkwatch site is staffed throughout the fall by Rockland Audubon Society members.
Lenoir Preserve (Mansion) Hawkwatch – located on the border of Yonkers and Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester, this site is on a large field overlooking the Hudson River. Join volunteers from Hudson River Audubon Society: details here.
Mount Peter Hawkwatch– located in Warwick, NY at a high point along the Bellvale Mountain Ridge.
Lights Out!
It’s also important for everyone to turn off the lights for birds at night. New York State launched the Lights Out initiative aimed at keeping non-essential outdoor lighting from affecting the ability of birds to migrate successfully. Here are some tips to help you help migrating birds.
Many species of shorebirds and songbirds rely on constellations to help them navigate to and from their summer breeding grounds through the State. Excessive outdoor lighting, especially in adverse weather conditions, can cause these migrating birds to become disoriented, a phenomenon known as fatal light attraction.
You can view the latest migration forecasts and maps for birds in your area here.
New York Almanack regularly reports on birds in New York State here.
Illustration: The BirdCast Bird Migration Forecast for Friday, September 27, 2024.
Editorial staff,
I have always been fascinated by migrating birds, flying south in the fall and then returning in the spring. I listen for the calls of the geese and other birds. How interesting to know that they use the constellations at night as “directional signals” for navigating. That is amazing. And so the legal initiatives to aim outdoor lights downward (and turn them off later at night) was not just to help us humans see the stars and Milky Way, it was also to help birds navigate their long treks. Nature if full of wonders!
Thanks for the article,
Noel