The Fall Migration of Hawks is Worth Watching

 

The fall migration of Broad Winged Hawks and other Raptors is underway and should continue through mid-October.  I have started noticing groups of hawks, called Kettles of hawks, headed south where they will go to South Texas, Mexico and on to Central and South America.  Many will actually fly straight across the Gulf of Mexico on their flight to the South.  If you start watching the skies in our area you may see kettles of hawks that number in the hundreds and sometimes in the thousands slowly circling on their way south.  We mostly see Broad Winged hawks and Red-tailed hawks in these groups.  You may also see other hawks and falcons in the migration.  You can also watch for the hawks and falcons on telephone poles along our roadways.  They are often seen resting or feeding in freshly plowed fields in large numbers during the migration.  I carry a pair of binoculars in my vehicle this time of year just so I can stop and watch or identify the raptors I observe.  There are many good bird and raptor identification books you can get to help you know which are which.  The most common seen in our area or the Broad Winged hawk, Red-tailed hawk, Coopers hawk and the Sharp-shinned hawk. We also see a lot of the small Kestrel falcons along with a few Peregrine falcons.