A River of Raptors

With a piercing whistle, the Broad-winged Hawks command our attention as they return each spring to nest in the eastern forests of the U.S. This buteo hawk is the smaller and stockier cousin to the Red-tailed Hawk and can be hard to find during the nesting season as it prefers woodland areas and dense thickets. They are easier to see when soaring on thermals overhead and giving their distinctive two-note call.

Now that the cooler weather is returning and autumn is ever closer, we can watch the spectacle of their migration. Broad-winged Hawks prefer to migrate with friends, and sometimes these can number in the thousands. They form swirling kettles of birds riding the thermals and updrafts along mountain ridges as they stream south for the winter.

We have enjoyed these "rivers" of hawks passing by Wild Bird Adventures in Waller County just this past week. Thanks to satellite transmitters, scientists have discovered that they average about 4300 miles on their southbound journey to northern South America and typically travel about 70 miles per day. Unlike the hummingbirds that are still fueling up at our feeders to make it across the gulf, the raptors take a circum-gulf route and can be easily seen at watch stations like Smith Point Hawk Watch and the Corpus Christi Hawk Watch at Hazel Bazemore County Park.

You can meet and photograph Wild Bird Adventures very own Broad-winged Hawk at our next photo shoot on October 18th. Tickets are available here: https://www.wildbirdadventures.org/event-list

Ms. Hamilton was found in the Angleton area with an injury to her left eye. She is blind in that eye and unable to return to the wild. The photo shoots are a great opportunity to practice and learn new photography skills or perhaps get some experience with new equipment.

In the meantime, be sure to watch the skies for the "river of raptors" heading south.

Ms. Hamilton the Broad-winged Hawk

Lots of Broad-winged Hawks and a Turkey Vulture (note the dark morph individual)