Braddock Bay Hawk Watch

Braddock Bay Hawk Watch. Following the Curve of the Shore. , Migrating Hawks , Warming temperatures and southerly winds, preferably southwest here, produce flights of hundreds of thousands of raptors at Braddock Bay in a single day, making the shore along Braddock Bay one of the finest places in North America to observe the spring hawk migration. , Fifteen species of daytime migrating raptors regularly occur here between late February and mid June. Rare species, such as the Black Vulture and Swainson's Hawk, may also be seen. The peak of the migration period is late April when large groups of Broad-winged Hawks traverse the region. (Note all hawks shown are adult males.) , Golden Eagle, WS 80", Flat or slight 'v'-shaped flight profile. , Bald Eagle, WS 83", Flat flight profile. , Turkey Vulture, WS 67", Prominent 'v'-shaped flight profile. , Rough-legged Hawk, WS 53", Long wings, long tail. , Red-tailed Hawk, WS 47", Long wings, short tail. , Red-shouldered Hawk, WS 40", Long tail, short wings. , Osprey, WS 63", Flies with prominent crook in wings. , Northern Harrier, WS 41", Long, narrow wings, long tail. , Goshawk, WS 39", Large, heavy body, long tail. , Sharp-nosed Hawk, WS 29", 21", Medium tail, small head. , Cooper's Hawk, WS29", Large head, long tail. , Broad-winged Hawk, WS 34", Medium wings, short tail. , American Kestrel, WS 21", Small size, pointed wings. , Migration Route , New York. As spring migrating hawks move north toward the Great Lakes from the Appalachian region and father south, the flight lines converge and narrow. , Raptors travel great distances using very little energy by soaring in bubbles of warm air rising from the land, called thermals. These thermals are stronger over the land than water, also most hawks do not like to cross large bodies of water, therefore they become funneled and concentrated into a very narrow corridor along the shore. , , Spring Hawk Migration Guide (Mar 1-May 31) [matrix of above species] , Migrating raptors follow the Seaway Trail.