Riding the Winds: Hawk Watch in Acadia National Park 2023

By Logan Witt
SCA Raptor Intern 2023
Acadia National Park

Fri Aug 25 2023

Nearing the end of August, raptor migration is on its way to Acadia National Park. This is the 29th Hawk Watch here at Acadia, with the help of our partnership with Schoodic Institute. The Hawk Watch Program is on top of Cadillac Mountain, about 200 yards down Cadillac North Ridge from the summit.

A vehicle reservation is required to drive the Cadillac Summit Road, although no reservation is needed for hiking. Park Rangers, Raptor Interns, researchers from Schoodic Institute and volunteers are involved with hawk watch, counting and identifying the migrating raptors as well as answering any questions. Rangers and others will be at the site 9 am until 11 am or 12pm, Monday through Friday (weather permitting) until the end of October.

As the 2023 Raptor Intern here at Acadia, I have been given the privilege to assist with the Peregrine Falcon Watch program as well as the Hawk Watch program. In case you do not recognize me from the Peregrine Falcon Watch, my name is Logan Witt. Feel free to check out my Peregrine Falcon article to learn more about me and the peregrine falcons: View From the Aerie: Peregrine Falcon Watch in 2023.

This weekly Hawk Watch article will be available for people to learn more about the importance and history of hawk watch, conservation efforts, counts of identified species and updates on how our season is going. I am looking forward to meeting some of you and hopefully help make your experience here at Acadia even more special with these fascinating raptors.

Raptor Sighting in Acadia

NPS Photo by Molly Mays

Sat Sept 2 2023

In the early 1900’s, people tended to have an overall fear and hatred of raptors and would often shoot them from the sky during migration, and or poison and trap them. In 1934, the first official hawkwatch took place, at Hawk Mountain in Eastern Pennsylvania, by Maurice Brown. The same year, Rosalie Barrow Edge bought the property and founded the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, which was the first sanctuary for birds of prey and the first to try figuring out what they really do in the fall. Decades later, people started to change their attitude toward raptors and admire their importance in the environment as well as their beauty.

Personally, I would enjoy moving somewhere warm during the cold months of winter. Raptors live my dream by spending time up North during summer and migrating South for winter. Some travel to the Southern United States while others will go as far as Central and South America! Hawk Watch is important for many reasons, the main reason is the collection of data.

We input our data to an online database through Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA). This non-profit organization started in 1974 and is dedicated to conserving raptor populations though scientific study, as well as overall enjoyment and appreciation of raptor migration. Hawk watches around the country contribute their data to this website to create a large-scale picture of migration in the country. We are still early in the season, but we have already seen more migrating raptors in August than we did last year. Here is a link to where you can find our daily and monthly data: HawkCount

NPS Photo

Fri Sept 8 2023

Raptor migration is very weather dependent. They are intelligent enough to not waste their energy, as flying is already energetically expensive. As these birds are flying South, they prefer a northerly wind from the North pushing South, to make it easier for them. They would also prefer a sunny, not too humid day to fly. On days with not ideal conditions, it is less likely to see these raptors. Why would they want to work harder to gain a shorter distance? So, they spend those days saving and gathering more energy for future flights.

These raptors prefer the sun because of thermals. When the sun heats up rocks, warm air begins to rise and creates a thermal. Birds detect these thermals and take a free ride high up into the sky, where they will dissipate and search for the next thermal. Many birds will use the same thermal together, forming what we call a kettle. Sometimes hundreds and even thousands of birds can be spotted in these kettles. Landforms like mountains will create updrafts that these raptors will also use to their advantage. Cadillac Mountain is a good place to see slope soaring, as we often see raptors flying right over our heads!

During September, our raptor sightings should be increasing significantly. Already this week we have been seeing a lot more. Mid-September is peak migrating season for raptors here in Acadia National Park. Wednesday, over 180 raptors were sighted almost doubling our numbers so far! I am looking forward to updating you all on our Hawk Watch season, and to continue educating you about these interesting birds.

Red Shouldered Hawk with a catch

NPS Photo

Fri Sept 15 2023

Unfortunately, the weather this week has not been ideal for migrating. This week would typically be the peak for raptor sightings, however, South winds from tropical storm systems are working against them. Without many updates on sightings as the birds are waiting on more Northerly winds and less rain, let’s delve deeper into the world of raptors for you.

A common question we get asked is, “how we can identify all these different raptors flying by?” Let us start off with the basics. What is a Raptor? A bird can be classified as a raptor by being carnivorous, or only eating meat, and having a sharp beak, sharp talons and good eyesight. Those adapted characteristics make them spectacular hunters, giving them their other common name- ‘birds of prey’.

Owls are considered a raptor, but they are nocturnal, so they will not be seen very often during the day, or at the Hawk Watch Program. Breaking down the diurnal raptor family- those who are out during daylight hours- there are multiple groups of raptors in the Northeast United States: Buteo Hawks, Accipiter Hawks, Falcons, Eagles, Harriers, and Osprey. I plan on going into detail about each group throughout my blogs.

Buteos are what you typically picture when you imagine a hawk, including the Red-tailed, Broad-winged, and Red-shouldered Hawks. The Red-tailed Hawk is the most common Buteo in the United States. They have the classic hawk shape with broad wings, medium-length tails and relatively blunt or rounded wing tips. These raptors are often seen soaring on thermals or perched on a tree or utility post waiting to scope their next meal. Buteos are opportunistic and will eat almost any animal they can catch, but have a strong preference for small mammals, especially rodents.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

NPS Photo by Molly Mays

Fri Sept 22 2023

Seeing hundreds of raptors at once is a beautiful, fascinating sight. Thursday, September 21st was by far our record highest count of the season. We saw a whopping 1,387 total individual raptors, so in just one day, we more than doubled our existing stats! Kettles of Broad-winged Hawks were very common to see, with 170 individuals in one kettle being our largest and we counted a total of 1,142! Here is the link to where you can delve deeper into our collected stats: HawkCount

Continuing with hawk education, Accipiters are our next subject. Accipiters have shorter wings and long tails. Their longer tails allow them to maneuver through forested areas where they prefer to hunt. The great majority of these raptors’ diet are other birds, along with the occasional rodent, reptile, amphibian, or even large insects. Accipiters are smaller than buteos and tend to flap more frequently during flight. Accipiters that we see here in Acadia National Park include the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and American Goshawk.

American Kestrel

NPS Photo

Thurs Oct 5 2023

This week started off with strong winds coming from the Northeast with many sightings. Although, we are still seeing a good number of birds on days without favorable weather conditions because we are into the peak of the raptors’ migration. The raptors are following their food sources, such as smaller songbirds, as they move South and those species are well on their way to warmer locations. Some hawks will still need to travel thousands of miles before stopping for the winter.

Falcons are the education topic for this week. They can be identified by their pointed wings and frequent flapping instead of soaring, along with their small size. Falcons are built for speed and like to spend their time in wide open spaces for hunting. Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels and Merlins are all grouped as Falcons. I am slightly biased toward Peregrine Falcons because of the opportunity to spend so much time observing and teaching about them, but how could you not love them? Peregrine Falcons, as you may remember from my previous blog, were a great example of a flagship species to teach us the harmful side effects of pesticide use, along with their successful recovery. However, we may still be affecting other birds in similar ways.

Smaller falcons like the American Kestrel, and the Sharp Shinned Hawk (an Accipiter) are two species that have seen a decline in population over the years. This can be due to many factors including habitat loss, climate change and of course pesticide usage. The Hawk Watch Program is so important because we were able to see those changes firsthand, and therefore scientists began research to try to solve the issue. What are changes that you have seen in raptors where you live?

Juvenile bald eagle with dark plumage

NPS Photo by Jane Gamble

Sat Oct 7 2023

Entering the month of October, we don’t expect to see as many raptors as we did in September, but we will continue the Hawk Watch Program until the weather no longer permits. On a good Northern wind day, we still saw upwards of 55 raptors one day this week! With fog rolling in, and a tropical storm system arriving towards the weekend, we are expecting this to negatively impact the number of raptor sightings.

A well-known raptor is the Eagle, especially the Bald Eagle. Eagles are opportunistic, meaning they will eat anything they can catch especially if it’s an easy meal. You can sometimes find Eagles stealing a fish from an Osprey. Here in Acadia, we have around a dozen nesting pairs of Bald Eagles on nearby islands, these local Eagles will stay here year-round. We still see many migrating Bald Eagles flying through the area, and so far this season we counted 81!

An Eagle can be easily identified by its large size, with a wingspan reaching around 6-7 feet! The iconic Bald Eagle doesn’t get its white head and tail until around the age of five. Juveniles can be identified by their dark colors and white patches. Juvenile Bald Eagles can be mistaken as Golden Eagles, which are not common to see here in Acadia National Park.

Eagles, like the Peregrine Falcons, were one of the raptor species that were heavily affected by DDT. Nearing the brink of extinction, the Bald Eagle became one of the first species protected by the Endangered Species Act. Eagle populations have since made a huge comeback, and their numbers continue to increase.

NPS Photo

Fri Oct 13 2023

It seems to be typical for this season; we had yet another week of mainly Southern winds. Friday the 13th the wind shifted slightly more North, and we saw around 25 raptors. Even if many raptors are not sighted, Cadillac Mountain can be an excellent spot to watch songbirds, especially in the mornings. We record these observations for bird migration data as well.

The bird of the week is the Osprey. Something special about Ospreys is that they have specifically evolved for fishing, so you will find them near fresh and salt water. In fact, they are the only raptor with a diet consisting of almost entirely fish.

Ospreys can often be found flying over water until they find a fish and will plunge feet-first to catch the fish with its sharp talons. Then, rising from the water and flying away, the Ospreys will carry the fish head-forward with its feet. This raptor was another species that was heavily affected by DDT but has since made a great comeback like the Bald Eagle and Peregrine Falcon!

Northern Harrier

NPS Photo

Fri Oct 20 2023

It is nearing the end of Hawk Watch, but we have still been seeing plenty of raptors on those ideal weather days! With the season ending it is the perfect time to delve deeper into the data and look at some changes that are happening over the years.

We have seen migration times changing, whether it be earlier or later in the season. We also have some species populations exponentially growing while other species we are seeing less and less. A lot of information can be found using these numbers. Check out those stats here: HawkCount

Our last diurnal raptor to talk about is the Northern Harrier. Harrier’s have a disc-shaped face like owls to help direct sound to their ears. They are different than other raptors who typically rely mostly on their sight. A Northern Harrier will swoop through different open terrains searching for mostly small rodents; however, they will eat almost anything they can catch.

This wraps up my season here at Acadia National Park, unfortunately. My expectations have been exceeded working in such an amazing place. I have learned so much about raptors and was lucky to be able to share my knowledge and appreciation of them with all of you. Special thanks to everyone who followed me along on my amazing journey.