Hawk Watch! Best Times, Locations, and Tips for Spotting Birds of Prey in Westchester County
Written by Jack Meyers, Environmental Educator
Pictured: Female Red-Tailed Hawk taken from our high field bird blind
Spending most of our time outdoors is an obvious benefit of being a Forest School teacher, but as the days add up, I would be remised if I didn’t acknowledge the waning excitement elicited by certain aspects of the woods. The towering trees and flora alike become a backdrop akin to wallpaper of an office. Squirrels, chipmunks, and songbirds scattering as you walk through the trails is a part of the daily routine. You see the usual herd of deer more often than some of your more elusive coworkers.
But, in the distance, there is one blur whizzing in and out of focus that is continually captivating – a swooping hawk.
“Whether it’s out in the forest, in the classroom, or driving by, nothing catches my attention as quickly as the blur of a hawk speeding by!”
-Jack Meyers; Forest School Teacher
While spending hours and hours out in the forest is a surefire way to spot some soaring hawks, you don’t need to fully commit yourself to the birder lifestyle to get in on the hawk watch! Allow me to share some of my tips and tricks to give you the best chance to spot these aerial aces:
Know What You’re Looking For
Currently, we have been consistently spotting a pair of red-tailed hawks patrolling and hunting around our woods. Like most other birds, hawks are sexually dimorphic. This means that there are clear physical differences between the males and females. For red-tails, the females are generally larger and appear to have more puff to their plumage.
Pictured: Male Red-Tailed Hawk perched on our garden fence clutching a black squirrel (That he stole from the Female!)
Time of Day & Weather Conditions
Hawks are most active around midday when the temperature reaches its highest point. While they prefer to hunt when it is warmer and clear, a windy day is a great time to catch juveniles practicing their soaring up in the sky!
A Great Lookout Location
I generally try to keep my eyes relatively fixed on one focal point, trying to spot motion rather than any specific shape. Constantly looking back and forth can make it more difficult to spot motion in the woods.
It can also help to find an elevated location to view a wider berth! Some great examples of lookouts at the Nature Center are our overlook benches (along the Turtle Trail) and the eagle's nest feature at the playground (you may have to share this second spot with some kids looking to utilize the slide).
Know Their Stomping (or Soaring) Grounds
We have been spotting our resident red-tails all throughout the Nature Center; however, we most frequently see them:
Soaring closer to Boston Post Road in the flood plain.
Perching in trees along both our Turtle Trail, and even around our playground.
We have spotted the larger hawk taking down a squirrel multiple times in our parking lot, garden, and behind the building over the past few weeks.
The stars on this map highlight hawk hot spots mentioned throughout the article!
Know Their Behavior
Red-tailed hawks hunt a variety of prey, such as mice, squirrels, snakes, and smaller songbirds. In the winter, squirrels are their most abundant prey, so if you see some squirrels scurrying around, that is a good place to start. If you see a hawk perched above them, it may be preparing to swoop!
Come springtime, it can also be a useful trick to try to search for a hawk’s nest! In years past, we have tracked hawk nests frequently in the tall pines along our driveway. We have recently noticed a potential new nest being built much closer to the building.
Female red-tailed hawk taking off!