Bird of the Month - September

Broad-winged Hawks are generally quiet and secretive during the nesting season where they spend much of their time in the forest canopy. Broad-wings are best known for their impressive fall migrations, when thousands of individuals travel along eastern ridges, through Texas, and on to their wintering grounds in Central and South America. The peak migration of Broad-winged Hawks occurs in Tennessee in mid-September, but birds can linger into October.

During migration, Broad-winged Hawks are often seen swirling in "kettles." These birds are rising on late-summer thermals, a cheap way to gain altitude, as they migrate. Hawk watch sites around the eastern United States have counted migrating broad-wings (and all other raptors) for decades. Observers at these migration sites have always been concerned that during mid-day Broad-wings are not seen. Research has shown that the Broad-wings circle so high in the middle of the day that they cannot be seen from the ground! This certainly explains the lack of sightings in the middle of the day. Later in the day the kettles are closer to the ground and can be seen by the counters.

Click here for more information: Broad-winged Hawk