FRIENDS WEBPAGE UPDATE DECEMBER 2024  Please Note:
Tapping / Clicking  the  text titles in green will take you to those sites where you will find much more information about Hawk Watch! The Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch (CHHW) operates every Fall (September 1 to November 30)
​
​CHHW is organized under the Hawk Migration Association of North America. Volunteers, many of them members of the Sussex Bird Club, count and report the number of migrating raptors that pass by Cape Henlopen State Park. A professional raptor counter is also present most days. The most common raptor seen at the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch is the Osprey, which move through the area in September and early October. It is possible to see up to 200 Osprey a day during periods with favorable migration conditions (northerly winds and cooler temperatures). Other raptors that pass through include: Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s Hawks, Northern Harriers, Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Merlins, Peregrine Falcons, Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures. Occasionally, something out of the ordinary may move through such as a Golden Eagle, American Goshawk or Mississippi Kite.
 
For detailed information about our recent counts, click the link below.
When you reach the Hawk Count Reporting Site, use the Data Summaries “Monthly” link on the left side of the page. The next page will ask you to Select the Hawk Watch Site. Use the drop-down menu to find Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch then hit the “Go to site” button. This will take you to the most recent month of count data and show you the total count for each species at the bottom of the table. Daily counts can be seen below the monthly table. You can change the year and month you wish to see data for in the box on the left under Data Summaries. Be sure to hit the “Go” button after you select the year and month you wish to see.
 
There is much more information on this  site, but this will get you started!
 www.hawkcount.org
 
 Interested in Volunteering?
Please visit the Hawk Watch any day during the hours of operation (9AM – 3PM). Experience is not necessary. Veteran Hawk Watch members will answer any questions you may have, and provide training. There is always a need for an extra pair of eyes, if only to point out a bird and ask "What is that?" New volunteers are always welcome, so come and join the Hawk Watch for however much time as you choose. Be sure to bring a pair of binoculars in order to see the birds. You do not have to be a "birder" to participate, but you will leave being a birder for life!
 
​The Hawk Watch operates under a Fish & Wildlife grant that is contingent in part on the Hawk Watch’s ability to solicit volunteer hours. The Friends supports this group and a number of its members also volunteer their time at the Hawk Watch. We are always looking for more people to come learn, enjoy and help.
                                                            Credits:    
  Photos: Greg Gough, FOCHSP Hawk Watch Member: Osprey & Bald Eagle                                    Jen Ottinger: Cooper's Hawk
  Text:     Ornithologist & Official  Migration Counter for the FOCHSP Hawk Watch
​                Jen Ottinger
                                                         

Raptor Facts

  • Raptors are birds of prey that include a number of species, such as eagles, falcons, vultures, osprey, and owls
  • Raptor is Latin for "seize"-- as in to seize prey. Raptors have sharp talons and hooked beaks for capturing and eating prey
  • Peregrine Falcons dive at more than 200 miles per hour when hunting
  • Some hawks, including the Osprey, migrate more than 6,000 miles from Canada to Argentina in two months
  • ​Broad-winged Hawks are forest raptors that nest in Canada and the Eastern United States. Almost the entire population of North American Broad-Winged Hawks (approximately 1million birds) migrate to wintering  grounds in Central & South America each fall
​