As the leaves change color and the days get shorter, hawks prepare for their flight south. The Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory is widely renowned as one of the premier hawkwatching locations in New England. The view from the summit alone is worth the visit: Mount Monadnock is visible to the west, Boston’s skyline to the southeast, and even Mount Washington to the north on clear days.
Best of all, you can also see hawk migration from the summit. Fall hawkwatching is one of those experiences you’ll never forget. You might see a Merlin zipping low over the treetops, a kettle of Broad-winged Hawks soaring overhead, or a Golden Eagle gliding into view from the distant horizon. A kettle, the term used to describe a group of birds riding together on an air thermal, is often the main attraction of hawk watches, but there are many other highlights. Hawk watchers regularly record up to 15 different raptor species at Pack each season.
If you want to see the most raptors, visit Pack in mid-September, when Broad-winged Hawk migration peaks. Broad-winged Hawks are by far the most numerous raptor recorded at Pack, with thousands counted every season – sometimes thousands in a single day. September also sees good numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels and Cooper’s Hawks. September’s relatively warm weather is also the best time to see migrating Monarch butterflies and dragonflies.
October brings cooler weather and sometimes foggy days atop the mountain. Although overall raptor numbers are down, raptor diversity remains high. The chance of seeing uncommon migrants, such as Golden Eagles and American Goshawks, increases, while steady numbers of Sharp-shinned Hawks and other regular species continue.
Windy, cold, and sometimes snowy, November brings flights of Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks, two opportunistic species whose movements are triggered by decreased food availability from colder weather. Winter finch sightings also increase in November, including Evening Grosbeaks, Red Crossbills, White-winged Crossbills, and Pine Grosbeaks.
As one of the official hawk counters at Pack, I get to spend multiple days hawkwatching each week. There is something special about being in the same spot over a few months. Autumn unfolds in stages, with distinct phases such as “early mid-fall,” because you notice more subtle changes within a single season. When your eye isn’t on the sky, you can watch the valley below gradually change color as autumn progresses. You can also spot the first signs of winter up on the mountain before they reach lower elevations, such as the first snowflakes falling as late-lingering raptors continue their journeys.
The best hawkwatching days have northwest winds after a cold front passes, but (excluding heavy rain or fog) hawkwatching can be rewarding in any weather. You might see a group of restless hawks appearing over the hills under a rainbow after an afternoon drizzle passes through. When you’re standing at the Observatory on a cold day, with the wind blowing and your toes growing numb from standing still for hours, and an American Goshawk suddenly flies by in front of you, it’s the best feeling.
As a naturalist, I also enjoy the fact that you’ll not only see hawks at Pack, but plenty of other life too. Fall warblers hop among the conifer branches first thing in the morning as we set up for the day. Flocks of Canada Geese and other waterbirds stream by high overhead later in the season. Overall, we record about a hundred different bird species throughout the season. We also count the Monarch butterflies and migratory dragonflies that drift past the summit, often appearing in our binocular view as we scan for raptors. Resident chipmunks and rabbits, along with interesting species of caterpillars and spiders, make regular appearances.
The Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory was officially founded in 2005, although hawkwatching data from the mountain had been collected periodically since the mid-1970s. Data gets submitted to the Hawk Migration Association and can be viewed on their website. You can look up daily summaries, forecasts, and season tallies at Pack, and explore data from over 80 other hawkwatching sites along the East Coast. The numbers are used for research and estimating raptor population trends. Over the years, larger patterns become evident, such as the expansion of Black Vultures in our area and the overall decline in raptor numbers.
At Pack, Harris Center staff and volunteers love to share their knowledge about raptors, and we are always happy to help visitors with raptor identification. From experienced local birders to visiting tourists discovering birds for the first time, anybody can enjoy hawkwatching. It doesn’t take much to get started: curiosity and patience make a good hawkwatcher.
Pack’s hawkwatching season runs from Sept. 1 to Nov. 20. Online reservations through Miller State Park’s website are strongly recommended, especially if you plan to drive to the summit, but visitors can also park below and hike up one of several short trails to the top. I hope to see you up there!
Kate McKay is a raptor biologist at the Harris Center for Conservation Education and the official hawk watch counter at Pack Monadnock.