Broad-winged Hawk Kettle Migration — Hawk Cliff

About this spectacle

Each autumn, Hawk Cliff on the northern shore of Lake Erie becomes one of eastern North America's most dramatic raptor migration watchpoints. As cold fronts push south in September, broad-winged hawks funnel along the lake edge and spiral upward in tight, swirling kettles — sometimes hundreds of birds riding a single thermal column. Visitors stand on the bluff and scan the sky as these compact, stocky hawks wheel overhead in mesmerizing gyres before streaming southward. The sight of a large kettle boiling up against a clear autumn sky is genuinely exhilarating. Sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, and other migrant raptors share the sky. The Hawk Cliff Foundation has operated a banding station here, lending the site a citizen-science atmosphere alongside the spectacle. No special equipment is needed — binoculars help, but big kettles are visible to the naked eye.

When to go

Aug — Nov, peak Sep

Getting there

Nearest airport: YHM. Nearest city: St. Thomas.

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