Broad-winged Hawk Kettle Migration — Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

About this spectacle

Each autumn, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania's Kittatinny Ridge becomes one of North America's premier raptor watching destinations. Broad-winged hawks are the headline act: on a single September day, thousands — sometimes tens of thousands — of these compact buteos spiral upward on thermal currents, forming swirling columns called kettles before streaming south. Visitors stand on rocky North Lookout and South Lookout, scanning the ridge as wave after wave of raptors glide overhead at close range. The sight of a boiling kettle filling the sky is viscerally thrilling — wings catching updrafts, birds peeling off in long gliding streams. The ridgetop setting offers panoramic views across forested ridges and valleys, and the hawks pass at eye level or below, making for exceptional viewing without binoculars. Fellow hawk watchers and on-site counters add a communal, educational atmosphere to the experience.

When to go

Mar — Nov, peak Sep

Getting there

Nearest airport: ABE. Nearest city: Allentown.

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