Each year, thousands of people gather on ridges, coasts, and other lookouts at raptor concentration points across North America and around the world to watch migrating hawks, eagles, falcons, and kites as they pass by during spring and fall. The awe-inspiring spectacles spark a curiosity and provide a fun and accessible point of entry to birding and in-flight identification to the public, while also helping us all better understand raptor movements, migration dynamics, and population trends. All this with the Hawk Migration Association at the forefront of providing daily count information, research reports, and conservation insights within an open, united group.
During 2025, the Hawk Migration Association (HMA) found that hundreds of thousands of people visited 205 hawkwatch sites across the Americas, where more than 23 Million raptors were counted according to the newly published HMA Annual Report. For more than 50 years the Hawk Migration Association has been member-driven toward advancing science-based information about raptor migration and raptor populations, to promote raptor conservation, and inspire all communities to study and celebrate raptor migration. Every birder is invited to become a member, and now you can review the impressive new Annual Report online at HMANA - Hawk Migration Association Annual Report 2025 - Page 1
You can also connect with the Hawk Migration Association website, and during spring and fall migrations, you can check on near real time counts at hawkwatch sites throughout the Western Hemisphere at HawkCount. In fact, the 2026 spring raptor count is beginning at sites in Colombia, Costa Rica, and other southern sites. Checking in on Sunday, March 1st, the Tolima Raptor Count in Colombia reported a surprising total of 4,691 Broad-winged Hawks, 114 Swainson's Hawks, and 1 Swallow-tailed Kite – all headed this way! Spring raptor migration is progressing north!