What kind of hawk did we see on one of our walks? Check out these fun tips to help sharpen your “Hawk Eye” in this short Nature Nubbin video.
More Resources
Want to learn more about how to identify hawks? Here are a few more resources to explore.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
- A really neat book to add to your library and help you learn lots of ins and outs of identifying hawks and other raptors (owls excluded) is The Crossley ID Guide Raptors. This book is chock full of information and one of the nicest features are the photos which depict the birds from different angles, at flight, at rest, etc. The photos do a great job of representing the look of birds just as you might encounter them when you are out on your own nature adventures. Another cool feature of this book is the mystery photos, which give you an opportunity to test your newly-learned skills and then check your id against an answer key.
- HawkWatch International is an organization that focuses on conservation, education, and research related to raptors. They have a bunch of useful resources available at https://hawkwatch.org/raptor-id/ including videos, fact sheets, and even an “Ask an Expert” form where you can submit a photo and get expert help on identifying your unknown flyer. You can also download their free Raptor ID app to help you when you are on the go.
- And once you are starting to get the hang of hawk identifying, you might enjoy finding a hawk migration watch sight near you. The Hawk Migration Association keeps tabs on hawk migration activity all over North America, and you can locate the closest watch site to you on the HawkCount site. You can volunteer to help at a watch site or just learn from the folks who manage the location. I learned a lot chatting with the experts who were participating in a hawk count at Caesar’s Head State Park in South Carolina, one of over 300 Hawk Watch Sites.
For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine.
