Hitchcock Nature Center Hawkwatch Report, Fall 2025

Season Overview

This fall a total of 6347 raptors were counted at the Hitchcock Nature Center Hawkwatch. The diversity of raptors counted this year was 16, which was less than the previous years. Notably, no Mississippi Kites, Ferruginous Hawks, or Prairie falcons were counted. There were 595.75 hours logged this season which was 10.6 raptors per hour. Fall was unseasonably warm, which greatly influenced the movement that was seen. Most days had winds from the south accompanying the heat. On top of that, most of the weather fronts that otherwise would have blown more species through the hills stopped in Nebraska. This was most noticeable with Swainson’s hawk movement, as there were hundreds flying through Lincoln, Nebraska, which lies southwest of the nature center. The peak movement day this year was 2 weeks after the peak count day from the year before, indicating that birds were moving later in the season. The last seasons that had total raptor counts this low were fall of 2019 and 2020. Averages from below are taken from the 23 years of data available on hawkcount.org. Differences in count are listed as 23 years and last 10 years to display the broader population trends.

Turkey Vulture-3083

            The count for turkey vultures this year was below the 23-year average (3130) by 2% and by the 10-year average (3200) by 4%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by 876 birds. They were first counted on 9/1 and last counted 10/29.

Osprey-49

            The count for osprey this year was lower than the 23-year average (112) by 56% and lower than the 10-year average (104) by 53%. The osprey count was lower than the previous year by 16 birds. They were first counted on 9/5 and last counted on 11/07, which was highly unusual.

Bald Eagle- 258

The count for bald eagles this year was below the 23-year average (744) by 65% and the 10-year average (590) by 56%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by 174 birds. They were first counted 9/4 and last counted 12/4.

Northern Harrier-100

The count for northern harriers this year was below the 23-year average (221) by 55% and the 10-year average (178) by 44%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by birds. They were first counted 9/22 and last counted 12/3.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk-346

The count for sharp-shinned hawks this year was below the 23-year average (798) by 57% and the 10-year average (568) by 39%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by birds 236. They were first counted 9/9 and last counted 12/3.

Cooper’s Hawk-261

The count for Cooper’s hawks this year was below the 23-year average (245) by 7% and above the 10-year average (253) by 3%.  It was higher than the 2024 count by 20 birds. They were first counted 9/2 and last counted 12/2.

American Goshawk-4

            The American goshawk count was as expected. They do not occur at the count in large numbers, averaging 4.7 birds over the 23 years of counting. There were 4 more American goshawks seen this year than in 2024. They were counted on 10/9, 10/16, 10/18, and 10/22.

Red-Shouldered Hawk-6

            The count for red-shouldered hawks this season was as expected with 6 birds counted. The count averages 5.9 red-shouldered hawks, a season which is on par with what was seen this year as they are not very common in the area. Compared to the 10-year average of 7.8 birds, this season’s count comes in at about 2 birds less than usual. They were counted on 9/5, 9/9, 9/19, 11/7, 11/16, and 12/2

Broad-Winged Hawk-1025

            There were 1025 broad-winged hawks this season which was 12.7% higher than the 23-year average (910) broad-winged hawks seen on the count. However, compared to the 10-year average (1123), broad-winged hawks counted this year are 8% less than usual. There were fewer broad-winged hawks counted this year than in fall of 2024, a difference of 828 birds. They were first counted on 9/5 and last counted on 10/10. The biggest count day was 10/7 The count had three good broad winged hawk kettle days on 9/23, 10/6, and 10/7. They showed up later in the season than expected, likely due to warm weather and predominant winds from the south.

Red-Tailed Hawk-840

The count for red-tailed hawks this year was below the 23-year average (2318) by 64% and the 10-year average (1505) by 44%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by 144 birds. They were first counted 9/2 and last counted 12/4.

Rough-Legged Hawk-6

The count for rough-legged hawks this year was below the 23-year average (28) by 79% and  the 10-year average (27.8) by 78%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by 8 birds. They were first counted 10/29 and last counted 11/25.

Swainson’s Hawk-157

            There were 157 Swainson’s hawks counted this year. This is however less than the 23-year average (788) by 80% and less than the 10-year average (162) by 3%. Swainson’s hawks have been occurring this far east less frequently in recent years. There were 65 more Swainson’s hawks counted this year compared to the 2024 count.  

Ferruginous Hawk-0

            There were no Ferruginous hawks counted this year. We believe this is due to weather fronts not pushing them this far east. On average, 2 birds are counted every season.

Golden Eagle-6

The count for golden eagles this year was below the 23-year average (18) by 66% and the 10-year average (15) by 60%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by 11 birds. They were first counted 11/11 and last counted 11/22.

American Kestrel-101

The count for American Kestrels this year was below the 23-year average (102) by 1% and above the 10-year average (83) by 21%.  It was higher than the 2024 count by 14 birds. They were first counted 9/2 and last counted 10/22.

Merlin-39

The count for Merlins this year was below the 23-year average (46) by 15% and by the 10-year average (49) by 20%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by 33 birds. They were first counted 9/4 and last counted 11/30.

Peregrine Falcon-17

The count for peregrine falcons this year was below the 23-year average (53) by 68% and the 10-year average (48) by 65%.  It was lower than the 2024 count by 7 birds. They were first counted 9/9 and last counted 10/8.

Gyrfalcon-0

            No gyrfalcons were counted this season. They are highly irregular visitors to the count, averaging 0.13 birds a season. The last time one was counted was in 2022. It is not uncommon to not count any in any given count year.

Prairie Falcon-0

            No prairie falcons were counted this season. We believe this is weather related as few fronts pushed things as far east as the Loess Hills. The count averages 2 to 3 prairie falcons a season. This is the first year no prairie falcons were counted based on data available in hawkcount.org.

Mississippi Kite-0

            No Mississippi kites were counted this season. Both the 23-year and 10-year averages to 6 Mississippi Kites a season. The last time 0 Mississippi kites were counted was in 2009. This is a 100% decrease in birds counted. This is the northernmost portion of their range and may not have made it up this far this year or may have been so low in the valleys around the hills that they were undetected.

Black Vulture-0

            While occasional visitors to the site, and one counted in the fall of 2024, there were no black vultures seen this season.  The site averages 0.35 Black vultures over 23 years of data, so not seeing any in any count year is not uncommon. One was counted last year, with the biggest black vulture count being 5 in 2022.

Unknown Accipiter-6

Unknown Buteo-11

Unknown Falcon-4

Unknown Eagle-0

Unknown Raptor-28

Non-raptor migration summary:

            Typical species were encountered during the fall migration. Plenty of red-headed woodpeckers, blue jays, white-breasted nuthatches, and American goldfinches were seen from the tower. At the beginning of the season, numerous American White Pelicans would move through the area. There were several days of hundreds of Franklin’s gulls flying amongst the Loess Hills. As winter weather began to drop temperatures, thousands of snow geese, greater-white fronted geese, and Canada geese began to move through the area.

About Hawkwatch

Hitchcock HawkWatch is a volunteer-driven research project based at Hitchcock Nature Center in Honey Creek, Iowa. Staffed by dozens of volunteers and one paid seasonal employee, this hawk watch effort counts an average of 13,000 migrating raptors annually. Occupying the observation tower at Hitchcock Nature Center, our team watches from a vantage point providing a 360-degree view of the Missouri River Valley. The official hawk watch season is from September 1st through December 13th annually. 

Hitchcock Nature Center is an optimal location to view the annual migration of numerous species of raptors due to its position in the Missouri River Valley. Here prevailing westerly winds create near-perfect conditions for migrating raptors as they soar on thermals and topographically-induced upward wind deflections on their journey south. 

Want to become a volunteer or learn more: Hawkwatch Info 

Check out our raptor research with Hitchcock HawkWatch: Hawkwatch Video