Onondaga Audubon’s Derby Hill, located on the southeastern corner of Lake Ontario in Oswego County, NY, is one of the premier hawk watches in the Northeastern United States. Hawk counts at the site were started in the early 60’s and since 1979 have been conducted every year in a standardized way. On average 40,000 raptors are counted each spring as they migrate northwards, making this site one of the best spring sites in the country. Hawks, eagles and vultures are the main attraction at Derby Hill, but impressive numbers of Snow Geese, Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles can also be seen migrating here. After a warm night with south winds in early May, the hedges on the hill can be packed with warblers, orioles, tanagers and thrashers, as these birds pile up on the south shore of Lake Ontario.

The hawk watch season runs from the beginning of March until the end of May, when the bulk of migrating raptors can be expected. Outside this period, favorable weather systems in February can trigger early movements of Rough-legged and Red-tailed Hawks and Golden Eagles, while immature Bald Eagles and Broad-winged Hawks continue into June. April is the best month, and in late April up to 20,000 Broad-winged Hawks have be observed in a single day. In late fall, the bluffs at Derby Hill provide an excellent site for lake watches, which each year turn up pelagic birds normally seen only at coastal sites, e.g. jaegers, rare gulls and scoters.

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