Overview
The Appalachian Mountains form a vital north–south migration corridor for raptors traveling through eastern North America. Stretching over 3,000 miles from Newfoundland to Alabama, this range provides safe passage and access to food and open water during migration. In early autumn, bald eagles, broad-winged hawks, and other birds of prey follow the mountains southward, wintering along the Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, or as far as Central and South America.
In Pennsylvania, the Appalachians’ long, parallel ridges and valleys—rising to 3,213 feet at Mt. Davis—create natural “leading lines” that guide migrating raptors. Features like the Allegheny Front and major waterways help concentrate birds along predictable routes, making them ideal for observation. The Kittatinny Ridge, forming the eastern edge of the Appalachians in Pennsylvania, is especially significant, stretching 185 miles across 11 counties and serving as a primary migration route for hawks and eagles moving south.
Recognized as Pennsylvania’s largest Important Bird Area, the Kittatinny Ridge supports at least 16 raptor species and over 150 total bird species throughout the year. Its forests and watersheds offer essential feeding and resting habitats during migration. Weather plays a crucial role in these movements—northwest winds and rising thermals lift raptors effortlessly along the ridges, while clear skies and sun-warmed air create invisible columns that allow birds to soar and glide long distances with minimal energy.
Which species migrate and when?
At least 16 species of hawks, eagles, falcons and vultures, and more than 150 species of songbirds, travel the Kittatinny Ridge as they migrate south through Pennsylvania during autumn and north during spring. To learn more about specific species, be sure to visit the Discover PA Wildlife page on our website. See the timetable for more information about migration timing.
Photo Credit: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Hawk Watches
Hawk watch locations can be found throughout the Commonwealth. Raptors passing overhead can be viewed for official counts or simply for recreation. For more information about the raptor watching opportunities and participating in monitoring efforts, please visit Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
Bake Oven Knob
Bake Oven Knob, a rocky prominence along the Kittatinny Ridge in State Game Land 217, spans Lehigh, Carbon, and Schuylkill counties and offers sweeping views of the Lehigh Valley. Once a site for hawk shooting before 1957, it is now one of the world’s longest-running raptor migration study locations, with over 50 years of continuous hawk counts. Owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and managed in partnership with the Lehigh Gap Nature Center, Bake Oven Knob records impressive numbers of migrating raptors each fall—averaging about 194 bald eagles and 96 golden eagles annually—during counts that run from mid-August through November. Today, Bake Oven Knob is a protected area that supports hunting, hiking, and birdwatching while serving as a premier destination for observing raptor migration.
- Coordinates: 40.7447362,-75.7380685
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Waggoner’s Gap
Waggoner’s Gap Hawk Watch, located on the narrow crest of Kittatinny Ridge along the Cumberland–Perry County line, offers sweeping views in both directions and is one of Pennsylvania’s premier sites for observing raptor migration. Hawk watching began there in the 1950s. Today experienced counters staff the site daily from August through December, recording over 1,000 hours of migration data each season. The lookout is especially renowned for its high numbers of golden eagles, with counts peaking in late October and November. Bald eagle sightings have also risen sharply, with up to 25 seen per day and more than 500 recorded in recent years. Part of State Game Lands 230, Waggoner's Gap is owned by the Pennsylvania Game Commission and managed in partnership with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary.
- Coordinates: 40.278722,-77.2758329
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary
Founded in 1934 by conservationist Rosalie Edge, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is a landmark in the American conservation movement as the world’s oldest and largest member-supported raptor conservation organization. Located along the Kittatinny Ridge on the Berks–Schuylkill County border, the Sanctuary has grown to 2,600 acres, welcoming more than 60,000 visitors each year. Recognized as one of Pennsylvania’s six Globally Important Bird Areas, Hawk Mountain serves as a premier scientific research center, international conservation training site, educational facility, and wildlife sanctuary. Its facilities include a visitor center, raptor museum, native plant garden, bookstore, biological field station, 10 scenic lookouts, and 8 miles of hiking trails (admission fee required for trail access. Beyond its role in ecotourism, Hawk Mountain maintains the world’s longest continuous raptor migration dataset and continues to lead global conservation initiatives, including habitat restoration projects, further advancing its mission in research, education, and raptor protection.
Allegheny Front
At the summit of Shaffer Mountain on the Allegheny Front, a carved golden eagle sculpture marks the 50-yard clearing of one of Pennsylvania’s premier hawk watches. Operated by the Allegheny Plateau Audubon Society, this southeast-facing site overlooks a sweeping 180-degree view of Bedford County’s forests and farmland, with Blue Knob and Shawnee Lake visible in the distance. Shaffer Mountain averages more than 18,000 migrating raptors each year, highlighted by over 200 golden eagles during peak months of November and March. Bald eagles are also frequently seen from mid-August through mid-December and again in spring, along with ospreys, red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks, peregrine falcons, American kestrels, sharp-shinned hawks, northern harriers, and broad-winged hawks. Strong east winds lift migrating birds along the ridge, often bringing them soaring past the lookout at eye level, offering visitors close, breathtaking views of these powerful raptors.
- Coordinates: 40.0817325,-78.7283364
Tussey Mountain
This long ridge spans 70 miles from central Pennsylvania to the Maryland state border. Because of its importance to spring migration, Greater Tussey Mountain is a designated Important Bird Area. Located in Centre County and sponsored by Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center, Tussey Mountain hawk watch is at the crest of the ridge along a power line right of way. This hawk site is most known for the golden eagles that migrate through in February and March, averaging more than 170 birds annually with daily records exceeding 60 eagles. Golden eagles migrate through Pennsylvania's Ridge and Valley province following a 30-50-mile-wide corridor to northern breeding grounds in remote areas of Canada.
- Coordinates: 40.7109493,-77.9043599
Stone Mountain
The narrow ridgetop affords views into Big Valley to the south and east, and Stone Valley to the north. Volunteers from the State College Bird Club count raptors during the fall migration. Counting begins September 1st and continues through mid-November. A platform for hawk watching was built on this rocky outcrop. The best days for hawk watching on Stone Mountain are following cold fronts with northwest winds striking the ridge.
- Coordinates: 40.5690635,-77.828787
