The Sussex Bird Club

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The Sussex County Hawk Watch is located at Cape Henlopen State Park on the elevated platform near the large picnic pavilion. The season runs from September 1 thru November 30 and the hours are normally 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. The watch is canceled in cases of extreme bad weather.

We are excited to welcome Emma Hovland as the new hawk counter at Cape Henlopen this year. Emma is an experienced hawk counter and has counted hawks in both South Carolina and Colorado.  She has also worked on sharp-tailed grouse, piping plovers, and southeastern passerines. 

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Volunteers are always needed; they are critical to the success of Hawk Watch! The volunteer hours help Delaware Division of Fish & Wildlife get the funds to run the Hawk Watch and fund a full-time paid counter. Just show up at the platform any day from 9am-3pm (weather dependent). Members of the Sussex Bird Club frequently help with spotting birds and conducting the count. Hawk Watch is an excellent way to learn hawks in flight, and someone is always there to assist with bird identification. Come on out, learn to ID raptors, watch seabirds and dolphins, and meet interesting new people!

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The Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch data for 2025 can be found at HawkCount.org. The Delaware Hawk Watch is organized by the Delaware Ornithological Society in partnership with the Delaware Nature Society and DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife.

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