Hawk Watch

WANTED! 2023 Hawk Watch Volunteers
Click here for more info.

The 2022 Hawk Watch set the all time BALD EAGLE count for Cape Henlopen: 20 for the day, 656 for the season! It was the best overall migration count since 2014 at Cape Henlopen.
A big thanks to Jen Ottinger for heading the count last year and to all the volunteers who came out to help. Volunteers are always needed!

Tom Stock, Jen Ottinger, Ruth Kaufman, Sue Gruver

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.

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. J ust 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!

We had another successful year of Hawk Watch in 2022 and set a record for the most eagles ever at this site! Jen Ottinger was back as our paid counter, and SBC member Sue Gruver was her faithful assistant, taking notes and spotting raptors on a daily basis. Fortunately for us, both Jen and Sue are both back at the Hawk Watch again this year too!

The Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch data for 2022 can be found at HawkCount.org. The Delaware Hawk Watch is organized by the Delaware Ornithological Society.