Veracruz River of Raptors

Mexico · North America

Veracruz River of Raptors

Millions of hawks and vultures funnel between mountains and sea each autumn.

Best months
Sep, Oct
Days needed
3–5
Difficulty
Easy
Nearest airport
Veracruz (VER)

When to go

  1. JanJanuary: Poor or no data
  2. FebFebruary: Poor or no data
  3. MarMarch: Good
  4. AprApril: Good
  5. MayMay: Poor or no data
  6. JunJune: Poor or no data
  7. JulJuly: Poor or no data
  8. AugAugust: Poor or no data
  9. SepSeptember: Best
  10. OctOctober: Best
  11. NovNovember: Good
  12. DecDecember: Poor or no data

BestGoodFair

Peak days in late September and October.

Why go

Hawkwatching (sometimes referred to as hawkcounting) is a mainly citizen science activity where experienced volunteers count migratory raptors (birds of prey) in an effort to survey migratory numbers. Groups of hawkwatchers often congregate along well-known migratory routes such as mountain ridges, coastlines and land bridges, where raptors ride on updrafts created by the topography. Hawkwatches are often formally or informally organized by non-profit organizations such as an Audubon chapter, state park, wildlife refuge or other important birding area. Some hawkwatches remain independent of any organizing structure.
The overarching goal of hawkwatch programs is to provide long-term data on regional raptor abundance to help track population trends through time.

Background from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Target birds

Map