Florida Keys, Florida
Hawks migrating down the Atlantic Coast arrive at the Florida Keys and are faced with a hundred miles of
open ocean. Many individuals choose to settle down and remain in the area for long periods; some even stay the entire winter.
Others, meanwhile, cross to Cuba and on to the Caribbean or South America. And then there are those that head back to the
north and follow the Gulf Coast. The net result is thousands of hawks of many species throughout the area each fall.
The main attraction is the hundreds of Peregrine Falcons that aggregate along the coast to prey on the large flocks of
shorebirds. Merlins are also abundant from mid-September through October.
To learn more about this site, visit the Florida Keys Raptor Migration Project Web site.
Peregrine Falcon, adult
© Tom McHugh/Photo Researchers, Inc.