New Hampshire Is in the Middle of a Massive Migration Right Now… and Most Of Us Never Notice

Every fall, thousands of visitors come to New Hampshire for one thing: the leaves.

We're looking at the mountains. We're taking pictures of the trees. We're arguing about whether we're at "peak" yet.

Credit: Getty Images

Meanwhile, one of the coolest migrations in New England is happening right over our heads.

And most of us probably never notice it.

We're right in the middle of New Hampshire's fall raptor migration.

There's just something about these birds that are so majestic. Hawks, falcons, eagles and other birds of prey are making their way south for the season, and according to the Pack Manadnock Field Report, the peak viewing window in New Hampshire generally runs from mid-September through mid-October.

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We obviously know birds migrate. But I think when somebody says "bird migration," my brain immediately goes to geese flying south in that giant V formation.

I wasn't thinking about thousands of hawks, eagles and falcons cruising over New Hampshire.

During the Honor Summit, I learned about the migration, because of the two beams of light would need to be shut off if there were birds migrating.

Pack Monadnock Is One of the Places to Watch

If you really want to see this happening, there's a place in New Hampshire where people are actually keeping count.

The Pack Monadnock Raptor Observatory in Peterborough regularly records more than 11,000 migrating raptors during the fall season, according to NHPR.

And this isn't just some historical average. The 2026 migration is happening right now.

As of September 17, observers at Pack Monadnock had already counted more than 5,100 migrating raptors this season. Broad-winged hawks make up a huge part of the migration and typically account for nearly 70% of the annual flight there.

More than 5,000 birds of prey in a little over two weeks.

Meanwhile, I'm over here staring at one tree going, "Ooooooh, that one's starting to turn orange." 🍁

Credit: Getty Images

Did You Know That You Can Actually See Hawks Traveling in Groups

Here's where this gets even cooler.

During migration, broad-winged hawks can gather together in groups called "kettles." The birds use rising columns of warm air to gain altitude, circling upward before gliding toward the next thermal and continuing south. Past observers in New Hampshire have reported kettles containing hundreds of birds at once.

Imagine looking up and realizing that the little dots circling way above you aren't bugs or random birds.

They're hundreds of hawks.

That's pretty incredible.

Credit: Getty Images

The More You Know... Different Raptors Move Through at Different Times

The migration isn't one giant wave, either.

The different species show up at different points in the fall. Broad-winged hawks are a huge part of the September migration, while other species become more prominent as fall progresses.

Past observations at Pack Monadnock have included sharp-shinned hawks, Cooper's hawks, American kestrels, merlins, bald eagles and even the occasional golden eagle.

That means the the raptor show changes as we move deeper into fall.

Maybe Look Up While You're Looking at the Leaves

That's probably my favorite part of learning about this.

Nothing humbles you quite like realizing 500 hawks have flown over your head while you were looking at your phone.