Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch

A site along the Sunrise Coast Birding Trail

The Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch is a spring hawk count with two sites in Mackinaw City: Askins Street and Darrows Field. Operating from mid-March to the end of May, observers have documented an impressive concentration of raptors that pass through the tip of the mitt. It is the top spring site in North America for Red-tailed Hawks, with 9,700 tallied in 2014, just part of a total count of 43,191 of 18 raptor species. Swainson’s Hawk and Black Vulture are seen some years. Visitors are encouraged to come and share the spectacle of raptor migration. Dress warm, bring a lawn chair, and enjoy the show. Red-tailed Hawk numbers peak in the first week of April, and the big Broad-winged Hawk push is in late April. Golden Eagles are early migrants but are seen on most days through April. Heading west on Central Avenue, watch for the Raptor Watch signs on the left.

Things To Do: Birding