Pictures of Raptors at Rockefeller State Park Preserve

This gallery features red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons, long-eared owls, a northern harrier, and an osprey. You can often see raptors circling overhead at the park, looking for their next meal. Red-tailed hawks are relatively easy to spot during most seasons, while owls and other raptors are more seasonal. While hiking in the park, I always look high up in the trees to see if I find a raptor hanging out, and I’ve gotten lucky many times.

The Overlook, Barnyard Hill, Douglas Hill, Pocantico River, and Canter Alley trails have been good for photographing red-tailed hawks. I’ve photographed peregrine falcons several times on the Barnyard Hill trail. Ospry’s are impressive raptors, and I’ve photographed them around Swan Lake and on the Overlook Trail.

I’m still waiting to photograph a bald eagle and the leucistic (white) red-tailed hawk that calls the park home (Update 04-08-2025: I photographed two bald eagles this week at the park!). In the hundreds of miles I’ve hiked in the park, I’ve seen a bald eagle only once, and I’ve never seen the leucistic hawk. One of these days, I’ll be in the right place at the right time!

You can find out more about the trails mentioned above here.

Click on a picture below to open the full-size gallery. Controls at the bottom center of the photos let you navigate through the gallery, start a slide show, or close the gallery. Enjoy the pictures!