As of today, out of season, returns ~October. Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
At the southern end of the Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb strait pinches the water between southwest Yemen and the Horn of Africa to its narrowest crossing — and twice a year it becomes one of the greatest bottlenecks for migrating soaring birds on Earth.
Raptors, storks, and other soaring migrants cannot flap across open sea for long, so on their journeys between Eurasia and Africa they converge on this narrow gap to make the shortest possible crossing, riding thermals up and gliding over.
The numbers are staggering: classic autumn counts recorded close to a quarter of a million raptors in a single season (around 246,000 between early October and early November in one celebrated count), dominated by steppe buzzards and steppe eagles, alongside vast passages of storks and other soaring birds, with the broader flyway carrying well over a million birds.
The spring passage runs the other way, mainly in March.
To stand beneath a strong day of migration here is to watch rivers of birds pour across the sky — a phenomenon of sheer scale that ranks with the world's most famous raptor watchpoints.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
|---|
| Bab-el-Mandeb Strait (Yemen side) |
| Bab-el-Mandeb Crossing — Djibouti Side (safer alternative) |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.