Observation start time: 09:30:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 5.5 hours
Official Counter: Andy Dickson
Observers: Mike Ceci
Visitors: Cyndie Hart, recently relocated to Ripley, joined us for 45 minutes and got a crash course in hawk watching.
Weather: Cold, clear, 10% high cirrus clouds or contrails. Light SSW wind coming down escarpment, turning SW at lake plane. Ice-free Lake Erie, 4" remaining snow blanket from previous day's storm.
Placid start after yesterday's storm that slammed the east coast with high winds and white-outs. Snow even drifted inside the port-a-john. The America flag which hung proudly 1/4 mile SSW of site #1 for 20 years and which provided us invaluable wind readings is in tatters. Vineyard tanks blown over.
Raptor Observations: 2 AKs and one BE all day. The few TVs we had started to develop a flight line between I90 and count location at Rt5. Local BEs and RTs
Non-raptor Observations: Empty skies until 10:30am when Starlings started to move but very little passerine movement all day.
Predictions: Warmer with southerly wind early moving to westerly later in the day. Probably more of flight possible than today. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Andrew J. Dickson (<adickson3...>) Ripley Hawk Watch information may be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/3193820734258889/
