Observation start time: 10:15:00 Observation end time: 12:30:00 Total observation time: 2.25 hours
Official Counter: Andy Dickson
Observers:
Weather: Warm, SW winds, 50% cloud cover. Great worrying about sunburn rather than frostbite.
Raptor Observations: A bad day at the hawk count is better than a good day at work. It was hard focusing on gardening when the possibility of missing some raptor migration lingered. Very little moving under ideal conditions. Those closest to the bump and grind of staffing the count agree the 2026 season has come to a close in Ripley.
Non-raptor Observations:
Predictions: We are closing the Ripley Hawk Watch for 2026. Thanks to all who made it a success.
We are still in a transitional mode at RHW from the days when Lenny & John or Gil & Jan did the entire count themselves to one of multiple volunteers trying to communicate and collaborate to ensure coverage and accuracy. It has been a taxing and challenging year. We continue recruiting are grooming a couple new volunteers who are promising and seem to "get it" but we realize the ethos of the hawk count is not easily trainable and several years of participation are needed before "new" volunteers can oversee the count. We lack a large metropolitan population to draw from and research universities to partner with. I'm hopeful that we will find young, enthusiastic raptor enthusiasts who can resist the temptation to chase the latest rare-bird alert for the more nuanced challenge of interpreting confusing weather patterns and finding the flight path, if one exists.
In the mean time, we intend to soldier through 2027 as best as possible but it will most likely be a part-time count. This is discouraging because we know by our numbers that Riply is one of the more important Spring hawk counts. Anyone out there with raptor chops looking to spend a week on the beautiful Chautauqua Ridge overlooking vineyards, Lake Erie and our friendly neighbors to the north, please get in touch! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Andrew J. Dickson (<adickson3...>) Ripley Hawk Watch information may be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/3193820734258889/
