Observation start time: 08:30:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Andy Dickson
Observers: Marc Nichols, Mike Ceci
Visitors: Ripley native Mark Nichols again helped in the morning hours while sporting his Sabres attire.
Weather: Cloudless skies on arrival and for the entire count. Some contrails eased the very difficult spotting conditions. Steady SSW and SW winds strong enough to knock our chairs over when we stood up. Some clouds over Lake Erie never came ashore. Cool temperatures warmed to high sixties by the end of the count and pressure dropped slightly.
Raptor Observations: We hoped for a bigger day than materialized. Maybe the pipeline is depleted? One accipiter (SS) but a good BE showing. 2 local BEs made multiple showings. By mid afternoon, the flight was so high that sharpies or AKs might be missed with 10X optics.
Non-raptor Observations: Tree swallow. Kingfisher. Gulls. Killdeer. Canada Geese. Several groups of distant waterfowl. Several hundred Redwing blackbirds headed upwind, stopping intermittently.
Predictions: Mild but showers and heavier rain on Wednesday, then turning cold. We are unlikely to staff the watch midweek. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Andrew J. Dickson (<adickson3...>) Ripley Hawk Watch information may be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/3193820734258889/
