Ripley Hawk Watch (01 Apr 2026) 13 Raptors
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rep...@hawkcount.org
Apr 1, 2026, 9:54:34 PM (6 days ago) Apr 1
to genesee...@geneseo.edu
Ripley Hawk Watch
Ripley, New York, USA
Visitors:
Kate Ebersol, despite the unfavorable conditions, stopped briefly by Site # 2 at the end of the 11-12 hour, as I departed for one final look at Sites 1B and 1A from 12:00 - 12:30.
Weather:
Yesterday's large flight of TV's and raptors is better explained by severe thunderstorms and heavy winds that passed through the area after the watch concluded 03/31/2026. Early this morning (04/01/2026) remnants of the storm continued in the form of light rain until 8:30 AM. Today's watch began at 9 AM at Site 1A with NNE wind and a temperature of 38 F. Their was a low cloud ceiling throughout the watch, with very poor visibility from 11:00 - 12:30. Humidy averaged 94%, and the wind speed increased during the final 90 minutes of the watch.
Raptor Observations:
As expected, yesterday's massive push of birds, combined with weather conditions were factors for today's extremely light flight. From 9-10AM, there were no migrators. With the continuing NNE wind, each inland site was used. Site 4 (Douglas Road) proved to be a valuable location to spot low flying TV's that were flying slightly below the tree line and could not be viewed from Site # 3, Creamery Road. We need to utilize Site 4 to check for activity when the other sites have empty skies. This is particularly the case when the Broad Wings are projected to come through the RHW by mid-April. It was another day of considerable watch-site changes, mostly on the escarpment.
Non-raptor Observations:
Minimal migration of non-raptors today, but our local Bald Eagles and TV's continued to make their presence known throughout the morning.
Predictions:
For Thursday, 04/02/26, showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 64F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. With the rising temperatures, showers potentially ending late morning, and SE winds, it's possible that a flight will materialize.
Report submitted by Michael Ceci (michael...@gmail.com)
Ripley Hawk Watch information may be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/3193820734258889/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
Ripley, New York, USA
| Daily Raptor Counts: Apr 01, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 12 | 12 | 18788 |
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Bald Eagle | 0 | 0 | 52 |
| Northern Harrier | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 0 | 0 | 62 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 0 | 0 | 240 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| Merlin | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 0 | 32 |
| Total: | 13 | 13 | 19386 |
| Observation start time: | 09:00:00 |
| Observation end time: | 12:30:00 |
| Total observation time: | 3.5 hours |
| Official Counter | Michael Ceci |
| Observers: |
Visitors:
Kate Ebersol, despite the unfavorable conditions, stopped briefly by Site # 2 at the end of the 11-12 hour, as I departed for one final look at Sites 1B and 1A from 12:00 - 12:30.
Weather:
Yesterday's large flight of TV's and raptors is better explained by severe thunderstorms and heavy winds that passed through the area after the watch concluded 03/31/2026. Early this morning (04/01/2026) remnants of the storm continued in the form of light rain until 8:30 AM. Today's watch began at 9 AM at Site 1A with NNE wind and a temperature of 38 F. Their was a low cloud ceiling throughout the watch, with very poor visibility from 11:00 - 12:30. Humidy averaged 94%, and the wind speed increased during the final 90 minutes of the watch.
Raptor Observations:
As expected, yesterday's massive push of birds, combined with weather conditions were factors for today's extremely light flight. From 9-10AM, there were no migrators. With the continuing NNE wind, each inland site was used. Site 4 (Douglas Road) proved to be a valuable location to spot low flying TV's that were flying slightly below the tree line and could not be viewed from Site # 3, Creamery Road. We need to utilize Site 4 to check for activity when the other sites have empty skies. This is particularly the case when the Broad Wings are projected to come through the RHW by mid-April. It was another day of considerable watch-site changes, mostly on the escarpment.
Non-raptor Observations:
Minimal migration of non-raptors today, but our local Bald Eagles and TV's continued to make their presence known throughout the morning.
Predictions:
For Thursday, 04/02/26, showers in the morning, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 64F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%. With the rising temperatures, showers potentially ending late morning, and SE winds, it's possible that a flight will materialize.
Report submitted by Michael Ceci (michael...@gmail.com)
Ripley Hawk Watch information may be found at: www.facebook.com/groups/3193820734258889/
More information at hawkcount.org: [Site Profile] [Day Summary] [Month Summary]
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