Ripley Hawk Watch (29 Mar 2026) 3762 Raptors
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Mar 29, 2026, 4:54:01 PM (9 days ago) Mar 29
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Ripley Hawk Watch
Ripley, New York, USA
Visitors:
Gary Bletsch, Jan Bowman
Weather:
Starting off very chilly with a steady SSW wind. Temps gradually warmed throughout the day to 49F. Winds were fickle once again, with SW winds eventually giving way to a lake breeze which forced the observers to site 1B, 2, and finally 3. Winds constantly shifted between NW, SW, and SE. Overcast skies that were forecasted never materialized, and we have a terrific blend of blue and white that helped us see birds. Visibility was also wonderful, and from Site 3 one could clearly see the 50 miles to the factories across the lake, we also had great views of Long Point PP and the lighthouse there! Around 4pm, heavier clouds moved in which seemed to signal the end of the
Raptor Observations:
The flight began in earnest during the 9am hour. While the flight was initially spread out over 1, 1b, and 2, the flight consolidated directly over site one and was thrilling with kettles of over 100 birds. Eventually, the lake breeze won out, and observers moved briefly to 1B before settling at 2 just after 12pm. By 12:45pm, the flight had again drifted inland, so the remaining observers moved to site 3 while Mike Ceci provided good counts of separate birds moving over the Forsythe Bridge. Our first bigger Sharpie day with 20, six NHs, 29 RTs and a smattering of Kestrels, Eagles, and Cooper's Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
3,600+ Turkey Vultures! Our biggest TV day since 03/26/2020, which had 4345. They came through in kettles of 100+ over all four sites we utilized today. Eleven Sandhill Cranes! including seven over site 3. Horned Larks, Great Blue Heron, Common Ravens, Song Sparrows, Blackbird Flocks, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, many Robins, Flickers on the move, Tree Swallow, Bluebird, House Finches, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Killdeer and many more species on this busy day! Farmer's Daughter is open for business.
Predictions:
Monday looks great, but what could be left in the pipeline? We will see! Tuesday looks good, but all about timing with the rain. Very warm and excellent winds.
Report submitted by Devin Banning (devi...@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: Mar 29, 2026 | |||
| Species | Day's Count | Month Total | Season Total |
| Black Vulture | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Turkey Vulture | 3689 | 12870 | 12870 |
| Osprey | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Bald Eagle | 2 | 39 | 39 |
| Northern Harrier | 6 | 17 | 17 |
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 20 | 42 | 42 |
| Cooper's Hawk | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| American Goshawk | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 6 | 88 | 88 |
| Broad-winged Hawk | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 29 | 207 | 207 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Golden Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| American Kestrel | 9 | 33 | 33 |
| Merlin | 0 | 5 | 5 |
| Peregrine Falcon | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Unknown Accipitrine | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Buteo | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Unknown Falcon | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Eagle | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Raptor | 0 | 24 | 24 |
| Total: | 3762 | 13359 | 13359 |
| Observation start time: | 08:15:00 |
| Observation end time: | 16:00:00 |
| Total observation time: | 7.75 hours |
| Official Counter | Katelyn Davis |
| Observers: | Devin Banning, Gary Bletsch, Janis Bowman, Mike Ceci |
Visitors:
Gary Bletsch, Jan Bowman
Weather:
Starting off very chilly with a steady SSW wind. Temps gradually warmed throughout the day to 49F. Winds were fickle once again, with SW winds eventually giving way to a lake breeze which forced the observers to site 1B, 2, and finally 3. Winds constantly shifted between NW, SW, and SE. Overcast skies that were forecasted never materialized, and we have a terrific blend of blue and white that helped us see birds. Visibility was also wonderful, and from Site 3 one could clearly see the 50 miles to the factories across the lake, we also had great views of Long Point PP and the lighthouse there! Around 4pm, heavier clouds moved in which seemed to signal the end of the
Raptor Observations:
The flight began in earnest during the 9am hour. While the flight was initially spread out over 1, 1b, and 2, the flight consolidated directly over site one and was thrilling with kettles of over 100 birds. Eventually, the lake breeze won out, and observers moved briefly to 1B before settling at 2 just after 12pm. By 12:45pm, the flight had again drifted inland, so the remaining observers moved to site 3 while Mike Ceci provided good counts of separate birds moving over the Forsythe Bridge. Our first bigger Sharpie day with 20, six NHs, 29 RTs and a smattering of Kestrels, Eagles, and Cooper's Hawk.
Non-raptor Observations:
3,600+ Turkey Vultures! Our biggest TV day since 03/26/2020, which had 4345. They came through in kettles of 100+ over all four sites we utilized today. Eleven Sandhill Cranes! including seven over site 3. Horned Larks, Great Blue Heron, Common Ravens, Song Sparrows, Blackbird Flocks, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, many Robins, Flickers on the move, Tree Swallow, Bluebird, House Finches, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Killdeer and many more species on this busy day! Farmer's Daughter is open for business.
Predictions:
Monday looks great, but what could be left in the pipeline? We will see! Tuesday looks good, but all about timing with the rain. Very warm and excellent winds.
Report submitted by Devin Banning (devi...@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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