Counting migrating raptors is more than a flight of fancy

Will Aubrey, who has led the Helderberg Escarpment Hawk Watch at Thacher Park for more than two decades, is passing the binoculars to John Loz, who just finished his term as chairman of the Audubon New York Council. Each September, about 3,000 birdwatchers come to Thacher to count the raptors on their annual migration to South America.
Aubrey says teaching is in his blood — both he and his sister became teachers, following their father and grandfather. With the Hawk Watch, he combines his passion for teaching with his role as a citizen scientist, reporting the numbers of each kind of raptor counted over 16 days to the Hawk Migration Association of North America and the NorthEast Hawk Watch.
Aubrey describes the shapes and flight patterns that identify various raptors and says the local turkey vultures — “their wings in a V” — “act as a Welcome Wagon” for the raptors passing through, as they see the turkey vultures getting a free ride.
“It’s environmental monitoring,” says Aubrey of the count in this week’s podcast at AltamontEnterprise.com/podcasts.

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