Raptors you might see at the Hamburg Hawk Watch
The Buffalo Ornithological Society coordinates the Hamburg Hawk Watch. It is a Hawk Migration Association (HMA) hawk watch (official website: Hawk Migration Association). The hawk watch runs from March 15 through May 15 each year. Volunteer counters man the site daily from about 10 AM until 3 PM, weather permitting, and guests of all abilities are always welcome to visit.
The Hamburg Hawk Watch was the inspiration of Fran Rew, one of the founding members of the Buffalo Ornithological Society. Before the Hamburg Hawk Watch was formed, Fran invested a lot of time scoping out key vantage points along the east end of Lake Erie to find a strategic location where raptors could be observed in spring migration. Lakeside Cemetery was found to be located at a spot close enough to the lake where raptors can be seen streaming eastward along Lake Erie and also just before turning northward.
In 1987, Fran obtained permission from Lakeside Cemetery for a hawk watch to be conducted on their grounds and it was then that the Hamburg Hawk Watch was born. We have been enjoying the privilege of counting raptors at Lakeside Cemetery ever since. Fran was the first count coordinator and remained in that position for 15 years. In 2002, Jim Landau took over the coordination of the hawk watch and has brought the data recording of the counts from paper-and-pencil into the digital age. Sue Barth is now assisting Jim with scheduling.
We encourage you to stop by the hawk watch and take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about raptor identification and to assist in spotting and counting the birds! Please keep in mind that we are guests of the cemetery. The cemetery is not a park or a recreational place; please conduct yourselves with respect for the grounds, the maintenance workers, and any services or mourners on the premises.
For more information or to volunteer, contact Sue Barth:
Sue Barth
(716) 474-3657
[email protected]
Directions
The hawk watch site is held at Lakeside Cemetery in Hamburg, NY. The entrance is off Camp Road and the watch is usually conducted just beyond the mausoleums just past the entrance. Depending on the winds or if there is a service going on, the watch may be conducted in Section H. On days with easterly winds, the count may be moved to the parking lot of the ball park on Rogers Rd. across from the western-most end of the cemetery. When parking in the cemetery, visitors are asked to park along the road edge with all four wheels on the pavement (NOT in the grass).