Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch Looking for Volunteers
The Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch is looking for volunteers for its spring and fall seasons:
The Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch is not alone in its endeavor to record the migration of raptors. lt is part of a nationwide network of hawk watches, all of which report their daily findings to the Hawk Migration Association of North America, which in turn makes public the received data both on the web (www.HawkCount.org) and in a yearly publication. In so doing, the totality of raptor migration data is available for scientific research and analysis.
Why should raptor migration be so important as to call forth such a nationwide effort?
Because the raptors are at the top of the food chain. Toxins in the environment build up until they reach their full concentration in raptors. Recall the near extinction of eagles and osprey because the excessive amounts of DDT built up in their systems had resulted in eggshells too thin to sustain the weight of a brooding female. Therefore, hawk watches perform a valuable service to environmental science as well.
Raptors are involved in two yearly migrations: one in the fall, to their wintering grounds, and one in the spring, to their breeding grounds. Hence, the Cape Henlopen Hawk Watch is really two hawk watches. The fall watch begins the day after Labor Day and ends when fall migration is finished, around mid-November. The spring watch begins March 15, to catch the early migrants, and ends May 15. Because of staffing problems, the watch can only operate from 9 a.m. to noon every day except in bad weather. It would be ideal if a second shift could be added: from noon to 3 or 4 p.m.; but more watchers are needed before that can happen.
What does it take to be a hawk watcher? Most important are a good set of eyes and a pair of binoculars. The watch can guarantee a beautiful site, gorgeous surroundings as well as the thrilling chaos of a really good day when hawks crowd the sky and the compiler has trouble keeping up with all the species. Those interested can call Liz Dumont at 302-856-2289 (evenings).
