Hi all,
I've finally had a moment to address the recent emails regarding the reporting of the observations of the Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch. Most of the emails have been addressed, I think, to the moderator or just shouting at the internet in general, but I will attempt to offer an explanation.
Jeannette and I founded the Bradbury Mountain Spring Hawkwatch in 2007. We personally sponsored it for the first two years, then our store sponsored it in partnership with Nikon for 5 years and Leica Sports Optics for 4 years. Then, our store, Freeport Wild Bird Supply, became the sole sponsor in 2018 and we have funded each season in its entirety since (and we house the official counter when it's not Zane, who lives locally). While Bradbury Mountain Hawkwatch t-shirt sales mostly pay for supplies, it is the store's general revenue that pays the Official Counter.
Since the project began, data has been submitted to the Hawk Migration Association's "Hawkcount.org" database. It is automatically posted daily to the Birdhawk Listserve, and originally, it was automatically posted to the Maine-Birds Listserve. When the listserve was switched to a Google Groups, the automatic posting stopped working. Efforts to figure out why and what could be done about it never amounted to anything.
So since then, Jeannette or I have voluntarily forwarded each day's report directly to the Maine Birds Google Group as a service to the birding community. It's a pain in the butt, really, and the formatting is still annoying. Our varying attempts to improve the formatting are time consuming and not very effective.
Normally, we only hear from the group about the postings when someone is complaining about the formatting or the repost is not occurring quickly enough. Frankly, it got old after about a decade, especially given the lack of support from readers here of the project, with the very notable exception of a few loyal volunteers and regulars (thank you!).
With so little participation in this Google Groups these days, we were surprised by the number of posts regarding the hawkwatch data. Especially the assumption that there is something to simply "fix". Our goal was to spend our time more wisely and reduce the inbox clutter of the people who don't have interest in the daily hawkwatch counts, while at the same time making sure the formatting was as clear and readable as possible. The link has been offered here repeatedly, and the ease of bookmarking the single link and clicking on it daily or whenever convenient has always been the best way to view the hawkwatch data as clearly and efficiently as possible, and the cleanest way to read and absorb Zane's popular prose.
As support from the Bureau of Parks and Lands has languished (to be charitable), the future of the project has been put into question. With current economic issues (especially these asinine tariffs which are ravaging the global commodities markets) and other more pressing conservation battles (the gutting of protections for migratory birds, including raptors), we must analyze our time commitments and external expenditures. The hawkwatch needs the support from the readers here, whether it's from visiting the watch and helping out (while also paying entrance fees that justify the support from the park), supporting the business that support the project (currently, it's just us), or even just supporting the Hawk Migration Association and the work they do - such as by sponsoring the Hawkcount.org page for the project (click on the support/donate button on the top right corner of the page).
In the meantime, we ask that you please respect our time and efforts, and respect the inboxes of those who are not interested in receiving daily emails for two months, and bookmark https://www.hawkcount.org/month_summary.php?rsite=616 or https://www.hawkcount.org/siteinfo.php?rsite=616
If you're interested, you can find numerous ways to explore the daily data there. And we are proud that our standardized methodology and professional counter has qualified our project to be included in the Raptor Population Index. Alternatively, you can view weekly reports that continue to be posted on the News page of our website, here: https://www.freeportwildbirdsupply.com/blog
Better yet, head up the mountain and see what's flying! And maybe stop at the store for a t-shirt on your way home. The more support the project has, the longer we can keep it running.
Thanks for reading,
Derek
