MEXICO, NY – “Golden Eagle, sixty degrees, over three,” hawk spotter Brandon Brogle called out directions, and a flash of sunlight glinted across the binocular lenses of a dozen or so passionate birders as they swept the sky in search of a large raptor passing over the Derby Hill Bird sanctuary.
The nationally known hotspot for migratory bird sightings in the Town of Mexico is in full swing as the migration season draws large groups of bird lovers to witness the annual spectacle. Flights of avians passing over the bluff overlooking Lake Ontario are impressive even to the naked eye, their numbers almost impossible to count without the aid of some sort of mechanical device.
Brogle clicked away as he followed the flocks of raptors, keeping an accurate count of many species on an ancient but reliable tabulating machine.
The 24 year old native of Bethlehem, in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, arrived at Derby Hill just as the ice was breaking on Lake Ontario and the annual spring migration started to get underway. Brogle resides in a small cottage owned by the Onondaga Audubon Society, just a few steps away from the prime spotting grounds on the top of the wind blown hill.
He scanned the sky from sunrise to sunset, taking a break only when precipitation made spotting impossible.
Brogle developed a fascination with ornithology while studying biology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and learned the art of hawk counting as an intern at Hawk Mountain in Kempton, Pennsylvania.
Brogle had some knowledge of Derby Hill prior to applying for the seasonal employment, but he was “blown away” by the numbers that Oswego County’s famed sanctuary posted online.
“It’s been incredible so far,” Brogle said. “The birds don’t take a day off.”
Brogle interacts constantly with the birders that gather atop the hill, pointing out groups of birds and single birds, engaging in a steady banter, speaking a language that indicates a deep knowledge of avian science and an appreciation of nature’s wonders.
Brogle said that working at Derby Hill has been very rewarding, especially with regard to the group of hawk counting veterans that he has bonded with over the course of the spring, individuals that have invested 30 to 50 years counting hawks and building an impressive knowledge base. Experts such as Gerry Smith, Dave Wheeler and Paul Fritz are described by Brogle as “normal people who are intensely aware and capable.”
According to Brogle, Derby Hill attracts a cross section of wildlife enthusiasts, from first time visitors to seasoned birders that travel great distances to witness the migration. The watch is a group effort, with 60,717 raptors being counted as of April 26, and 68,725 numbered from the beginning of the watch. April 24 saw 19,335 individuals of the Broadwing Hawk (Buteo platypterus) species pass over Derby Hill.
Brogle’s enthusiasm for his job is unmistakable, his excitement as a flight line of birds approach the bluff and range close enough to be identified and counted radiating through the cool air and inspiring both experts and novices as they scan the sky.
“In the moment, it’s very intense, because you have to make sure that no bird moves unnoticed, but at the end of the day, it is one of the coolest things that I have ever done,” Brogle said.
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