NEVER FEAR - THE BUZZARDS ARE HERE! BACK TO THEIR SUMMER ROOST IN CLEVELAND METROPARKS HINCKLEY RESERVATION As the crowd began to assemble at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 15th, the anticipation of the first buzzard and the un-official sign of spring was at a very high level after the long winter. Then, at 9:05 a.m. Cleveland Metroparks 'Official Buzzard Spotter' Bob Hinkle and the faithful buzzard revelers surrounding him spotted the first buzzard of 2009 at the Buzzard Roost of Hinckley Reservation in Hinckley, Ohio - a sure sign that "spring is in the air!" The weather was warmer than it has been for the past four buzzard-watches, and the crowd was anxiously looking through their binoculars and awaiting the buzzards return and the unofficial start of spring. At 9:05 a.m. Chief of Outdoor Education Bob Hinkle confidently held his arm out and pointed at the tradition-fulfilling avian after spotting it above Hinckley Reservation's Buzzard Roost field. The on-lookers joined in the pointing and gleefully shouted "Buzzard!" Just after that four more buzzards flew through the skies, too! With many more aerial displays to follow throughout the day. The annual return of the buzzards to Hinckley is considered by many to be an unofficial first sign of spring in Northeast Ohio, and has been celebrated for over 52 years with the Buzzard Sunday! event which occurs the Sunday after March 15th. This year, the Annual Return of the Buzzards and Buzzard Sunday! are both celebrated on Sunday March 15th. The free celebration featured nature hikes, musical entertainment by "The Buzzard Boilers," storytelling, historical reenactments, the buzzard scoreboard & live buzzard display, live birds of prey programs, additional exhibits & displays, bus tours of Hinckley Reservation, Buzzard Bingo and Buzzard Nest Bean Bag Toss for kids, buzzard-related merchandise and refreshments for purchase, and more! It is not known exactly how many years the buzzards have returned here and there are many legends and lore of why they do return here, but it is certain that they always return on March 15th - no matter what day it lands on. It is official, the buzzards have returned back to the 'home of the buzzards' and spring is 'almost' here in - Cleveland Metroparks - part of your life, naturally. ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]