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Hinckley Township is ready with pancakes, binoculars
By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal staff reporter
Published on Tuesday, Mar 10, 2009
Sunday is Buzzard Sunday in Hinckley Township.
Will the turkey vultures or buzzards — the stars of the show — fly in on cue?
No one will know until 7 a.m. Sunday, when official buzzard spotter Bob Hinkle of Cleveland Metroparks turns his binoculars skyward in search of the return of the world-famous birds at the Buzzard Roost in the Hinckley Reservation in northern Medina County.
Other people might think they have seen the buzzards, but the birds are not officially sighted until they are spied by Hinkle on Sunday morning.
Yes, it's hokey, but it's part of the Buzzard Sunday traditions that are a rite of spring in Northeast Ohio.
The festivities will run from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. with a buzzard scoreboard, naturalist-led hikes, live bird programs, music, historical re-enactments, displays, storytelling, bus tours, Buzzard Bingo games for kids and refreshments at the birds' summer home: the Buzzard Roost at State Road and West Drive.
The birds are scavengers, not hunters. They typically feed on the carcasses of small animals. They circle and search at altitudes of 200 feet above the ground.
A buzzard weighs 3 to 6 pounds and has a wingspan of up to 6 feet. It has black feathers and a wrinkled red head, and can live as long as 20 years.
Legend has it that the buzzards came en masse to Hinckley in the spring of 1819 after early settlers conducted the Great Hinckley Hunt of 1818.
More than 400 settlers enclosed a 25-square-mile area to kill wolves, bears and other predators that were after their livestock The buzzards were reputedly drawn by the rotting carcasses of hundreds of animals killed.
Another story says the buzzards were attracted to Hinckley in 1808 when a Wyandot Indian was hung for witchcraft.
In 1957, ranger Walter Nawalaniec reported that he had witnessed the birds returning to Hinckley on March 15 for six consecutive years. The now-closed Cleveland Press ran the story.
That year, the birds returned at 2 p.m. March 15 before 9,000 witnesses. The legend grew.
For information about park activities, call 440-526-1012 or 216-635-3200.
In addition, the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a pancake breakfast and arts/crafts show from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Hinckley Elementary on state Route 303 just east of state Route 94. Call 330-278-2066 for information.
Bob Downing can be reached at 330-996-3745 or bdowning@thebeaconjournal.com.
Sunday is Buzzard Sunday in Hinckley Township.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Akron, , OH
Posted 08:08 AM, 03/10/2009
Their dependable!!!
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 09:14 AM, 03/10/2009
I've already seen some around here. They're back. So are the Robins.
akron, oh
Posted 11:55 AM, 03/10/2009
NO MORE SNOW
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 01:58 AM, 03/11/2009
I'll Be there as usual. I don't miss it ever!
