When Larry Weber announced two weeks ago that the Hawk Ridge Raptor Count was starting this past Saturday (August 15), you could almost hear the groan of "No - already?"
The fact is, birds - and visitors - have been amassing at Hawk Ridge for awhile now.
Ironically, the fact that people aren't flying seems to mean they're more interested in watching birds who are. The normally unflappable counters and other staff are looking at the August attendance - already way up - and trying to figure out how that will play out in September, and how they can keep everyone safe.