GREECE, N.Y. — The hawk population in New York state continues to soar, and if you’ve looked toward the skies recently you may have noticed a lot of them. That’s because spring is the prime season for hawk migration. Some species of hawks are still endangered. Near Rochester, one man’s mission is to provide scientists and researchers with important data to help them track the progress of the protected birds. 

There are far worse ways to spend your days than looking to the skies. This is how David Brown spends his entire spring, as the official hawk counter for Braddock Bay Hawk Watch.

“Today's been pretty good,” said Brown, as he and others gazed through binoculars, counting birds of prey from a stand at Braddock Bay Park in Greece. “We're just coming into the time we're starting to see a lot of the broad-winged hawks, which are a species that we get tens of thousands of over the course of a season.“ 

Seven days a week, Brown is joined by other bird watchers. They are not just watching, but counting different species of birds. 

“It's important because hawk watching is a good way to measure the changes in raptor populations,” said Brown. “A lot of these species nest up in remote areas so they're hard to survey in other ways.” 

Located several hundred yards from the Lake Ontario shoreline, Braddock Bay is viewed as the perfect spot for this kind of work. The viewing stand is right in the migration path for hawks, turkey vultures and other species. 

“The special thing about counting hawks or any birds that migrate is you know that each bird you're seeing is a different one,” he said. “You're just one small stop that they're flying over on, in some cases, a thousands of miles long migration.” 

Birds counted during the Hawk Watch are entered into a database, which includes similar hawk watches across North America, so scientists can study populations and migration patterns. Brown posts a daily wrap-up of what he sees on YouTube and other social media platforms. 

All of it makes for some spectacular views of spectacular birds. It’s peaceful — most of the time. 

“Yeah, besides the honking geese,“ laughed Brown. 

It’s not a bad job for a guy who went to college for math and computer science, but changed his focus to bird watching after he purchased a camera.   

Braddock Bay Raptor Research is holding an event this weekend promoting it’s conservation efforts. Bird of Prey Days includes activities for people of all ages. 

Looking to the sky. It’s the best way to spend the day. 

“It's just spectacular,” said Brown. “There’s always something to see out here in the park.”