(Hinckley) - A sure sign that spring is about to come to Northeast Ohio happened at 8:18 a.m. on Thursday, March 15th. The first "official" buzzard was spotted at that time flying above Buzzard's Roost in the Hinckley Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks.
Tradition says that the large, black and grey birds with v-shaped wings show up at Buzzard's Roost every March 15th, and most years, they're seen within an hour or so after sunrise.
The tradition of spotting buzzards at Buzzard's Roost goes back to the late 1950s, when the Cleveland Metroparks began the annual bird spotting event. Legend has it that early settlers in Hinckley in the early 19th century attracted the carcass-eating birds after a number of predatory animals were shot and killed, creating a smorgasbord for buzzards.
This Sunday is the traditional Buzzard Sunday in Hinckley, as the township's Chamber of Commerce sponsors its annual celebration, including an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast, and more buzzard-spotting.
(Photo by John MacDougall/AFP/Getty Images)