Here you are usually sacrificing comfort for quality over quantity. Overcast days in late March with strong southeast wind bring perhaps the lowest flights. It was one such flight that actually lead to the discovery of Derby Hill. The hawks start off flying low and generally stay nice and low throughout the day. Once witnessed, it's hard to ever turn your back on these special flights.
Birds start off low but typically gain altitude very rapidly as the day quickly heats up.
These flights are typical of late April through mid May when the Broad-winged Hawks are at their peak. By midday, observers are often craning their necks as they scan the sky for flying specks, especially on west winds, as indicated earlier. The OAS's Derby Hill Bird Observatory is on Sage Creek Drive just east of the Town of Texas off Rt.104b, Oswego County, in New York State. From Syracuse, the easiest way to reach Derby is to take I-81 north to exit 34, which is Route 104. Turn west on 104.