Manitoba’s Pembina Valley Hawkwatch will never be the same. For over 25 years, Dorothy Schritt and her husband Al returned to the valley each spring to watch and count raptors heading northward on their migration. Dorothy loved bird watching and had a fondness for animals, and her curiosity about their behaviour never waned. Dorothy’s interests went beyond birds, however. She loved spending time with her son, daughter, son-in-law and husband. Her love for children was reflected in her innovative home business–making Quiet Books that found their way to six continents in four languages. Among her other interests was singing. During 1965, while attending the Winkler Bible School, she helped cut a record of all the school’s small singing groups.

In 2005, Dorothy and Al agreed to get involved with the A Rocha Raptor Project and for six seasons faithfully participated in documenting the Pembina Valley’s raptor migration. In October 2010, Dorothy lost her valiant battle with cancer. The 2011 spring raptor count is just beginning–this time without Dorothy present. Al’s return to the valley to count raptors is bittersweet. Good memories and a wish that Dorothy were there by his side mingle with the awe-inspiring sight of thousands of birds of prey soaring northward toward their summer breeding grounds, the cycle of life rolling inevitably on.

A Rocha is very grateful for Dorothy’s dedicated and faithful participation in helping document Manitoba’s premiere spring raptor migration. She will be missed.

Contributed by Paul Goossen