Our scholarship awardees have reached the end of their projects, and we couldn’t be more proud of what they have accomplished! Sasha, Michael, and Gonzalo have all continued Jerry Liguori’s legacy by introducing raptors to new audiences, providing important habitat, and increasing research efforts to learn more about understudied species.
Sasha Chilibeck—Dalhousie Birding Society, Canada
Funding from the scholarship was used to host two raptor-related guest speakers at Dalhousie University’s main campus in Halifax in hopes of reducing barriers to seeing raptors in the wild by bringing them directly to campus. The first guest speaker was from Nova Scotia’s largest wildlife rehabilitation centre, Hope for Wildlife, who gave a talk on “Anthropogenic Threats to Raptors.” Their speaker, George, brought two raptor ambassadors, Edward the Broad-Winged Hawk and Arial the Barred Owl. The second speaker was local hobbyist falconer, John Allen, with his trained falconry hawks—two Harris’s Hawks (Pandora and Griffon) and a local Red-Tailed Hawk (Zeus). The birding society saw great attendance, with more than double their average meeting turnout! It was particularly memorable for the students to be able to hold these birds on the glove, with guidance from the falconer.
Michael Cohn—Soldiers 2 Scientists, United States
Michael and Master Falconer Corine Hagan built and installed 20 nest boxes at Manassas Battlefield Park! On top of this feat, the team just had 30 more boxes delivered to the Shenandoah Raptor Study Area. With these updates and additions, Michael was able to restore and expand their network of nesting boxes. Soldiers 2 Scientists is also organizing a BioBlitz on April 26th to introduce more people to their work and study area and provide a community science opportunity. Michael is excited to enter banding season and see just how many American Kestrels take residence this spring.
Gonzalo De León Girón—Universidad Autónoma de Baja California, Mexico
Gonzalo successfully installed two autonomous Swift recorders to better understand the diversity of owls in coniferous forests in Baja California. On top of the expansion of his scientific research, Gonzalo also heavily emphasized outreach. He created educational materials and gave a talk on the stigma and negative cultural associations with owls as bad omens. At the event, he got the audience involved in an owl-watching session, had them draw owls based on their perceptions, and played interactive games. Lastly, he created a 10-minute documentary, releasing in July, that explores three main themes: beliefs, science, and the practical use of birds at Rancho La Concepción as part of its sustainable development initiatives. Gonzalo found it particularly rewarding to see children’s perceptions of owls shift in a positive direction and show greater interest in conservation.
If you want to continue Jerry Liguori’s work and support the scholarship, make your gift today: https://hawkwatch.org/jerry/
As of today, we are officially opening the scholarship for new applicants! If your project contributes to research, professional development, and educational experiences centered around raptor migration, identification, and natural history, please apply! Applications close May 9th. Click here to learn more and submit your application: https://hawkwatch.org/investing-in-others/jerryscholarship/
This blog was written by Sammy Riccio, our Communications Manager. You can learn more about Sammy here.
