Tools of the Trade: Cameras and Optics
There's a reason that people often use the expression "watch something like a hawk." Birds of prey come designed to see you, so to see these elusive species, special tools are required. As mostly solitary predators, these birds take up large territories to hunt, which only allows for a certain…
Tools of the Trade: Golden Eagle Nest Entries
Utah’s West Desert is home to salt flats, sagebrush, mountains, and a military training area. This desert can be a harsh environment, but despite it all, some animals make their homes there. One such species is the Golden Eagle. In recent years, however, Utah’s Golden Eagle population has seen declines.…
Tools of the Trade: Raptors In-hand
Birds have been banded for science since the 1800s. When a band is re-sighted or recovered, scientists learn how long that bird has lived (longevity), where it came from, and where it moved to. HawkWatch International has banded over one hundred thousand raptors since the 80s. Re-sight and recovery reports…
Protecting Raptors Against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza
Just as we all began to allow a collective sigh of relief as the worst of COVID-19 appears to be behind us, those of us in the bird world have another virus to deal with: highly pathogenic avian influenza. As we head into the busy spring and summer nesting season,…
Update from the 2022 Gunsight Crew
We’ve reached the midway point of the spring count! Lucky for us Matt and Arthur have sent over this update letting you know how this season has gone and what is still yet to come. All photos by Matt Dickey Gunsight HawkWatch specializes in species that are scarcely seen elsewhere…
Volunteer Spotlight: Liz and Dylan Anderson
How long have you been volunteering with HawkWatch International? This will be our 6th year! How did you get started volunteering with HWI? I was looking for volunteer opportunities I could do with my son. When we saw that we could monitor nest boxes for the smallest falcons in North…
Volunteer Spotlight: Wendy Sears
How long have you been volunteering with HawkWatch International? I started training as a docent in the fall of 2015. How did you get started volunteering with HWI? HawkWatch International volunteers were with the Raptor Ambassadors outside of my place of employment at the time. I was enamored with the…
Volunteer Spotlight: Tammy and Emily Sarzalejo
How long have you been volunteering with HWI? We became docents in October of 2021. How did you get started volunteering with HWI? I saw a post on Facebook by Education and Outreach Director Melissa Halvorsen, who is a former colleague from Living Planet Aquarium, about HWI needing docents. My…
Calurus: The Oldest Known Red-tailed Hawk?
Our Raptor Ambassador Calurus might just be the oldest known Red-tailed Hawk. Calurus was brought to a rehabber in 1992 after getting tangled in a barbed wire fence and suffering an injury to his left-wing. The extent of the injury required a partial amputation that removed some of his flight…
Meet the 2022 American Kestrel Conservation Interns
Springtime means nesting season research and the start of HWI’s American Kestrel Conservation Internship! Through this program, we provide opportunities for early-career biologists to gain valuable experience in the field, collecting and managing data, and getting hands-on experience working with cavity-nesting raptors. We designed this program with access in mind,…