Sponsored by   Did you know that Ospreys have specialized feet for grasping fish?  Osprey have acutely curved talons, and the bottom of their feet have tiny spines called "spicules" that help them maintain a firm grip on slippery fish, their main prey.  While most raptors have three toes in…

The Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded a team of researchers, led by Boise State University biological sciences professor Julie Heath, a four-year, $1.7 million grant to monitor the effects of climate change on American kestrels and develop a modeling system that can be used broadly to predict how other…

April 2017 My name is Paul Parker and I am the Executive Director of HawkWatch International. I am writing to you today to share my thoughts about the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and to urge you to ensure its continued viability and utilization as one of our country’s most important…

Sponsored by   Have you ever watched a raptor perched on a windy day, hover in the air or perch on an object that is unstable or wobbly?  Next time you see one in this type of scenario, check out how their body moves back and forth while their head…

Just as we were closing the office yesterday, we received a call from an individual who had watched a raptor collide with his office window.  The bird was moving but seemed to have trouble with its wing, leaving the concerned citizen afraid that the hawk was seriously injured. Unfortunately it…

March 7th marked the start of HawkWatch International’s second annual spring migration count at North America’s northernmost migration site: Gunsight Mountain, Alaska! Cold but clear weather highlighted the first few days of counting with temperatures reaching -4 degrees Fahrenheit (-20 Celsius), not an uncommon occurrence in interior Alaska this time…

We are approaching the time of year in western North America when late wintering Rough-legged Hawks and early arriving Swainson's Hawks can be present at the same time. Particular Rough-legged Hawk morphs can have heavy bibs with lightly marked bellies and appear very Swainson's Hawk-like. This fact reminded us of…

“Do I need a background in science?” she asked.  A woman interested in volunteering visited our office last week with this question.  She had recently had a mesmerizing experience where she watched raptors soaring overhead and was now looking for a way to get involved with our work. Among the…

Sponsored by Have you ever noticed that a Bald Eagle's bill is much larger than a Golden Eagle's?  The reason for this is likely quite obvious.  Fish, of course, is the main diet of a Bald Eagle, and salmon is a part of that fish diet--a significant part in the…

Blog by Jesse Watson In early October we blogged about the Ferruginous Hawk project one of our biologists has been involved with in southern Canada.  At that time, we posted a map showing where Ferruginous Hawks tracked from their breeding ranges in Alberta and Saskatchewan were located along their fall migration…