Loveland Living Planet Raptor Encounters
2024-06-01 13:00 - 15:00 (America/Denver) | Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, 12033 Lone Peak Pkwy, Draper, 84020, United States
Join HawkWatch International for a drop-in program at the aquarium! Check out their newest raptor exhibit and meet some of our Raptor Ambassadors up close.
This program is free with admission.

Sensory Friendly Evening at NHMU
2024-11-06 17:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Natural History Museum of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, United States
Join HWI at the Natural History Museum of Utah for a Sensory Friendly Evening. During this event, the museum will have lights and sounds adjusted, have sensory tools available for use, and offer programming suitable for those with sensory needs.
NHMU will have ASL Interpreters on site for guests who require interpretation services.
This event is FREE to attend and registration is not required.

Sandy Library Program
2024-11-18 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | Sandy Library, 10100 Petunia Way,, Sandy, 84092, United States
Ever wonder what makes a raptor different than other birds? Come by the Sandy Library and find out! Meet our live raptor ambassadors and ask our educators all your burning raptor questions.
This is a family friendly event, no tickets or registration required!
This event is made possible by Salt Lake County ZAP and the generosity of supporters like you.

HawkWatch Holiday Market
2024-12-07 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver) | HawkWatch International, 2240 S 900 E, Salt Lake City, UT, 84106, United States
Introducing the HawkWatch Holiday Market! Shop local artisans whose work highlights the spirit of resilient ecosystems on Saturday, December 7th, from 10-2 at HawkWatch International. Every purchase supports a small business and the conservation of raptor species.
Plus, you’ll get to meet HWI’s Raptor Ambassadors, including the newest member of our flock! Meet our Harris’s Hawk, then cast your ballot for his new name. Want to vote ahead of time or can’t join us in person? Vote here!
Event Highlights

Shop local environmentally-minded vendors
Meet our Raptor Ambassadors
Vote to name our new Harris’s Hawk during his first public program
Enjoy a holiday-themed hot drink bar
Wrap with Raptors gift wrapping station

Confirmed Vendors

2creativeadventures
Amanda Green Pottery
Anna Bugbee Studio
Angels Apoth-a-fairy
Art by Merm
Bee-Witching Creations
BluGoo
CrzyKnots
Farm Fresh to You
Hayden Hatch Original Art
KristaFeather Photography
K&K’s Bodacious Beer Biscuits
Lyra Zoe
Of Flowers and Dinos
Pink Rain Design
Sage Hen Jewelry
Wildlife Center of Salt Lake

Serving

Caffe Ibis Bird Friendly Coffee
Millcreek Cacao Roasters Hot Cocoa
Ruby Snap Cookies

Granite Library Program
2024-12-09 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Granite Library, 3331 S 500 E, South Salt Lake, 84106, United States
Ever wonder what makes a raptor different than other birds? Come by the Granite Library and find out! Meet our live raptor ambassadors and ask our educators all your burning raptor questions.
This is a family friendly event, no tickets or registration required!
This event is made possible by Salt Lake County ZAP and the generosity of supporters like you.

Bird Band Bonanza
2025-01-27 - 2025-02-10 | UT
Survival, especially in winter, is one of the harder things to study for many animals, including raptors. HawkWatch International (HWI) researchers and many of our colleagues put color bands on thousands of adult and nestling raptors each year. The unique combinations of colors and alphanumeric codes make it possible to identify individual birds via cameras, scopes, binoculars, and sometimes even the naked eye—all without needing to capture and handle them again!
That’s why we’re inviting you to join HWI for a two-week scavenger hunt to document as many color-banded raptors as possible between January 27 and February 10th!
To thank you for your efforts, we’re offering some awesome prizes for…

The oldest bird spotted (HWI banded raptors only)
The bird farthest away from it’s banding site (HWI banded raptors only)
Individual with the most color bands submitted
Top photograph of a color-banded raptor

Our team color-bands American Kestrels, Golden Eagles, Burrowing Owls, Cooper’s Hawks, and Red-tailed Hawks, but information on any other color-banded raptors from anywhere across the Americas is welcome and helpful. We’ll do our best to track down and share any information we have on reported birds—note this may take a little longer for birds HWI teams didn’t band.
We will hold a brief kick-off at the start of the event, walking you through why we color band birds, what kind of info we’re looking for, and how to submit your data.
Spotted a color-banded raptor? Report it here.
Register Here

West Jordan Library Program
2025-01-27 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | West Jordan Library, 8030 S 1825 W, West Jordan, UT, 84088, United States
Ever wonder what makes a raptor different than other birds? Come by the West Jordan Library and find out! Meet our live raptor ambassadors and ask our educators all your burning raptor questions.
This is a family friendly event, no tickets or registration required!
This event is made possible by Salt Lake County ZAP and the generosity of supporters like you.

Eagle Day at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
2025-02-08 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, 2155 West Forest ST, Brigham City, UT, 84302, United States
Join HawkWatch International at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge to celebrate Eagle Day! Joined by our friends from the Ogden Nature Center, we’ve come to talk all things eagles: where they live, how they hunt, what threats they face, and more! Come by and meet a live eagle face to face and find out what you can do to help protect them for generations to come!
Free tickets are required to see the live bird presentations and for the photography workshop. Due to limited seating, everyone two and older must have a ticket to participate in these presentations. Tickets are issued on a first-come first-serve basis. Once ticketed attendees are seated, extra seating will be open to all. Ongoing activities throughout the day are open to everyone. More information can be found on the Friends of the Bear River Refuge website.

Raptors at the Daybreak Library
2025-02-20 15:30 - 16:30 (America/Denver) | Daybreak Library, 11358 Grandville Ave, South Jordan, 84009, United States
Ever wonder what makes a raptor different than other birds? Come by the Daybreak Library and find out! Meet our live raptor ambassadors and ask our educators all your burning raptor questions.
This is a family friendly event, no tickets or registration required!
This event is made possible by Salt Lake County ZAP and the generosity of supporters like you.

Winter Raptor Field Trip
2025-02-22 10:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver) | George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Wildlife Education Center, 1157 South Waterfowl Way, Farmington, UT, 84025, United States
SOLD OUT
Seasoned and beginner birders, you’re invited to a day of winter hawkwatching alongside HawkWatch International scientists! Spend the day at Farmington Bay for a chance to talk with scientists leading HWI’s local conservation work and to see and photograph raptors such as Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, and Bald Eagles, along with plenty of shorebirds and ducks.
This event requires registration. With your ticket, you will receive a boxed lunch and transportation from the Eccles Wildlife Education Center. The field trip will begin promptly at 10 AM, so please arrive at the education center 10 to 15 minutes early.
Be sure to pack sun protection, warm clothing, binoculars, and water.

Standard Ticket: $80
VIP (Very Informed Person) Ticket: $95 Includes our neck gaiter to keep you warm and a Sibley pocket guide to western raptors.

SOLD OUT; Reserve a spot on the wait list here

Cavity Adopting Raptor Ecology Studies Volunteer Kick-off
2025-03-01 10:00 - 12:00 (America/Denver) | UT
HawkWatch International (HWI) is looking for community scientists!
Through our Cavity Adopting Raptor Ecology Studies (CARES) we monitor hundreds of nest boxes built to house Western Screech-owls, American Kestrels, and more across the diverse landscapes of Utah’s Wasatch Front, Tucson, AZ, and the Idaho/Washington border. Community scientists will be assigned a box (or several!) to monitor throughout the nesting season. If you live in the above-mentioned study areas, you may be a good fit for our community science program!
Join us for our annual volunteer orientation to learn more about how you can volunteer with the CARES program by filling out the registration link!
This event can be attended in person at the HWI offices or remotely via WebEx.
REGISTER HERE

Swan Day at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge
2025-03-08 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, 2155 West Forest ST, Brigham City, UT, 84302, United States
Join HawkWatch International at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge for Swan Day! While we wont have any swans, we will have live raptors that prey upon them. Come find out what raptors can take down a mighty adult swan and which raptors skillfully snatch nestlings and eggs!
Free tickets are required to see the live bird presentations and for the photography workshop. Due to limited seating, everyone two and older must have a ticket to participate in these presentations. Tickets are issued on a first-come first-serve basis. Once ticketed attendees are seated, extra seating will be open to all. Ongoing activities throughout the day are open to everyone. More information can be found on the Friends of the Bear River Refuge website.

Bird Walks at the Butte
2025-03-12 17:00 - 18:30 (America/Denver) | Red Butte Garden, 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, United States
Have you ever tried to get into birding but weren’t sure how? Want to learn how to identify a bird by its song? Join one of our experts for a guided birding walk around Red Butte Garden to learn more about local birds and how to identify them.
Registration for this program is handled by our partner, Red Butte Gardens. Click here to register: https://redbuttegarden.org/plan-your-garden-visit/online-classes-virtual-resources/adult-education/bird-walk-at-red-butte-garden-with-hawkwatch-international/

Black Hawk Up - Festival at Tubac HawkWatch
2025-03-13 - 2025-03-18 | Tubac HawkWatch, 31 Calle Iglesia, Tubac, AZ, United States
Thursday 03/13 – Sunday 03/18, 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
It’s peak week at the Tubac HawkWatch! Join HWI and the Tubac Nature Center for a week celebrating spring migration. This is a family-friendly event with free activities in the park to coincide with the peak flight of the Common Black Hawk migration. You can expect to hawkwatch alongside experts daily, shop birdy merch and optics, and meet live Raptor Ambassadors.
On Optics Days, you can shop and try out the latest binoculars with the best optics dealers, including Kowa, Swarovski, Zeiss, Lecia, and Vortex. Don’t forget to stop at HawkWatch International, Tubac Nature Center, and Tucson Bird Alliance for some bird merch!
Festival Schedule
Thursday, March 13th: Kid’s Day

HawkWatch International Tabling
8:00 AM-9:00 AM: Family Walk with Nature Scavenger Hunt
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM: Owl pellet dissection
10:00 AM-10:30 AM: Meet Pancho, the Tumacacori National Historical Park mascot
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Owl pellet dissection
11:30 AM-12:30 PM: Raptor Ambassador Meet and Greet

Friday, March 14th: Nonprofit Day

HawkWatch International Tabling
11:00 AM-1:00 PM: Raptor Ambassador Meet and Greet
1:00 PM: “Tips for IDing Birds” with Luke Safford, Director of Engagement at Tucson Birding Alliance, at the Tubac Community Center

Saturday, March 15th: Optics Days

HawkWatch International Tabling
7:15 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here
9:00 AM-11:00 AM: Raptor Ambassador Meet and Greet
11:00 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here
11:00 AM: “Everything you wanted to know about the Common Black Hawk but were afraid to ask!” from Peter Collins, site founder, at the Tubac HawkWatch
3:00-4:00 PM: Reading with Raptors at the Tubac Community Center

Sunday, March 16th: Optics Days

HawkWatch International Tabling
7:15 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here
11:00 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here
11:00 AM-1:00 PM: Raptor Ambassador Meet and Greet
1:00 PM: “Why we watch hawks and how we use count data to assess population trends” by Dr. Dave Oleyar, HWI’s Director of Long-term Monitoring & Community Science, at the Tubac Community Center

Monday, March 17th: Optics Days

7:15 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here
11:00 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here

Tuesday, March 18th: Optics Days

7:15 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here
11:00 AM: Bird walk with Tubac Nature Center and Tucson Bird Alliance, Register Here

Accommodations
For a list of hotels and restaurants, click here
Can’t Attend the Festival but Still Want to Visit the Site?
HWI counters will be at the site daily from February 15th through April 30th. Tubac Nature Center will also be tabling for the whole month of March, which you can learn more about here.
This festival is sponsored by Tubac Nature Center, HawkWatch International, Tucson Bird Alliance, and Kowa Optics

Kid's Day at the Tubac HawkWatch
2025-03-13 08:00 - 12:30 (America/Denver) | Tubac HawkWatch, 31 Calle Iglesia, Tubac, AZ, United States
Do you have a young naturalist in your life? Join HawkWatch International, Tubac Nature Center, and Tucson Bird Alliance at the Tubac HawkWatch this spring break for a day of fun activities! We will have birding and nature activities, including a session on how to use binoculars, owl pellet dissections, nature journals, and a meet and greet with our live Raptor Ambassadors! Register as early as 7:45 AM on the 13th
Schedule

HawkWatch International Tabling
8:00 AM-9:00 AM: Family Walk with Nature Scavenger Hunt
We’ll walk right from the park along the Anza Trail looking for items on our nature scavenger list. This is a great way to get your children’s eyes open to the amazing world along the trail. We’ll end up back at the park in time for the rest of the day’s activities.
9:30 AM – 10:00 AM: Owl pellet dissection
We will have actual owl pellets that kids will be able to dig into which shows what owls have eaten. Very hands on. This booth is provided by HawkWatch International and Tucson Audubon. Space is limited to only 20 kids so sign up at registration if your child is interested.
10:00 AM-10:30 AM: Meet Pancho
Pancho is the mascot from Tumacacori National Historical Park. He makes a great photo op. You can’t miss him. He’s big, red and has very, very large binoculars.
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM: Owl pellet dissection
We will have actual owl pellets that kids will be able to dig into which shows what owls have eaten. Very hands on. This booth is provided by HawkWatch International and Tucson Audubon. Space is limited to only 20 kids so sign up at registration if your child is interested.
11:30 AM-12:30 PM: Raptor Ambassador Meet and Greet
Meet a live ratpor and learn what makes a bird a raptor, why raptors migrate, and how humans can help keep raptors safe.

Riverton Library Program
2025-03-20 16:00 - 17:00 (America/Denver) | Riverton Library, 12877 S 1830 W, Riverton, UT, 84065, United States
Ever wonder what makes a raptor different than other birds? Come by the Riverton Library and find out! Meet our live raptor ambassadors and ask our educators all your burning raptor questions.
This is a family friendly event, no tickets or registration required!
This event is made possible by Salt Lake County ZAP and the generosity of supporters like you.

Raptor Meet & Great at the Natural History Museum of Utah
2025-03-29 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Denver) | Natural History Museum of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, United States
While you learn about Mesozoic dinosaurs like the Utah Raptor, stop by and meet their modern day relatives: birds of prey! What traits to dinosaurs and modern raptors share? Where do these birds live? What threats do they face? Learn all of this and more with paid admission to the NHMU. Find admission information on their website or in person.
This event is made possible by Salt Lake County ZAP and the generosity of supporters like you.

Reading with Raptors at the Herriman Library
2025-04-15 15:30 - 16:30 (America/Denver) | Herriman Library, 5380 W Main St, Herriman, 84096, United States
Join HawkWatch International at the Herriman Library for Reading with Raptors! During this program, children meet one of HWI’s Raptor Ambassadors while reading a storybook that matches the bird they’ve just met. They’ll learn about raptors and enjoy a great story. Free and no registration is necessary!
This program is made possible by Salt Lake County ZAP and the generosity of supporters like you.

Earth Day at Westminster College
2025-04-26 12:00 - 14:30 (America/Denver) | Westminster University, 1840 S 1300 E, Salt Lake City, 84105, United States
Free and open to the public: In this free hands-on science and STEAM event, kids will participate in a variety of Earth Day projects on the Westminster University campus. The activities will extend from the Richer Commons in the center of campus (in front of the Meldrum Science Center) to the Westminster beehive and orchard and then to the stream. The event will feature special guests including Woodsy Owl with the US Forest Service and live birds with HawkWatch International. We will be joined by the Brighton Institute, Great Salt Lake Institute and Cottonwood Canyon Foundation. In case of rain, all activities will be moved inside the Meldrum Science Center.

Tattoos and Talons
2025-05-10 10:00 - 20:00 (America/Denver) | Moss Tattoo Studio, 1900 Washington Blvd Suite 102, Ogden, 84401, United States
Looking to leave a mark on raptor conservation? Join HawkWatch International and Moss Tattoo Studio on World Migratory Bird Day for Tattoos and Talons in Ogden, UT! For each tattoo, HWI will receive 50% of the proceeds to put towards our efforts to conserve raptors and our shared environment. Grab yourself some new ink, enter an opportunity drawing for some fun prizes, and meet our Raptor Ambassadors!
Moss Tattoo Studio practices eco-tattooing, meaning they have reduced the use of single-use plastics and prioritize eco-friendly materials.
Check out the flash here!
To schedule a spot, please direct message the artist you’d like to work with on Instagram or submit an appointment request through Moss Tattoo Studio’s website here.

The Great Salt Lake Bird Festival
2025-05-15 - 2025-05-18 | UT
REGISTRATION OPENS MARCH 2025: https://www.daviscountyutah.gov/greatsaltlakebirdfest
Hosted by Discover Davis, HawkWatch International will be hosting a variety of field trips throughout the festival as well as selling merchandise Friday and Saturday.
Each year hundreds of attendees flock to the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival to experience one-of-a-kind field trips, participate in hands-on learning workshops, and enjoy opportunities to listen to world-renowned keynote speakers and expert field trip guides. But most importantly, for four days, passionate birders get together and celebrate the beautiful array of birds that migrate to our region, while sharing unforgettable moments and experiences.
At the Great Salt Lake Bird Festival, you can expect to see hundreds of different species of birds, rare access to property and areas that are typically closed off to the public, and to top it all off, attendees experience the beautiful outdoor playground Utah offers.
