Meet the 2025 Crew: Commissary Ridge HawkWatch

Bella Maiwurm comes from Prior Lake, Minnesota, and recently graduated from Iowa State University with a bachelor’s degree in Animal Ecology. As an avid traveler, she has gained a wide range of experiences, from shadowing scent detection dogs and collecting wolf scat in Alaska to studying Hawksbill sea turtle population dynamics on the island of Antigua. Recently, she finished a field season with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a technician handling and banding Greater Prairie-Chickens. Bella is looking forward to further practicing her banding skills and getting a closer look at some of her favorite birds, including the Cooper’s Hawk. Her hobbies include hiking and crocheting, and she is excited to craft from a mountaintop while witnessing her first raptor migration season.

Originally from Maryland, Sierra first moved out west in 2017 to attend the University of Montana, where she obtained a B.S. in Wildlife Biology and a minor in Environmental Studies. She has spent three summer seasons working in the central Sierra Nevada conducting surveys and nest searches for the American Goshawk, Spotted Owl, and Flammulated Owl, and is very excited to gain experience working more directly with raptors this fall. She has worked with a variety of wildlife, including everything from insects and wading birds to swift foxes and black bears. In her free time, Sierra can often be found spending time outside hiking, birding, photographing wildlife, or cross-country skiing. Though she’s never seen one, her favorite raptor is the exclusively bone-eating, Bearded Vulture of Eurasia and Africa, because how impressive is that!

Mia is returning to HawkWatch International for their third migration season, the first at Commissary Ridge HawkWatch after spending the previous two seasons at the Manzano Mountains HawkWatch. Before graduating from Boise State University with a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in ecology, evolution, and behavior and a minor in environmental studies, they were involved in a variety of research projects centered on conservation across multiple taxa, such as plants, invertebrates, raptors, and mammals. In the years following, Mia worked as a herpetological research technician in the Coastal Plain of Georgia, assessing amphibian presence, and as a Bald Eagle nest watcher, monitoring nesting pairs across Arizona. When not working, they love playing video games, reading, practicing their photography, watching movies, and herping. Although Mia admires all raptors, their favorite is the Swainson’s Hawk for their striking and variable plumage. Mia is most excited about the chance of viewing a Rough-legged Hawk.

Molly graduated in 2023 from Penn State University with a biology degree and has since been traveling for seasonal biology field work in order to see all the beautiful places outside of Pennsylvania (a wonder of the world, of course) and to challenge herself physically. She has never worked with raptors before, and is excited to learn and practice safe capture and handling techniques, and IDing new species! In her free time, she likes to draw, take photos, and play guitar. Molly is excited to see many migrating Golden Eagles this fall and is hopeful to band one alongside her crew.

Doris comes from the sunny coast of Long Beach, California. After acquiring her BS in Ecology for Environmental Science at the University of North Texas, she quickly picked up and soared into new adventures. Her adventures have consisted of banding songbirds on the west coast, working with critically endangered seabird species on the island of Kaua’i, crashing through the dense forests of the Sierras for Spotted Owls and Goshawks, and banding raptors in the Midwestern flyway with Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory and along the Pacific Coast flyway with Golden Gate Raptor Observatory. Doris spent this spring and summer as the technician on our CARES team studying kestrels and screech-owls. This will be her third migration season, and she is ecstatic to make new friends and see the magic of the Intermountain West! In her free time, Doris will venture out on hikes, rock climb, and photograph delightful memories. Her favorite raptors are Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks, and she is hopeful to see a few hover over this season!