Comparative Immunogenomics of the holarctic Gyrfalcon and globally-distributed Peregrine Falcon
2025-10-29 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Detroit)
Please join us for our October Lunch & Learn series where we will welcome Sage Dale, Boise State Master’s student, who will speak about her Gyrfalcon and Peregrine Falcon research.

Low pathogen abundance throughout the Arctic has been advantageous for nesting birds to avoid diseases found at lower latitudes, but may have limited selective pressures to develop genomic mechanisms of immune defense. The poleward shift of vectors of diseases has increased opportunities for novel pathogen exposure to high latitude communities. There is a need to understand the genomic mechanisms of immunologically naive Arctic wildlife. Here, we leverage high quality genomes and a comparative genomic approach to characterize the innate immune genes of an essential protein of the vertebrate immune system, toll-like receptors (TLRs), between a specialized Arctic raptor with suspected low immune competence (Gyrfalcon, Falco rusticolus) and its globally distributed congener (Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus). We hypothesize that TLRs will be closely related between falcon species, with Gyrfalcon showing lower TLR diversity.

Bio: Sage Dale is a Master’s or Raptor Biology student in the Conservation Genetics Lab at Boise State University. She’s interested in Arctic ecosystem biodiversity and using molecular and computational techniques to enhance traditional ecological methods for studying birds on these landscapes. While at BSU, she had the opportunity to participate in several long term gyrfalcon monitoring efforts including those with The Peregrine Fund in Nome, Alaska, the High Arctic Institute in NW Greenland, and with the Natural Science Institute of Iceland. Prior to graduate school, she received her bachelor’s in zoology from Oregon State University and spent several years working various field and research positions throughout the country and abroad. Some of these included working on raptor migration in New Mexico, spotted owl bioacoustics in Oregon, osprey distribution and relatedness studies throughout the southeast United States, and kiwi bird conservation in New Zealand.

This program is free and open to all but registration is required. please click the link below to register.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/nA_NkpwfSJSKJHQwa5cOKA

For those not able to join via Zoom, we will live stream the program on our HMA Facebook page as well. Recordings of all programs will be available on our website, www.hawkmigration.org, following the event.

We hope to see you there!

Lunch & Learn: Owl Banding in the Boreal Forest
2025-11-19 12:00 - 13:30
Please join us as we talk OWLS for our November Lunch & Learn! We will be welcoming Bruce Murphy, bander and educator from the Hilliardton Marsh Research and Education Center in Ontario, Canada.
Since 2000 we have been banding northern saw-whet owls at the Hilliardton Marsh in Ontario. During that time we have also had a great deal of success banding boreal owls and long eared owls. This talk we lead you through what we have discovered about our research and how fortunate we are to live in the boreal forest where so many of these owls breed then disperse across the Atlantic flyway. You will see what we have discovered about boreals owls, but be warned after this talk you will want to travel to the boreal to see these mysterious owls for yourself!
Bio: Bruce is a retired environmental science and outdoor education teacher and has been banding songbirds at the Hilliardton marsh since 1996 and owls since 2000. His interest in banding began when he was in grade six when he visited a banding station with his class and saw a black capped chickadee being banded. He was fortunate to teach a semester-long outdoor education class that we called TERRA where his grade 11/12 students taught visiting school groups and the general public about banding and wetland ecology. It was the highlight of his career and many of his students have had their weddings at the marsh. Currently he is still very involved in both songbird and owl banding and lives 3 miles away from the marsh on the shores of the Blanche river where he and his partner Joanne enjoy watching birds at the feeders when the chickens and turkeys aren’t stealing all the bird food.
This program is free and open to all but registration is required. please click the link below to register: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/W0X6DVrfRneq5ynNhhNpJQ
For those not able to join via Zoom, we will live stream the program on our HMA Facebook page as well. Recordings of all programs will be available on our website, www.hawkmigration.org, following the event.

We hope to see you there!

Restoring the Iconic Bearded Vulture and other Vulture Species to their Former Range in Europe – a Success Story.
2025-12-17 12:00 - 13:30
For our December Lunch & Learn presentation, HMA will be cohosting with the Harris Center for Conservation Education to talk vultures! We will be hearing from José Tavares and Alice Gama from the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) in Europe.
The VCF is an international foundation committed to the conservation of European vultures. The VCF has extensive experience in captive breeding, reintroduction, restocking and conservation of vultures in their natural habitats. The VCF is the lead organisation in all aspects of the conservation of vultures in Europe. In particular, the VCF coordinates the highly successful reintroduction of the Bearded Vulture in the Alps, including the coordination of monitoring at an alpine scale, thus working with a wide range of partners, and is also reintroducing this species in Andalusia, Corsica, Grands Causses (France), Maestrazgo (Spain) and Bulgaria. The VCF also coordinates the captive breeding network for this species.
The VCF has also been translocating Cinereous Vultures for reintroduction in France and Bulgaria, and is leading the global fight against illegal wildlife poisoning, namely through the implementation of a very successful model called Wildlife Crime Academy, through which enforcement authorities and other competent agencies get their capacity and skills enhanced to fight this threat. The VCF has also co-led the production of the Vulture Multi-species Action Plan – the global blueprint for conservation of Old-World vultures, that has been endorsed by the CMS. The VCF gathers the latest data, produces best-practice and know-how on vulture conservation in Europe.
José Tavares is the VCF Director and has 30+ years of experience in implementing nature conservation solutions. At the VCF since February 2013, José is working towards turning the VCF into a sustainable, effective, leading organization securing the protection of vultures and their habitats. This work involves not only on-the ground conservation projects and activities on vultures, but also, crucially, organizational development and management. This includes the management of projects in multiple countries, the development of complex partnerships and stakeholder building, and problem-solving.
Alice Gama is the Financial and Administrative Manager at VCF. Natural from Portugal. BSc in Biology. Between 2003 and 2006 she developed field work about raptor migration and breeding in Costa Rica and USA, and the impact of power-lines on bird populations in Portugal. From 2007 to 2016, she worked at a local environmental NGO, in Northeast Portugal, as a conservation manager, overseeing raptor conservation projects, including EU funded LIFE projects. At the VCF since 2016, she is responsible for the financial management and supporting the organisation’s administration and bookkeeping. Even if focused on the administrative side of things, working in vulture conservation at the VCF is truly inspiring and impactful, especially as we focus a lot on creating cooperation initiatives with so many organisations across borders and continents.

This program is free and open to all but registration is required. please click the link below to register.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/RhR-1SXERVy4XbR-32sSeQ
For those not able to join via Zoom, we will live stream the program on our HMA Facebook page as well. Recordings of all programs will be available on our website, www.hawkmigration.org, following the event.
We hope to see you there!

Lunch & Learn: Tracking Merlins and rethinking science in motion
2026-01-28 12:00 - 13:30
For our January Lunch & Learn series, we welcome Dr. Fernando G. López who will speak about his Merlin research on January 28th at 12pm eastern.
Conflicts between native predators and endangered species present complex challenges for conservation. In this talk, Dr. Fernando López will present results from a multi-year study of Merlins (Falco columbarius) in the Great Lakes region, where recent range expansion has increased predation pressure on the endangered Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). Using satellite tracking, space-use analyses, diet studies, and experimental non-lethal translocations, this research provides new insights into Merlin ecology and evaluates management strategies aimed at reducing predation risk while maintaining ecosystem integrity.
Beyond the scientific results, the talk will also reflect on how conservation science can move beyond traditional academic boundaries. Fernando will briefly introduce et al blog, a project of ornithology without frontiers that connects science, conservation, and society across the Americas, exploring how research can generate impact through collaboration, communication, and shared knowledge.
Fernando López, Ph.D. is an Argentine ornithologist and ecologist with extensive research experience across the Americas. He completed his Ph.D. studying the reproductive ecology of American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) nesting in natural tree cavities, and has worked on a wide range of topics including raptor ecology, species conservation, and human–wildlife interaction. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Institution, he led research on the satellite tracking and non-lethal management of Merlins to support recovery efforts for the endangered Piping Plover in the Great Lakes. Fernando has more than 20 scientific publications in avian ecology and conservation, collaborating with international teams across disciplines. He and his wife, Dr. Emilia Rebollo (ornithologist too) recently launched et al blog (www.etalblog.com and @etalblog on various social media platforms)— a new project in science communication and public engagement, rooted in the idea of ornithology without frontiers, aimed at connecting science, people, and biodiversity through a motorhome journey across the Americas.
This program is free and open to all but registration is required. please click the link below to register.
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Sox_gDbOQwSjN-MnmbGSvQ
For those not able to join via Zoom, we will live stream the program on our HMA Facebook page as well. Recordings of all programs will be available on our website, www.hawkmigration.org, following the event.

We hope to see you there!

What We Are Learning About Golden Eagles in North America's Eastern Flyway
2026-02-11 12:00 - 13:00
Join us for our February Lunch & Learn as we welcome Nick Bolgiano to talk about Golden Eagle migration through PA!
Wednesday, February 11, 2026 – 12pm eastern
For most raptor species that migrate through Pennsylvania, the highest concentrations of
migrants are seen in the southeast, especially along the Kittatinny Ridge, where the Hawk
Mountain and Waggoner’s Gap hawk watches are located. An important exception to this rule
is the Golden Eagle, for which the western corridor fall migration corridor through Pennsylvania
hosts the highest volume of migrants. As much as 2-3 times as many Golden Eagles use this
route compared to the eastern fall corridor through Pennsylvania, which includes the Kittatinny
Ridge.
Six seasons of data from the Bald Eagle Mountain-Eagle Field hawk watch provide a missing
piece in describing the Golden Eagle’s western fall corridor through Pennsylvania, as well as
through Pennsylvania as a whole. Route data from telemetered eagles and hawk watch data on
numbers, ages, and timing of flights from select watch sites give an overall coherence to the
Golden Eagle’s fall migration through the state.
Nick Bolgiano is a life-long birder from State College, Pennsylvania. He worked for 23 years at
Minitab Statistical Software, first as a software tester and then as designer of graphics. He has
been a hawk watcher for the last 31 years at Stone Mt and Tussey Mt in central Pennsylvania.
He came to believe that the fall Golden Eagle migration along Bald Eagle Mt north of State
College was one the biggest missing pieces in our understanding of the Golden Eagle’s Eastern
Flyway dynamics. In 2019, he teamed with Jon Kauffman of Shaver’s Creek Environmental
Center to conduct a one-season hawk watch on Bald Eagle Mt. In 2025, the sixth season fall
watch season happened there and now we have that missing piece.
This program is free and open to all but registration is required. please click the link below to register.https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ez0BUpHNT-2r05-osmzZFgFor those not able to join via Zoom, we will live stream the program on our HMA Facebook page as well. Recordings of all programs will be available on our website, www.hawkmigration.org, following the event.

We hope to see you there!

Lunch & Learn: Hawks on the Wing - Raptor ID
2026-03-25 12:00 - 13:30
Join us for our March Lunch & Learn presentation. We’ll be diving into raptor identification with Josh Haas! Perfect timing to get you ready for hawk watching during spring migration!
Raptors in flight bring a sense of wonder and struggle to birders, especially when it comes to identifying them at a distance. Field marks are not enough when back-lit conditions and birds miles out lack any color. Flight ID is the standard in identifying migratory raptors at a distance, however books only take it so far. Join hawk watcher Josh Haas as he shares the principles of migration, an overview on identifying raptors in flight, and how video changes the game to preparation. The talk will include clips from his movie Hawks on the Wing, an innovative way to learning raptors in flight. The program and movie feature side-by-side videos of raptors in flight, making conquering the technique faster and easier.
Josh Haas first developed a love for raptors working with the birds of prey at the Kalamazoo Nature Center. A hawk watching trip to Lake Erie Metropark opened his eyes to raptors in migration. Perplexed by seeing specks at a distance with an overwhelming itch to know what they were, he started learning from veteran hawk watchers and was hooked. He would end up spending seven Fall seasons working with the Detroit River Hawk Watch as a relief counter. There he honed his skills and developed a love for teaching visitors unique ways of telling the shadowy specs apart. This, combined with his experience in bird photography and videography took his teaching to a new level. His goal of making raptors accessible to everyone spawned his movie “Hawks on the Wing”, teaching viewers raptors in flight through the use of video and audio commentary. Josh’s passion started with raptors but he can be found birding and photographing in all seasons, often with his wife, daughter, and son.
This program is free and open to all but registration is required. please click the link below to register.https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/k8TAMni0S_aABLrMRxbgnw
For those not able to join via Zoom, we will live stream the program on our HMA Facebook page as well. Recordings of all programs will be available on our website, www.hawkmigration.org, following the event.

We hope to see you there!
