Lunch & Learn: Tracking Merlins and rethinking science in motion
2026-01-28 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Detroit)
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!
