Film: Scouting 13 Million Sky Raptors

Sacajawea Audubon Society kicks off the Bridger Raptor Festival at The Ellen with a film and trio of wildlife biologists and raptor experts…

The raptor migration monitoring network in the western United States has yielded important scientific information about the health and long-term trends of more than a dozen raptor species that migrate through western North America. Enroute from their northern nesting grounds (many originate in Alaska) to spend the non-breeding season in more southern climes (as far as south as Argentina),
these top-of-the-food chain aerial predators serve as valuable indicators of large scale ecosystem health and change.

FEATURE FILM: Scouting 13 Million Sky Raptors
Hosted by wildlife biologist Wes Larson

Wes is on a mission across the United States to find the next generation of conservationists.

This film highlights efforts by a dedicated team of conservationists on a remote mountain top in Eastern Nevada, who have been keeping watch for over 30 years. Their mission?
To count and record every single raptor and bird of prey that flies past to keep track of their populations. Over the years, HawkWatch International has counted over 13 million birds across their network of observation sites. Since hawks sit on the top of the food chain, any drastic changes in their populations signals problems with the balance of their ecosystem.

Stick around after the film...

HawkWatch International (HWI) Founder Steve Hoffman and HWI Director of Conservation Science Steve Slater will chronicle the efforts of developing this expansive raptor migration monitoring network. They will share key findings from these long-term raptor monitoring efforts, with a special focus on the results of 29 consecutive seasons of scientific raptor counts conducted each fall along the crest of the Bridger Mountains, above Bridger Bowl Ski Area.

Photo: Steve Hoffman (left), Steven Slater (right)