Eastern Mass Hawk Watch promotes raptor conservation directly by sponsoring or donating funds to various raptor-related conservation projects and organizations. Learn more about the programs that we sponsor below. Please contact us to learn more about our sponsorships for raptor conservation.
Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project
Online: http://www.nectkestrels.com/
Contact: Tom Sayers (sayers.tom@gmail.com)
Background: The Northeast Connecticut Kestrel Project has been creating nesting spaces for American Kestrels since 2008. Tom Sayers interacts with landowners to erect Kestrel nesting boxes, and then manages their progress throughout the nesting season, ultimately banding fledged chicks. Tom started with 6 boxes in his initial year with the program, slowly ramping up year after year with more breeding success and valuable lessons learned. In 2020, the program had expanded to 69 boxes, with a goal of 75 boxes for 2021.
Key Stats: To date, over 1,200 American Kestrels have fledged from boxes managed by the project.
Snowy Owl Project (Blue Hills Trailside Museum/Mass Audubon)
Online: https://www.massaudubon.org/snowyowl
Contact: Norman Smith
Background: Boston’s Logan Airport is one of the most reliable places in the Eastern US to encounter wintering Snowy Owls. Norman Smith has been synonymous with Snowy Owl conservation in Massachusetts for 40 years now. His work with Mass Audubon in relocating, banding, and tracking Snowy Owls with satellite telemetry has provided invaluable data regarding this sensitive and enigmatic species. Today, Norman still volunteers his time for Snowy Owl conservation, even after his retirement from Mass Audubon.
Key Stats: Norman Smith has relocated over 850 Snowy Owls in his conservation career.
The Broad-winged Hawk Project
Contact: Dr. Laurie Goodrich: (goodrich@hawkmountain.org)
Background: Pennsylvania’s Hawk Mountain Sanctuary has long been one of the most prolific Broad-winged Hawk migration sites in all the world. Researchers from Hawk Mountain, in their quest to learn more about this fascinating migrant, created The Broad-winged Hawk Project in 2014. With a goal of understanding the breeding, wintering, and migration ecology and conservation status of this species throughout its life cycle, the project is currently tracking multiple Broad-wings using satellite telemetry. The project is expanding from first tracking female birds, to tracking both sexes in upcoming breeding seasons. The project is also adding Broad-wings from different breeding geographies to increase our understanding of the differences between populations.
Watch: https://vimeo.com/showcase/3805905
Key Stats: The project has tracked over a dozen Broad-winged Hawks via satellite since its 2014 inception.
Keeping Company With Kestrels
Online: https://keepingcompanywithkestrels.org/
Contact: Joey Mason / https://keepingcompanywithkestrels.org/contact-us/
Background: Keeping Company With Kestrels has been involved in several dimensions of raptor conservation – from providing nest boxes for American Kestrels, to banding wild raptors, to developing techniques to reduce raptor injury and mortality from man-made obstacles. KCK’s efforts are focused in Southeastern Massachusetts and have been running since 2000, with longer historical efforts leading into the formation of the organization.
Key Stats: KCK has banded 1,064 American Kestrel nestlings since the year 2000.
Kestrel Land Trust
Online: https://www.kestreltrust.org/care/kestrel-nest-box/
Contact: Anthony Hill / https://www.kestreltrust.org/contact/
Background: Kestrel Land Trust is focused in Western Massachusetts’ Pioneer Valley, working hard to conserve habitat and wildlife and connect people with their mission of conservation and appreciation of wild spaces. Within the organization, The Kestrel Nest Box Project seeks to establish breeding spaces for American Kestrels and does so by collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service, the MA Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, Mass Audubon and other organizations. Volunteers monitor Kestrel breeding progress and researchers band successful fledglings, providing valuable conservation data.
Key Stats: Since 2013, the Kestrel Nest Box Project has produced nearly 200 nestlings, with an amazing 52 banded fledglings in 2020.
Hawk Migration Association of North America
Online: https://www.hmana.org/
Contact: Julie Brown (info@hmana.org)
Background: HMANA is a national organization focused on raptor migration and uniting hawkwatchers and research all around North America. HMANA manages data from a large network of migration sites, and uses it to publish semi-annual journals and feed research projects to promote analysis of migration trends. HMANA’s HawkCount.org website is the front page of raptor migration, bringing real-time statistics from counters across the continent together in an efficient platform, rich in historical data. Other raptor conservation projects like Winter raptor surveys and educational outreach are also a huge part of HMANA’s mission.
Key Stats: There are nearly 200 affiliated migration sites in the HMANA network.