Hawk Mountain Project Featured in 2023 Breeding Bird Blitz for Conservation
Posted on June 07, 2023 in Special Projects
Hawk Mountain is once again participating in the third annual Breeding Bird Blitz for Conservation, which is a collaborative event hosted by the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology featuring teams searching for birds and raising funds for conservation. Between June 9 and 19, over 20 teams will engage in friendly competition to observe the most species in a county or region while raising funds for three critical bird conservation projects/partners, which this year includes the Hawk Mountain-lead Pennsylvania Third Bird Atlas.
Hawk Mountain's team "Rosalie's Raptors" will conduct their bird search on Friday, June 9. You can donate to the Sanctuary's team via at breedingbirdblitz.org/rosalies-raptors through Monday, June 19 and help the team hit their goal of $1500 raised!
The Sanctuary's team will once again be led by MT Grob and joined by Laurie Goodrich, David Barber, and Bracken Brown. Team Rosalie's Raptors honors Sanctuary founder Rosalie Edge and Hawk Mountain's raptor conservation mission. This year they will search the skies, fields, and forests throughout the counties within Hawk Mountain’s viewshed and the Kittatinny Ridge area, including Berks, Schuylkill, and Lehigh Counties.
Team members are still enlisting friends and families to donate! Visit breedingbirdblitz.org/donate-teams to donate in support of one of the teams or directly to the Bird Breeding Blitz. Every penny donated will go towards conservation progress and a portion directly towards the Sanctuary’s efforts with the PA Third Bird Atlas, which includes hiring and housing an Atlas Coordinator, funding outreach materials, and organizing the staff and volunteers who will conduct the atlas surveys.
The Breeding Bird Blitz for Conservation was created to meet two goals: (1) enhance the monitoring of birds during the nesting season, and (2) increase the protection or restoration of habitats for birds listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need in Pennsylvania. All donations from this year’s event will be split among three organizations: Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, The Foundation for Sustainable Forests, and South Middleton Township. Learn more about these partners and featured projects here.
So how does the Breeding Bird Blitz for Conservation work? Teams of two or more birders register through the website and decide whether they will cover a single county or a region of the state. While drawing up the plans for their “Big Day,” the team members will reach out to friends to tell them what they are doing and ask for their support with a donation. All donations are made through breedingbirdblitz.org, where a donor can select a team to support. After the event, teams will submit their results, primarily through the eBird website. The teams that raise the most funds and document the most species will receive special recognition.
Support Hawk Mountain's team Rosalie's Raptors by donating here.