Celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day at Hawk Mountain
Features free live vulture program, educational activities for children
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will host a celebration for International Vulture Awareness Day on Saturday, Sept. 3 starting at 12 p.m.
The event will include a free live vulture program, educational activities for children, and a free talk on vultures and their conservation status by Director of Conservation Science Dr. Keith Bildstein. Programs the 3rd.
Red Creek Wildlife Center will offer a live vulture program at noon in the Sanctuary’s Outdoor Amphitheater. Visitors are encouraged to trek to the lookouts to enjoy the Autumn Hawk Watch that will be well underway, with possibly large numbers of raptors soaring past.
Director of Science also begin on Conservation Dr. Keith the world vultures crisis as well as the Sanctuary’s ongoing work with vultures in North America, South America, and Africa. He will discuss the unique nature of vulture movements and the important role vultures play in natural and humandominated ecosystems. The illustrated talk will take place in the Visitor Center Gallery at 5:30 p.m.
“Three quarters of the world’s 22 species are now endangered globally,” explained Bildstein. “We need to discuss the problems they face ad what we
The day also marks the official opening of the new trail-side gallery along the ADA accessible Silhouette Trail, which meanders through Hawk Mountain’s ridge-top forest between the Trail Head and South Lookout. The specially commissioned gallery features life-size, inflight silhouettes of 7 of the world’s 22 species of vultures and condors, including four New World species (Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, Andean Condor, and California Condor) and three Old World species (Hooded and Egyptian Vulture). A brochure describing these will be available at the trail entrance, and the one-of-a-kind silhouettes will remain in place through December.
“The focus of our celebration is to help visitors fall in love with vultures,” Senior Educator Rachel Spagnola expressed. “We do that by providing hands-on activities, inviting guests to explore our newest trail sprinkled with life-size vulture displays, and offering opportunities for up-close and personal vulture viewing. their wings on IVAD and explore the birthplace of raptor conservation by meeting a live vulture and a world-renowned vulture expert!”
In addition to the IVAD festivities, the Fall Weekend Programs will begin on the 3rd as well. The available programs cover a variety of raptor observation basics and offer guests and additional, unique education opportunity. The schedule includes: Raptors Up Close! at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., Trapping and Tracking Raptors at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., Binocular Basics at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and Name that Raptor at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Additional details can be found at hawkmountain.org/weekendprograms.
The 2,500-acre Hawk Mountain Sanctuary is the world’s first refuge for birds of prey and is open to the public year-round by trail-fee or membership, which in turn supports the non-profit organization’s raptor conservation mission and local-to-global research, training, and education programs.
To learn more about Hawk Mountain or other programs, please call 610756-6961 or visit www. hawkmountain.org.