Hawk Mountain Returns to Participate in Second Annual Breeding Bird Blitz for Conservation

Hawk Mountain is once again participating in the second 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 17 and 20, at least 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.

Hawk Mountain's team "Rosalie's Raptors" will conduct their bird search on Friday, June 17. You can donate to the Sanctuary's team via at breedingbirdblitz.org/rosalies-raptors through Monday, June 20. 

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 participate in the regional count, searching in counties within Hawk Mountain’s viewshed, including Berks, Schuylkill, and Lehigh County. Together Rosalie’s Raptors spotted 92 species during last year’s competition.

Team members are still enlisting friends and families to donate, with some offering to donate a set amount per species observed and others making a flat donation. 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.

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, Erie Bird Observatory, Ned Smith Center for Nature & Art, and Willistown Conservation Trust, to support conservation efforts of their respective flagship bird, the piping plover, golden-winged warbler, and northern saw-whet owl. The focus of their conservation efforts is the restoration of native habitats essential for the survival of these endangered species. 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.

“While Breeding Bird Blitz allows for fun, friendly competition, more importantly our participation contributes to the effort to raise money for conservation in the keystone state.” Says MT Grob, Hawk Mountain’s Bookstore manager, avid birder, and long-time Sanctuary volunteer. “Although, of course, we hope to find raptors, and we’re excited and ready to get out into the field. Part of the fun is not really knowing what we’ll find out there.”

Support Hawk Mountain's team Rosalie's Raptors by donating here.