Join us in celebrating the past 50 years, the people, the places, and the raptors while we also look to the future of the next 50 years, what it might bring and what we hope for. We are calling on all hawk watchers, raptor enthusiasts, raptor biologists, and HMANA friends across the Americas to join us in person or virtually for this momentous conference and anniversary celebration!
We have an exciting lineup of speakers, symposiums, and poster sessions – all focused on honoring the history of hawkwatching in the Americas, current raptor research efforts, new looks at raptor education and discussions on the future of hawkwatching, hawk migration study, and how best to address the challenges we face.
Our Keynote speaker for the conference will be Ernesto Ruelas Inzunza. Ernesto is the founder of the Veracruz River of Raptors and helped lead HMANA’s efforts to start the important Raptor Population Index partnership. Currently, he is a Professor-Research Scientist at the Institute of Biotechnology and Applied Ecology of the Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico and editor-in-chief of the Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
Ernesto’s talk is titled: Raptor migration in the Neotropics: three decades of discovery where he will detail discoveries in raptor migration in neotropics in recent years and what discoveries or work is on the horizon.
We are thrilled to welcome plenary speakers Pete Dunne and Clay Sutton, both whom have a long, rich history in the hawkwatching community. Here’s a sneak peak of what’s in store for Clay’s presentation entitled: “Northwest Winds: Shifting Winds—Winds of Change.”
Clay will reflect upon his own 50 years of watching hawks, primarily at Cape May, New Jersey, but also at many of the key raptor watches throughout North America and beyond. He relates, “What a long, strange trip it has been,” and how in his wildest dreams he never expected to see in his lifetime the changes that he has witnessed. “Many changes have been good and for the better, and some not so much. We have benefitted greatly from emerging resources and have been the benefactors of amazing advances in optics, information, and technology.
We have all seen changes in the composition of raptor flights, and changes in the very expectations of what we may see. We have experienced significant shifts in the migration phenology and winter ranges of hawks. But what hasn’t changed is the energy, dedication, and enthusiasm of those who annually staff their posts, climbing to mountain outcrops, urban overlooks, sandy beaches, and lighthouses at land’s end to monitor and celebrate the annual passage of birds of prey.” Clay will conclude that the 21st century may have brought great changes, but that shifting winds will never diminish the need, or our passion, for what we do.”
Friday evening, November 8th: HMANA will hold a special Poster Session and Mixer where you can view posters, speak to researchers and students about their research and enjoy appetizers while mingling with other raptor enthusiasts.
CALL FOR POSTERS: If you’d like to present a poster on your current raptor research at the HMANA conference, abstract submissions (300 words of less) can be emailed to Julie Brown, brown@hmana.org by June 1, 2024. Please designate a Professional or Student (graduate or undergraduate).
Winter Raptor Survey Symposium: Join us Participants will discover what is being learned about Rough-legged Hawk telemetry from Neil Paprocki as well as efforts to track Dark-morph Red-tailed Hawks in the Great Lakes by Nick Alioto.
Raptor education Symposium: We are inviting educators from around the continent to present and share their work. We will also hear from Michigan educators about in the exciting Michigan Raptor Migration Teaching Network, which supports K-12 educators in experiencing and sharing the science of raptor migration with Michigan students.
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) Panel Discussion: HMANA’s IDEA committee will host a panel discussion addressing questions surrounding the future of hawkwatching regarding more inclusion, equitable measures all of us can put in place to improve the enjoyment of hawkwatching and how we can make our migration sites the most accessible to all.
Thank You To Our 2024 Major Sponsors!
If you would like to further HMANA’s mission and assist financially to make this important conference and celebration a success, please consider making a one-time donation.
Put your brand and products in-front of our conservation-minded raptor watchers and birders to gain exposure as well as support a network of migration sites across North America and beyond.
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