Early November is the best time to see an American Goshawk and other late season raptors at Hawk Ridge (photo by Darren Clark).

The Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA) is celebrating 50 years of raptor research and migration monitoring by calling on all birders interested in birds of prey, hawkwatchers, and raptor biologists to join together November 7th to 10th in Duluth, Minnesota. Join in celebrating the past 50 years – the people, the places, and the raptors – while looking to the future of the next 50 years. Join the activities in person or virtually for this momentous conference and anniversary celebration that includes programs, featured speakers, and field trips.

Fifty years ago, HMANA was the first organization established to create standardized protocols for conducting long-term hawk migration counts. As a result, these data collection methods have been effectively used at more than 200 fall and spring raptor count sites across the Americas. Site data is centralized in HMANA’s database at HawkCount.org, which is now the largest raptor migration monitoring database in the world.

Today tracking trends in North American raptors have never been better, thanks to thousands of hawkwatchers and HMANA’s steadfast, inspiring leadership. But perhaps just as important is how hawkwatch sites across the continent are connecting people to birds of prey and the conservation of these valuable birds.

A new education initiative with schools is being piloted in Michigan and will be shared by teachers attending the HMANA 50th conference as an exciting new step to engage young people in birds, especially birds of prey. If you have ever witnessed the enthusiasm of newcomers seeing an eagle gliding overhead for the first time, you know the special connections to birds that hawkwatches help provide.

Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minnesota, has monitored the migration of birds of prey for more than 50 years. Its location is central to HMANA hawkwatch sites across the Americas and is well-known for its late fall hawk and eagle flights. Conference attendees will have the opportunity to visit the Hawk Ridge outdoor observation point daily and take birding trips to unique local hotspots such as the Sax-Zim Bog.

Birders and raptor enthusiasts from across the continent are expected to attend the conference, along with professionals and volunteers from hawkwatches, to celebrate HMANA and to view the remarkable spectacle of raptor migration at the renowned Hawk Ridge count site. To learn more about this exciting conference, programs, and associated birding trips, refer to 50th Conference – HMANA