2018 RAPTOR FEST M ackinaw - Mackinaw Raptor Fest
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M ackinaw
RAPTOR FEST
2018
April 6–8
www.MackinawRaptorFest.org
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Welcome to the Mackinaw Raptor Fest
Whether this is your first time attending or you have attended in
previous years, we hope you will enjoy your stay and learn about the
raptors and waterbirds that migrate through the Straits. Hopefully the
weather will be great, and you will be able to get out and see firsthand
the raptors and waterbirds in migration. A little later in April, larger
numbers of raptors can be seen throughout a day; but we have tried to
hold this festival when there is the best chance to see Golden Eagles in
migration. Most adult Golden Eagles have moved north to the nesting
grounds by now. The immature Goldens, on the other hand, are just
starting to wander north, following the adults and scouting for eventual
nesting areas. Multitudes of Red-tailed Hawks should be seen looking
for thermals to gain altitude before crossing the Straits. Rough-legged
Hawks and maybe a falcon will offer a brief view as they motor through.
You should see abundant numbers of Turkey Vultures, which seem to float in the air with little
flapping of wings. Hopefully, waterbirds will show themselves at close range to give a look at the
males’ beautiful spring plumage.
We hope to show you the wonder of hundreds of raptors in migration over the Straits during mid-
day. If you are an early bird, go to the McGulpin Point Waterbird Count to see the flights that take
place right after sunrise; and later take some time to learn from our knowledgeable presenters. If
you are a night owl, you can come on a field trip to learn about Owl surveys and banding. We hope
you will enjoy and learn from the presentations and that you will come again to see the wonder of
these birds making their way north to their breeding grounds.
I and all the other volunteers involved with the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch appreciate your
support and participation in our efforts to educate people about this spectacular bird migration.
Your support helps us learn about and document the vast numbers of raptors, owls, and waterbirds
in migration.
Enjoy the birds,
Ed Pike
Chair, Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch
On the cover:
The 2018 Mackinaw Raptor Fest logo photo was donated
by Josh Haas of Hawks on the Wing. Josh is an MSRW Governing
Committee member as well as a Sponsor, Exhibitor, Plenary
Session and Bird Photography Presenter at the 2018 Fest. He used
a sit and wait technique to capture this Snowy Owl in flight. The
rich blue sky, warm sunlight, and posture of the bird make this one
of his favorites in his collection. Work by Josh is available at Hawks
on the Wing, www.HawksOnTheWing.com.
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Continuing to inspire! Fest Mission
Spring is here again, and with its arrival, large numbers Provide an entertaining and
of migratory raptors return to the Straits of Mackinac. educational showcase to promote
We in the Village of Mackinaw City are proud of the
wonders that surround us, especially the abundant public awareness and knowledge
nature. Mackinaw City is fortunate to be situated of raptors and waterbirds and the
where migrating birds concentrate in the spring and
significance of Mackinaw City and the
fall, making us the hawk capital of Michigan!
Straits of Mackinac during migration.
Welcome back to the Mackinaw Raptor Fest,
Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch members and new and
returning visitors! The Village of Mackinaw City is Promote positive public attitudes
happy to host the third annual Raptor Fest, which towards raptors and waterbirds and
continues to grow, excite, and educate people from
their importance to the environment.
near and far about the importance of raptors and
migration in the Mackinac Straits area. We hope the
raptors have a successful year and that Mackinaw Become an internationally renowned
Raptor Fest continues to inspire many in 2018 and
for years to come. annual festival that will generate
ongoing ecotourism revenue for
Robert R. Heilman the Straits area and sponsorship for
Village President
Mackinaw City, Michigan research on raptors.
Mackinac VS Mackinaw?
Even people who live in Northern Michigan wonder why
there are two spellings. Mackinac, the French spelling,
refers to everything north of the Lower Peninsula,
including Mackinac Straits, Island, and County in the
Upper Peninsula. Mackinaw, the English spelling, refers
to everything in the Lower Peninsula, including Mackinaw
City…and Mackinaw Raptor Fest. Now you know why the
Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch sponsors the Mackinaw
Raptor Fest! PHOTO BY STEVE BAKER
Why we're here
Every spring and fall, thousands of hawks, eagles, and vultures funnel
into the Straits of Mackinac, a bottleneck where they gather until
conditions are right for crossing the 3-mile expanse of water. To save
energy, birds often circle on rising air currents to gain higher altitude
before they glide across the Straits. The Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch
conducts research on hawks, owls, and waterbirds and promotes
public knowledge about them. To learn/view news updates/donate/
PHOTO BY STEVE BAKER volunteer, visit www.MackinacRaptorWatch.org.
3
2018 Presenters
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
“Snowy Owl Winter Habitat Use” by Eugene Jacobs
Some Snowy Owls remain on the northern breeding
grounds or actually move onto the Arctic sea ice,
hunting in perpetual winter darkness. Others,
sometimes in large numbers, migrate south in a
phenomenon called an irruption. In the mega-irruption
of 2013, Snowy Owls were seen as far south as Florida
and Bermuda. Most people assume that hunger has
driven these owls south, and that the birds will starve
to death in unfamiliar landscapes. Both assumptions
have been proven wrong by Project SNOWStorm.
Eugene Jacobs will share his research with using solar-
powered transmitters that record owl locations in three Saturday 1:45–2:45 pm
dimensions: latitude, longitude, and altitude.
April 7, Saturday 4:00–7:00 pm
LIVE RAPTOR PRESENTATION AND ART SHOWING BY RENOWNED
PETOSKEY WILDLIFE ARTIST AND FALCONER, GLEN McCUNE
BANQUET • SILENT AUCTION • WIND UNDER WINGS AWARD
St. Anthony’s Church, Mackinaw City • Separate tickets may be purchased for the evening
Glen McCune professional wildlife artist and falconer, recently
presented some of his art and birds at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in
Petoskey. “The Art of Seeing Birds: Original Paintings by Glen McCune”
featured over 30 paintings of Michigan birds and their habitat. Glen has
painted, rehabilitated, banded, and hunted with raptors for years. He says
“For most of us, birds are our first experience with the natural world. Their
aerial acrobatics are like magic. Some give rhythm to the seasons by their
unwillingness to stay local. Birds are endlessly engaging and entertaining
and awe-inspiring all at once, a kaleidoscope of sight and sound, an avian
rainbow that keeps me constantly curious, constantly on alert to the next
thing. They are a reminder to breathe deep all that is here right now.”
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$ Eugene Jacobs owns a consulting firm, Raptor Services and directs the Linwood Springs Research
Station near Stevens Point, Wisconsin. He offers bird survey services on the effects of transmission lines, pipe-
lines, wind energy, and other projects. Gene conducts long-term research studies and has published at least
14 papers on several birds of prey, working with Project SNOWStorm, the Wisconsin Department of Transpor-
tation and others. He teaches extensively, including the “Introduction to Raptor Field Techniques Workshop”
and received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Citizen-based Monitoring from the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources. Gene attended the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point.
Josh Haas, President Lynn Fraze began
of Battle Creek Audubon, working as a writer with
is an entertaining speaker a Chicago ad agency one
with a passion for all things week after graduating from
birds. His specialties are Miami University with a B.S.
hawk identification in flight in Marketing. Subsequently,
and birding by ear. He has she spent three decades
an extensive background as a free-lance commercial
counting migrating hawks for photographer and
the Detroit River Hawkwatch and working with birds videographer. In 2010, she took a photographic safari
of prey at nature centers. He owns "Hawks on the to Africa. She has relocated to northern Michigan
Wing and Glances at Nature Photography" where he where she focuses on her passion for wildlife
sells his work, teaches lessons and workshops, and photography, especially Bald Eagles and American
leads bird photography trips around the Midwest. Kestrels, and on protecting the Great Lakes.
Bruce Murphy Joseph Youngman
coordinates research is a 62 year old public
and education at the works employee at Chassell
Hilliardton Marsh Research Township in the Upper
and Education Center in Peninsula and is a board
northeastern Ontario. They member of Copper Country
have monitored passerines Audubon. He has been
since 1996 and banded owls involved in the raptor counts
since 2000. Of 91,000 birds at Keweenaw Peninsula’s
banded, 7,906 are owls. Bruce thrives on the magic of Brockway Mountain since 2010. He has studied
“the bird in the hand moment” and has dedicated a waterbird migration through Lake Superior since
great deal of his life to making that happen for as many 1999. He’s done waterbird counts at ten different
people as possible. Bruce enjoys writing about birds sites on the south shore of Lake Superior and at
and traveling to banding conferences to meet and learn seven sites on the Canadian shore. With three co-
from banders. He recently attended the International authors he recently published “Autumn waterbird
Bird Observatory conference in Cape May, New Jersey migration over Lake Superior: Numbers, species,
and looks forward to sharing that experience. and timing” in The Journal of Great Lakes Research.
Jane Ferreyra joined the Hawk Migration Association of North America
(HMANA) as their first executive director in 2017. Prior to changing professional
gears, Jane served as the director of Wayne State University Press, a scholarly
and general-interest publisher. Jane’s fascination with local turkey vultures,
her “gateway” raptor, led to a more extensive interest in the outdoors and
environmentalism. Jane received her B.A. in English from Indiana University,
Bloomington, and her M.A. in English from Wayne State University.
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2018 Interpreters
Leonard Graf, the Steve Baker, a retired
coordinator of the 2018 veterinarian from Indian
Interpreters, is a licensed River, has observed raptor
bird bander who has birded migration in the Straits of
on all seven continents. Mackinac since the early
He brings over 25 years 1980s. He serves on the
of experience as a part- Governing Committee of
time volunteer hawk and Mackinac Straits Raptor
waterbird counter at the Watch, was the principal
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory. Leonard has spent volunteer spring hawk counter and organizer from
20 plus years leading winter birding tours to Sault 2011 through 2013 and a volunteer assistant hawk
Ste. Marie and is currently a tour leader for state and waterbird counter since. Steve leads field trips
wide birding trips for local Audubon clubs. He is and gives programs for several Audubon societies
also a co-author of the annotated checklist, “Birds and land conservancies. He enjoys botanizing
of Leelanau County and Sleeping Bear National (especially for native orchids and ferns), kayaking,
Lakeshore.” hiking, taking nature photographs, and trying to
learn the dragonflies.
Ed Pike, retired from Kathy Bricker liked
Michigan's Department stars early, and attended
of Natural Resources, has Toledo Star and Sky Study
conducted bird research for Group monthly meetings
four decades. As a licensed when she was 9 years old.
bird bander, he studied Although she pursued
Barn Swallows and Piping careers in biology, land
Plovers, serving on the U.S. conservation, and non-
Fish and Wildlife Service's profit management and
Piping Plover Recovery Team and chairing the development rather than astronomy, she has
D.N.R.'s Piping Plover Recovery Team. Wanting to shared her knowledge about constellations with
learn the importance of the Straits of Mackinac to many groups since retiring to northern Michigan in
raptors, he secured funding for the first spring hawk 2006. A past president of both Petoskey Regional
count in 2004 and has banded more than 2,000 and Straits Area Audubon Societies, she co-founded
owls of eight species, working both spring and fall the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch, serves as its
migrations as a volunteer. Ed co-founded and chairs Secretary, and presents “Raving About Raptors”
the Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch. slide programs about its work.
Interpreters will be on hand every day to help you spot and identify the birds and share
stories about them. There is no charge for visiting the hawk count or waterbird count.
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Dave Mayberry
works in landscape design
and execution. For this,
he travels frequently to
2018 Exhibitors
Mackinac Island where he
has observed the spring
raptor migration for many Registrants will enjoy booths
years. He serves on the by these exhibitors:
Governing Committee
of Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch, oversees Glen McCune Art
merchandise development, and is responsible for Hawk Migration of North America
creating the public information kiosks at the hawk Hawks on the Wing
and owl research sites. Little Traverse Conservancy
Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch
Michigan Audubon
Darrell Lawson, a Petoskey Regional Audubon Society
computer programmer, Straits Area Audubon Society
ranks as one of the top Ebird
Thunder Bay Audubon Society
participants in Michigan.
He serves as president of
Merchandise and
Petoskey Regional Audubon
Society and formerly served
on the Governing Committee
of Mackinac Straits Raptor
Watch. Darrell leads many birding field trips and is
Silent Auction
committed to the development of birding trails in Visit the Multi-Purpose Room from 8:30 to 3:00 pm on
northern lower Michigan. April 7 to buy MSRW sweatshirts, t-shirts, beanie and
baseball hats, patches, and the Faces of Owls Poster.
Continue to bid on Silent Auction items throughout
the Banquet hour, including (partial list):
Bruce Seeger relocated HAND-CARVED WALKING STAFFS BY STEVE BAKER
to Cheboygan from ARTWORK BY LAKE ART OF HARBOR SPRINGS
downstate a decade ago.
BINOCULARS BY WINGSPAN OPTICS
Interested in birds for most
of his life, he joined Straits TICKETS FROM CROOKED TREE ARTS CENTER, PETOSKEY
Area Audubon Society and ART BY GLEN MCCUNE, EAST JORDAN
participates in the annual POND HILL FARM GIFT CERTIFICATE, HARBOR SPRINGS
Cheboygan Christmas RAPTOR CASE KNIFE-COFFMAN HARDWARE, MACKINAW CITY
Bird Counts. Bruce grew TREASURES FROM WARD AND EIS GALLERY, PETOSKEY
interested in the Hawk Count after reading an
HOTEL STAY AT BIRCHWOOD INN, HARBOR SPRINGS
article in the Cheboygan Daily Tribune announcing
that professional counter Kevin Georg was hired BLASKOWSKI FEED AND SEED T-SHIRTS, CHEBOYGAN
to do the first count. Bruce credits Kevin Georg HAWK PHOTOGRAPH DONATED BY DAN DUSO
for teaching him much about raptors and their HEALTHY ALTERNATIVES GIFT BASKET, PETOSKEY
identification during numerous hours at the hawk ALICE’S KANDY & KORN CANDIED POPCORN, MACKINAW CITY
watch over four years, including the magical day
SPORTS ITEM FROM JAY’S SPORTING GOODS, GAYLORD
when nearly five thousand Red-tailed Hawks were
counted. GIFT FROM STURGEON RIVER POTTERY, PETOSKEY
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2018 Thank you to our Sponsors
Petoskey Plastics
Banquet Sponsors Program Sponsor ($100)
Straits Area Federal Credit Union
($1000 and up) Susan and Pat Affholter
Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau Carp Lake Women’s Club Thunder Bay Audubon Society
Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau Citizens National Bank, Mackinaw City
Dar's Hallmark, Cheboygan Website Sponsor ($50)
Birds of Prey ($500) W.W. Fairbairn & Sons Inc., Alanson
Benter Chiropractic, Cheboygan
Coffman Hardware, Mackinaw City Friends of the Library, Glennie
Hawks On the Wing, Delton
Irish Boat Shop
Mackinaw Area Historical Society
Keynote ($250) Seasons of Mackinaw
Audie's Restaurant, Mackinaw City Mackinaw City Woman’s Club
Williams Office Equipment
BC Pizza Inc., Mackinaw City In memory of Stanley and Muriel McRae
In memory of Ronald E. Wallin Paradise Lake Association, Carp Lake
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Wind Under Wings Award
Again in 2018, MSRW will present the Wind Under Wings Award, given
annually to recognize significant aide to the cause of MSRW. In 2016, it
was presented to Emmet County and accepted by Gary Appold, Facilities
and Assets Director. MSRW recognized Emmet County’s creation of the
Headlands International Dark Sky Park, which protects critical habitat for
migrating hawks and owls, and for the donation of the use of the Guest
House for eight straight years so that regional Audubon societies and MSRW
could educate the public about owls and stars.
In 2017, the winners were Stanley and Muriel McRae, accepted in their
memory by their niece Susan Affholter. The McRaes called public attention
to the raptor migration through the Straits and promoted hawk-watching
in Mackinaw City in the 1980s, foreshadowing the educational outreach
work of MSRW. Both recipients received framed photographs by wildlife
photographer and 2018 Fest Presenter and Volunteer Lynn Fraze.
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2018
Major Fest Volunteers
Susan Affholter Vince Lumetta
Gary Appold Dave Mayberry
Kathy Bricker Tammy Noirot
Mackinaw Raptor Fest volunteers meet regularly
Dennis Fay Beth Eckerle
at space provided by Little Traverse Conservancy,
Lynn Fraze Jackie Pilette Harbor Springs. Photo by Lynn Fraze.
Art Frock Lisa Readmond Back row: Wally Barkley, Dave Mayberry, Barbara
Judy Frock Linda Rogers Beck, Melissa Hansen, Susan Affholter, Karen Busch,
Cathy Freebairn, Leonard Graf
Leonard Graf Sue Stewart
Melissa Hansen Front row: Diane Burke, Linda Rogers, Kathy Bricker,
Jim Bricker, Linda Hammond
2018 Year of the Bird
2018 marks the centennial of the Migratory Bird
Treaty Act, the most powerful bird-protection law
ever passed. To honor this milestone, nature lovers
are celebrating the birds in our lives and committing
to protect birds for the next hundred years.
FOR SALE!
Owl Poster designed gratis by Joanne
Pinatel, Graphic Design (Massachusetts), this
poster shows 25 of the 164 Northern Saw-whet
Owls caught by MSRW Lead Owl Contractor Arthur
Sanchez in spring 2017. Arthur’s curiosity about owl
facial patterns led to a joint research project in fall
2017 between MSRW and the University of Montana.
Both research stations took high-quality photos of
owls to compare geographic differences.
These 11 x 17 posters can be bought at the
Mackinaw Raptor Fest.
102017 Research Results
At a Glance
SPRING HAWK COUNT: 17,100, 15 species
(historic range: 12,345 to 50,399)
FALL HAWK COUNT: 8,719, 15 species
MSRW pays tribute to these Audubon groups
(historic range: first fall count in 2017) for their support either in our critical start-up
SPRING OWL BANDING: 175 captured and year of 2014 or since then:
released (historic range: 82 to 254) Au Sable Valley Audubon
FALL OWL BANDING: 282 captured and Audubon Society of Kalamazoo
released (historic range: 187 to 551) Copper Country Audubon
Genesee Audubon Society
SPRING WATERBIRD COUNT: 39,386,
34 species (In 2016 was 47,785) Grand Traverse Audubon Club
Michigan Audubon
FALL WATERBIRD COUNT: 26,283, 43 species Petoskey Regional Audubon Society
(In 2016 was 44,302)
Straits Area Audubon Society
Thunder Bay Audubon Society
In Loving Memory of Ronald E. Wallin
6/25/43 to 2/7/18
Ron served on the Governing Committee of
MSRW and came to the Hawk Count nearly
every day before his stroke in February 2016.
Ron’s love for nature and efforts to preserve
it will be greatly missed. We like to think he
is soaring over Mackinaw, riding the thermals
each spring above the village and people he
loved.
The Ronald E. Wallin Hawk Watch Fund has
been created in Ron’s memory.
11Contract Biologists
One side benefit of the research by MSRW is the chance
to further the careers and enrich the lives of promising
field biologists and raptor advocates. To date, MSRW has
contracted with a dozen people who have braved severe
weather, long hours, and challenging conditions to better
understand migration through the Straits of Mackinac. We
give tribute and appreciation to each of these individuals.
What are the researchers are doing now, you may wonder?
Nick Alioto (Owls Spring Fall 2017) now works to band
owls and other birds at Hilliardton Marsh Research and
Education Center in northeastern Ontario near the Quebec
(PICTURED L TO R) KIM EDGINGTON, KEVIN GEORG, border. His recent birding highlight was catching and
JASON NEWTON, EMILY WILMOTH
banding two Snowy Owls in southern Ontario.
Selena Creed (Owls Fall 2014, 2015) is employed full-time to save birds and airplane travelers at Detroit
Metropolitan Airport. Her work entails capturing and relocating numerous raptors, including Snowy Owls.
Aspen Ellis (Waterbirds Fall 2017) is working for the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology and soon
will start a beach nesting shorebird research project for the Conserve Wildlife Foundation New Jersey in Cape
May. She reports not having had time to do much birding since leaving Mackinaw City in the late fall of 2017.
Kevin Georg (Hawks Spring 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) is contracting with MSRW again this spring, from
March 5 through June 5.
Joshua Jaeger (Waterbirds Spring 2017) is starting graduate school at the University of Houston-Clear
Lake. His recent birding highlight was seeing five of the 500 estimated wild Whooping Cranes in January 2018.
Laura Makielski (Owls Spring 2015) is in Fairbanks, Alaska, working for Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge organizing and digitizing old data. In February, she reported: “I heard a chickadee sing yesterday--a
reminder that winter will eventually be over.”
Jason Newton (Waterbirds Spring, Fall 2016; Hawks Spring 2017) is applying for avian research jobs
before applying to graduate school. His favorite recent birding experience is finding two Northern Saw-whet
Owls in one night, followed by a Long-eared Owl two days later.
Arthur Sanchez (Owls Spring 2017) took a job for spring 2018 at the Black Swamp Bird Observatory in
Ohio, one of the highest volume stations in the U.S. “This position will allow me to grow as a biologist and
culminate into a broader foundation.”
Kim Strunk (née Edgington) (Owls Spring, Fall 2016) married Olympic National Park ranger
Michael Strunk in June, 2017. They moved near Seattle where he attends computer programming school.
Kim works with Amazon and hopes to go back to school, obtain a bird banding permit, and research Saw-
12whet Owls on the Olympic Peninsula for her Master's project. On
their Florida honeymoon, they saw many new life birds: Black
Vulture, Crested Caracara, Magnificent Frigatebird, Tricolored
Heron, Anhinga, three species of kites, Scissor-tailed Flycatcher,
Carolina Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, Prothonotary Warbler,
and Roadrunner.
Loren Taylor (Owls Spring 2015) has worked as a Nongame
Avian Biologist for the Wildlife Diversity Program of the Kentucky (PICTURED L TO R) LAURA MAKIELSKI,
Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources since May 2015. She KEVIN GEORG, LOREN TAYLOR
oversees the monitoring of Peregrine Falcons, American Kestrels,
Ospreys, Loggerhead Shrikes, Golden-winged Warbers, and Prothonotary Warblers. Her 2017 birding
highlight was banding 30 Peregrine Falcon chicks, a Kentucky state record.
Frances Whalen (Owls Fall 2017) has accepted a position as a raptor trapping intern for the fall of 2018
at Cedar Grove Ornithological Research Station in Wisconsin. Her recent birding highlight was catching and
banding two Snowy Owls in southern Ontario.
Emily Wilmoth (Owls Spring 2016) graduates from the University of Minnesota Duluth in May 2018 with
a Master's degree in Environmental Education. In Duluth this winter she saw nine Great Grey Owls on the
same road near the north shore of Lake Superior. She also enjoyed Snowy Owls, Boreal Owls, and Northern
Hawk Owls there. She participated in Sax Zim Bog's Brrrrdathon in January (aka "the world's coldest
birdathon”) where she competed in the Wintergreen Division, which does not allow the use of motorized
vehicles: “an intense but fun experience.”
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142018
Governing Committee
Chair: Ed Pike, Harbor Springs, 2014-present
Secretary: Kathy Bricker, Cheboygan, 2014-present
Treasurer: Steve Wagner, Alpena, 2017-present
At-Large Members:
Susan Hayes Affholter, Pellston, 2017-present
Steve Baker, Indian River, 2015-present
Josh Haas, Delton, 2017-present
Dave Mayberry, Levering, 2014-present
Jackie Pilette, 2017-present
Susan Stewart, Harbor Springs, 2017-present
MACKINAW CITY
Fi r e w o r k s !
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Beginning Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend. USA's #1 Vacation Destination
15 Minute Ferry Ride to Mackinac Island • Sandy Beaches
800-666-0160 Lakeview Rooms • Romantic Getaways • Beach Sunsets
mackinawcity.com Walk to: Ferry Lines • Attractions • Restaurants • Shopping • Night Life
152018
MRAPTOR FEST
ackinaw April 6–8
Festival Activities & Fees
Daily Hawk Watch targets Golden and
Bald Eagles, Rough-legged Hawks, and
Red-tailed Hawks.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday Daily Waterbird Count targets Loons,
6 am-3 pm Waterbird Count (weather-dependent; free) Scoters, and Grebes.
10 am-4 pm Hawk Watch (weather-dependent; free)
Meet and Greet Reception, Conference,
Friday, April 6 Live Raptor Show, and Banquet
4-8 pm Early Bird Registration and Meet and Greet Reception at Holiday Inn Express (for a $5 savings) $65
7 pm Owl Banding and Star Gazing Field Trip · LIMIT: 40 Fest attendees
Live Raptor Show & Banquet,
Saturday, April 7 No Conference $40
8:30-9 am Fest Registration, Mackinaw City School. Exhibits, coffee & light refreshments
9-10 am Raptor Migration and Conquering ID: Using Video to Make Raptor ID a Snap! Field Trip $15
10:15-11 am (choose one) • Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Trip
• Northern Saw-whet Owl: What Banding has Revealed Sunday Morning (Limit 12)
• Waterbird Migration Over Lake Superior • Birding the Straits & Upper Peninsula
• An Obsession with Kestrels….Where Citizen Science and Photography Meet Sunday Morning (Limit 12)
• The Science & Magic of Migration: Hawk Migration Association of North America
• Visit Hawk Watch or Waterbird Count; weather-dependent
Note for Volunteers:
11:15 am-Noon (choose one)
Volunteer Rate for Conference
• Photographing Hawks on the Wing: Tips for Advanced Bird Photographers”
• Conference only, No Banquet $20
• Waterbird Migration Over Lake Superior
• An Obsession with Kestrels….Where Citizen Science and Photography Meet • Live Raptor Show & Banquet $50
• Banding the Elusive Boreal Owl
• Visit Hawk Watch or Waterbird Count; weather-dependent Special Extra in 2018
Noon-1:45 pm Lunch at Area Restaurant of your choice (list and map provided)
Owl Banding and Star Gazing Field Trip
1:45-2:45 pm KEYNOTE: Snowy Owl Winter Habitat Use by Eugene Jacobs on April 13 and 14 after the Fest for local
3:00-3:45 pm (choose one) non-attendees and others. Register for
• Nesting Ecology Studies on Merlins and Red-shouldered Hawks this at a reduced rate.
• Bird Photography for Beginners: A Guide to Jumpstarting a Gratifying Adventure
• Banding the Elusive Boreal Owl
• The Science & Magic of Migration: Hawk Migration Association of North America Mackinaw Raptor Fest
• Visit Hawk Watch; weather-dependent brought to you by
4-4:30 pm St. Anthony’s Church open for viewing Glen McCune’s artwork and bidding
on Silent Auction items. NOTE: Separate tickets for this + Live Raptor
Presentation + Banquet are available for people not attending Conference
4:30-5:30 pm Live Raptor Presentation by Glen McCune at St. Anthony’s Church
5:30-6:45 pm Buffet dinner, Award Ceremony, Silent Auction Closing at St. Anthony’s Church
7:00 pm Owl Banding and Star Gazing Field Trip · LIMIT: 40 Fest attendees
Sunday, April 8
5:30-10 am Sharp-tailed Grouse Lek Field Trip · LIMIT: 10 Fest attendees
8 am-4 pm Late Winter Birding Field Trip in the Upper Peninsula · LIMIT: 12 Fest attendees
and other Sponsors!
Learn More, Register, or Volunteer at www.MackinawRaptorFest.org
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