September 3rd will kick off the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary’s Fall Lecture Series with a free lecture by interim president Dr. Keith Bildstein. His presentation "Understanding Vultures" will provide the perfect ending to the Sanctuary's International Vulture Awareness Day celebrations. 

A different expert will offer a free lecture most Saturdays through the end of October. All lectures will be held in the Visitor Center in Berks County.

This year's impressive lecture line-up includes a variety of topics, such as astronomy, rattlesnakes, and even nature-inspired art. There's sure to be something for every visitor. The autumn schedule is as follows:

-- September 3: Understanding Vultures. Presented by Dr. Keith Bildstein, Director of Conservation Science. Learn more about Hawk Mountain's studies on the movements of vultures and the important roles they play in natural and human-dominated ecosystems.

-- September 10: Raptors of South America: A Field Guide. Presented by Sergio Seipke, trainee graduate of Hawk Mountain. Join Sergio Seipke as he shares his research and journey to creating the Raptors of South America field guide. He spent more than a decade working on it, and his time as a trainee with Hawk Mountain further motivated and supplemented his work.

-- September 17: Sky Literacy. Presented by Gary Becker. The heavens are ablaze with all types of interesting objects to view and inspire!  Join astronomer Gary Becker as he explains the wonders of our universe.

-- October 1: Timber Rattlesnake Research. Presented by Dr. Howard Reinert. Join rattlesnake expert Dr. Howard Reinert to learn more fascinating facts and a summary of fundings from nearly 40 years of research on the behavior, ecology and conservation of this misunderstood species.

-- October 15: Native Bees of Pennsylvania. Presented by Dr. Anita Collins. Dr. Collins will discuss many of the 400-plus native bee species of Pennsylvania, covering their beauty and biology, along with current conservation efforts and how you can help keep the buzz.

-- October 19: The Intersection of Art and Science.  Presented by Dierdre Murphy. Hawk Mountain's first Artist-in-Residence will share her experience at Hawk Mountain, how migration and flight have influenced her work, and how her artist residency has transformed her studio practice.

After a Saturday of hawk watching, hiking, and taking in scenic views, Visitors are encouraged to stay for an entertaining and informative talk by Hawk Mountain staff or other wildlife experts.

No one can turn down the completely free and interesting opportunity.

More information can be found at the Hawk Mountain Lecture Series or its Events webpage.

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 nonprofit organization’s raptor conservation mission and local-to-global research, training, and education programs.

For more information on programs, initiatives and upcoming events, visit the Hawk Mountain Sanctuary or call 610-756-6961.  Click Here to sign up for regular updates from the Sanctuary, Like them on Facebook, Follow on Twitter, visit them on Flickr, be part of their Google+ Circle and visit their YouTube Channel.

8/22/2016