The Hawk Mountain 2018 Autumn Lecture Series will kick off on September 8 with a free lecture by Director of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation, Dr. Nina Schoch.

Lectures take place most Saturday evenings through the end of October in the Hawk Mountain Visitor Center Gallery in Berks County.

The theme for the 2018 series is "Year of the Bird," a celebration campaign initiated by National Geographic.

This year's impressive line-up features conservationists from around the world, who focus their life work on saving birds and educating the public regionally and globally.

The schedule is as follows:

-- September 8: Conservation Through the Lives of Adirondack Loons, 5:30. Presented by Dr. Nina Schoch, Director of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation.  Dr. Nina Scoch, will utilize captivating photos and videos to provide an intriguing overview of common loon natural history. Her interactive multimedia presentation also discusses the fascinating loon research and conservation efforts of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation.

-- September 15: Thirty Years of Raptor Education, 5:30. Presented by Kate Davis. Author, long-time raptor educator, and founder of the Raptors of the Rockies non-profit organization Kate Davis will present a colorful presentation with highlights from her life with raptors and education programming. It will include over 100 inspirational photos of children and birds, as well as a discussion of Raptor Versus Rapture.

-- September 22: Raptors of the Strait of Gibraltar, 5:00. Presented by Sergio Seipke. Drawing from his world-wide raptor explorations, former Hawk Mountain international Conservation Science and Leadership Trainee Sergio Seipke takes us on a journey to one of the world's prime hawkwatching destinations: the Strait of Gibraltar. He will share with us insights into raptor migration and abundance, plumage variation, and conservation challenges faced by this charismatic group of birds in the Strait region.

-- October 6: A Wing and a Care: Building a Future for Birds, 5:30. Presented by Shawn Carey. Snowy owls, Atlantic puffins, and American kestrels are connected by more than simply a resemblance of form or function; a crucial thread ties them together. Each one has an advocate committed to protecting it and educating others about its plight. Shawn Carey of Migration Productions will present their latest video, "A Wing and a Care," which opens a window into the lives of these three birds and introduces you to the men dedicated to their preservation and survival.

-- October 27: Seeking the Gray Ghosts, 5:30. Presented by Chelsea DeMarco. Join Chelsea DeMarco, the lead graduate student from Penn State working on the Pennsylvania Goshawk Project, to find out what the team has discovered after two seasons of studying goshawks in PA, including general information about the project and future plans.

After a Saturday of hawkwatching, 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. More information can be found online.

Visit the Hawk Mountain Events page for other fall events.

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 non-profit 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 website 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.  Click Here to support Hawk Mountain.

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[Posted: August 15, 2018]

8/20/2018