Wild Bird

Raptor Road Survey

Location:  Buena Vista

Transportation:  One of project leaders or participants drives

When:  Saturday afternoons a few times a month.  Surveys last about 3-4 hours.

Volunteer Duties:  Look for raptors or possibly record observations

What to Bring:  Binoculars and bird books if you have them, munchies for the ride

What We Are Looking For:  Raptors-- perching, soaring, stooping, etc.

Project Purpose:  Give students chance to see and identify WI raptor species. 

Hawk Ridge Trip

Location: Duluth, MN

Transportation:  Generally take personal vehicles; passengers compensate driver.

When:  One weekend in mid-September to catch the broad-winged hawk migration peak

Volunteer Duties:  Be polite and ask lots of questions to the Hawk Ridge staff

What to Bring: Camping gear if we're going to be camping; spending money and any supplies you'd need over the course of a weekend.  Binoculars and bird books

What We Are Looking For: Observing birds flying overhead, being caught, processed, and released

Project Purpose:  Give students the chance to witness the amazing diversity of raptors passing through this important area and get a look at how the banding operation works

Saw-Whet Owl Banding

Location: Linwood Springs Research Station, Stevens Point

Transportation: Volunteer drives the other with personal vehicle

When:  Most nights throughout October; times vary 8pm to 2am

Volunteer Duties:  Assist master bander Gene Jacob in handling owls, taking measurements. Our primary goal is helping Gene any way we can and being courteous of other visitors and the Jacobs’ home. 

What We Are Looking For: Collecting data on and banding migrating saw-whets and other owls.

Project purpose: Contributing to the scientific knowledge base by acquiring basic life history data; learning techniques for removing birds from mist nets and processing them. This is a separate project from the TWS Saw-Whet Owl Project.

Gene Jacobs’ website--- http://www.raptorresearch.com