Here's what folks said about The Chelan Ridge Hawk Migration Festival

Bridget Egan, organizing committee chair had this to say: After an early start of sign ups, field trip carpools and last minute shuttle shuffling, the wonderful Torre Stockard handed me a cup of coffee. It was then that I sighed, stopped, and finally really looked around. Three kids were hammering away at bird boxes while Ken Bevis happily supervised; Kim Bondi was painting owls and hawks on little faces at the Basecamp Booth; the WSU raptor club was lounging on the grass with a barn owl while a group of five got close enough to see the skin under its feathers. I knew that a few thousand feet above, people were getting up close and personal with a hawk—maybe the first time they had the opportunity. The sun was shining, people were laughing, and I realized that I was smiling an idiot’s smile. At that moment, only an hour or so in, the Chelan Ridge Hawk Migration Festival was already a success.

Irma Keeney releases a raptor at Chelan Ridge

photo by Alexis Monetta 

Nancy Warner shows off her new nest box.

photo by Ken Bevis 

Rough-legged Hawk from the WSU Raptor Club.

photo by Teri J Pieper 

Carole McMillan, an artist from the Okanogan said: I've been a semi-serious birder all my adult life, but have avoided raptors because they’re so hard to identify. The excellent talk at Chelan Ridge clarified the differences in prey species, environment, and behaviors of three different types of raptors. Our discussion of the flap-and-fold flight of Sharp-shinned Hawks, which allows them to maneuver through forests in pursuit of songbirds, was punctuated by a Sharpie doing exactly that through the trees around us! Super!

Widget, the Barn Owl from the WSU Raptor Club, gets his photo made by Torre Stockard.

Photo by Teri J Pieper 

Widget.

Photo by Torre Stockard

Mike Liu, District Ranger, Methow Valley Ranger District, Okanogan Wenatchee National Forest said: I think the Chelan Ridge Hawk Migration Festival demonstrated the power of partnerships. I don’t think any one agency or group could have pulled off such a successful first time event by themselves. The energy and skills that each partner brought to the partnership was what made it such a huge success. It was also rewarding to see folks who came all the way from Seattle solely for the purpose of attending the festival. Of course, having a 92 year old resident from Manson joining us for a walk out Chelan Ridge and then to see her joy at being able to release a banded hawk was also inspiring.