When there is a winter “invasion” of Snowy Owls, birders go nuts. Why does this happen—the invasion, that is? As senior research biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, Canadian-born Jean-François Therrien will review recent results of the sanctuary’s research program, emphasizing the movement patterns as well as the reproductive behavior of Snowy Owls. He will demonstrate the fieldwork and the monitoring techniques that are used for these highly mobile and unpredictable predatory birds over a period of consecutive years. Therrien is currently at work on various aspects of raptor conservation science such as satellite tracking of hawks, falcons, vultures, and owls—especially the close monitoring of American Kestrel populations.
