Hawk Watch –
We received enough positive responses to try to put Hawk Watch on the calendar. We will be working with the troop leaders and Wildlife Research Institute to set the dates.
Here is some back ground info: Dave Bittner is the Executive Director and Senior Biologist. He goes all over the country with wildlife projects, tracking eagles, bighorn sheep, etc. Wildlife Research Institute, www.wildlife-research.org, holds Hawk Watch in Ramona near Mt. Woodson on Saturdays in Jan & Feb, starting at 8:30am. They have both wintering and resident raptors living in the Ramona grasslands. We’ll see raptors such as the Golden Eagle, the wintering Ferruginous Hawk, the Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon and the Red-shouldered Hawk. Nineteen (19) species of raptors alone have been recorded at this Raptor hot spot! They also have burrowing owls, buffalo and other very cool stuff.
We’ll observe the wild raptors and learn the life histories of these hawks and eagles and the significance of the Ramona Grassland ecosystem to the raptors’ survival from WRI Biologists. There will be demonstrations of hawk banding and tracking eagles with transmitters. This free, educational program is open to the public and rewarding for all ages.
Bring binoculars if you have them, however the biologist will have scopes for your use. We recommend you layer your clothing and wear walking or hiking shoes. Only heavy rain cancels the program.
Once we set the date, we’ll set up the transportation logistics. WRI Headquarters, which is located on Highland Valley Road near the intersection of range land and Highland Roads.
We received enough positive responses to try to put Hawk Watch on the calendar. We will be working with the troop leaders and Wildlife Research Institute to set the dates.
Here is some back ground info: Dave Bittner is the Executive Director and Senior Biologist. He goes all over the country with wildlife projects, tracking eagles, bighorn sheep, etc. Wildlife Research Institute, www.wildlife-research.org, holds Hawk Watch in Ramona near Mt. Woodson on Saturdays in Jan & Feb, starting at 8:30am. They have both wintering and resident raptors living in the Ramona grasslands. We’ll see raptors such as the Golden Eagle, the wintering Ferruginous Hawk, the Red-tailed Hawk, Prairie Falcon and the Red-shouldered Hawk. Nineteen (19) species of raptors alone have been recorded at this Raptor hot spot! They also have burrowing owls, buffalo and other very cool stuff.
We’ll observe the wild raptors and learn the life histories of these hawks and eagles and the significance of the Ramona Grassland ecosystem to the raptors’ survival from WRI Biologists. There will be demonstrations of hawk banding and tracking eagles with transmitters. This free, educational program is open to the public and rewarding for all ages.
Bring binoculars if you have them, however the biologist will have scopes for your use. We recommend you layer your clothing and wear walking or hiking shoes. Only heavy rain cancels the program.Once we set the date, we’ll set up the transportation logistics. WRI Headquarters, which is located on Highland Valley Road near the intersection of range land and Highland Roads.
Seed Balls –
WRI has a service project coming up in November / December that can count as your service project for the 50 mile hiking patch. The recent fires have damaged the whole food chain, so reintroducing native species will be very helpful to our local habitat. To help re-seed the burned areas of Julian and Ramona, WRI has grant to make 2.5 MILLION seed balls containing native plant species. Seed balls are golf ball/baseball sized balls of clay, seeds, and fertilizer.
The grant pays for the supplies. They are looking for schools and Scouts to volunteer to hand roll the seed balls. Just pick up the supplies, roll the balls, dry them in boxes, and return them to WRI. They also have volunteers going out to place them all over Julian and Ramona during/before rainy season. I’m going to contact WRI to arrange to see how we can help, but I’d like us to spend a day making seed balls, then a day spreading them out. I’ll keep you posted on dates, times and locations.