Veracruz River of Raptors

A Napa-Solano Audubon Society Presentation - Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 7:00 PM

Florence Douglas Senior Center, Carl Manner Room, 333 Amador St., Vallejo, CA 94590.

Presented by Norma Ferriz

The Veracruz River of Raptors sites monitor the world’s largest concentration of migrating raptors, including most of the world’s population of Broad-winged Hawks, Swainson’s Hawks and Mississippi Kites.

This project provides an unparalleled opportunity to monitor the health of migratory raptor populations of the Americas . Days of 50,000 are not rare, and 700,000 a day can also occur! About 4 million raptors belonging to 25 different species soar the Veracruz sky every fall in their way to Southern Mexico, Central and South America . Since raptors do not migrate over water, the eastern migrants are funneled into the Veracruz ' narrow coastal plain of Mexico between the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Gulf of Mexico . The Veracruz River of Raptors project is a joint initiative among Pronatura in Mexico and Hawk Mountain Sanctuary and HawkWatch International in the United States . Pronatura Veracruz serves as the managing partner of the project. HMS and HWI serve as scientific advisors for the project.

Norma Ferriz was the executive director of Pronatura Veracruz from 2002 to August 2007. Norma is a biologist with a Master's in Non profit Organizations management and a very enthusiastic bird watcher.

This program is sponsored by Napa Solano Audubon Society and is free to the public.

Aplomado Falcon -- photo by Eduardo Martinez