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Hawk Migration Significance

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The Significance of Hawk Migration
Humans have been fascinated by long-distance raptor migration for thousands of years. Accounts of hawk migration have been noted throughout recorded history and have even been remarked on in the Old Testament (Job 39:26-29). In recent times, people have travelled from all over the globe to witness the annual journey that raptors undertake as they pass over prime observation sites such as Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, located along the Appalachian flyway in eastern Pennsylvania and Eilat, the southernmost city of Israel and a busy port on the northern tip of the Red Sea which provides the backdrop for an impressive spring migration. Since the late nineteenth century, established watchsites have been used to count …show more content…

The Raptor Population Index (RPI) Partnership has taken up this challenge. The RPI program has been developed in order to monitor and produce statistically accurate estimates of annual population and to record trends for each species of migratory raptor from count sites across North America. The standardized protocol addresses the following points: (1) Why monitory raptors? (2) What parameters should be monitored? (3) How should hawk migration monitoring be done? The goal of the RPI on-line system is to enhance the role that migration monitoring plays in conservation efforts. The RPI Partnership maintains the program in collaboration with Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA), Hawk Mountain Sanctuary (HMS), Hawkwatch International (HWI), and Bird Studies Canada (BSC).
Systematized monitoring protocols have become one of the most popular methods of determining raptor populations. They are cost-effective and easy to implement. Over time, the information collected has been used to determine species diversity, daily and seasonal timing of migration, as well as the effect of the weather on the timing and volume of migration. Likewise, these observations have indicated the behaviour of migrating raptors, such as the use of specific flight patterns, in addition to flocking and roosting behaviour. But such data becomes …show more content…

Further and deeper analysis of raptor migration has made important contributions to avian ecology and to conservation efforts. The principles and practice of raptor migration monitoring should be considered to be an essential tool in the attainment of conservation goals. Without a doubt, continent-wide monitoring expands our knowledge and improves our understanding of hawks and consequently deepens our appreciation of the significance of hawk

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