Join BBRR’s Jill Heimrich as she leads you through Braddock Bay Park as the sun sets, looking for critters that are active in the early evening, including owls!

No registration required.  Meet at the lodge at Braddock Bay Park.

Visit the hawkwatch platform to see what’s flying and learn about the migration and other birds at Braddock Bay.  Bring your own binoculars, or borrow from BBRR.

More and more people are considering the needs of their wild neighbors, including their preferred shelter, diet and migratory requirements and are applying this lens to their landscaping practices, transforming barren lawns to richly diverse habitat that will positively impact generations of species. NYS Master Naturalist and Class II Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Nat Smith will share insights from their own journey as a rehabilitator seeking simply to offer native foods at home, to a land steward seeking to nourish the future. Join us to explore practical ways to contribute to biodiversity preservation on the land you steward, whether it’s at home, work, or within your community.

Presenter: Nat Smith, Mutual Aid Wildlife Rehabilitation Center

Limited Seating – REGISTER HERE!

Join a guided tour of the Mather raptor banding station, and see banding in action!  Meet at the trail at the Owl Woods on Manitou Beach Road.

Directions HERE

A great way for kids and families to learn about what’s spotted at the Braddock Bay hawkwatch!  Win some great prizes!

WNY Raptor is a nonprofit organization dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation, education, and research. During WNY Raptor’s presentation, Clabeaux will share the mission of the nonprofit as well as successful rehabilitation stories, including those of orphaned barn owls, turkey vultures, hawks, and others. She will also discuss the current research projects of WNY Raptor. Helen Busch, Hannah Robillard, Emma Ridolfi, and Jessica Culbert will be featuring reptilian ambassadors and discussing important features of these distant bird relatives. More information about WNY Raptor can be found on the organization’s website (www.wnyraptor.com) and Facebook page @wnyraptor and Instagram @wny_raptor.

Presenter: Dr. Bernadette Clabeaux is the founder and director of WNY Raptor and Wildlife Care, Inc., and an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo (UB) in environmental sustainability. She teaches courses in biology, ecology, and botany, as well as ornithology. Clabeaux has both her master’s and Ph.D. degrees in biology from UB and has worked as a biologist for Ecology & Environment, Inc. (now WSP) and other environmental organizations. A passionate wildlife conservation enthusiast, Clabeaux loves to teach and engage with the community. She is a native of Buffalo, New York.

Limited Seating: REGISTER HERE!

Meet raptors and reptiles from WNY Raptor and Wildlife Care.

Presenters: Bernie Clabeaux, Helen Busch, Hannah Robillard, Emma Ridolfi, Debbie Piotrowski,and Jessica Culbert

Banders at Braddock Bay Raptor Research have been monitoring the capillaria parasitic infection in Sharp-shinned hawks since the spring of 2020. A total of eight banding stations in the U.S. and Canada are now inspecting these hawks when captured. The rates of infection vary from station to station and those results will be reported. Current and future research directions will be discussed.  Visit our page on the Sharp-shinned Hawk Project for more information.

Presenter:  David Mathiason, PhD, Banding Director, BBRR

Limited Seating  REGISTER HERE!

Learn how the changing weather patterns affect the summer raptor counts at Braddock Bay.  

Presenter: Bob Williams, BBRR Summer Raptor Counter

Visit the hawkwatch platform to see what’s flying and learn about the migration and other birds at Braddock Bay.  Bring your own binoculars, or borrow from BBRR.

Learn about birds of prey from the student presenters of the Cornell Raptor Program.

Limited Seating – REGISTER HERE!

No registration required.  Come visit the birds and students from the Cornell Raptor Program between 12-1 pm. 

Join a guided tour of the Mather raptor banding station, and see banding in action!  Meet at the trail at the Owl Woods on Manitou Beach Road.

Directions HERE

Come get some identification pointers and visit the hawkwatch to put them to the test.  Great for beginners, also fun for intermediately skilled watchers.

Presenter: Daena Ford, BBRR

Limited Seating – REGISTER HERE!

No registration required.  Come visit the birds and chat with the volunteers from Messinger Woods Wildlife Care and Education Center.

Learn how the changing weather patterns affect the summer raptor counts at Braddock Bay.  

Presenter: Bob Williams, BBRR Summer Raptor Counter