Raptor Talk with Madison Audubon

Tuesday, March 14th, 2023, 7PM (In-person and streaming online)

The Friends of Pope Farm Conservancy and Madison Audubon are teaming up to bring you a fascinating talk all about raptors. Goose Pond Sanctuary staff and Madison Audubon volunteers will present on raptor species ecology, migration and movement data, and habitat use of four raptor species that carry Madison Audubon tracking transmitters. You’ll also hear about Madison Audubon’s involvement in raptor research and citizen science projects such as the Bald Eagle Nest Watch and the American Kestrel Nest Box Program. Join us in-person at Pope Farm Elementary School or online via Zoom to learn about these amazing birds of prey!

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Program Highlights:

The presentation will cover species ecology, migration and movement data, and habitat use of four raptor species that carry Madison Audubon tracking transmitters: Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, and Rough-legged Hawks, along with the Snowy Owl. Columbia the Snowy Owl has been tracked for over three years!  Two other focus topics are Madison Audubon’s Bald Eagle Nest Watch and American Kestrel Nest Box Program. 

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Presenters:

• Susan Foote-Martin – Overview
• Drew Cashman – Madison Audubon’s Bald Eagle Nest Watch Project,
• Pat Ready – The American Kestrel Nest Box Program
• Emma Raasch – Rough-legged Hawk
• Graham Steinhauer – Red-shouldered Hawk and the filming of the Northern Harriers at Goose Pond
• Mark Martin – Red-tailed Hawk and & Snowy Owl

Presenter Bios

Drew Cashman has been monitoring Bald Eagle nests for over 10 years in Colorado, New York, and Wisconsin. He organized and coordinated a Bald Eagle Nest Watch citizen science program in New York, and has helped create, put on, and grow a Bald Eagle Nest Watch program in Wisconsin with Madison Audubon. In its 6th season. Madison Audubon’s Bald Eagle Nest Watch and its partners monitor 170 nests with 456 volunteers in 36 counties of Wisconsin.

Mark and Susan Foote-Martin are retired Conservation Biologists with the DNR’s Natural Heritage Conservation Bureau.  They have been resident managers at Madison Audubon’s Goose Pond Sanctuary near Arlington since 1979.  In addition to land protection, land management, and fundraising they are also involved with citizen science projects.  The Martin’s began erecting American Kestrel boxes in the mid 1980s at Goose Pond Sanctuary.  They initiated the Snowy Owl project with Project SNOWstorm and have been involved with the other species with transmitters.

Emma Raasch has been the Ecological Restoration Technician at Goose Pond Sanctuary since April 2022, and was previously a summer intern and fall seed collector. Through working at Goose Pond and volunteering, Emma has assisted with banding American Kestrel chicks and adults, Northern Saw-whet Owls.  She assisted Neil Paprocki of the Rough-legged Hawk Project to deploy a transmitter on Jeffrey, the Rough-legged Hawk. She will be training this spring to get her sub permit to band American Kestrels for Madison Audubon’s American Kestrel Nest Box Program.

Patrick Ready has been monitoring American Kestrel boxes for Madison Audubon for 10 years. He has built nest boxes and installed “tip down” pole systems and developed his own method to monitor boxes. He manages 12 nest boxes in southern Dane County and assists in banding kestrel chicks and adults. His best monitoring season yielded 26 fledglings.  Pat has tracked osprey nesting pairs in the Madison area since 1996 and has been involved with the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin for 25 years. He served as President, Board Director and has given countless talks on Eastern Bluebird management.  He lives on the west side of Madison with his wife and two cats.

Graham Steinauer joined Madison Audubon in 2018 after graduating from UW – Stevens Point with a degree in Forest Ecosystem Restoration. As the Goose Pond Sanctuary Land Steward, he focuses on land management, citizen science, and public outreach. Graham coordinates the nine bluebird trails at Goose Pond and has had the privilege to work with many species of birds and the dedicated folks who research them. The Wisconsin River, Door County, and State Natural Areas are some of his favorite places to recreate.

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