Winter Raptor Surveys

written by Elaina Burns, Environmental Stewardship Manager, Finger Lakes Region

Agency staff and volunteers conducting winter raptor surveys.

Every winter, staff from the Environmental Stewardship Team, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and volunteers brave the cold to track rare grassland species as part of the DEC’s Winter Raptor Survey Program. The goal is to document habitat use by state threatened Northern Harriers (Circus hudsonius) and state endangered Short-eared Owls (Asio flammeus).

Four surveys were conducted at Ganondagan State Historic Site this year between November and April. Northern Harriers, Red-tailed Hawks, and Coopers Hawks were observed utilizing managed grasslands at the site. These surveys help document areas that are important for rare species, capture changes in site occupancy and population changes, and inform management decisions at the site.

Norther Harrier foraging in an open grassland area. Photo Credit: Volker Hesse