HawkCount is a web-based database that facilitates the tracking and reporting of raptor migrations. It includes site reports from over a hundred hawk-watch sites in Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The sites, which are maintained by members of the Hawk Migration Association of North America (HMANA), report their daily raptor counts to HawkCount. An interactive map helps users find hawk watch sites.

American Kestrel (source: Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

One hot topic among hawk-watchers these days is a steep decline in numbers of the American Kestrel, the smallest and most colorful hawk on the continent. The annual number of Kestrels spotted at Hawk Mountain, PA declined at an average rate of 1.6 percent between 1974 and 2004; from 1994 to 2004, the average annual rate of decline accelerated to 4.8 percent. Similar trends have been observed at locations throughout the continent, according to a data analysis by Ernesto Inzunza published on the HMANA site.  While there is no consensus on why the decline is happening, Inzunza says there are four hypotheses:
* Contamination.  The negative effects of DDT on breeding may have carried into the late 1970s, and other contaminants could also be contributing.
* Forest Succession.  Kestrels depend on open and semi-open habitats,and these habitats have been declining due to the maturing of forests in the East and forest fire suppression programs in the West.
* Increased Predation.  Cooper’s Hawks prey on the smaller Kestrels, and their numbers are rising.
* West Nile Virus.  Some studied have shown widespread exposure to this virus among Kestrels, although the effects of the virus on Kestrels are not well-known yet.

Enthusiastic, skilled amateurs make important contributions to many scientific fields. The HMANA site is a great example of passion put to work.