Northwest Winds: Winds of Change, Winds of Hope?

Clay Sutton will reflect upon his own 50 years of watching hawks, primarily at Cape May, New Jersey, but also at many of the key raptor watches throughout North America and beyond. He relates “What a long, strange trip it has been,” and how in his wildest dreams he never expected to see, in his lifetime, the changes that he has witnessed. Many changes have been good and for the better, and some not so much. We have benefited greatly from emerging resources, and have been the benefactors of amazing advances in optics, information, and technology. We have all seen changes in the composition of raptor flights, and changes in the very expectations of what we may see. We have experienced significant shifts in the migration phenology and winter ranges of hawks. But what hasn’t changed is the energy, dedication, and enthusiasm of those who annually staff their posts, climbing to mountain outcrops, urban overlooks, sandy beaches, and lighthouses at land’s end to monitor and celebrate the annual passage of birds of prey. Clay will conclude that the 21 st Century may have brought great changes, but that shifting winds will never diminish the need, or our passion, for what we do.

Clay Sutton is a life-long resident of Cape May County, New Jersey, where he has worked as an environmental planner, environmental program administrator, vice-president of an environmental consulting firm specializing in threatened and endangered species. Now “mostly retired,” he spent the last past two decades as a self-employed environmental consultant, field biologist, and naturalist. Clay is a free-lance writer, lecturer, tour leader, and was a long-time instructor for the Institute for Field Ornithology. He first began watching hawks in 1974, and the science and wonder of bird migration has remained his captivating interest.

Clay is a co-author, with Pete Dunne and David Sibley, of the classic Hawks in Flight (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1988; Second Edition, 2012), a complete and holistic guide to raptor identification. Clay has long been proudly associated with HMA, and has been a member since 1979.
Clay and his wife Pat Sutton co-authored How to Spot Butterflies (1999), How to Spot Hawks & Eagles (1996), and How to Spot an Owl (1994), all published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Their acclaimed book, Birds and Birding at Cape May (Stackpole Books, 2006, 568 pages), is the in-depth result of their efforts over many years documenting and protecting the migration and the area that they so love. This landmark book is a complete guide to birds and birding for the Cape May region, covering what to see, when, where, and how to go, as well as chronicling the unique and storied ornithological history of the Jersey Cape.

This program is FREE and open to all. Registration is required, please click the link below to register.

For those not able to join via Zoom, we will live stream the program on our HMANA Facebook page as well. Recordings of all programs will be available on our website, hmana.org, following the event.