Conserving the Ridgway's Hawk in Punta Cana, DR

As I write this report and look back over these past few months it amazes me how fast time goes by and how much we have accomplished until now. Just like every year around this time, the nesting season has come to an end and brings with it a whole new group of nestlings that are now part of the growing population of this species.  These young birds will eventually form pairs to continue their contribution to the growth and recovery of the Ridgway’s Hawk population in the island of Hispaniola.

In Los Haitises National Park (LHNP), where the largest population of hawks can be found, we monitored 147 pairs throughout the park and these pairs had a total of 109 nestlings that successfully fledged from the nest. Apart from our work managing the population in LHNP, we are also managing two new burgeoning populations (Punta Cana and Aniana Vargas National Park) which we established through a reintroduction project.

 It is incredible to witness how fast the population is growing in Punta Cana and how easily the hawks have adapted to the area. From zero hawks that we had in the area when we started releasing in 2009, we are now managing approximately 30 territories and 30 nestlings successfully fledged from their nests. This is the largest number of fledglings we have had so far in Punta Cana. This population fills us with hope and a lot of energy to continue with the extraordinary work that our team has been doing.

We have successfully released 25 young hawks in Aniana Vargas National Park for the fourth year in a row. These birds were brought from LHNP and released in their new home. These newly released hawks will continue to grow, learn how to hunt, and eventually disperse from the area.  The goal is for many of these individuals to form pairs in the future with the hope that they will continue contributing to the population numbers. In this area we monitored 6 pairs this year which is an incredible event.

We continue to work together with our allies to carry out the national campaign to raise awareness and general knowledge of the Ridgway’s Hawk. We have been visiting different provinces, doing surveys and measuring the Dominican population’s knowledge about this species.

So far this year, through our environmental education program we were able to reach nearly 1,800 people and we distributed roughly 30 chicken coops to community members in the different areas near where these hawks live. We also began offering tours that allow visitors to meet our ambassador birds. So far, we have received several groups and visits from influencers who were able to interact with the ambassador birds and learn about their important role in nature. All of this helps us to keep spreading the word about our work and reaching out to different people from various social backgrounds.

We are very proud of the progress we have made throughout the years and look ahead with hope. We continue to strive and improve every day to reestablish the population of the Ridgway’s Hawk and to further contribute to the local biodiversity, and therefore, to the communities and the island as well.

Thanks for all your support!

Our 2023 nesting season is in full swing, our first Ridgway’s Hawk nestlings of the season have hatched and with them, the hope of recovering a species from the brink of extinction. Our field crews are monitoring known territories, visiting active nests, and searching for new pairs that may have settled inside the forest.

The community of Los Brazos in Aniana Vargas National Park, represents our most recent attempt to establish another population of Ridgway’s Hawks outside of Los Haitises National Park. Last season we had the first successful hatchlings since the beginning of the releases in this location, and this year we have already found new pairs making a total of 5 territories, which is incredibly exciting. This marks the path forward and provides the opportunity for this population to grow. Along with assisted dispersal, we hope the population at this new site will become self-sufficient.

Los Haitises National Park has given us the first nestlings of the season. We were able to observe two small and healthy young hawks on the 1st of March. Our team celebrates this birth and hopes that the community around the park will welcome these new members with joy. But things don't stop there, we are also receiving university students interested in knowing the extent of the project, how it is developed, their participation in community development and the human side of it. Part of the work of the field teams involves walking for hours through the forest, entering the depths of the park, under very changeable weather conditions, which is why seeing the first nestlings born in the season serves as extra motivation.

Punta Cana continues to show that our efforts to preserve this species are paying big dividends. We have found 2 new pairs, making a total of 32 territories. This year promises to be another successful nesting season, adding many more juvenile hawks to the area!

Our team is making daily patrols to ensure that the nesting process continues unhinged. Our Ambassador Hawks continue to make some visits to schools, giving students the opportunity to interact directly with them, learn about their characteristics, their behavior and above all, their importance in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. This year we have exciting things in store for environmental education. May is almost upon us to celebrate Ridgway's Hawk month and as usual  we are organizing the second Ridgway's Hawk festival in conjunction with our project partners and other organizations who contribute to the conservation of different species in the Dominican Republic. In addition, we will also start with the surveys for our national campaign with the hopes that every Dominican can know, identify and protect the Ridgway's Hawk as part of their cultural and environmental heritage. 

We will continue to work to recover the population of this amazing bird and we are grateful that you are with us along the way!