Hoy Audubon Society Program: Wintering Raptors of Southeastern Wisconsin

Vic Berardi will discuss wintering raptors of southeastern Wisconsin. Emphasis will be on raptor descriptions, occurrences and possible locations to find these birds in the winter months. Vic spends a great deal of time in the winter searching for raptors and photographing them.

Vic Berardi is the founder of the all-volunteer Illinois Beach State Park Hawk Watch which has conducted twenty-six complete seasons of fulltime hawk migration monitoring which began in the fall of the year 2000. In 2013, he and a few others conducted several spot counts at a new hawkwatch site at the Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve on the shore of Lake Michigan in Highland Park, IL. The Fort Sheridan Hawkwatch has now completed nine seasons of hawkwatching and now has fulltime coverage.

Vic is currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Hawk Migration Association (HMA), a position he previously held several years ago. He also serves on several HMA Committees including the Winter Raptor Survey Committee, Development Committee, Finance Committee and is the chair of the Marketing Committee. He also served for several years as the Central Continental Flyway Editor for Hawk Migration Studies which is HMA’s biannual publication. In 2014 he was the recipient of HMA’s Appreciation Award for his outstanding service to further hawk migration studies and conservation. In 2009 he was awarded the Service to Chicago Area Birders by the Chicago Audubon Society. And in 2007 he was awarded the Grassroots Conservation Leadership Award for his leadership in raptor education and research. In addition to Vic’s dedication to the hawk watches in northeastern Illinois and HMA, he also finds time to write articles on hawk watching, give hawk identification seminars and raptor conservation related talks.

Vic is also an accomplished photographer and many of his photos are published in several magazines, including several cover photos for Hawk Migration Studies and Bird Watching Magazine and Outdoor Illinois. His book contributions include, “Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America” by Donald & Lillian Stokes, “Hawks From Every Angle” and “Hawks At A Distance” by Jerry Liguori, “Birds of Prey: Hawks, Eagles, Falcons, and Vultures of North America” by Pete Dunne with Kevin Carlson, “The Crossley Guide: Raptors” by Richard Crossley, Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan and the “Pembina Valley Raptor Field Guide.” Most recently he has contributed many photos for the new HawkWatch International, HWI Raptor ID app co-authored by Jerry Liguori and Brian Sullivan and has made contributions to the latest raptor book by Brian Wheeler, “Birds of Prey of the East: A Field Guide.” He also regularly donates his photos for use in raptor conservation efforts.

Vic is also a member of the Raptor Research Foundation, HawkWatch International and several other birding organizations including the Illinois Ornithological Society in which he served as a Board member for 4 years and Field Trip Chair for 3 years.