Winners of the RRF 2021 Awards and Grants
We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 Raptor Research Foundation award and grant program. Please join us in congratulating these talented members of our raptor community. The next application period for these grants and awards will begin in early 2022.
Research Grants
Leslie Brown Memorial Grant: The Brown Grant provides financial assistance to promote the research and/or the dissemination of information on African birds of prey. Kudzanai S. Dhliwayo won for the project titled “The influence of supplementary feeding on the movements of African White-backed Vultures in southern Africa.”
Stephen R. Tully Memorial Grant: The Tully Grant supports research and conservation of raptors specifically to students and amateurs with limited access to alternative funding. Siddhartha Regmi won for the project titled“Breeding Success and Conservation of White-Rumped Vulture in Syangja District, Nepal.”
Dean Amadon Grant: The Amadon Grant assists researchers working in the area of distribution and systematics of raptors. Hannah Toutonghi won for the project titled “Using high-resolution telemetry to describe daily and seasonal movements, habitat use, and activity of Northern Hawk Owl (Surnia ulula) in winter.”
Oscar Beingolea Raptor Research Grant: The Oscar Beingolea Raptor Research Award provides financial support for field research on raptors in Latin America (including the Guianas) and the Caribbean. This year there were two winners: Sandra Cuadros for the project titled “Peru/Andean Condors: Space-use by the Endangered Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) and human perception in the Sondondo Valley, Peru: identifying potential threats along the southern biological corridor”and Ester Vallejo Santamaria won for the project titled “Colombia/raptor migration: Conserving migrating raptors in Columbia.”
Achievement Awards
Tom Cade Award: The Cade Award recognizes an individual who has made significant advances in the areas of captive propagation and reintroduction of raptors. This year the awards committee recognized Dr. Peter Lindberg.
Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom Award: The Hamerstrom Award recognizes an individual who has contributed significantly to the understanding of raptor ecology and natural history. This year the awards committee recognized Dr. Carol L. McIntyre.
Andersen Memorial Award: The William C. Andersen Memorial Award is given to both the best student presentation at the annual RRF meeting. Brian Busby won for the project titled “Roads as Potential Novel Predators of Wildlife: Are Barn Owls Non-responders?
Travel Awards
The James R. Koplin Travel Award is given to a student who is the senior author and presenter of a paper or poster to be presented at the RRF meeting for which travel funds are requested. This year four students were recognized:
- Christopher Vennum: Agriculture As a Driver of Population Dynamics in a Hemispheric Migrant.
- Laura Echavez: Does Degree of Reddishness Matter? Polymorphism in Barn Owls (Tyto furcata), Diet Patterns, and Habitat Choice in Napa Valley, California.
- Jaime Carlino: Barn Owl (Tyto furcata) Nest Box Selection in Napa Valley, California: Is It Adaptive?
- Mercy Melo: Rapid Urbanization Alters Winter Abundance and Sex Ratio in the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius).
Service Awards
President’s Award: This award is given by the President in recognition and appreciation of exceptional service to the Raptor Research Foundation. This year Kate Davis and Joel (Jeep) Pagel were recognized.
RRF is thankful for these committee leadership of the award and grant committee chairs and many committee members:
Sofi Hindmarch, RRF Award Committee Chair
Jennifer Coulson, Fran and Frederick Hamerstrom Award Chair and Tom Cade Award Chair
James Harper, James Koplin Award Chair
Isabel Caballero, Dean Amadon Grant Chair
Jean-Francois Therrien, Stephen R. Tully Memorial Grant Chair
Guy Rondeau, Leslie Brown Memorial Grant Chair
Fernando Angulo, Oscar Beingolea Raptor Research Grant Chair
Lisa Takats Priestley, Andersen Award Chair