Hawk Watch Apprentice

The International Wildlife Refuge Alliance is looking for a Hawk Watch Apprentice for the 2026 fall migration season at the Detroit River Hawk Watch!

Job Summary

The Detroit River Hawk Watch (DRHW) will be celebrating its 44th consecutive season of monitoring diurnal raptor and turkey vulture migration at the mouth of the Detroit River this 2026 season. Every year, tens of thousands of hawks and turkey vultures migrate through this area and are diligently identified and recorded by a team of dedicated volunteers and professional hawk counters. Detroit River Hawk Watch Apprentices will have the opportunity to learn hawk identification and migration data collection directly from an experienced professional hawk counter and team of hawk spotting volunteers. Apprentices will be responsible for migration database management and assisting with education and outreach related to DRHW. The Detroit River Hawk Watch occurs daily from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM September 1st through November 30th, 2026. The selected candidate may work up to 40 hours/week with schedule flexibility within the above time frame. Apprentices who can work past the data collection season with final data quality checks and writing the season summary report are preferred. No previous hawk counting experience is required – we are seeking hard-working and enthusiastic applicants who are looking for an opportunity to learn more about an exciting potential career opportunity. Compensation of $17/hour for up to 40 hours/week. Housing available.

Duties

• Assist and learn from a professional hawk counter at the DRHW count site
• Upload live hourly count data using a tablet while on the count site
• Participate in DRHW education and outreach events
• Provide outreach to the public at the DRHW count site
• Review and quality check data in the HawkCount database
• Assist professional counter and volunteer spotters with writing an annual season summary

Required Qualifications

• Willingness to work in adverse conditions
• Comfort with computer programs and attention to detail
• Enthusiasm for hawk migration!

Preferred Qualifications

• Some knowledge of hawk identification
• Educational background in biology/ecology