ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Since the 1980s Braddock Bay Raptor Research has been tracking the migration of raptors at Braddock Bay. This is one of hundreds of stations all across North America tracking the migration of these birds of prey in order to better study them and track changes in the environment.
“Raptors are one of the groups of birds that can really help us detect whether there’s changes in the environment. They’re kind of like environmental barometers. Because they’re predators at the top of the food chain, they are good indicators of how healthy ecosystems are in general,” said Daena Ford.
Ford has been with Braddock Bay Raptor Research since the early ‘90s initially as an intern, she now serves as the organization’s President. She has been able to track patterns in the populations of the raptors for a few decades giving her a keen insight into how different species have been faring.
“On the good side of things bald eagles have been doing wonderfully. They’ve made a huge comeback over the last few decades,” said Ford. “But there’s others that are being looked at more closely, like the sharp-shinned hawk. Their populations are declining across much of the eastern part of the U.S. and Canada.”