Join us in protecting the Swainson’s Hawk migration
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online campaign for the film now active
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Join us in protecting the Swainson’s Hawk migration - online campaign for the film now active -
THE DOCUMENTARY
Endangered raptors. A dedicated crew of citizen scientists. A fragile desert environment. The HAWK WATCH film follows a local birders as they attempt to establish a legacy: protecting the Swainson’s Hawk migration in Southern California. The “Hawksters” strive for success, but aging, climate change, business development, and even Mother Nature herself produce obstacles that threaten it all.
HAWKWATCH has been in production since early 2023. In addition to filming two full seasons of hawk migration through Borrego Springs, California*, the cast and crew traveled to Veracruz, Mexico, Antelope Valley, California, and Corpus Christi, Texas to capture on film the incredible spectacle of avian migration and nesting. This documentary showcases the intense beauty and sense of awe inspired by the annual hawk migration, and the efforts that the local Hawksters are attempting to keep it alive.
HAWKWATCH visually depicts the perilous existence of raptors during their 20,000 mile journey, and the power of individuals to try to make a difference for their world.
“Preservation of habitat is a big issue for the Swainson’s Hawks.”
“Awareness leads to protection, Protection leads to conservation, and conservation leads to a healthy planet”
— Hal Cohen, Founder Borrego Valley Hawkwatch
“There’s a lot of things going on over our heads. You just have to look up.”
WHY THIS FILM & Why NOW?
Anyone can have an impact. All of us can help to help safeguard our planet and all that dwells upon it. This is the role of the citizen scientist.
New species of flora, ancient fossils, and even planets in the solar system have been discovered by citizen scientists. Citizen science and Swainson’s Hawks have been an important part of Borrego Springs for decades. This effort, dating to the 1950’s, has continued to the present led by The Borrego Valley Hawkwatch, which is now the only remaining spring hawk watch in the state of California.
As the Hawksters persist with the difficult undertaking of studying and learning more about these beautiful raptors, they are eager to share their history, now presented in the HAWKWATCH documentary.
However, the film is simply the beginning of a much bigger story.
Why?
The HAWKWATCH documentary is an initial stepping stone in the Hawksters ambitious effort to construct a permanent observation site in Borrego Springs. For the first time in 70 years, amid all the current threats to the Borrego Valley, this team is daring to dream about a new home where enthusiasm for citizen science, education, and conservation can have an enduring legacy.
HAWKWATCH the film can help spread the word and make this dream a reality.
