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CLIMATE CHANGE ALBERTAS BIODIVERSITY 29Ferruginous Hawks Ferruginous Hawk populations in Alberta have declined precipitously since the early 1990s for reasons that are still not well-understood. Ryan Fisher and Erin Bayne 2013 initiated a project in 2012 to better understand the species vulnerability to extreme weather with respect to behaviour reproductive output and nest reoccupancy patterns.29 Over the course of the study nest success was estimated for nearly 900 nesting attempts and video footage and hourly weather data from portable weather stations were collected at nineteen Ferruginous Hawk nests. Using satellite transmitters attached to twenty adult hawks the study also monitored the effects of weather on hawk migration. The data collected through this intensive field research is providing unique insights into the responses of Ferruginous Hawks to extreme weather events. For example Chelsey Laux and colleagues in review discoveredthatFerruginousHawksareableto detect impending storms through changes in barometric pressure and mitigate the risk of nest damage by increasing nest maintenance behaviours prior to the storms arrival. The project is on-going with three graduate students continuing the research. Photo The Ferruginous Hawk North Americas largest hawk breeds on Albertas prairies. 29 Learn more by watching Weathering the Storm Albertas Ferruginous Hawks in a Changing Climate at httpwww.biodiversityand- climate.abmi.caresourcesvideos