Clearly, a red-tailed hawk has a red tail. But it’s not the only feature distinct to the raptor.
Mike Unger is preparing to teach Salemites how to identify red-tailed hawks from every angle, looking underwing and for belly bands, along with tips on other raptor species in the area, including eagles and vultures.
The Zoom webinar, “Exploring Raptors: Birds of Prey,” will be Saturday, Feb. 11, from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Registration is $10 online, and all proceeds go to the Salem Audubon Society.
The webinar, which began in 2016, is the society’s most popular class and usually draws around 50 attendees.
Unger organizes and leads the course as a volunteer, all for the love of flying creatures.
Unger retired in 2006 while living in Southeast Arizona which has a large birding community. He took a class and got hooked, and then took dozens more.
“Once I got good enough, figured I’d like to teach people about birds and nature in general,” he said.
After moving to Salem, he took a few years to get to know the Audubon Society before presenting a plan to offer classes. He got a trial run, which proved successful. He’s since taught around 40 courses about birding, ducks, hummingbirds and even flying insects.
The raptor class is for all ages, and typically attracts backyard birders and raptor enthusiasts, Unger said.
“I think people just like raptors. They like seeing hawks fly around Minto-Brown (Island) Park, bald eagles,” he said, and added that over 100 people turned up for the City of Salem’s presentation on Bald Eagle Monitoring in late January.
Webinar registration comes with written resources including photos and descriptions of each species in Oregon, along with tips. Another handout explains the family each bird belongs to.
Participants will learn birding terms and how to identify every raptor in the area by appearance, flight patterns and behavior.
The rarest birds to spot around Salem include the merlin, which has a banded tail, and the Northern goshawk, which can sometimes be seen around Dallas.
“Also the white-tailed kite. Although they’re around, it’s tough – we just don’t see them that often,” he said.
The Salem Audubon society also hosts bi-monthly bird walks, with schedules available online.
For registration questions, email [email protected].
Contact reporter Abbey McDonald: [email protected] or 503-704-0355.
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Abbey McDonald joined the Salem Reporter in 2022. She previously worked as the business reporter at The Astorian, where she covered labor issues, health care and social services. A University of Oregon grad, she has also reported for the Malheur Enterprise, The News-Review and Willamette Week.
