Hawk Ridge Volunteers

This week we are going to meet one of our volunteers who has dedicated a considerable amount of time at Hawk Ridge. This volunteer is, Linda Estel! Linda has been volunteering at Hawk Ridge for 7 years now. She does not only volunteer at the overlook, she has volunteered at our summer program, Peregrine Watch, as well. In fact, the first volunteering Linda did for Hawk Ridge was with Peregrine Watch. She saw a article in the newspaper, requesting volunteers and called our former volunteer coordinator, Julie O'Connor to tell her she was interested. Linda has been hooked ever since.

Linda is now retired, so she likes to spend her time volunteering at Hawk Ridge when she is able to. Linda thought she may like to be apart of a board of directors when she first retired but then realized she did not want to sit at meetings, she really just wanted to be outside. That is one of the reasons she has been drawn to volunteer at Hawk Ridge so long. She loves to be outside in the fall, with a great view of the lake. In fact,  Linda loves being outside at Hawk Ridge so much she decided to have her wedding at our outdoor classroom, this past August!  When she is volunteering, she really likes to pick up birds from our banding station, lead banding station tours and chat with visitors.

Linda likes to garden in the summer and also travels throughout the year. In the winter, she often takes a trip south to New Orleans. She likes to camp in her travel trailer and has even been a host at a few campgrounds in Louisiana. While Linda is south, she likes to look for the Cooper's Hawks and Red-tails who have also migrated south for the winter.

Here is Linda (ready for a party, wearing her mardi gras beads) with a hatch year, male, Sharp-shinned Hawk, that was just picked up from the banding station.

Here is Linda, Matti and a visitor looking over a hatch year, kriders mix, Red-tailed Hawk

Linda is a great person to have around at the overlook, she has a fun, spirited personality, is young at heart and is always a great person to have a chat with if you get the chance. Thanks for all your time, Linda!