For Olivia “Liv” Laurie, one of the defining moments of her summer research experience came while holding a baby bird in her hands.
Laurie, a student at Mount Holyoke University, spent 10 weeks this summer working with American kestrels, North America’s smallest raptor, at the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC) in Front Royal, Virginia. She helped monitor cameras in nearly 70 nest boxes, band kestrel nestlings, and analyze GPS and camera data to better understand how the birds move across the landscape and what prey they bring back to their nests.
“The fieldwork was one of my favorite parts,” she said. “It’s an awe-inspiring experience to be able to hold this raptor that’s so important for our environment.”
