By IBO Undergraduate Student and Volunteer Mariah Hoel
You know how early 2000’s movies often start by throwing the main character in some crazy scenario, followed by a record-scratch freeze-frame and a voiceover saying “Yep that’s me, you’re probably wondering how I got here?” I’ve had a few moments like that in my life, but none quite like this summer.
Let’s rewind a little. Last fall I was chatting with one of the songbird banders at IBO’s River site about internships, and they mentioned this cool research program that was being offered to students. Greg Kaltenecker (IBO’s Executive Director), along with Jim Belthoff (BSU Raptor Faculty), had introduced an International Research Experience for Students (IRES for short). Located in Tarifa, Spain, at the Strait of Gibraltar, it was a way to give both undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to do real and impactful research outside of a classroom, while collaborating with seasoned professionals working internationally. This summer experience was also accompanied by the opportunity to present research at the International Raptor Research Conference later in the year.
A rare and tempting opportunity for eager and inquisitive undergrads, especially for the chance to go international. I hesitated at first to apply. I didn’t speak Spanish. Two months away from home was a long time. I had to consider my dog, my partner, and my houseplants. I had to consider that I would be missing both the songbird and hummingbird banding seasons at the River site and Bogus Basin.
But it would be crazy not to apply, right?
After some deliberation I took the leap, and am so grateful that I did.
From the moment we arrived at our lodgings – an old Army bunker turned dorm facility- we were welcomed by Fundación Migres staff Alejandro Onrubio and Isabel Caminal who spent their summer with us arranging field work and showing us the best Chameleon hunting grounds, parks to sleep in for field work, and the best pizza in Tarifa.
Over the course of the summer, I learned how to trap, band, and take blood samples from Black Kites, how European banders handle and ‘ring’ passerines, how to count flocks of migrating birds so large it looked like someone spilled black pepper flakes in the sky, and so, so much more. Migration watch on the Strait of Gibraltar is unlike anything I’ve ever seen; flocks of three or four thousand White Storks daring to make the treacherous crossing to their wintering grounds in Africa,
and huge flocks of Black Kites deliberating in the thermals at the water’s edge is absolutely one of the wonders of the natural world.
Though migration watch is something I will never forget I have to admit that out of all raptors, it was the vultures who captured my heart. As part of my research on Egyptian Vulture (known in Spain as Alimoches) wind turbine collisions I went out with Migres staff Mar Sanchez who manages supplemental feeding sites in an effort to keep birds from flying and scavenging too close to the treacherous turbines.
Twice a week, we loaded blue plastic barrels of meat scraps and bones from local butchers and drove them out to two distinct feeding sites. When we arrived, Eurasian Griffons were always ready and perched in the trees and on nearby cliffs, waiting for their room service to be delivered. We sorted out any trash from the meat and hid a few chicken eggs around, then backed away from the pile to watch the show. Immediately, Eurasian and Ruppell’s Griffons would swoop down in silence, occasionally snapping at each other or at other scavenger birds or foxes that would try to steal their free meal.
If we were lucky, we would be graced with a visit from the queen herself
-a female Alimoche that had been banded as a chick in territory thirteen years prior. Her official color band is 1X9, but she is fondly referred to as “The Pharaohness.” She would come in, a third the size of the Griffons, and strut around picking up scraps of meat and the eggs. I’d sit there and watch through my binoculars as she picked up an egg and moved it into position before smashing it open with a rock and feasting on her prize. She was truly a delight to watch.
I have to admit that while I absolutely adore songbirds, I think I could dip my toes into the raptor world if someone were to dangle a vulture study in front of me like a chicken carcass.
The summer came and went faster than any other in my life. Before I knew it, I had come back home for a short stint of normality, then was whisked away again for the (incredible) whirlwind conference in Costa Rica (where I attended over 50 presentations in 3 days) to present my research, only to return again for good. I’m still reeling from all of the things I’ve learned during this experience. From my first time doing research abroad to my first formal conference, this summer has taught me as much about myself as it has about science and I’m still wrapping my head around how to put it all down on a resume (or in a newsletter article haha!).
Looking back, I have absolutely no idea how I’ve ended up here, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world.
I have met absolutely incredible and passionate people who continue to inspire me to never stop learning and growing, and to follow my own passion for this field to whatever corners of the world it takes me.
“Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same thing as never leaving.” – Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky
This article is part of our 2025 end of the year newsletter! View the full newsletter here, or click “older posts” below to read the next article. Make sure you don’t miss out on IBO news! Sign up to get our email updates.