Rafael A. Galvez
Rafael Galvez is the director of the Florida Keys Hawkwatch (FKH), the southernmost migration monitoring project in the continental U.S. FKH documents as many as 25,000 diurnal birds of prey of 18 species during the fall, and more than 120 species of waders, shorebirds and song birds migrating over the Keys. Rafael has been birding and illustrating birds since the age of twelve, and has participated in several conservation and education projects in Florida, Latin America and Eurasia. His love of Florida birds was sealed during his 7th grade year, when he set out to illustrate in the field all the wintering species he could find during a single season. Since then, he has participated in numerous bird surveys throughout the region, and extensively explored the Everglades and other South Florida preserved areas to better understand birds and their habitats.
He is a member of the Tropical Audubon Society board of directors, for which he focuses on Everglades conservation issues, and is the publisher of the organization’s print publication. His current work focuses on strengthening the monitoring of migratory birds throughout Important Bird Areas in the region. Rafael also serves on the Florida Ornithological Society’s records committee, in charge of evaluating reports of birds documented in the wild, and updating the official record of species for the state. He is also a contributor to the Hawk Migration Studies Journal, published by the Hawk Migration Association of North America.
His bird and habitat illustrations have appeared in numerous publications, and are featured in his field guide to Raptors and Owls of Georgia (Caucasus); they were instrumental in a campaign to deter the illegal poaching of birds of prey in that region. When not out in the field during migration, Rafael is teaching workshops on bird and habitat painting. You may join him daily in the field between September 15 and November 13 at the Florida Keys Hawkwatch site in Curry Hammock State Park, or early each morning during morning flight surveys or transect counts in the Middle Keys.