The People of The Peregrine Fund: Tom Hudson

“I started working for The Peregrine Fund in 2017 as a Field Biologist on the Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk Program,” reminisces Conservation Field Biologist Tom Hudson. Like many entry-level jobs within the conservation field, the position was temporary and only lasted the length of the field season, which for this particular project was from January to July. Early career conservation professionals typically bounce from position to position, gaining valuable experience with different species and different field techniques. That was true for Tom as well, but after landing at The Peregrine Fund, he was able to spread his wings without ever leaving.

“After cutting my teeth in the jungles of Puerto Rico, I’ve moved on to be involved with several different programs within The Peregrine Fund,” Tom continues. “These include recovering the California Condor in northern Arizona and southern Utah, releasing Aplomado Falcons in South Texas, and researching the Golden Eagle on White Sands Missile Range in south-central New Mexico.”

Tom’s diverse experience and skillset have made him able to contribute whenever and wherever needed—a role he’s filled with gusto. When we translocated young Aplomado Falcons to Texas’s North Padre Island in 2021 to bolster a population that had seen declines in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, Tom was there to monitor the newly released birds. When an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) struck the Arizona–Utah California Condor flock in 2023 and required all hands on deck, Tom answered the call. His newest venture is a graduate project with Virginia Tech that sees him pioneer a new method of monitoring lead exposure to Golden Eagles by testing naturally shed feathers—an effort supported by White Sands Missile Range, the United States Geological Survey, the Army Corps of Engineers, and The Peregrine Fund.

“I am incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to participate in so many of our different programs,” says Tom. “The combination of experiences afforded to me by The Peregrine Fund has shaped my dream job and reinforced a career dedicated to working with raptors. My tenure has been fueled by the grit, determination, and tenacity of all those that I’ve worked with to conserve birds of prey and the landscapes on which they depend.”

Video:
Brendan Burns
Paul Juergens
courtesy of Tom Hudson
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Conservation Training Center, Creative Imagery
Luc Greiner / Pixabay
Matthew Danihel

Music:
BFCMUSIC / Pixabay