A narrow footpath on the jagged spine of the Bridger Mountain Range in southwestern Montana marks the final leg of field tech Bridget Bradshaw’s commute—at 8,562 feet above sea level. A bumpy dirt road makes up most of the trail, but the last two miles are almost completely vertical and can only be navigated by foot. With an elevation gain of 2,000 feet, it’s enough to make even the most seasoned hiker wheezy. Last fall, from late August to mid-November, Bradshaw spent eight hours a day perched on a bald-faced lookout on top of Bridger Mountain, tallying raptors for Montana 蜜柚APP's annual migration count. In total she observed 3,281 birds—including Golden Eagles, Sharp-shinned Hawks, American Kestrels, and Bald Eagles—as they flew south through the Rockies in search of warmer 蜜柚APPs. Digging Up Data for Conservation Every fall Hawkwatch International collects stats from hundreds of checkpoints like the one on Bridger, in hopes of piecing together all the...