Hawks, Fire, and Wine

The Burning Hawk Visits Harlingen for Year #2

Photo by Nick Dunlop

Just over a year ago, I happened upon a newspaper article titled Burning Hawk Starts Vineyard Fire, about a hawk which was electrocuted in the powerlines and sparked a fire in a grape vineyard. I was fascinated by the story and heart-broken to learn that many species of birds are tragically injured or killed in this fashion. I wondered how to keep the legacy of this one hawk alive?

Since this incident took place in a grape vineyard, my idea was this:  Create a label of wine for people to enjoy and along the way help make difference for birds. And in less than 9 weeks, with the help of vintners, conservationists and so many others, Burning Hawk Wines left the nest with two delicious wines—a Napa Valley Red and an Alexander Valley Chardonnay.

Last year, shortly after launching Burning Hawk Wines, I had the good fortune to meet a covey of amazing birdwatching-dynamos who were organizing the 2008 Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. At their invitation, we were honored to visit Harlingen to share our wines and be introduced to the world of birding. We had an absolutely outstanding time, met some of the most generous people on earth and learned a jaw-dropping amount about Harlingen as a global hotspot for avian action! We are so excited to be returning once again as the wine sponsor for this year’s 2009 Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival!

A few weeks later we made our first difference, with over $500 raised for the Raptor Research Foundation.  And now, over a year later, we have helped other like-minded organizations with wine donations, small cash grants and other forms of support. These include Raptors of the Rockies, The Hungry Owl Project, Rocky Mountain Raptor Project, Save Our Raptors Campaign, Mongolian Saker Falcon Project and The American Ornithologists Union.

We are honored to be sharing and selling our wines once again at 2009 Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival.  Again, a percentage of the proceeds will benefit a worthy cause.  We look forward to meeting you and to raising a delicious toast the spectacular world of birds…and the critical need for all of us to participate in birdlife conservation efforts.

Cheers and see you in Harlingen!

Nick Papadopoulos lives in California, is the founder of Burning Hawk Wines (www.burninghawk.com), and can be reached at info@burninghawk.com .