Recovered Raptor Species

[BrokenWing]

BrokenWing Chronicles/Recovered Raptor Species

COMMON NAME: Peregrine Falcon

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Falco peregrinus

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS:
A large falcon in which the sexes look alike. The male (the tiercel) is about two-thirds the size of the female (the falcon). Adults have a dark slate-blue back and wings and a dark blue tail that is lightly barred. The top of the head is dark with a dark stripe running down the side of the face. The cere, legs, and feet are bright yellow. The underside of the adult is light with vertical streaks across the breast, belly and legs. Immatures are uniformly brown on the back, top of the head, and wings, with a light underside streaked with brown. Peregrine falcons are widely distributed resulting in many populations and sub-species (22 by one count) each with a slight variation of the above plumage.

RANGE:
Distributed worldwide, peregrine falcons are found on every continent except Antarctica. They can be found breeding in the arctic tundra, through Europe, and North America, and south into Africa, South America, the Pacific Islands and Australia.

HABITAT:
Peregrine falcons are birds of open spaces usually associated with high cliffs and bluffs overlooking rivers and coasts. Recently, many cities with tall buildings have become home to pairs of peregrines. Many populations are migratory (their name means "wandering falcon") and will travel great distances.

NESTING:
Their nest is a scrape made on the bare rock of a cliff, where two to four eggs are laid. There are also a few records of tree-nesting peregrine falcons in the eastern United States. Recently many cities in North America have had peregrines nesting on the ledges of tall buildings or under bridges.

FEEDING HABITS:
The most spectacular of hunters, peregrine falcons feed almost exclusively on birds they take in the air. High-speed dives enable peregrines to catch everything from songbirds to herons and ducks.

RAPTOR CENTER DATA:
One of the 10 most common patients received in the clinic. Since the late 1970s, The Raptor Center has been involved in reintroductions of this species, which have recently resulted in breeding pairs in the Twin Cities as well as many other Midwestern states.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
Peregrine falcons were taken off the endangered species list in August 1999. They are currently still bred in captivity for release into the wild and for falconry.

Please visit the Minnesota Raptor Center to read the rest of this article, the site also provides the sounds from this Falcon and many other links to help you learn more about this very majestic raptor.
The Link.
http://www.cvm.umn.edu/raptor/info/peregrinefalcon.html



****************************************************************************************************************

Bald Eagle/Haliaeetus leucocephalus

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS
Wingspan 6.5-8 feet; length 31-37 inches. Adults have a dark brown body with a white head and tail, yellow eyes and beak. Immature eagles are all dark with some white mottled in the wings and tail. The eyes and beak are dark. As the birds mature around 4-5 years of age, they start getting the white head and tail, and the  the eyes and beak start turning yellow.

RANGE
Formerly distributed across North America, they are now limited to breeding in Alaska, Canada, the northern Great Lakes states, Florida, and the Pacific Northwest. In Minnesota they commonly breed on northern lakes and along the St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers. Bald eagles move south for the winter to open water areas that attract large numbers of waterfowl or fish. In Minnesota, this includes the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers and sometimes lakes in the southern part of the state.

HABITAT
Bald eagles nest on the edges of rivers, lakes, or seashores. In winter and on migration, they can be found where there is open water offering sufficient food and evening roost sites.

NESTING
Bald eagles build large stick nests (sometimes weighing over a ton) that are usually about six feet in diameter and more than six feet tall. Nests are built near the top of the largest trees near a river or lake. The birds start nesting in Minnesota in March when the female lays from one to three eggs. The male and female share incubation duties. The young hatch after 35 days and grow very quickly being ready to leave the nest at between 10 and 12 weeks of age.

FEEDING HABITS
Bald eagles commonly feed on fish that they catch themselves, find dead, or pirate from other birds such as ospreys. They also feed on a variety of carrion or live prey including waterfowl and other birds, turtles, and rabbits. Road-killed deer are a favorite and thus lead to many eagles being hit by cars.

RAPTOR CENTER DATA
One of our most common patients, we often receive bald eagles that have been shot, caught in leg hold traps, poisoned, or hit by moving vehicles. Eagles are very difficult birds to maintain in captivity due to their size, strength, and wild nature. We have been involved for many years in reintroduction programs being conducted throughout the Midwest. Other TRC programs include investigations into the effects of lead poisoning, the incidence of chemical contamination in nestling eagles, and the location and use of winter roost areas.

CONSERVATION STATUS
The bald eagle was removed from the endangered species list on July 9, 2007.

The Link
http://www.cvm.umn.edu/raptor/info/baldeagle.html

[RedFeather]

At the raptor center I volunteer at - last Saturday when I was there, we had three birds who had been shot - a rough-legged hawk, a golden eagle and a bald eagle.  What's worse, there was another bald eagle who came into the center that week who died - that bird had also been shot.  Not to mention, last year, there were many birds who were shot at - some made it, and some didn't.  Every time I see a bird come in due to being shot, I feel so horrible about it.  I really wish there was something I could do so that those people get caught.

Lead poisoning, I have seen in both bald and golden eagles - it's not at all uncommon.  It breaks your heart.  Poisoning situations, particularly lead, were the only times I've heard an eagle actually cry.  Not just vocalizations.  Not just eagle sounds, no.  It actually sounds like they are crying out of agony.

[BrokenWing]

How sad, federal protection seems to be overlooked.
Not long ago, Pigeon lovers began shooting the Coopers Hawk trying to protect the Roller Pigeons.
Even the president of the Rollers club was arrested.
So they take there wonderful Pigeons, genetically alter them so they tumble in the sky (performance)as they fly, strip there ability of speed, then start shooting federally protected predators.
Then sit back and claim...they love birds....well...there birds anyways....
Very sad.
 

[thetim53]

They interbreed for a bird that canot fly properly? There is a seperate level of Hell for people like that.

[BrokenWing]

One day a person that lived close by called me to come and pick up a pigeon that had wondered onto his property.
This bird was a Tumbler....
They altered this bird to tumble, the bird can never fly again, when a person claps his hands and or a loud noise, the bird flips around on the ground....
Then folks wonder why I do not care for breeding....

[RedFeather]

Yeah, I once read something on those roller pigeon people.  It infuriated me.

As to our raptor-birds being shot - I think the problem is that there's no way to prove who actually shot the bird, in most cases.   Also, I am wondering if, since there don't seem to be investigations or anything, if they just don't care enough to do it.  (Personally, if I could, I'd be setting out decoy birds of prey to catch those jerks if it were up to me.)  We always report those happenings, though.

That's horrible, about the Tumbler you mentioned.  How could you do that to a bird?  Seriously - that's cruel.

Now, lead poisoning.  Got to hold a golden eagle on Saturday who has it bad.  It's awful.  His tongue is dry (even though he is given water), he cannot move his feet, he chirps on occasion, he has a prolapsed vent, and he struggled a little bit, but not much, when I held him.  I had to lay him so that his chest was propped against a rolled-up towel, and adjust that towel so that he would not tip over, because he cannot support himself.  All of this with my bare hands, too, because he cannot really defend himself.  That's how bad it is.  Poor bird.  :(

[BrokenWing]

A raptor that can no longer protect himself/herself, that's disturbing.

I understand the frustration of wanting whomever is responsible to be held accountable, if there neck would only fit between these 2 hands....

I watched some of these Pigeon lovers that keep (Rollers), they drive around and pull a fairly large trailer (A loft on wheels), they meet somewhere and turn there flock loose, they stand and clap there hands to tell the birds to roll in the sky as they fly, a judge watches and rates the birds.

The most disturbing aspect is when the birds land, some have no control and hit the ground very hard, some do not live.

There are standards (as always) very young birds that don't meet that standard, (the neck is snapped).
Its okay for the owner to kill his/her own birds, but its not okay for a natural predator (a raptor) to kill for food, out comes a gun and they shoot the raptor.

Pigeon lover pleads guilty to killing falcon
Kelso man is 12th prosecuted in bird club investigation

By LEVI PULKKINEN
P-I REPORTER

A pigeon aficionado pleaded guilty Tuesday in a Tacoma court to killing a peregrine falcon, a result of an undercover sting targeting bird club members accused of killing thousands of hawks and falcons.

Darrel Norris, 69, was the first Washington resident indicted on evidence gathered during a yearlong undercover investigation by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service into the Northwest Roller Jockeys pigeon club. He pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to a single count of killing a migratory bird, a misdemeanor.

Like 11 other bird owners prosecuted so far, Norris raised "roller" pigeons for competition. The unusual birds stall in flight, tumbling downward and performing acrobatics.

The stalls make rollers easy prey for falcons and hawks, prompting some pigeon owners to kill the protected birds.

Norris, of Kelso, admitted to killing one falcon. But Assistant U.S. Attorney James Oesterle said there was nothing unique about his crime.

"This is not an isolated incident," Oesterle said. "It needs to be recognized for what it is, which is killing (falcons) for doing what they're supposed to do."

Wildlife investigators found that roller pigeon club members had killed as many as 2,000 hawks and falcons annually, according to court documents. Among the species killed were Cooper's hawks, red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons, all of which are protected by international treaty.

Pigeon owners often bragged online, as well as to undercover agents who approached the groups in 2006 as part of Operation High Roller.

Agents found that club members often shot or trapped raptors, sometimes mutilating the birds' remains in case they were discovered.

One club member told undercover agents he had filled a 5-gallon bucket with talons cut from killed birds, according to a Department of Justice statement. Another told investigators he sprayed trapped hawks with a mixture of bleach and ammonia, creating a poisonous chlorine gas to kill the birds.

Northwest Roller Jockeys member Ivan Hanchett of Hillsboro, Ore., told undercover agents he preferred to trap falcons, then suffocate them in garbage bags, according to court documents. Another club member, Portland resident Peter Kaufman, bragged to agents that he'd killed 30 hawks in little more than a month.

Hanchett, Kaufman and eight others have pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges similar to those Norris pleaded guilty to Tuesday. All were fined or sentenced to community service.

Addressing Judge J. Kelley Arnold, Norris apologized for shooting the falcon and claimed he had changed his ways since being charged earlier this year.

"I do it a different way now," said Norris, a Kelso resident. "I let out a few of my bad birds and let the hawk get one before I let out my good ones."

Oesterle asked that Norris be fined $2,500 as well as sentenced to 120 hours of community service. Arnold imposed community service but declined to fine Norris, finding that a financial penalty would be too onerous on the retired butcher.

"Any significant fine," the judge said, "would just be overkill."
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/370963_falcon16.html