Falconry as Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Raptor Conservation

The next series of posts will be my take on falconry's role in raptor conservation. 

The Relationship between a Raptor and Falconer

 

     It was the morning of March 27, 2007 and Guinevere, my Red-tailed Hawk, expecting breakfast she gave me her usual high-pitched peeps but that morning was different. She was being released back into the wild. Without anklets and jesses, she stepped onto my fist freely as we walked out of her mews into the sunshine. Guinevere looked around and I leaned over

Kiss Good-bye

kissed her on the back of the head; ten seconds later she left my glove for the last time. As she had done so many times, she flew to the closest tree on the forest edge and waited for me to catch up. This time I did not follow her, instead I watched her through tears and binoculars. Looking back at me, confused and impatient, she gave up finally. After flying and circling over me, she was gone. I never saw her again but still have the feather she dropped as she disappeared.        

     Our relationship was just one example of many relationships that falconers have had with their birds throughout the history of falconry. This ancient practice has facilitated a unique relationship between raptors and humans through mutual respect and trust. For four thousand years, falconry has remained steeped in tradition and culture, consequently, it has been through this tradition and knowledge of raptor behavior and hunting techniques, the falconer has gained a rare glimpse into the natural history of this secretive predator.

Moment Together

 

Hawk

The true spirit of the hawk
With the energy of sun and fire
Is one of vision and power
The message of the hawk
Is to use our inner vision
To see what is out of balance within ourselves
And to use our power wisely and justly
To obtain the freedom we desire
Prose by Carol Cavalaris © 07

 

Introduction

     Falconry has had a long, historical thread in the conservation of raptors. Despite the controversy of using traditional ecological knowledge to solve ecological problems, raptor conservationists have been drawing on the traditional ecological knowledge of falconry and combining the knowledge gained from Western science to address raptor conservation issues. Indeed, many renowned raptor conservationists are falconers as well. In my own experience, my main motive to become a falconer was the opportunity to have a deeper connection with the animal I treasured and to add unique insight as a conservationist. My purpose here is to assemble the relationship between the traditional ecological knowledge of falconry and raptor conservation; that is, the lived experience of falconry helping raptors today. The relationship analysis will be addressed in three components: 1) traditional ecological knowledge, 2) falconry culture and traditions and 3) falconry within raptor conservation.

Raptors Needed! Apply Within

My Harris Hawk 'Coral'

Not only do raptors provide a job well done in nature, such as rodent control (ecoservices) and biodiversity, but are helpful to human environments as well. Scavenging birds at landfill sites transmit disease to humans and other birds, and can be a nuisance or pose as a bird-strike hazard. Baxter and Allan (2006) examined the effectiveness between trained falcons (Falco spp.) 

Hybrid Falcon

and hawks (Buteo spp. and Parabuteo spp.) at deterring scavenging gulls and blackbirds (corvids) from a series of landfill sites in the United Kingdom. Trained raptors are frequently integrated into bird management regimes globally. Most of the raptor species preferred are the Harris Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis),

Juvenile Female Red-tailed Hawk

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), Saker Falcon (F. cherrug] and the Lanner Falcon (F. biarmicus).

Baxter and Allan (2006) results showed no raptor species eliminated all scavenging birds but falcons reduced bird numbers more consistently. The results should not be surprising. Falcons are aggressive avian hunters and any bird has the potential to be their next meal. Avoiding this predator is a ‘must know’ in the bird world in order to survive. Hawk species hunt small mammals and are not as maneuverable as a falcon; therefore, the birds must know this either by life experience or instinct. Recently, there is an increase use of raptors in avian management in aviation flight lines and military airfields. Falconers in the United States are often used to prevent bird strikes at airports and military airbases globally.

Literature Cited

Baxter, A. T., and J. R. Allan. 2006. Use of raptors to reduce scavenging bird numbers at landfill sites. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34:1162-1168.

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS: THE DIET OF ARIZONA’S GOLDEN EAGLE

Thought I would post some of my own work! This is a poster presentation for the Arizona Field Ornithologists Meeting October 5, 2013 in Sierra Vista, AZ. 

PRELIMINARY FINDINGS: THE DIET OF ARIZONA’S GOLDEN EAGLE

*Losee, M. J., 

Antioch University New England

Jacobson, T. Licence, K. and K. McCarty, K.

Arizona Department of Game and Fish

In Arizona, the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) has been largely unstudied. In 2011, Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) began a two-year nest survey for cliff nesting Golden Eagles throughout the state. Golden Eagle occupancy and diet assessments began in 2013. During the 2013-nesting season, we collected prey remains from six active Golden Eagle nest in the northern region of the state. The number of prey items ranged from 3 to 29 with the number of different species ranging from 2 to 6. The Black-tailed Jack Rabbit (Lepus californicus) was the only prey species found in all six nests and the highest percentage (33-81%) of total species found in each nest as well as contributing to the highest biomass (2.7-5.9kg) for each nest. The two heaviest, single prey species were a Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocapra americana) fawn (3kg) and a juvenile Gray Fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) (3.2kg). The more unique prey species were snake, an adult Raven (Corvus corax), domestic feline and a juvenile Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus). The nest with most diversity of prey species (6) was the only nest with two nestlings.

These preliminary findings revealed important information pertaining to the dietary habits of Golden Eagles nesting in Northern Arizona. The results showed that jack rabbits (Lepus spp.) were the dominant prey species for nesting pairs. This was consistent with both (Eakle and Grubb 1986, Stahlecker et al. 2009), in which both studies documented at least 50% of the prey species were jack rabbits. In this study, as well as (Eakle and Grubb 1986, Stahlecker et al. 2009), the Rock Squirrel (Otospermophilus variegatus) was the second most abundant prey species. There was a lower than expected amount (1%) of Prairie Dog (Cynomys spp.) remains. This could have been just a factor of what was present in the nest at the time of collection or could show a decrease in availability for this species. Stahlecker et al. (2009) documented 8% of prey species were prairie dogs, while (Eakle and Grubb 1986) documented none. This information as well as data collected from next year’s nesting season will help describe the dietary and foraging requirements for Golden Eagle pairs nesting in Arizona. These requirements coupled with occupancy data will assist AZGFD to generate better conservation action and policy recommendations.

*Presenting author  

Prey Species	Number of Individuals	Weight (kg)	Biomass (kg)	Proportion of Individual Species (%)	Proportion of Biomass (%)
Jack Rabbit (Lepus californicus)	46	9.1	124.2	68	83
Rock Squirrel (Spermophilus variegatus)	10	0.66	6.6	15	4
Desert Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus audubonii)	3	1.2	3.6	4	2
Raven (Corvus corax) - Adult	1	1.3	1.3	1.5	1
Pronghorn Antelope - Fawn (Antilocapra americana)	1	3.3	3.3	1.5	2
Feline domestic - sub adult	1	1	1	1.5	1
Prairie Dog (Cynomys spp.)	1	1.5	1.5	1.5	1
Duck (Spp?)	1	1.2	1.2	1.5	1
Raven/Crow (Corvus spp.)	1	0.9	0.9	1.5	1
Pinon Jay - Juvenile (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)	1	0.1	0.1	1.5	1
Rabbit (Lagomorpha)	1	1.95	1.95	1.5	1
Gray Fox - Juvenile (Urocyon cinereoargenteus.)	1	3.2	3.2	1.5	2
Total	68	25.41	148.9	These results are from all six nests for the 2013 nesting season.

                          

 

Literature Cited

Eakle, W. L. and T. G. Grubb. 1986. Prey remains from Golden Eagle nests in central Arizona. Western Birds 17:87-89.

Stahlecker, D. W., D. G. Mikesic, J. N. White, S. Shaffer, J. P. DeLong, M. R. Blakemore, and C. E. Blakemore. 2009. Prey remains in nests of Four Corners Golden Eagles, 1998-2008. Western Birds 40:301-306.

Curiosity Killed the Harpy Eagle!

Harpy Eagle Nestling

     An adult female Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) weighs of up to 10 kg (22 lbs.) and is the largest raptor in the Americas and one of the largest in the world. They live in tropical forests from Central America to northern Argentina. This eagle is sensitive to human disturbance and is the first species to disappear when humans move into their territory. Currently, the Harpy Eagle is listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List as Near Threatened and extinct in most of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest ((IUCN) 2013). Although indigenous hunters capture them occasionally for ceremonial purposes, they are not typically hunting them as game.

Female Harpy Eagle  (photo by Raptor Canyon)

     Unfortunately, recent studies have documented Harpy Eagle killings in rural southern Brazil. (Trinca et al. 2008) conducted a study in the municipalities of Alta Floresta and Nova Bandeirantes, in northern Mato Grosso, Brazil. The Alta Floresta has suffered high deforestation leaving only 37% of original forest cover. In contrast, Nova Bandeirantes, colonised in 1981, has lost less than 15% of the municipality’s original forest due to landowners upholding federal legislation, which limits deforestation to 50% of each property. This is important because the high rate of deforestation is the main reason for the declining population of Harpy Eagles ((IUCN) 2013).

     The results of the (Trinca et al. 2008) study are quite disturbing. In addition to the Harpy Eagle killings several other important raptor species are being killed such as Crested Eagles (Morphnus guianensis) and Ornate Hawk-Eagles (Spizaetus ornatus). Five of the eagles kill were to satisfy the curiosity of the hunter. One explanation is that most colonos are immigrants from rural south and east of Brazil, where Harpy Eagles are either extremely rare or extinct, have never seen this eagle. The other reason, for killing the eagle, was to protect small livestock from the perceived or actual risk of having an eagle in the area. The presence of a Harpy Eagle near human activity may be a result of lower prey due to the deforestation and habitat fragmentation.

     The number of eagles killed may appear small but they impact the local Harpy Eagle population because a single breeding pair may possess a home range of over 25× 25 km. In addition, Harpy Eagles are long living predators and reproduce only one nestling every two years. As an apex predator, Harpy Eagles play an important role in the forest ecosystems by regulating the populations of mesopredators such as capuchins (Cebus spp.) a type of New World monkey. The absence of such apex predators will have a negative impact on biodiversity that contributes to cascade effects as well as accelerating local extinctions of sensitive species. Therefore, the removal of such arbitrary hunting pressure would undoubtedly contribute significantly to long-term conservation. This statement sums up the problem and solution for all raptors sharing the Earth with humans:

If ignorance is the main enemy of the Harpy Eagle on the Amazonian frontier, education is surely its principal ally, and the same characteristics that attract the attention of the curious hunter, can undoubtedly be part of a well-planned education program to not only satisfy the local population’s curiosity and eliminate misconceptions about the species, but to provide a springboard for conservation initiatives in frontier municipalities (Trinca et al. 2008).

          

 Remember as you live your life, it may affect a species of raptor that shares its habitat with you. 

 To learn more about the eagles:

 

 http://www.eagles.org/

 http://earthmatters.org/

 http://www.philippineeagle.org/

 http://www.baldeagleinfo.com/harpy.html

Literature Cited

(IUCN), I. U. f. C. o. N. a. N. R. 2013. Harpia harpyja. The IUCN red list of threatened species.

Trinca, C. T., S. F. Ferrari, and A. C. Lees. 2008. Curiosity killed the bird: Arbitrary hunting of Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja) on an agricultural frontier in southern Brazilian Amazonia. Cotinga 30:12-15.

An Owl with an Image Problem!

     In Africa, the owl is an omen. Many African cultures believe that if a person sees an owl, someone they know will die or something bad will happen in the village. This is a problem for the owl because villagers will kill owls or scare them away causing them to lose their home, food or nest. So, how do we solve this problem? Some scientists are looking for the answers.

           

      In Kenya, scientists studied how local farmers viewed owls, specifically the Mackinder’s Eagle Owl (Bubo capensis). They asked the farmers (72 interviewed) if they believed owls were a negative sign, such as a death or tragedy. Then the scientists asked if they had negative, no feelings or positive feelings towards owls. Almost half the farmers (44%) had no feelings toward owls but 30% felt negatively. Only fifteen farmers had positive feelings about owls. What was different about the fifteen farmers that thought positively about owls? Simply, the answer was money.

    

     Owls provide a very important service (ecoservice) for the farmers; they provide pest control! All farmers interviewed expressed pest problems on their farms. Small mammals such as rats and mice eat their crops. Obviously, this causes the farmer to lose money. Over half the farmers did nothing to control the pests but the others used chemicals to kill insects or rats and mice. Even some farmers used poison to kill pests by using large amounts of these chemicals. This action not only kills the pests, it kills the animals that eat them.

      

     The scientists determined that farmers that felt positively about owls also understood that they were good for eating farm pests. The farmers that had no feeling or negative feelings did not think of owls as pest control. The solution seems to be to educate the farmers on the free ecoservice of pest control that owls provide. This free ecoservice is not just provided by owls in Africa but all raptors all over the Earth. Please remember when you use poison, you are not just poisoning the intended but raptors as well!

To learn more about owls try these websites:

http://www.owlpages.com/

http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/browse/43,13/

http://www.owls.org/

Literature Cited

Ogada, D. L., and P. M. Kibuthu. 2008. Conserving Mackinder's eagle owls in farmlands of Kenya: assessing the influence of pesticide use, tourism and local knowledge of owl habits in protecting a culturally loathed species. Environmental Conservation 35:252–260.