Author Topic: News: Other Falcons  (Read 25979 times)

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Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: Merlins
« Reply #78 on: August 11, 2016, 11:39 »

Thanks for posting this GCG, had forgotten all about it!

Offline GCG

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Merlins
« Reply #77 on: August 10, 2016, 08:50 »
While reading our community paper this morning, I saw this article about Merlin Falcons here in River Heights. TPC was contacted and responded in this article.  ;D

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/souwester/Predators-fly-high-in-River-Heights-389327721.html

Offline RCF

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #76 on: January 06, 2016, 08:10 »
Huge gyrfalcon said to be hanging out in LaSalle. Gyrfalcon, largest falcon species in the world, found near Windsor, Ont., thousands of kilometres from home.

Marion Nash, the director of the Canadian Peregrine Foundation told CBC News in an email that it appears the bird Hass photographed is, indeed, a gyrfalcon, which looks very much like a peregrine.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/woman-photogrpahs-gyrfalcon-near-lasalle-1.3390354


Offline Alison

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #75 on: August 21, 2015, 16:42 »
An unusual member of the falcon family showed up in Jasper National Park earlier this month. The bird, a Crested Caracara, is normally seen only as far north as Arizona, Texas and Florida. Of course, when birdwatchers descended en masse to view the bird, they scared the bird away.

Crested Caracara Spotted in Alberta for the First Time

A birder discovers a tropical falcon 3,000 miles from its home.



Photo by Dale Wilde.

It was going to be just another day of birding for Dale Wilde at Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada, in the height of July. The vacationing 53-year-old from Columbus, Ohio, was out at the crack of dawn, exploring the park’s rugged backcountry when she saw a brown-capped head bobbing in a pine tree just 50 yards away. Instantly she knew it was a Crested Caracara—the first ever recorded in Alberta.

“I was shocked to see a Crested Caracara so far north,” says Wilde. “I knew immediately this must have been a rare occurrence.”

Wilde flagged down a tour van stuffed with other tourists and pointed out what she saw. The driver, tour operator Joe Urie, thought he’d seen the bird a few days earlier, but questioned whether there could really be a caracara so far north. Now it was confirmed. And he got proof with a video of the bird jumping from branch to branch.

Wilde watched the falcon for about an hour, snapped a long series of photos with her 600mm zoom lens, and then continued on her birding expedition. She later reported her encounter to the Alberta Bird Record Committee at the Royal Alberta Museum, where it was officially accepted as the province’s first caracara.

So how did the distant land of Alberta end up with a caracara? Listed as threatened in the state of Florida in 1987, the species has experienced a gradual decline in the state as a result of habitat loss and hunting. However, it remains common along the southern U.S. border, where it’s sometimes known as the “Mexican eagle”.



Photo by Dale Wilde.

Alberta’s surprise visitor was likely a vagrant, says Christian Artuso, the Manitoba program manager for Birds Studies Canada. Scavengers, or part-time scavengers like Crested Caracaras, which also pursue live prey, have a long history of wandering outside their normal range: There have been nearly a dozen sightings in California. This year, caracaras have also been recorded in Seattle, Washington, and British Columbia.

“Local, short-term conditions such as drought or habitat change in core areas of the southwest, and/or population dynamics may have resulted in these western vagrancies this year,” Artuso says.

Based on photos of the bird, Artuso predicts that the displaced caracara was a young one—probably no more than a year old. “The breast pattern is halfway between a spotty juvenile and a barred adult, the browner tones of the plumage, the yellow legs, which would be pale bluish-grey in a hatch-year bird [a bird that was born this year], plus the admixture of coloration in flight feathers,” are all helpful clues, he says.

Whatever the reason for this orange-faced outsider’s visit, its presence made quite a stir among Canadian fans. Apparently the caracara remained in its hideout in the trees for about a week and was even reported feasting on a grizzly bear’s leftovers by one of the park’s rangers. But once the bird’s whereabouts went public on social media, photographers and birders converged, probably causing it to flee to parts unknown.


https://www.audubon.org/news/crested-caracara-spotted-alberta-first-time

Offline Jazzerkins

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #74 on: January 01, 2014, 21:43 »
Since others didn't seem to have any problems, I over-rode my security and opened these very beautiful pictures.

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #73 on: January 01, 2014, 20:02 »
All links opened just fine for me, as well, without any warnings of malicious URL's. I am using Internet Explorer at the moment.

Offline sami

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #72 on: January 01, 2014, 16:42 »
I had no trouble opening all three, but I'm also using Firefox.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #71 on: January 01, 2014, 14:01 »
Jazzer reports that she had some trouble opening the three blog entries I listed below ... the error she got warned of malicious URLs.  I use Firefox and didn't get any warnings and my firewalls are set pretty high/aggressive.

Am running a virus check now just in case, will post results when it's done ...

... virus check came back all clean and clear ...
« Last Edit: January 01, 2014, 16:38 by The Peregrine Chick »

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #70 on: January 01, 2014, 01:43 »
3 neat stories about Prairie Falcons with truly wonderful photos!!!  These are from Ron Dudley's blog entitled Feathered Photography.

Montana Prairie Falcons And Hordes of Grasshoppers - 29 July 2013
http://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/07/29/montana-prairie-falcons-and-hordes-of-grasshoppers/

The Tamest Prairie Falcon Of Them All - 30 July 2013
http://www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/07/30/the-tamest-prairie-falcon-of-them-all/

Banded Prairie Falcon – A Fascinating Update - 1 Aug 2013
www.featheredphotography.com/blog/2013/08/01/banded-prairie-falcon-update/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=banded-prairie-falcon-update
 

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #69 on: January 01, 2014, 01:19 »
UC research into which predators attack NZ falcon nests
Monday, 6 May, 2013 - 08:00 / Voxy.co.nz

University of Canterbury (UC) researchers have found that that feral cats, stoats and hedgehogs are likely to be the biggest threats to ground-nesting New Zealand falcons. The New Zealand falcon is a nationally threatened species. Populations have been shown to be in decline and are likely less than 4000 breeding pairs.  UC biology researcher Dr Sara Kross says the research, supervised by Dr Ximena Nelson, is the first confirmed indication of which predators are likely to be an issue for falcons. Previous studies have only been able to use field signs to identify predators at failed nests which is relatively inaccurate. The data from our research is the first to identify potential predators using video and artificial nests,’’ Kross says.

The falcon was voted the native New Zealand bird of the year. It can reach speeds of up to 230kmh and catch prey mid-flight.

The UC research, seeking to help guide the reintroduction of the birds into low-lying country such as vineyards, was supported by Brancott Estate Wines and Canon New Zealand. Te Papa Museum assisted Dr Kross in identifying predator teeth marks on wax eggs.  Stoats and hedgehogs are likely to be the main predators among introduced pests of falcon eggs. Nests in the hills were attacked by predators faster than in the vineyards. Our results indicate that vineyards hold considerable potential for the protection and conservation of falcons.  These results demonstrate the important implications of habitat type on pressure associated with introduced predators. These may well prove a fruitful avenue of management if breeding can be fostered in safer vineyard areas, as in the case of this threatened falcon.  Nowhere is the detrimental impact of these introduced species more apparent than in New Zealand, where pests have been implicated in the decline of most of the 58 native bird species that have become extinct since the arrival of humans. To reduce the impact on agricultural activities and increase the biological value of land being utilised, we are aiming to establish a population of falcons in the Marlborough vineyard- dominated valleys of the country’s largest wine-growing region.

Falcons can provide ecosystem services for vineyards in the form of pest control and they exhibit more attention to their nests,’’ Kross says. The falcon is the country’s only remaining native bird of prey and ongoing monitoring of nests in both habitats is needed along with controlled management to ensure falcon nests in both habitats receive a similar and consistent amount of predator control. 

Dr Kross is programme manager for the Marlborough Falcon Conservation Trust, a charitable trust she co-founded during the first year of her thesis. She has recently been awarded a postdoctoral position with the Smith Conservation Research Fellows in the United States.

Offline The Peregrine Chick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #68 on: January 01, 2014, 01:09 »
Merlins magicians when in flight
by  Sandy Fairfield - Comox Valley Record
24 Jul 2013 at 11:00 AM

  fledge age merlin chick

Aerodynamically designed for speed, merlins belong to the family of falcons.  The peregrine falcon is the fastest-flying falcon but the merlin is a close second, attaining cruising speeds in excess of 70 kilometres an hour.

Also known as a "pigeon hawk" this name not only implies their partiality to dining on pigeons, but also reflects the similarity in the air to the flight pattern of a pigeon with rapid wing beats and lengthy swoops.   In ancient times, merlins were a popular falconry bird especially suited to the ladies of nobility as they were considered to be dainty and easily managed by a lady.

Merlins are migratory birds but during the spring and summer can be found in B.C. in open coniferous forests, by lakes and ponds and along the shoreline. They are becoming more at home in urban areas and are a common site at the backyard bird feeder. Unfortunately, they are usually on the prowl for an easy meal!  Comparable in size to a blue jay, merlins can be recognized by a dark line that extends down the face from the eye resembling a moustache or sideburns.

Seen from above, the males' back and upper wings are a dark gray-blue-black; the females and immatures are a dark brown.  From below, their breasts and bellies are streaked with brown and cream; their long pointed wings have a spotted pattern, their long tails are banded with dark brown and cream.  Like all raptors, the merlin has a hooked beak that is black with a yellow band across the nostrils, and like the peregrine falcon, are equipped with pea-like "baffles" that reduce the impact of air rushing into the nose during high speed flight. These little falcons are extremely active and vocal; their sound is very distinct they emit a piercing "kee-kee-kee."

Rarely seen perching unless they are consuming their prey, merlins are in the air, where they capture their prey on the wing. Once prey is spotted, they chase relentlessly and close in, hitting the prey with their talons and killing it instantly. Due to their power and speed they are able to capture birds the same size as themselves.  Although birds make up over 90 per cent of their diet, they will also catch insects, especially large dragonflies and moths, and will occasionally eat small rodents.

Merlins are one of the few raptors that do not mate for life. They usually nest in trees or cliffsides. They do not build their own nest;  rather they will reuse an old crow or raven nest, or use a tree cavity.  The female bird will do most of the egg incubation and the male will bring her food and also feed the young when they are first hatched.  During the nesting season the merlin is very territorial and this is the time when they are extremely vocal. Two to five eggs are normal for these birds and the young fledge 29 days after hatching but will continue to be dependent on their parents for another month.

Crows and ravens pose a significant threat to the eggs and the young, but the greatest threat facing these birds now are cats, particularly feral cats. Cats are preying on our local songbird populations, resulting in a shortage of food for the merlins.  In addition to predation by cats the songbirds, in certain areas of North America, are also showing signs of sickness due to the West Nile virus. Ultimately this could have a dramatic effect on the merlin populations if they lose their valuable food source.

The latest merlin at MARS arrived from Quadra Island where it was ambushed by a group of feral cats — fortunately it was rescued none the worse from the encounter.  This is only the second a merlin has been rescued at the centre in the past two years as their numbers seem to be on the decline. It is estimated that there are over 100 million cats in North America, which will continue to add to the decline in songbirds.

Small falcons and hawks are difficult patients to rehab in captivity, especially the young due to their methods of capturing prey; they are also very hyper and easily stressed. Normally we return our patients to the territory they came from but in this case this may have to change to a more suitable area that is cat-free.

Offline Kinderchick

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #67 on: January 12, 2013, 23:36 »
Awful! Awful! Awful!  :'( Signed petition.

Offline Doreen

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #66 on: January 12, 2013, 14:27 »
I signed it.  :'(

Offline Pam

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #65 on: January 10, 2013, 13:04 »
Horrible story, I have signed.

Offline Gingerlee

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Re: News: Other Falcons
« Reply #64 on: January 09, 2013, 21:20 »
read & signed, but did not watch.