February 03, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
From the RSBP
Police swoop to investigate alleged peregrine persecution
Last modified: 02 February 2012
The peregrine falcon is the UK’s largest nesting falcon
A multiagency operation investigating alleged crimes against peregrine falcons has been launched across four police areas in England and Wales.
Police officers issued with search warrants, supported by staff from the RSPB, RSPCA, Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales, raided the homes of four pigeon fanciers earlier today. The raids took place within the following constabulary areas: Avon and Somerset Police; South Wales Police; Northumbria Police and West Midlands Police.
A 47-year old man has been arrested by officers at one of the addresses in connection with evidence which has been seized during the operation.
Mark Thomas, an RSPB investigations officer, said: “The peregrine falcon is one of the UK’s most heavily persecuted birds of prey, and we hope that today’s operation will help further our investigations.”
Posted on February 3, 2012 9:47 am
- International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
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Press Release from Agriculture Fisheries and Conservation Department
the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region |
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Peregrine falcon and black-headed gull test positive for H5 virus
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Preliminary testing of a dead peregrine falcon in Tung Chung and a dead black-headed gull in Yuen Long have tested positive for the H5 avian influenza virus, a spokesman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said today (February 1), adding that further confirmatory tests are being conducted.
On January 30, the dead peregrine falcon and black-headed gull were found and collected in the park of Seaview Crescent, Man Tung Road, Tung Chung and Chun Yin Square Playground, Yuen Long respectively.
Peregrine falcons are rare winter visitors to Hong Kong, while the black-headed gull is a common visitor.
The spokesman said there were no poultry farms within three kilometres of where the dead peregrine falcon was found, but four chicken farms are within three kilometres of where the dead black-headed gull was found. AFCD staff inspected the farms and found no abnormal mortality or symptoms of avian influenza among the chicken flocks. These farms will be put under enhanced surveillance.
In view of these cases, the AFCD has phoned poultry farmers to remind them to strengthen precautionary and biosecurity measures against avian influenza. Letters have been sent to farmers, pet bird shop owners and licence holders of pet poultry and racing pigeons reminding them that proper precautions must be taken.
The spokesman said the department would conduct frequent inspections of poultry farms and the wholesale market to ensure that proper precautions against avian influenza have been implemented. The department will continue its wild bird monitoring and surveillance.
“People should avoid personal contact with wild birds and live poultry and their droppings. They should clean their hands thoroughly after coming into contact with them. The public can call 1823 for follow-up if they come across suspicious sick or dead birds, including the carcasses of wild birds and poultry,” the spokesman said.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will continue to be vigilant over imported live poultry as well as live poultry stalls. It will also remind stall operators to maintain good hygiene.
The Department of Health will keep up with its health education to remind the public to maintain strict personal and environmental hygiene to prevent avian influenza.
The AFCD, the FEHD, the Customs and Excise Department and the Police will strive to deter the illegal import of poultry and birds into Hong Kong to minimise the risk of avian influenza outbreaks caused by imported poultry and birds that have not gone through inspection and quarantine.
All relevant government departments will continue to remain highly vigilant and strictly enforce preventive measures against avian influenza.
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Posted on February 2, 2012 8:35 am
January 25, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
Recently Sue and Vince sent me photos that Vince took in St. Catherines Ontario, by the Welland Canal, on the Port Weller Spit. No band could be seen on this young bird. We hope it can be spotted again.
If you see a Peregrine,send us a report, photos would be great too. We will give photo credit.
Vince’s pictures from Jan. 25 in St.
Catherine’s by the Welland
Canal in Port Weller spit. No band was visible. Thanks to Vince Filteau for his photos.
Posted on January 30, 2012 9:10 am
January 21, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
A friend posted a few photos on a local birding board, so I contacted him for a story and use of his photos. Colin Marcano has sent us the following photos and report of 2 Peregrine Falcons he saw at Toronto’s Tommy Thompson Park(Leslie Street Spit), on Saturday Jan 21st . One photo Colin got shows the band 46/Y, black over black which belongs to a Peregrine named Peter who was banded at the Hamilton Sheraton Hotel, in June of 2010. Peter has been spotted at “the Spit” before . The 2nd Peregrine is a female,who there is no ID on. Colin told me that he found both Peregrines perched for about 30minutes,before they headed off to the northwest. Its always great news to get band information and to know Peter has a potential mate is even better.
Careful inspection shows Peter’s band number above.
Other photos by Colin can be seen at www.colinmarcano.com
Posted on January 23, 2012 6:09 am
January 22, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Tracy Simpson Reports:
All of my posts are peregrine related but this is a story that needs to be told. Frank and Idecided on a day of peregrine site checks with some birding in between and so we stopped in at Whitby harbour for a look-see. When we got out of the car, we were greeted by a Trumpter swan on the sidewalk which had Frank’s attention while I quickly scanned the water. I heard a splash, caught some movement and approximately 30 feet from the shore, a dark figure in the water was flailing about as if in distress. I put up my binoculars to get a good look only to see a female Coopers hawk, latched on to a gull, attempting to swim to shore with its kill.
I called to Frank and drew his attention to the near drowning hawk. The hawk continued to try and take the kill to shore but she was soaked, freezing and losing the battle. She started to sink. We pieced together that the bird caught the gull by surprise and the momentum and weight of the prey took them both into the water. I started to try and calculate how deep the water was and the strength of the current as I really considered going in after it. Just then it let go and burst out of the water just barely making it to the shore. Thank godness that it did as I was heading into the water and didn’t really want to in the middle of January.
We watched the bird as it sat on a low branch over the water and the bird was actually thinking about going back after the gull as it was now floating towards it. The bird finally made for shore and after the chill really got to it, the bird flew across the road and into a tree. By the time we left, the bird was almost completely dry and was resting in the sun. It would seem that this weekend, Frank and I were destined to see things that either of us would have never believed otherwise!
High and dry is where she plans to stay for the night. No more swimming in winter!!
Posted on January 23, 2012 12:35 am
January 12, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
This talks about climate change in the high north,affecting Peregrine Falcon nests. Some scrapes/nests are flooded while others have drenched young which perish within hours. Personally I was surprised to learn of this.
Flooded scrapes and drenched young
Alastair Franke— 05 January 2012 — in Arctic Raptors and Climate Change Project Share
Arctic breeding raptors generally don’t immediately come to mind when we think about the effects of climate change on wildlife, and peregrines would not be among the first species considered when we contemplate the impacts of warmer and potentially longer Arctic summers.
Z|1 Female tundra peregine is one of 50-60 birds followed annually at Rankin Inlet (T.Kemper)
In reality, many people would probably suggest that warming might be an overall benefit for tundra peregrines…and that may be the case for some breeding areas across the incredibly vast area that we call the Arctic.
http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/the_arctic_region
At our study area in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, Canada, reproductive success of peregrines has decreased over the last 30 years. The size of the breeding population has remained stable over the same period, so we know the decline isn’t because there are fewer breeders or fewer eggs.
No change in the number of breeding aged adults or the number of eggs that are laid
Nor is the decline due the effects of legacy contaminants such and DDT and dieldrin. In fact, plasma concentrations of both residues in breeding adults are well below those known to be associated with poor reproductive success.
Thin shelled eggs often collapsed around nestlings, no longer is this a problem (G. Court)
However, summers at Rankin Inlet are now about 1.5ºC warmer in recent years than they were in the early 1980’s, and it seems that the rainfall patterns have changed too. All too often each season our motion sensitive cameras capture flooded scrapes containing eggs that never hatch or rain drenched young that quickly die when directly exposed to rain.
A rain soaked female peregrine unable to incubate eggs in flooded scrape (temperature 7°C)
A rain soaked female stands over two nestlings that died 24 hours earlier during a rain storm
For Arctic nesting peregrines, time is short, and laying a second clutch makes little sense. For pairs that fail, the only option is next year.
Alastair
Alastair Franke— 05 January 2012 — in Arctic Raptors and Climate Change Project
http://blogs.peregrinefund.org/article/747
Posted on January 12, 2012 5:10 pm
January 09, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
Was checking the internet,after reading one article and found this: Very disturbing!
January 6, 2012 • Press releases, U.S.
Credit: Save the Eagles International ~~
STEI opposes licenses to kill
Save the Eagles International (STEI) is hereby issuing a biodiversity warning concerning the United States. Contrary to dubious studies financed and controlled by vested interests, the population of golden eagles in the Western States is on the decline. Wind farms are the main cause. The issuing of licenses to kill will accelerate the decline towards extinction.
At the large wind farm of Altamont Pass, California, 116 golden eagles (GE) have been reported to be killed by turbine blades yearly. This was established by a comprehensive study realized by Dr Smallwood in 2004 (1). Extrapolating to the 25 years of existence of the wind farm, this would represent a toll of about 2,900 golden eagles. Adding to this the mortality at other wind farms in the Western United States (2), this is clearly unsustainable. Indeed, recent studies have reported an apparent decline of the GE population at two different locations in California (3), and the number of active nests in the vicinity of Altamont Pass has declined considerably (4).
The Altamont Pass wind farm should have been closed down and decommissioned a long time ago. But pork-barrel politics have kept it in operation, and now the authorities are minded to authorize its continuation for another 25 years through repowering. Old wind turbines are to be replaced by much bigger ones, which are reported to kill twice as many eagles per megawatt (5). There will be less of them, but the total area swept by their blades will be much larger. So the carnage of eagles is likely to increase, notwithstanding biased studies pretending fewer birds will die. All other things being equal, if as reported a) the new turbines kill twice as many eagles per MW, and b) the wind farm’s rated capacity is also to be doubled, “repowered” Altamont could be killing 4 times as many golden eagles as with the old turbines.
Another aberration is the willingness of the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to issue “take permits” (licenses to kill) for golden eagles at new wind farms, for example in Oregon (6) and Wyoming (7). Save the Eagles International firmly opposes this perversion, which has illegally but effectively changed the mission of FWS from preserving biodiversity to that of catering to the interests of an industry, an ineffective and ruinous one to boot.
STEI solemnly warns the Western States that biologically-blind policies will cause the extinction of the Golden Eagle, the California Condor, and other species of raptors. Considering that the Eastern and Central States are not acting any better, it is biodiversity in the whole of the contiguous 48 States which is in peril, including other species such as the Whooping Crane. No amount of bad science financed by the wind industry and government agencies has been able to convince honest conservationists that wind farms don’t harm bird and bat populations.
Contacts:
Mark Duchamp, President, save.the.eagles/gmail.com, tel: +34 693 643 736
Jim Wiegand, Vice President, United States, jim/jimwiegand.com
www.savetheeaglesinternational.org
References:
(1) – Page 73, Table 3-11: Species/Taxonomic group: Golden eagle
Mortality per year:
- adjusted for search detection: 75.6
- adjusted for search detection and scavenging: 116.5
DEVELOPING METHODS TO REDUCE BIRD MORTALITY IN THE ALTAMONT PASS WIND RESOURCE AREA – Shawn Smallwood & Carl Thelander (2004) – for the California Energy Commission.
(2) – Examples of golden eagles found dead at other Western US wind farms:
- “Federal authorities are investigating the deaths of at least six golden eagles at the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s Pine Tree Wind Project in the Tehachapi Mountains, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wind-eagles-20110803,0,2891547.story
- “So far this year, for Rocky Mountain Power’s 13 projects, there have been six eagle deaths, most of them golden eagles, Talmann said.”
http://trib.com/business/energy/how-many-dead-eagles/article_97ae9f28-9b10-5673-b788-9f3af7ee7a27.html
- etc.
This is only the tip of the iceberg, because much of the evidence is made to disappear.
And this is a prediction from Wyoming: “The group predicted more than 700 raptor deaths at the project per year, including more than 200 golden eagles.” See (7) below.
(3) – “The (Ocotillo) EIR (environmental impact report) states “The golden eagle population appears to be declining”.
http://savetheeaglesinternational.org/?page_id=629
– “Differences in detections (at Altamont Pass) over the last decade included an apparent 56 percent decrease in golden eagles.” RANGE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES TO REDUCE WIND TURBINE IMPACTS ON BURROWING OWLS AND OTHER RAPTORS IN THE ALTAMONT PASS WIND RESOURCE AREA, CALIFORNIA – California Energy Commision, PIER Final Project Report – Dr Smallwood et al. (October 2009)
(4) – Personal comments of Jim Wiegand, California raptor specialist, VP USA STEI, and Brian Murphy*, Board member, Mount Diablo Audubon Society. *tel: 1-925-937-8835
(5) – Wind turbines with a capacity of 1MW, wrote Dr Smallwood, kill more golden eagles per megawatt than most other wind turbine categories: 0.08 per MW /year as compared to about 0.04. Thus, all other things being equal, and considering that its rated capacity is also to be doubled, “repowered” Altamont could be killing 4 times as many golden eagles as with the old turbines.
http://www.altamontsrc.org/alt_doc/p145_smallwood_fatality_monitoring_results_12_31_09.pdf
page 41, table 5
(6) – Oregon: “The Interior Department’s Fish and Wildlife Service on Tuesday released a draft environmental assessment that would allow West Butte Wind Power LLC to kill as many as three protected golden eagles over five years if the company fulfills its conservation commitments.” http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/04/9952873-feds-propose-allowing-wind-farm-developer-to-kill-golden-eagles
STEI comment: wind farm employees can make sure no more than 3 carcasses are found.
(7) – Wyoming: “That means the Chokecherry and Sierra Madre wind project could kill 120 raptors a year, including 36 golden eagles. That’s a far lower number than an estimate produced by HawkWatch International, a Salt Lake City-based nonprofit group dedicated to monitoring and protecting birds of prey. The group predicted more than 700 raptor deaths at the project per year, including more than 200 golden eagles.”
http://trib.com/business/energy/how-many-dead-eagles/article_97ae9f28-9b10-5673-b788-9f3af7ee7a27.html
Posted on January 9, 2012 12:07 pm
January 04, 2012 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
Back in October,CPF volunteer and friend,Ann Brokelman got photos of a Peregrine Falcon we later found out from contacts in Ohio where she was hatched at the East Lakeshore Power Plant, that her name is Centennial. We got the band number back then from photos Ann took at The Rosetta McClain Gardens Raptor Watch in Scarborough Ontario Canada(east end of Toronto).
Well today Pat and Nancy Anderson were at a park only 2.5km away from Rosetta McClain Gardens called Bluffers Park. It is at the Scarborough Bluffs. Pat and Nancy sent me their photo and a report of what they observed. They saw the juvenile Peregrine hunting ducks and pigeons. She successfully caught a pigeon near the restaurant. Clearly,Centennial’s black over red band 79/H can be seen in the photo. 
Its doubley exciting when a bird that has been rescued makes it. CPF and my Rosetta McClain Raptor Watch friends will be keeping an eye open for more sightings of Centennial.
Thanks to Pat and Nancy Anderson for use of their photo.
We heard from folks in Ohio that plant workers were thrilled to hear about Centennials 2 sightings,and that she is alive and well. It turns out she had been rescued after being blown out of her nest or fledged prematurely. I received 2 messages from Ohio.
From Chad and Chris(who work with the Peregrines in that state and were at Centennials banding.) “Thanks again for the information and pics, Frank! You thrilled many with it!”
And from Amy C who said “To BIGFRANK,Ann and The Canadian Peregrine Foundation:” Thanks for the info on Centennial - I was at her banding at Lakeshore Power Plant, and then back as a raptor rescuer when she got blown off the nest/took a premature flight a few week afterwards. I’ll let my contact @ the plant know. Chris told me about your post….it made my day”
Here is a photo Amy sent along of Centennial on the day she was rescued
Thanks to Amy for her photo.
Once again we see that banding helps us ID Peregrine Falcons and track them even across international borders. Working together with our friends to the south we find out where our birds end up and what they are doing.
Posted on January 4, 2012 7:08 pm
December 11, 2011 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
Back in Novemeber Bart Van Bockstaele saw a juvenile Peregrine Falcon perched briefly on the red bridge towards the end of “the Spit” It was on November 23rd. While band numbers/letters couldnt be recognized,a black over red band can be seen,making this a US bird. The Peregrine is from this past seasons young. With Bart’s gracious permission we have a few of his photos of the sighting here. Thanks Bart!
Posted on December 11, 2011 7:57 am
December 04, 2011 - International, National and Local News
Frank Butson Reports:
This past fall,the raptor watch I started several years ago had a record count. My buddy Walter carried it on in my abscence this season and did a wonderful job. From mid-August until end November 6626 birds of prey were counted flying in,over and around Rosetta McClain Gardens in Toronto,atop the western end of the Scarborough Bluffs.
The final tally included:
Turkey Vulture - 1866
Osprey - 125
Bald Eagle - 67
Northern Harrier - 212
Sharp-shinned Hawk - 1781
Cooper’s Hawk - 96
Northern Goshawk - 20
Red-shouldered Hawk - 29
Broad-winged Hawk - 757
Red-tailed Hawk - 858
Rough-legged Hawk - 9
Golden Eagle - 5
American Kestrel - 624
Merlin - 130
Peregrine Falcon - 47
Total - 6626
The number of Peregrine Falcons was down considerably from last seasons high of 85(the count has run since 2004). This could be owing to many factors,but is definetly something to be aware of in the ongoing monitoring of the Peregrine Falcon’s recovery. This past season,failed nests and unhatched eggs were a widespread issue,not only in southern Ontario,but in other areas of North America. Back in October one of the watches dedicated followers,friend and CPF volunteer Ann Brokelman took some fantastic photos of a young Peregrine Falcon which passed our site. So good that we could read its band numbers. It was a juvenile bird from 2011. The first 2 years of a falcon’s life it lives up to its name,which means wanderer. Peregrine Falcons fly all over until they are sexually mature and then will search for a mate and territory. The young Peregrine which Ann photographed was from Ohio. Its band numbers were black over red 79 over H and a purple US Fish and Wildlife band. With that information CPF was able to obtain her ID. Cententiel as she was named by plant staff,was hatched in East Cleveland Ohio USA,at the Lakeshore Power Plant nest. This sighting and photos have been passed on to Ohio DNR and to the folks at the power plant. We are assured they will be very pleased to hear of Centeniel being reported alive and well.
Both of these reports highlight 2 of the important functions of The Canadian Peregrine Foundation,banding and monitoring. At a time when there are so many environmental threats,additional ones from habitat changes and new chemical threats,these are critical.
Thanks to Ann for the continued use of her photos.
Posted on December 4, 2011 11:55 am
