The Peregrine Fund Newsletter Fall-winter 2005

THE PEREGRINE FUND

working to conserve birds of prey in nature fall /winter 2005 newsletter number 36

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t a recent board meeting hosted by Jacobo and Greta Lacs, The Peregrine Fund Chairman of the Board, Paxson Offield (center), and Founding Board Member Robert Berry (right), were awarded Panama’s highest honor, The Order of Manuel Amador Guerrero. The award was presented by the President of Panama, Martin Torrijos (between them) and the First Vice-President, Samuel Lewis Navarro (left). Our biologist, Angel Muela, holds the immature male Harpy Eagle.

Paxson Offield was honored for his long-term support and leadership in Harpy Eagle conservation and research while Bob Berry was honored for his support of Neotropical raptor research and conservation, in particular his efforts with the Orange-breasted Falcon. Over the last 50 years, recipients of this award have included Queen Elizabeth II, Sean Connery, and the Fire Department of New York.

Board of Directors of The Peregrine Fund OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS Paxson H. Offield Chairman of the Board Chairman of the Board and CEO, Santa Catalina Island Company

Ian Newton, D.Phil., D.Sc., FRS. Vice Chairman of the Board Senior Ornithologist (Ret.) Natural Environment Research Council United Kingdom

William A. Burnham, Ph.D. President J. Peter Jenny Vice President Karen J. Hixon Treasurer Conservationist

D. James Nelson Secretary Chairman of the Board, Emeritus President, Nelson Construction Company

Tom J. Cade, Ph.D. Founding Chairman Professor Emeritus of Ornithology, Cornell University

Roy E. Disney Chairman of the Board, Emeritus Chairman of the Board, Shamrock Holdings, Inc.

Henry M. Paulson, Jr. Chairman of the Board, Emeritus Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Julie A. Wrigley Chairman of the Board, Emeritus Chairman and CEO, Wrigley Investments LLC

DIRECTORS Lee M. Bass President, Lee M. Bass, Inc.

Frank M. Bond Attorney at Law and Rancher

Robert B. Berry Trustee, Wolf Creek Charitable Foundation, Rancher, Falcon Breeder, and Conservationist

Robert S. Comstock President and CEO, Robert Comstock Company

Harry L. Bettis Rancher P. Dee Boersma, Ph.D. Wadsworth Endowed Chair in Conservation Science, University of Washington

Scott A. Crozier Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary PETsMART, INC Patricia A. Disney Vice Chairman, Shamrock Holdings, Inc.

James H. Enderson, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus of Biology The Colorado College Caroline A. Forgason Partner, Groves-Alexander Group LLC Z. Wayne Griffin, Jr. Developer, G&N Management, Inc. Robert Wood Johnson IV Chairman and CEO, The Johnson Company, Inc., and New York Jets LLC

Donald R. Kayser Private Investor

Ruth O. Mutch Investor

Jacobo Lacs International Businessman and Conservationist

Carl E. Navarre Book Publisher and CEO, MyPublisher, Inc.

Patricia B. Manigault Conservationist and Rancher

Peter G. Pfendler Rancher

Carter R. Montgomery President and CEO, Longhorn Partners Pipeline

Lucia Liu Severinghaus, Ph.D. Research Fellow, Research Center for Biodiversity Taiwan

Velma V. Morrison President, Harry W. Morrison Foundation

R. Beauregard Turner Fish and Wildlife Manager Turner Enterprises Russell R. Wasendorf, Sr. Chairman and CEO, Peregrine Financial Group, Inc. James D. Weaver President, Grasslans Charitable Foundation, and Rancher P.A.B. Widener, Jr. Rancher and Investor

The Peregrine Fund Staff

Archivist S. Kent Carnie

INTERNATIONAL Panama Aracely Abrego Eloy Aripio Calixto Conampia Marta Curti Omar Fernández Briceño Flaco Próspero Gaitán Margarita Gordon Noel Guerra Yanina Guevara Kathia Herrera Edwin Jimènez Magaly Linares José de Los Santos López Priscilla Maloney Gabriel Minguizama Rodolfo Mosquera Angel Muela Julio Ovispo Bolìvar Rodrìguez Fidel Sabugara Saskia Santamarìa Josè Vargas Mark Watson Asia Muhammad Asim Faisal Farid Pan Africa Simon Thomsett Munir Virani Madagascar Tolojanahary R. A. Andriamalala Adrien Batou Be Berthin Noel A. Bonhomme Razafimahatratra Christophe Eloi (Lala) Fanameha Loukman Kalavah Eugene Ladoany Jules Mampiandra Môise Charles (Vola) Rabearivelo Jeanneney Rabearivony Berthine Rafarasoa Norbert (Velo) Rajaonarivelo Jeannette Rajesy Marius P. H. Rakotondratsima Yves A. Rakotonirina Gaston Raoelison Bien Aimè Rasolonirina Gilbert Razafimanjato Joseph Razafindrasolo Lova J. M. Razanakoto Lily-Arison Rene de Roland The Seing Sam Gilbert Tohaky

T H E PE R E G R I N E F U N D N E W S L E T T E R

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Aplomado Falcons Population changes linked to precipitation in Chihuahua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

California Condor Cooperation among diverse groups protects Condors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Arctic Program Jack Stephens, photographer and “Go To Guy” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Harpy Eagle Released eagles adapt to new homes in Belize . . . . . . . . . . 8 Jack Stephens, jackstephensimages.com

UNITED STATES Linda Behrman Roger Benefield Joell Brown Joe Burke Bill Burnham Kurt K. Burnham Pat Burnham Jack Cafferty Emma Christensen Donna Daniels Sam Davila Cameron Ellis Edward Feltes Vincent Frary Brian Gloshen Sherri Haley Tim Hauck Michael Haynes Bill Heinrich Grainger Hunt J. Peter Jenny Leslie Jonart Paul Juergens Megan Kaiser Lloyd Kiff Thomas Lord Michael Maglione Angel Montoya Amel Mustic Brian Mutch Jenny Myers Frank Nebenburg Cathie Nigro Trish Nixon Chris Parish Nick Piccono Travis Rosenberry Cal Sandfort Amy Siedenstrang Russell Thorstrom Randy Townsend Rick Watson Eric Weis Jim Willmarth

Vulture Crisis “Awesome Asim” honored as Conservation Hero . . . . . . . 10

Pemba Scops Owl Folklore and history describe this elusive “creature of the night” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Velma Morrison Interpretive Center From life science to literature, students of all ages satisfy their curiosity here . . . . . . . . . . 14

Madagascar Gift to the Earth Award honors local conservationists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Global Raptor Information Network Using the internet to connect raptor enthusiasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

On the cover: Cal Sandfort took this photo of an adult Aplomado Falcon in Chihuahua, Mexico while conducting research.

The Peregrine Fund is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. © 2005. Edited by Bill Burnham and Pat Burnham. Photo Editor Jack Cafferty. Design ©2005 by Amy Siedenstrang. Business Office (208)362-3716 • Fax (208)362-2376 • Interpretive Center (208)362-8687 [email protected] • http://www.peregrinefund.org

Cal Sandfort

Chihuahua Monitoring Project Update a sido buen año para el halcon aplomado.” “It’s been a good year

Floating wildlife escape ramp in stock tank at Rancho Coyamito, Chihuahua, Mexico.

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Angel Montoya

Angel Montoya

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for the Aplomado Falcon,” says Roberto Rodríguez, the biologist currently in charge of our operations in Chihuahua, Mexico. After over a decade of drought conditions, Chihuahua received above average rainfall in 2004, setting the stage for an upswing in Aplomado Falcon reproduction. Since 1996 The Peregrine Fund has supported monitoring the Aplomado Falcon in Chihuahua, focusing on breeding activities and falcon prey. The goal of this project has been to gain knowledge of the falcon’s ecology while building local interest and capacity with ranchers, universities, and students. Since the project began we have seen the falcon population fluctuate from around 35 pairs to a low of 18. Additionally, the number of young falcons produced every year has declined from 1.25 young per occupied territory in 1996 to a low of 0.81 young per occupied territory in 2001.

Ample rains and good ranch management produce good falcon habitat and more young falcons.

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Graph depicting changes in grassland bird numbers at the Sueco and Tinaja Verde study sites from February 1998 to January 2005.

Tinaja Verde

Birds per hectare

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Sueco

20 15 10 5

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Another Mexican biologist and former employee of The Peregrine Fund, Alberto Macias-Duarte, recently published a manuscript in The Auk which suggests a strong relationship between Aplomado Falcons, their prey, and precipitation. He illustrated that an increase in rainfall increases seed production in rangeland grasses which then provides forage for wintering grassland birds, such as Savannah and Vesper Sparrows. These grassland birds then serve as the prey Aplomado Falcons feed their young. So basically, an increase in rainfall may translate into an increase in the number of young produced by a pair of Aplomado Falcons. This year we are glad to report that following the 2004 summer rains we observed an increase in prey numbers which parallel more young falcons being produced in 2005. This year’s productivity was 1.4 young per occupied territory. This is the best productivity we have seen in a long time! It also shows us how quickly

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this population apparently can respond to environmental factors such as rainfall. Ample rains and good ranch management produce good falcon habitat and more young falcons. As we learn more about the Aplomado Falcon’s ecology in Chihuahua, Mexico, we are implementing management tools that can benefit them. While this project continues to emphasize monitoring and building local capacity, we have begun working with local ranchers in implementing management practices favorable for the Aplomado Falcon. This year we installed 10 more wildlife escape ramps to stock water tanks throughout our study area. This brings the total number of escape ramps in operation throughout falcon territories to thirty. Installation of these ramps has proven very beneficial. Since we began installing them, we have had no falcons drown in equipped tanks. These ramps also are beneficial for other species.

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Condors in Motion

Thom Lord prepares to rappel into a Condor nest site.

There is patient respect for the understanding gained from science and good sense as problems are detected and resolved.

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Chris Parish

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f ever a landscape lends itself to the soaring of great birds, it is the canyon and Grainger Hunt plateau country of northern Arizona and southern Utah, a world of updrafts created by the interposing of immense rock walls upon wind and sun. We people are ant-like in that country, proceeding slowly and cautiously within its vastness of stone and color, but for species that move upon the wind, the cliffy landscape offers easy and rapid passage anywhere. Not surprisingly, then, the California Condor, the greatest of all North American wind-riders, has found travel accommodations perfectly suitable since its rearrival in 1996. That was when The Peregrine Fund began releasing captive-bred youngsters from cliff tops north of the Grand Canyon. With subsequent yearly releases and careful, patient monitoring and management, this now wild population exceeds fifty individuals. Some have reached adulthood, and pairings among them have produced several wild fledglings. The flock is everywhere apparent, having developed an annual cycle of movement within the region. In spring and summer, the birds frequent the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where they regularly wow the visitors, many of whom travel there just to see condors. Some condors move north to the Zion area near Saint George, Utah, remaining until mid-fall. Others spend their time on the Kaibab Plateau and along its western border overlooking Kanab Creek. Most condors return in winter to the release site atop the Vermillion Cliffs where easy food is always available. Keeping tabs on condor movements has several purposes. One has to do with the behavior of inexperienced birds, especially during the early months of their freedom. Newly-released condors sometimes sleep in places accessible to coyotes and other predators. Conscientious tracking reveals these risky roosts and allows field workers to haze the condors to safer places. Another form of manageable behavior stems from excessive curiosity among young condors, an innate characteristic that sometimes brings them too close to humans. Routinely hazing these birds to more appropriate sites has worked to change these undesirable behavior patterns. Repeat offenders, like errant school children, are sometimes placed in detention (“time outs”), a strategy to break patterns of undesirable behavior that has proved remarkably effective. Over the years, the trend has been toward better and better behavior, partly because of monitoring and management, and partly from the maturing of flock members from whom the younger condors take their cues. Tracking wild condors in Arizona and Utah went into technological overdrive in 2004 with the application of new transmitters that report condor locations to satellites. And these aren’t just ordinary satellite-

based transmitters that give an approximate location every day or so. The new ones are equipped with GPS (Global Positioning System) receivers designed to record the condor’s precise location, usually within 100 feet, every daylight hour. These extraordinary transmitters, generously provided by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and manufactured by Microwave Telemetry, actually weigh less than the normal VHF transmitters the condors are accustomed to carrying. Each day, the satellites beam their accumulated data to an earthly receiving station which, in turn, sends an e-mail to The Peregrine Fund. The e–mail attachment contains encoded information which can be programmed by means of a computer mapping system to display the movements of each tagged condor on a topographical map. These position fixes are immediately forwarded to the field workers responsible for monitoring the birds. Among the many advantages of the new transmitters is their ability to show sudden, speedy flights to unexpected or inaccessible areas, thereby doing away with the necessity of lengthy road trips to assure that all is well. The GPS transmitters guide field workers directly to areas occupied by condors, a system far superior to the trial and error of ground searching. The precise and frequent location fixes call attention to abnormal events or those that in other ways suggest close attention, for example, the location of wild food items or the activities of newly-formed pairs. One such series of events involved the love life of condors 136 (female) and 187 (male), both with GPS transmitters. For several winter weeks they explored the vastness of canyons and cliffs for a special place to nest. After much deliberation they found a remote and ancient Anasazi cliff ruin in a secret side-canyon of the Kaibab Plateau where they began making repeated visits. Their eventual egg failed to hatch despite months of diligent incubation, but we have

learned that failure is a frequent outcome of first nesting attempts. Meanwhile, there are two wild-produced condors on the wing in Arizona, and two still in their nests, waiting to fledge. Monitoring efforts have also produced a better understanding of mortality factors affecting the population. The most frequent of these is lead poisoning, the risk of which has grown with the condor’s increasing tendency to forage upon wild food sources. Following upon several lines of circumstantial evidence, we used x–rays to study bullet fragmentation in deer. The results, scheduled for publication in the winter 2005 issue of the Wildlife Society Bulletin, showed that the majority of rifle-killed deer remains contain numerous lead fragments. This finding dispels our prior belief that bullets usually pass through intact. In late August 2005, the American Ornithologists Union hosted a condor symposium at the University of California in Santa Barbara where The Peregrine Fund biologists presented three scientific papers, each detailing a portion of research on condor lead exposure in Arizona. Chris Woods began with an analysis and discussion of condor mortality factors and attributed the encouraging trend in overall survival to frequent testing and treatment for lead ingestion. Chris Parish followed with a detailed description of the lead monitoring and management program in Arizona. In hundreds of tests of condor blood samples, forty percent indicated lead exposure, and some showed very high levels requiring emergency therapy. Grainger Hunt then provided an analysis of condor movements in Arizona in relation to lead exposure. He showed that condor blood levels increased dramatically during the fall deer seasons and that high blood-lead levels were associated with condor visitation to deer hunting areas. Following the three presentations, Kathy Sullivan of the Arizona Game and Fish Department gave a much-applauded summary of the Department’s efforts

Bob Miles, Arizona Game and Fish Department

Chris Parish

Immature Condor over Indian Gardens, northern Arizona.

The Peregrine Fund and the Arizona Game and Fish Department staff members, Chris Parish (left) and Chuck Emmert, respectively, cooperated on the filming and production of an Emmy Award winning film As Curious As a Raven, featuring California Condors in northern Arizona. The award was presented to Chris and Chuck at the 28th Annual Rocky Mountain Emmy Awards on 10 September 2005.

to encourage hunters to participate in condor restoration. Hunter response to a Department questionnaire about condors was overwhelmingly positive, and at the time of this writing, three-quarters of the deer hunters who drew tags for the 2005 deer season in the Kaibab region of northern Arizona had accepted the Department’s offer of two boxes of lead-free bullets. Design breakthroughs have made such bullets highly suitable for hunting, and many hunters consider them superior to conventional lead-based varieties. These developments hint of a time when the condor population in the canyon country can be healthy and fully independent, a vision borne of open and abundant cooperation among conservation biologists, wildlife officials, hunters, and public generosity. There is patient respect for the understanding gained from science and good sense as problems are detected and resolved. Hard work most certainly lies ahead, but the light of eventual success shines far more brightly in the distance.

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The High Arctic “Go To Guy”

Jack Stephens looking through a hole in an iceberg.

File photo

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ince 26 June 1973, The Peregrine Fund’s Arctic Program Coordinator, Jack Kurt Burnham Stephens, has lived and worked at Thule Air Base, northwest Greenland, located 690 miles north of the Arctic Circle and only 800 miles south of the North Pole. The base was constructed in secrecy because of the Soviet threat in 1951-53, with its defense mission evolving through the decades. Today, beyond the defense mission, the U.S. Air Force secondarily supports scientific research at Thule. Jack Stephens works as a civilian weather forecaster in one of the most unpredictable and severe environments on the planet, the High Arctic, where blistering winds reach over 200 miles per hour, blizzards occur any month of the year, and the sun does not appear above the horizon between November 2nd and February 10th. Almost everything is affected if not controlled by the weather, particularly field work on birds of prey, to include travel on ice-choked seas and windswept tundra. It was therefore only natural that we visited the weather station when we first began working in the Thule area in the mid-1990s. Meeting Jack, we soon discovered his talents extended far beyond forecasting to photography and natural his-

Jack Stephens, jackstephensimages.com

Fledgling female Gyrfalcon, northwest Greenland, 2005.

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from the Air Force for our exclusive use. Jack helped refurbish the 185 by 24 foot “flat top,” patching holes in the wall, painting, cleaning, and later adding wet and dry labs, offices, workshops, storage areas, and sleeping rooms. The Peregrine Fund makes this unique High Arctic facility available for other researchers who have come from the United States, Canada, Greenland, and Denmark. Many of the U.S. researchers are sponsored by the National Science Foundation. For everyone using our facilities, Jack is the “go to guy,” being one of Thule’s most long-term and highly respected residents. Jack is always ready with an answer or solution and if he doesn’t have one he will find you somebody that does. Additionally, he keeps up facility maintenance and takes care of the day-to-day cleaning. During summer months Jack also acts as a critical member of our boat crew, helping with fueling and oiling, loading and unloading the boat (at times in a dry suit wading well over his waist to shuttle gear to and from the boat), and photographically documenting our summer activities. There is not a job Jack cannot or will not help out with. You can always count on Jack! With this article we provide images taken by Jack in northwest Greenland.

Atlantic Puffin on Dalrymple Rock, northwest Greenland.

Jack Stephens, jackstephensimages.com

tory. He is the Thule naturalist and nature photographer par excellence. While other people working there spent vacations in lower latitudes, Jack took his vacations camping out in remote locations to photograph and learn about the arctic geology, plants, and animals, at times not leaving the Thule area for years on end. When on base, Jack, like other residents, lived in a small bedroom in a 1950 vintage barracks with one somewhat larger “day room” and kitchen shared with a dozen other residents. Beyond a small bed, his room was wall to wall, floor to ceiling classical music, non-fiction books, photographic equipment, and files of photos. His enormous rock collection he kept outside. With Jack’s interests and talents it was only natural he soon became a valued member of our field team. Now we do not know how we could work in the High Arctic without him. Access to Thule is almost exclusively on military aircraft and charters, and invitational orders and security clearance are required. There must also be sleeping space at the base for each person and during the busy summer months there frequently are none. Long-term research cannot be accomplished if access is a problem. To overcome this obstacle, with Jack’s help, in 1997 we saved an old barracks from demolition and rented it

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Angel Muela

Recently-released Harpy Eagle with its prey.

Harpy Eagle Releases in Belize

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n 2002, 17 Harpy Eagle chicks successfully hatched at our Neotropical Raptor Center (NRC) in Panama. We released many of those birds into Soberania National Park, just outside of Panama City, when they were approximately six months old. These releases were proving that the captive breeding and release of large forest eagles was possible and could be done with a large degree of success. Due to these accomplishments, and the large number of eaglets bred in captivity that year, we were ready to replicate the release effort in another country within Central America. In March of 2003, we arrived in Belize ready to release two captive-bred Harpy Eagles into the forests of that country for the first time. With the help of local partners, like the Forest Department and The Belize Zoo, we built a hack box, a special aviary located in the middle of the Chiquibul Forest (the release site), obtained the needed permits, infrastructure, and logistical support, and trained the volunteers that would look after the birds for the following months. Since those first eagles were set free in Belize, a total of seven birds have been released in the country. As a way to make the releases in Belize more efficient, we decided to change our strategy and release only independent birds in Belize. This means that the youngest birds are first released in Panama, where they are more easily monitored and cared for, and once these birds become independent and are hunting on a regular basis, they are captured and re-released in Belize.

Angel Muela & Marta Curti

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The first such release of one of the independent birds from Panama took place in January 2005 in the Rio Bravo Management and Conservation Area in northern Belize—a 100,000 ha tract of protected forest that is managed by Programme for Belize and that is also connected to other large expansions of forest that extend into Guatemala to the west and into the Gallon Jug area to the south. We knew that Harpy Eagles could survive in Rio Bravo, a place that is teeming with wildlife such as coatimundis, kinkajous, possums, agoutis, howler and spider monkeys, curassows, and many other potential prey items. We did not know, however, how well a Harpy Eagle from Panama could adapt to the forests of Belize since that country lacks one of the Harpy Eagle’s main prey items—the sloth. To our relief, we found out that our birds adapted very well to their new home. Just a few days after the first independent eagle, a male named Sulub, was released, our volunteers found him with a grey fox. Since then, Sulub has been seen with a variety of prey items. Sulub is now a three-year-old sub-adult that has been moving extensively and is now over 100 km away from his release site. We hypothesize that he is now in a phase of his development when he needs to disperse, possibly looking for his own territory in which to settle down. Independent birds, like Sulub, are released with satellite transmitters (PTTs) so we can track their movements from afar. Satellites orbiting the Earth regularly relay the eagles’ positions to our computers.

… these birds can move several hundred meters with no apparent effort, and the distance that takes an eagle 30 seconds to cover can take us, sometimes, over 30 minutes.

aging and dispersion ecology of our independent eagles. Particularly, we are interested in answering important questions related to the eagles’ prey selection in Belize and how that compares to the eagles we have already studied in Panama. The study will involve having two teams of intrepid and experienced volunteers follow, on a daily basis, a male and a female Harpy Eagle for about one year. They will document and record observations of hunting events, habitat use, moveDense forest, ments, and other relevant ideal habitat data. Following a Harpy for a released Eagle through the forest Harpy Eagle. with the use of conventional radio-transmitters can be a difficult and intricate task. One has to consider that these birds can move several hundred meters with no apparent effort, and the distance that takes an eagle 30 seconds to cover can take us, sometimes, over 30 minutes. In addition, the insect conditions, the constant humidity, the rain, and the slippery, rugged terrain slow our progress through the forest. The information gained from studying top-predators, using a combination of space technology (PTTs) and more conventional tracking methods employed by our field crew (map, compass, telemetry receiver, and a machete), will be important to better understand the ecological needs of large forest eagles, and will help decision-makers to better manage the remaining tracts of forest that Harpy Eagles and countless other species call their home. Despite the difficulties and challenges involved in this undertaking, this type of study will be a pioneer effort and the first of its kind ever done with Harpy Eagles in Belize. Angel Muela

This information alone is an enormous help when the eagles begin to disperse away from their release site. We are now obtaining, for the first time ever, important data on dispersal behavior of sub-adult Harpies. This information will be a key factor to keep in mind for future releases and management programs for large forest eagles. Other independent birds released in Belize are now beginning to wander away from their release site, and will possibly start to disperse, like Sulub did a few months ago. One of those birds, a female named Stella, was originally released in the Chiquibul Forest in western Belize as a dependent juvenile. Shortly after she became independent, and before we could fit her with a PTT, she moved almost 20 km from the release site into a remote, virtually inaccessible part of the forest. Despite our efforts to track and trap her, the rugged karstic terrain found in that area of the Chiquibul Forest made ground monitoring almost impossible. An additional concern is that some areas of the Chiquibul Forest are frequented by poachers. Fortunately, the rugged area where Stella is located keeps people away. We are conducting regular flights to track her movements from the air, so that we can go in to capture her if she moves close to an area of the forest that is more accessible and that could put her at greater risk of coming into contact with humans. Several more birds will be released in Belize in the next few months. In addition to the on-going releases that are already taking place, we are also planning to carry out essential research projects regarding the for-

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Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund Names

Asim is not a biologist; he is an accountant by training, an ordinary person who quickly began achieving extraordinary results.

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ture Crisis Project. On that infamous day, our international team of experts, biologists, veterinarians, and diagnosticians was meeting at The Peregrine Fund’s headquarters in Boise, Idaho. We were puzzled by our own lack of success at identifying the cause of death in Asian vultures, and concluded that we must return to Pakistan to get even fresher and many more samples of tissues from dying vultures. But that tragic day sparked a chain of events that stopped us from sending our team back to Pakistan for many months. So, the instruction to collect more and fresher tissue samples from dying vultures was passed on to Asim. He did not say “no” or “impossible;” he just went to work in his quiet, gentle, diligent way. When vultures die in temperatures that daily reach a blistering120º F, they must be found and dissected within one to two hours or the tissues decompose too much to be useful. To say that Asim had to “catch them as they fell from the sky” is not too far from the truth, and required dedication to field work that few accountants (that I know!) possess. Nevertheless, Asim skillfully led our Pakistani students in the effort to meet our request. They worked at night to collect the freshest samples possible. They carried coolers of dry ice into the field so they could freeze the samples as soon as they were collected. And they packed the tiny samples in liquid nitrogen in a special but very suspicious looking “nitrogen shipper.” Simply finding enough dry ice and liquid nitrogen in rural Pakistan was a feat in itself; and cajoling complaining students and overcoming the religious and social taboos of handling dead animals, especially vultures, were ongoing accomplishments attributed to “Awesome Asim.” Then, in the wake of 9/11, airline regulations on carrying liquid nitrogen stiffened, and when the war in Afghanistan began, British Airways—the airline that carried our sample shipper—quit flying out of Pakistan. It seemed that the painstakingly collected samples were to remain stuck in Pakistan. But weeks of work and many meetings later, Asim’s good natured diligence paid off yet again, and the samples finally Munir Virani

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ith the help of local conservation organizations, in August of this year Rick Watson the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund identified Conservation Heroes from five regions around the world. The Peregrine Fund’s Muhammad Asim, Asian Vulture Crisis project manager, was chosen by a panel from Walt Disney World for one of the six global awards. Recognizing that conservation initiatives are only as successful as the people involved with the project, this program was created to recognize the efforts of local residents. When in 2000 biologists failed to identify the cause of the catastrophic decline in numbers of vultures in South Asia, and then suggested a “new infectious disease, possibly a virus” as the cause of renal failure killing them, we went to work. We assembled an international team of experts and began a methodical investigation. We based our studies in Pakistan where the largest numbers of vultures remained, where we could legally collect freshly dead and dying vultures, and from where we could readily export vulture tissues to the United States for sophisticated analyses not possible in Pakistan. It sounds straightforward, but it was not. Permits to collect, permits to export, permits to import, airline regulations on transport of liquid nitrogen, and people, people, people (otherwise known as bureaucracy) all conspired against this vital task. Enter Muhammad Asim. Asim cared about nature and the fate of vultures in particular, and he demonstrated the tenacity, skill, and patience needed to help us overcome the enormous difficulties of collecting vulture tissues and exporting them, in liquid nitrogen, to the United States. Asim is not a biologist; he is an accountant by training, an ordinary person who quickly began achieving extraordinary results. He tackled and solved the problems and problem people with diligence, honesty, gentleness, and his characteristic wry sense of humor, and quickly earned the nickname “Awesome Asim.” By September 11, 2001, Asim was a Peregrine Fund employee, the in-country manager of the Asian Vul-

Muhammad Asim “Conservation Hero”

A sunset in Pakistan, but hopefully not for three species of vultures. Below: The Disney medal awarded to Asim.

Munir Virani

arrived in the United States. Here, our team of experts determined definitively that the samples showed no sign of infectious disease. The cause must be something else; something new and previously unknown to science. Instructions again went back to Asim, “please survey veterinarians and pharmacies and list all the drugs and pesticides used on livestock.” And so it was that, in late 2002, we scanned a list compiled from over 70 interviews across the Pakistan Punjab. One drug stood out as a possibility. Diclofenac, a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drug was being used by every veterinarian and sold by every pharmacist. It was unusual because it was rarely used in veterinary practice in the U.S. and Europe, it was known to cause kidney failure in mammals under certain circumstances, and it had recently been introduced to the veterinary market. Could this be the vulture killer? The samples were tested again—and diclofenac was found with a perfect correlation between the presence of diclofenac and death by renal failure in vultures. We knew we had found the cause, but we still had to prove it! In April 2003 our veterinarian, Martin Gilbert, returned to Pakistan for the first time since 9/11 and Asim was there to help conduct the testing needed to prove diclofenac’s complicity. Again, permits, logistics, and shipping critical test samples back to the U.S. for analysis were entrusted to Asim. A month later our preliminary results were presented to an international meeting of scientists; by January 2004 they were confirmed and published in the journal Nature. A week later they were presented to senior government officials from Pakistan, India, and Nepal. Finally, the ball was rolling towards saving Asian vultures from certain extinction! The team of experts that proved diclofenac was the culprit received congratulations and accolades from their peers and the press. But one, an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, a keystone of the project without whom no results would have been achieved, not a scientist, an accountant by training, a hero by actions, quietly, modestly went on with his work. In late 2003 Martin and Asim started the first, and still the only, “vulture restaurant” in South Asia. The aim was to feed vultures with clean, uncontaminated food in the hope that they would prefer to feed at the restaurant, located within yards of the largest known remaining vulture colony in Pakistan, and thereby reduce their exposure to diclofenac and reduce their death rate. Asim was again tasked, this time with figuring out how to make this restaurant work. Religious and social taboos had to be overcome, and a reliable, abundant source of uncontaminated carcasses had to be found

and purchased at regular intervals. During the height of the breeding season, the colony of vultures consumed five to ten large carcasses per day! The effort requires constant attention and tending to the vulture’s needs by a team of dedicated individuals led by Asim. Nearly two years later, the Toawala vulture restaurant is still the most significant applied conservation intervention for vultures occurring in South Asia. Others are working hard to ban diclofenac in veterinary use (just a few months ago the Indian Prime Minister announced the six-month phase-out of veterinary diclofenac), and to start vital captive breeding efforts to save these species from extinction, but The Peregrine Fund’s vulture restaurant is the only working field intervention aimed directly at the heart of the problem—reducing diclofenac poisoning in the wild. Asim’s work continues to be the most expedient and critically important, buying vital time for others to get their longer-term interventions into place. “Awesome Asim” is a conservation hero; an ordinary person who does extraordinary things—each and every day!

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Re-evaluating the Status of the Pemba Scops Owl

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The owl stared back at me, locking eyes– a sad, almost submissive look. Before I could take a photograph, it was gone.

n overwhelming feeling gripped me as Simon Thomsett and I stood motionless listening to the nocturnal cacophMunir Virani ony of the Ngezi Forest at two am in the morning. We were in the heart of this tropical moist forest on the spice island of Pemba, 50 km off the East African coast waiting to get our first glimpse of the endemic Pemba Scops Owl. I suddenly thought of my grandmother and recalled her sometimes horrific bedtime stories from when I was five years old. She spoke about Shariff of Pemba, a religious leader who sunk into the ground when his enemies from Tanga caught up with him in the 15th Century. And now, here I was, standing meters from the exact spot where Shariff’s moss festooned tomb laid. Thousands of slaves fled and sought refuge here during the slave trade era. The night was tranquil. Orion and other constellations blazed through the night sky illuminating the forest floor. We could hear the resonant “hoots” of the Pemba Scops Owl and the intermittent sinister laughter of the Galago Bush Baby. Finally, Simon shone his flashlight above my head. “There it is,” he whispered. I looked up through my binoculars, but all I saw was the bottom section of a small beefy fluff of feathers that twitched every time there was a hoot. “I need a better view,” I whispered back to Simon who groaned again at my impossible demands. Exasperated and tired, I crawled on my hands and knees to where Simon was standing and turned back to get another glimpse of what is perhaps one of the most threatened endemic scops owls in the world. There it was, in resplendent russet-brown plumage. A stocky, beefier version of the Sokoke Scops Owl, a globally endangered owl found almost 150 km north and 80 km west on mainland coastal Kenya and Tanzania, respectively. The owl stared back at me, locking eyes—a sad, almost submissive look. Before I could take a photograph, it was gone. “Blast,” said Simon with an obvious hint of frustration. We managed to find our way to the main path and slowly walked back in silence towards our camp. I am still uncertain how Simon and I managed to pull off this visit to Pemba. Both of us were knee-deep in work with Crowned Eagle releases, African Fish Eagle monitoring, and saving vultures in South Asia. And yet, here we were, amidst scented and aromatic trees of cloves, cinnamon, mango, and every kind of spice tree or shrub imaginable. Our 12-seater plane took off from Zanzibar’s main airport on Unguja that afternoon, and although I was suffering from a bad cold, I soaked up the spectacular views from the window. The plane approached the southern side of Pemba and descended towards Chake Chake, Pemba’s administrative capital. To my right, there were innumerable Borassus palms,

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meandering estuaries, stunning azure blue coral reefs with bleached sandy beaches and tiny islets that concocted all sorts of exotic images in my mind. As we were about to land, I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and focused on the task ahead. So why were we here? Well, Simon and I always talked about Pemba. And then in early January 2005, a funding opportunity coincided with a request from Mr. Alawi Hija of the Ministry of Environment in Zanzibar to help evaluate the conservation status of the littleknown Pemba Scops Owl, endemic to the island of Pemba. The island is classified as one of the 218 Endemic Bird Areas of the World having a relatively high number of endemic taxa. Pemba is believed to be more closely related to the Eastern Arc Mountains, having been isolated from them by a deep channel for several million years. The Pemba Scops Owl has historically been described as “common” all over the island, occurring in forests and the densest parts of clove and mango plantations as well as other thick foliaged trees. Virtually nothing is known about the natural history and biology of the species and it seemed inappropriate that it is not listed as a Red Data bird. The owl is intricately linked in Pemba folklore (its local name is Kihodi), its perception that of a “mysterious creature of the night that cries at regular intervals.” Thus it is more often heard and not seen. In fact, the late Dr Leslie Brown noted many years ago that locals believed the species to be viviparous (gave birth to live young rather than laid eggs)! Our goals were to conduct a pilot investigation of the distribution and abundance of owls on the island and evaluate threats to the species and determine whether there was a need for conservation action. Accompanied by local guides and government officials, Simon and I commenced a week-long survey of one of Africa’s least-known owls. Each night we meticulously conducted call-response surveys of the owls along transects in different habitat types to get a feel of owl densities. Eventually, a pattern began to emerge. Although the Pemba Scops Owl is considered “common,” we found this to be by no means its correct status category in any habitat other than indigenous forest. It became fairly obvious that the owls were mainly confined to Ngezi and Msitu Mkuu. Both are tiny remnant forest patches of 14 km2 and 3 km2, respectively, of which only small proportions are suitable owl habitat. The owls also occurred at lower densities in the oldgrowth clove forests, much of which are now being rapidly cleared into open farmlands to make way for more lucrative crops such as rice and cassava. Historically, 65% of Pemba was covered with moist tropical forest, but with the progression of the spice and slave trade

Munir Virani

during the 14th Century, much of the island was planted with clove trees and other spice shrubs from Indonesia. Now, with a collapse in the global prices of cloves, these historically established owl habitats are fast shrinking and along with them the number of owls. To compound the problem, parts of the indigenous forests had been excised to make way for rubber plantations, now abandoned and devoid of owls. It is all too familiar as we found ourselves monitoring yet another species in rapid decline. There is no question that the conversion of areas that were formerly established oldgrowth clove plantations is now a serious threat to the long-term survival of the owls. There is therefore a clear rationale in re-evaluating the species’ conservation status before it becomes too late. To conserve the Pemba Scops Owl and its habitat it will be critical to understand the species’ natural history, its habitat requirements, and the environment in which it lives. The research required to gain this knowledge will

be challenging, and will present opportunities for training conservationists, students, and resource professionals on Pemba. Ultimately, the Tanzanian government will have to take the responsibility of ensuring the survival of this unique owl and its associated fauna and flora. As we lift-off from Pemba, my earlier exotic images undergo a reality transformation. I see half-naked children running around a burning field. Modern day Africa is plagued with problems—degraded forests, scourge of disease, civil strife, rapidly growing human populations, high levels of poverty, and an increasing feeling of insecurity. And yet I cannot help but cling to the quintessential image of a not-so dark continent that continues to enthrall the world—a wilderness untamed—captured in moments when a leopard pounces on a duiker, but also when time stands still and the hoots of an owl in distress plead for survival. We cannot turn our backs on a continent that needs us now more than ever.

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Education at the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center

…students learn that scientists do not operate in a bubble, and that there are economic, cultural, social, religious, and political concerns to contend with when addressing any conservation dilemma.

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Jack Cafferty

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ith its prime location at The Peregrine Fund’s headquarters in Boise, Idaho, Cathie Nigro the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center lends itself to its principal goal of public education. Local and out-of-town guests alike are attracted to the Interpretive Center, drawn by the live birds, state-of-theart exhibits, and multi-media presentations. Time and again, visitors are fascinated to learn not only about the biology and ecology of birds of prey, but also the worldwide conservation efforts of The Peregrine Fund. The Interpretive Center staff has focused its efforts on providing dynamic educational programming to our visiting K-12 student population, offering more opportunities to meet the growing and varying needs of educators and their students. Through the presentation of high-quality, age-appropriate educational programs for all students at all levels, we strive to make every student’s visit to our facility an unforgettable experience. A visit to the Interpretive Center is as captivating for our first-grade guests as it is academically sophisticated and intriguing to our high school and college ornithology students. In addition to our standard general tour program, the facility regularly began offering an array of topical programs in the spring of 2005. Now educators may choose from a selection of 15 different programs, all of which coincide with Idaho State Science Standards, according to the ages of their students and their curricular interests. Providing a host of interdisciplinary topics enables instructors to use raptors as a “lens for learning” about history, art, math, anatomy, physics, literature, and more. These programs demonstrate that students at all grade levels and in all subjects can use the birds of prey theme to address content standards. For example, one of our most frequently requested tours is “Falconry through the Ages,” a program that combines the adaptive biology of raptors with a look at the historical uses of birds of prey and the development of falconry in different locations across the globe. Feedback from educators participating in the new programs has been very positive, and these topical offerings continue to be regularly requested. One of the facts that continues to surprise instructors is the contemporary nature of many of the issues facing Peregrine Fund biologists, from the propagation of large species such as the Harpy Eagle, to maintaining genetic diversity among California Condors, to investigating and ultimately discovering the cause for the decimation of three Asian vulture species. The ongoing field work of our biologists provides students with continuous, up-to-date learning opportunities. These current conservation projects are frequently used as a springboard for introducing such global classroom topics as the scientific method and the nature of science.

Rachel Tuttle displays her drawing of a Bateleur Eagle that she completed during an interdisciplinary summer program focusing on art and the biology of birds of prey.

An exceptional example of how current conservation topics are being used with middle school and high school students is the Asian Vulture Crisis Classroom Activity and Town Meeting. Often, students learn about the dramatic decline of the Asian vulture population for the first time upon visiting the Interpretive Center. They discover how scientists tracked down the crisis’ culprit through a series of experiments in which multiple hypotheses were set forward and subsequently discarded after thorough testing—a textbook example of the scientific method in practice. Then the students learn about bird biology and how it can be easily affected by the pharmaceutical diclofenac when it is introduced into the food chain. In a group discussion format, students explore the devastating effect of removing a decomposer (vultures) from an ecosystem, and begin to recognize all of the individuals who are affected by the removal of a vital scavenger, like the vulture, from the environment. Finally, students partake in a “town meeting” designed to simulate the discussion that would happen among key individuals that are affected by, or have contributed to, the Asian vulture crisis. Through this students learn that scientists do not operate in a bubble, and that there are economic, cultural, social, religious, and political concerns to contend with when addressing any conservation dilemma. (For more information on the Asian vulture crisis, or for a copy of the classroom activity, please visit www.peregrinefund.org.) Through the development of this interdisciplinary and interactive approach to education, we continue to strengthen ties with our partners in the community of educators who are faced with the daily challenges of providing learning opportunities that are meaningful and relevant in today’s world. We hope that by introducing unique educational programs, authentic service learning opportunities, and summer programs we can not only continue to serve as a vital resource to educators, but also enlighten visitors to the important role raptors play in our constantly changing environment.

Gift to the Earth Award – Madagascar Fishermen collect their catch at one of three lakes protected by local community associations.

…the model established by The Peregrine Fund has been copied and applied in many similar situations throughout the country.

fledging in 2004. By the end of 2004 FIZAMI and FIFAMA were the first community associations to finish their three-year probationary period with a positive performance evaluation by the Malagasy government. The accomplishments of the two associations quickly became well known in conservation circles of Madagascar, and the model established by The Peregrine Fund has been copied and applied in many similar situations throughout the country. At least 35 other community Immature conservation associations have been created. In 2004 this success led World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to Madagascar honor the two associations with their prestigious Gift to Fish Eagle. the Earth Award, WWF’s highest award for globally significant conservation achievement. On June 30th this year, the two associations passed another major milestone in their pursuit of natural resource management and conservation. They became the first to be granted a 10-year probationary management period from the Malagasy government. The Peregrine Fund will continue, as needed, to provide support, guidance, and advice to the associations to help them manage and conserve the natural resources on which they depend and which they share with Madagascar Fish Eagles. Our notion that “what’s good for local communities is good for fish eagles” is proving to be true, at least for conservation of natural resources in this important wetland site in Madagascar.

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Rick Watson

Lily-Arison Rene de Roland

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o ensure the survival of the endangered Madagascar Fish Eagle, it is Russell Thorstrom imperative to save its natural wetland habitat. Ten pairs of fish eagles, almost 10% of the species’ entire global population, are resident breeders on three large lakes in western Madagascar about 300 km due west of the country’s capital city. These lakes support a valuable freshwater fisheries resource and are surrounded by a healthy deciduous forest, both important to the economy of local communities and survival of fish eagles. During the mid-1990s, the annual increase in migrant fishermen led to an over utilization of the fisheries and forest resources causing a direct impact on the local communities’ livelihoods and breeding success of fish eagles. We found the communities were conscious of the future and sustainability of their resources and were interested in working with us to control their use. Together, we implemented a new Malagasy law in which local communities can be granted authority to manage and conserve the natural resources in designated areas. With our help, in 1997 local villagers created two community associations, FIZAMI and FIFAMA, to begin the process of obtaining governmental approval to manage the wetland’s fisheries stocks and surrounding forest resources. It was a difficult and timeconsuming task that had more to do with sociology than conservation biology, but in September 2001 the associations passed a significant milestone: the Malagasy government granted them a probationary threeyear management period to test whether they could control and maintain the local resources they shared with fish eagles. The two associations began the probationary GELOSE (an acronym in French for Local Management Charter) process supported financially, logistically, and technically by The Peregrine Fund. The three main objectives the associations had to accomplish were (1) to limit the number of permanent fishing camps to only eight on the three lakes and the number of fishermen allowed to fish by a permit system to 400 individuals; (2) to record daily information and data on fish harvest during the fishing season at each camp; and (3) ensure that all fishing camps were situated far from fish eagle nests to minimize disturbance during the breeding season (June-October). Not only did the associations succeed in meeting these goals, but they also took it upon themselves to cultivate and transplant 2,184 seedling trees into forest areas that had been cut and harvested prior to their taking control. As testament to their overall success, Madagascar Fish Eagle productivity increased from four young successfully raised annually before 2000, prior to the associations’ management period, to eight young

GRIN: Global Raptor Information Network

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Mauricio Ramos

Adult Ornate Hawk-Eagle.

he Global Raptor Information Network (GRIN) is a web-based project maintained by The Peregrine Fund to provide Lloyd Kiff detailed information on diurnal birds of prey (eagles, hawks, and falcons) and to facilitate communication between raptor researchers of the world. The GRIN web site can be accessed through our web site, www.peregrinefund.org, or at www.globalraptors.org. Still in its initial stages, GRIN is an everevolving project designed to provide detailed biological information on the diurnal raptors of the world, help identify priority species for conservation actions and species in need of further study, provide access to the technical literature for researchers and students in remote locations, establish a global network of raptor researchers and conservationists, post information on new research findings and raptor conservation issues, and provide links to other web sites of interest to raptor enthusiasts. At the heart of GRIN is a comprehensive species database which allows users to generate raptor species lists for 260 countries and island groups, based on their conservation status, population trend, estimated population size, and family. The database supports searches on multiple terms, so it is possible to generate a list of all the endangered and vulnerable hawk species (Accipitridae) in the Neotropical Region or for any combination of countries, for example, just those comprising Central America. This is useful for conservationists and land managers who wish to prioritize their efforts and also identify species of concern that are not being studied. In addition, handbook-style species accounts are gradually being prepared for each of the 330 species of diurnal raptors, and these include sections on distribu-

The goal of GRIN is to provide a onestop shopping destination for persons interested in diurnal raptors.

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tion, taxonomy, movements, habits, habitat, food and feeding behavior, breeding, conservation, current research, and important references, plus at least one photo of the species. For many species, the general account is linked to pages with much more extensive information on many of these topics. “Mini-galleries” of photos will soon be linked to the accounts, making it possible to illustrate individuals of different ages and sex, plus multiple races of widely distributed species. The species accounts are linked to the homepages or web sites of persons who actually study each species with the hope that virtually all raptor researchers will eventually be willing to participate in GRIN. This has the added advantage of making the researchers themselves aware of other individuals studying their “favorite” species, and it should lead to valuable new associations. GRIN participants are able to post their contact data, photo, biography, notes on their research interests, and lists of their publications on their homepages, which they create themselves. Since the “release” of GRIN in August 2005, 31 researchers representing 13 countries have signed up as participants. Perhaps the GRIN feature of greatest interest to researchers is the searchable bibliography of technical and popular references on diurnal raptors. This database currently contains over 24,000 records with more being added daily. The Peregrine Fund Research Library maintains a standing offer to supply free pdf copies of any of these articles in our collection upon request, and we have already responded to over 300 such requests from researchers from over 40 countries. An extensive network of links is maintained to other web sites of potential interest to raptor aficionados, including raptor organizations, large information databases, raptor observatories, raptor listservers, and over 200 technical journals which publish articles on raptors. The latter list is the largest of its kind on the Internet and, like several other GRIN features, is of interest to ornithologists in general. There are also “bulletin board” sections with details on upcoming raptor meetings, recent raptor news, requests for assistance, and job opportunities. It is hoped that raptor researchers will support the GRIN project by creating their homepages and by allowing their photographs to be used on the web site. The goal of GRIN is to provide a one-stop shopping destination for persons interested in diurnal raptors, whether they are professional researchers, students trying to flesh out a term paper, or just plain folks who have a special interest in these magnificent birds.

Support The Peregrine Fund’s projects with your purchases! Orders can be placed three ways: • Mail your completed order form and payment (see enclosed envelope) • Call 1-800-377-3721 • Go to www.peregrinefund.org, where you can shop for these and many other great items. We offer books, games, puzzles, apparel, educational toys, jewelry, and more. Ordering is secure and easy!

The 2005 addition to our series of holiday ornaments is the American Kestrel. Engraved on the back with the year and the name of the bird, each ornament is a finely crafted keepsake to give or to add to your own collection. See our online store for ornaments from 1994 through 2004. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17.50

at once… Give two gifts de valuable

ips provi Gift membersh regrine Fund and Pe pient: support to The efits to the reci en b f o ar ye a full bscription • Newsletter su rt • Annual repo t on gift shop • 10% discoun rchases and catalog pu ts notification • Special even ame and e recipient’s n Simply enter th closed form, and mail en address on the envelope with your ed ch ta at e it in th do the rest! payment. We’ll ur

ctly request yo We will only dire it will be by Our Promise: th a year and en ill keep your ce on n io ut rib cont We w give generously. mail, so please s confidential. They will not be es name and addr hers. We will keep you ot traded or sold to ogress through reports, r pr rd ou of ed rm fo in We will work ha d our web site. fully and effecnewsletters, an re ca t rs are spen l to see your dolla r best to make a meaningfu ou do ill w e tively. W difference.

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NEW! Now you don’t have to choose among your favorite raptors—wear them all, on this preshrunk 100% cotton t-shirt. The back features a collage of a Peregrine Falcon, California Condor, Gyrfalcon, and Aplomado Falcon. White only. Youth S, M . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.95 Adult S, M, L, XL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.95 Adult XXL. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.95

Our field biologists never leave home without one—cotton canvas embroidered hats sporting your favorite birds of prey and “The Peregrine Fund.” One size; adjustable strap. Back vent embroidered with raptor name. Colors available as shown (green, blue, khaki, orange, berry, and tan/gray) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17.95

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Aplomado Falcon

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In this personal and highly entertaining memoir, Jim Enderson tells stories of a lifetime spent studying, training, breeding, and simply enjoying Peregrine Falcons. He weaves in the biology and natural history of the Peregrine, as well as anecdotes about its traditional and widespread use in falconry, to offer a broad portrait of this splendid and intriguing falcon. Paperback, 254 pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22.95

The Peregrine Falcon is one of the few species ever restored from the verge of extinction. Find out how it happened, as told by 69 of the falconers, conservationists, biologists and others who participated in this monumental effort. Full-color photographs help tell the story, along with beautiful artwork by Robert Bateman and many others. This is one coffee table book that won’t gather dust! Hardcover, 394 pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59.50

Peregrine Falcon, North Greenland. Kurt K. Burnham

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