The Peregrine Fund Newsletter Summer-fall 2002

THE PEREGRINE FUND

working to conserve birds of prey in nature summer/fall 2002 newsletter number 33

Board of Directors of The Peregrine Fund OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

How far would you go to save a species?

D. James Nelson Chairman of the Board and Director President, Nelson Construction Company

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

Paxson H. Offield Vice Chairman of the Board and Director Chairman of the Board and CEO, Santa Catalina Island Company

Roy E. Disney Chairman of the Board, Emeritus, and Director Vice Chairman, The Walt Disney Company Chairman of the Board, Shamrock Holdings, Inc.

William A. Burnham, Ph.D. President and Director

Chances are, we’ve

J. Peter Jenny Vice President

already been there.

Jeffrey R. Cilek Vice President

Since its humble

Karen J. Hixon Treasurer and Director Conservationist

beginnings in a barn

Ronald C. Yanke Secretary and Director President, Yanke Machine Shop, Inc.

in upstate New York, The Peregrine Fund has reached out to

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

and more than

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

100 species of birds. Thanks to your

Harry L. Bettis Rancher

partnership, we’ll

P. Dee Boersma, Ph.D. Professor, University of Washington

continue to reach new heights in the

Frank M. Bond Attorney at Law and Rancher

years to come.

Robert S. Comstock President and CEO, Robert Comstock Company Derek J. Craighead Ecologist Scott A. Crozier Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary PETsMART, INC

Kurt Burnham

T. Halter Cunningham Business Executive/Investor

Make a tax-deductible donation to The Peregrine Fund today. Visit our website at www.peregrinefund.org or return the enclosed envelope with your contribution.

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

DIRECTORS

over 55 countries

Take your conservation efforts to a higher plane.

Henry M. Paulson, Jr. Chairman of the Board, Emeritus, and Director Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Goldman Sachs Group, 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 Jacobo Lacs International Businessman and Conservationist Patricia B. Manigault Conservationist and Rancher Velma V. Morrison President, Harry W. Morrison Foundation Ruth O. Mutch Investor Morlan W. Nelson Naturalist, Hydrologist, and Cinematographer Ian Newton, D.Phil., D.Sc. Senior Ornithologist (Ret.) Natural Environment Research Council United Kingdom Thomas T. Nicholson Rancher and Landowner Lucia L. Severinghaus, Ph.D. Research Fellow Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica Taiwan R. Beauregard Turner Fish and Wildlife Manager Turner Enterprises William E. Wade, Jr. President (Ret.), Atlantic Richfield Company James D. Weaver President, Grasslans Charitable Foundation and Rancher P.A.B. Widener, Jr. Rancher and Investor

The Peregrine Fund Staff UNITED STATES Linda Behrman Roy Britton Bill Burnham Kurt K. Burnham Pat Burnham Jack Cafferty Craig Carpenter Jeff Cilek Donna Daniels Nancy Freutel Erin Gott Bill Heinrich Grainger Hunt J. Peter Jenny Russ Jones Lloyd Kiff Paul Malone Kim Middleton Angel Montoya Amel Mustic Brian Mutch Trish Nixon Nedim Omerbegovic Sophie Osborn Chris Parish Carol Pettersen Dalibor Pongs Rob Rose Cal Sandfort Amy Siedenstrang Randy Stevens Russell Thorstrom Randy Townsend Rick Watson Dave Whitacre Chris Woods

Biologist Ruth Tingay explores the land of dancing lemurs, upside-down trees and giant jumping rats. Her Notes from the Field begin on page 14.

Ruth Tingay

THE PEREGRINE FUND N E W S L E T T E R

Archivist S. Kent Carnie INTERNATIONAL Aristide Andrianarimisa Francisco Barrios Adrien Batou Berthin Be Noel Augustin Bonhomme Marta Curti Eloi (Lala) Fanameha Próspero Gaitôn Martin Gilbert Margarita Gordon Noel Guerra Ron Hartley Kathia Herrera Loukman Kalavaha Eugéne Ladoany Magaly Linares Jóse de Los Santos López Jules Mampiandra Môise Angel Muela Charles Rabearivelo (Vola) Jeanneney Rabearivony Berthine Rafarasoa Norbert Rajaonarivelo Jeannette Rajesy Gérard Rakotondravao Yves Rakotonirina Gaston Raoelison Christophe Razafimahatratra Gilbert Razafimanjato Lova Jacquot Razanakoto Lily-Arison Rene de Roland Leonardo Salas Nadia Sureda Simon Thomsett Jamie Tobán Gilbert Tohaky Jóse Vargas Jolanta Villarreal Munir Virani

N O .

3 3

•

S U M M E R / F A L L

2 0 0 2

Aplomado Falcon Recovery Clues about habitat are found on Chihuahuan ranches . . . . . . . 2 California Condor Numbers Reduced Four-year-old Condor 186 intentionally killed . . . . 3 Orange-breasted Falcon Biologists investigate the Western Hemisphere’s rarest falcon . . . . . . . 5 On the cover: A Harpy Eagle, recently designated the national bird of Panama, feeds its chick. Photo courtesy of Neil Rettig Productions, Inc.

Harpy Eagles and the Neotropical Raptor Center Why people persecute eagles, winners of a naming contest, and improved propagation . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

UPDATE: Grenada Investigation of endangered hook-billed kites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Prayer of the African Fish Eagle Will this sensitive species survive? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 UPDATE: Cape Verde Red Kite Field team succeeds in capturing elusive kites . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Peregrines of North Greenland Range extends further north than expected . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Asian Vulture Crisis Biologists closing in on the causes of massive die-off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Notes from the Field Tour the world with our biologists’ personal accounts, from Madagascar to Greenland . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Business Office (208)362-3716 • Fax (208)362-2376 • Interpretive Center (208)362-8687 • [email protected] • http://www.peregrinefund.org © 2002 • Edited by Bill Burnham • Design © 2002 by Amy Siedenstrang

1

Research on Aplomado Falcons in Northern

Erin Gott

Aplomado Falcon chicks.

Arizona

New Mexico

Texas

Chihuahua Gulf of Mexico Pacific Ocean

2

R

eleasing captive-bred falcons and monitoring their growing population in Texas is only part of The Peregrine Fund’s overall effort with the Northern Aplomado Falcon. In 1992 Angel Montoya located a small breeding population of some 30 pairs of Aplomado Falcons in the desert grasslands of northern Chihuahua. The following year he conducted the first research on the falcon’s breeding biology, home range, and diet in the Chihuahuan desert. Since then, The Peregrine Fund has been monitoring the breeding activities of this population in cooperation with Universidad Autonoma de Chihuahua and others. During this time, each territory was visited twice a month from February to July. The core breeding grounds for the falcons exist on magnificent cattle ranches, which have been under the long-term and expert management of the Baeza and Borunda families. The stated goal of the Baeza family is to “try to make the grassland better each year.” A testament to the Baeza family’s land stewardship is not only the presence of Aplomado Falcons, but also that their ranch supports one of the last remaining herds of prong-horned antelope in Mexico. This population of falcons is unique in spite of its small size. Located less than 100 miles from the United States border, it remains the most northern known population in Mexico and the closest to our reintroduction effort in Texas. Despite repeated efforts, other populations have not been located in other areas of northern Mexico. The reproductive rate of this population has steadily declined in recent years, from 1.25 young fledged per occupied territory in 1996 to 0.81 young fledged per occupied territory in 2001. In 1996 and 1997, nest failure only occurred during the incubation stage, but in 1998 we began to observe nestling mortality with rates as high as 50 percent in 2000. The number of breeding pairs also declined from 30 pairs in 1992 to 26 pairs in 2001. These declines are believed to be associated with drought conditions affecting many

Angel Montoya & Peter Jenny

California Condor Intentionally Killed

Mexico

Alberto Macias (center) studies Aplomado Falcons with the assistance of two local residents in Chihuahua, Mexico.

grassland bird species in the region. This year as part of his masters thesis, Mexican Peregrine Fund biologist Alberto Macias was able to locate 25 pairs of falcons which fledged a total of 21 young (0.84 young per nest). Because habitat modification is thought to have caused, or at least contributed to, the extirpation of the Aplomado Falcon in desert grasslands of the southwestern United States, our studies since 1996 have included data characterizing the vegetation type and structure within falcon nesting territories in Chihuahua. With this large amount of information we are seeking to evaluate habitat effects on reproductive success. Surveys of the prey base have also been conducted annually since 1998, revealing a trend of decreasing numbers of grassland birds in Aplomado Falcon breeding territories. We believe that prey availability is one of the major factors affecting the reproductive success of this falcon species. Alberto Macias has submitted a manuscript for publication on the details of this work.

…it remains the most northern known population in Mexico, and the closest to our reintroduction effort in Texas.

Chris Parish

Erin Gott

T

he world population of Bill Heinrich California Condors lost a potentially important member—California Condor 186. One of the 34 free-flying condors we released in northern Arizona was killed by an as yet unknown individual(s). Between 28 and 30 August 2002 the condor was intentionally killed on the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona. Condor 186 was a male hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo on 15 April 1998. We released him at our Hurricane Cliffs, Arizona release site that year on 15 November along with eight other condors after they were held at the site for about a month. A condor’s first year of life is considered the most dangerous as they learn about their natural world and what we humans have added, with which they must also contend. Coyotes and Golden Eagles have been the major cause of death, however, and particularly for inexperienced condors. Having survived to four years old we expected Condor 186 not only to live, but to begin breeding within the next two or three years. This intentional killing is a very unfortunate and unacceptable event. A reward has been offered by The Peregrine Fund up to a maximum total of $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons killing this condor. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Operation Game Thief have announced rewards totaling an additional $11,000.

CALIFORNIA CONDOR POPULATION 1 October 2002 CAPTIVE Los Angeles Zoo

33

San Diego Wild Animal Park

35

World Center for Birds of Prey, Boise

46

Pre-release birds in field pens

15

TOTAL CAPTIVE POPULATION

129

WILD Southern California— released birds (3 of which are nestlings)

23

Central California —released birds

17

Arizona

33

TOTAL WILD POPULATION TOTAL POPULATION

73 202

3

Orange-breasted Falcon Investigation

T

4

Angel Muela

It does appear that considerable vacant, suitable looking habitat for Orangebreasted Falcons exists in certain areas of Central America.

he Orange-breasted Falcon is among the however, with the last confirmed Orange-breasted Falworld’s least known and rarest falcons. con sighting being from 1937 near Tegucigalpa. Our Bill Burnham biologists, David Anderson, Russell Thorstrom, and Although thought to inhabit an enorRick Watson, conducted exhaustive searches in 1999 to mous breeding range throughout Central and South locate this species in the Sierra del Warunta range in America, and possibly southeast Mexico or Guatemala Honduras, but they failed to find any. to Paraguay and northern Argentina, the species is The absence of Orange-breasted Falcons from suitsparsely distributed, difficult to detect, and potentially able habitat in Honduras raised the very real possibility threatened by habitat alteration and associated range that the species may have declined in Central America expansion of avian competitors. Particularly in Central due to some catastrophic or chronic problem. As a America, it is possible that the species has been lost result, project aims were expanded to answer the quesfrom large parts of its former or presumed breeding tions: (1) is the Orange-breasted Falcon distribution in range. The Orange-breasted Falcon warrants special Central America substantially disjunct from that in concern due to probable population declines and genetic isolation of known populations in northern CenIncubating female tral America from likely larger Orange-breasted Falcon. populations in South America. The Peregrine Fund’s involvement with the Orange-breasted Falcon began in 1979 when Peter Jenny began research on the species. Our initial interest was to obtain basic information on the falcon’s biology, ecology, and behavior. Pete made the first systematic observations on this species in Guatemala and Ecuador. He observed 35 different Orange-breasted Falcons during nine field trips between 1979 and 1983 in those two countries. Unlike the falcons he found nesting on cliffs in Guatemala, those in Ecuador South America, and (2) does the area of suitable habitat (eight sites) were nesting in epiphytic growths in large in Central America that is not occupied indicate that emergent trees. By 1983, however, none of the tree-nesting falcons could be located as most of the trees were conservation action, such as reintroduction, may benegone and the habitat near those which remained had fit the species’ survival in this important part of its range? been greatly degraded. To answer these questions, biologists Aaron Baker Surveys occurred at many of the known nest sites in and Serena Ayers joined The Peregrine Fund in February 2000 to complete a survey of suitable habitat in Central Guatemala from 1986-1989. Beginning in 1991, we increased our research emphasis on this species. America for Orange-breasted Falcons. Having comHeaded by Aaron Baker, between 1992 and 1997 we pleted his Master’s degree in raptor biology at Boise studied this species at 19 nest sites in Guatemala and State University studying the behavior and ecology of Belize. The research results suggested this population, Orange-breasted Falcons, Aaron was well prepared to although small, appeared to be stable. conduct this broad survey throughout the Central In 1999 we shifted our studies to Honduras where American isthmus. Over the next several months Aaron substantial areas of habitat apparently suitable for and Serena accomplished ground and aerial surveys for Orange-breasted Falcons exist among the limestone the falcon in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa mountains of the Departments of Olancho (Sierra de Rica, and Panama. Russell Thorstrom and other bioloAgalta) and Gracias a Dios (Sierra del Warunta). Obsergists also participated in the surveys in Panama. All survations of this species from Honduras were limited, veys were in likely habitat based on past knowledge. No

Continues Orange-breasted Falcons were seen south of Belize and Guatemala until Panama, where two locations were found with falcons. In 2001 the survey was expanded in Panama and four nesting pairs were located. Despite further survey work in 2002, Orange-breasted Falcons were only seen at the same locations. We had answered our first question—the Orange-breasted Falcon population in Central America is disjunct from that in South America. The second question, as to whether suitable vacant habitat exists and are conservation actions needed, was also largely answered. It does appear that considerable vacant, suitable looking habitat for Orange-breasted Falcons exists in certain areas of Central America, and conservation actions should be considered. Exploring potential conservation actions was the next step. Monitoring the four nests we discovered in Panama, we found all pairs laid eggs, but only two total young were produced in 2001. When eyries were climbed into we found addled eggs from previous years in two sites. We had no idea why the eggs were not hatching. Were the eggs infertile, or fertile and for some reason not hatching? To try to determine whether the eggs are fertile and hatchable and to explore simultaneously the potential for using “double-clutching” as a management technique, in 2002 we removed the first clutches (three eggs each) of eggs during incubation at the four falcon eyries. All eggs were fertile and 100% hatched in our laboratory. These young were retained to establish a captive breeding population (we hatched and raised the first-ever captive-produced Orangebreasted Falcons at our Cornell University facility in 1985). Three of the four pairs from which eggs were removed re-nested, one hatched at least two young, and one was observed near fledging age. We now know the reason the Orange-breasted Falcons’ eggs in Panama are not hatching in the wild is not because of infertility or otherwise laying unhatchable eggs. Other causes must exist for low hatchability and reproduction at the eyries, which we will investigate. We also know “double clutching” is a tool which can be used to enhance numbers of young available for management actions. Genetic analysis and comparison of small blood samples from the young falcons held in captivity and small pieces of tissue from museum specimens and blood we hope to collect from falcons nesting in Guatemala and Belize will be accomplished. We will examine the amount of variation within the genetic samples from the northern and southern populations and between the populations. These results will provide insight for possible future conservation actions, to include potential release of captive-produced young to the wild to establish breeding falcons where they are now absent but habitat exists.

The Story Is Told: Peregrine Restoration, the Book

T

he Peregrine Falcon restoration effort is the largest and most comprehensive endeavor to restore viable Bill Burnham wild populations of an endangered species ever accomplished. The magnitude of the accomplishment and level of cooperation achieved are unique in nature conservation. A new book nearing completion documents why and how this effort was achieved and will serve as an example to others of what can be done when people are willing to set aside their differences and work cooperatively toward a single objective. The book should have a broad audience, including raptor enthusiasts, academics, government, and all people interested in birds, conservation, and endangered species. This book contains the story of Peregrine Falcon restoration in North America. It is written by over 60 key people with long-term involvement. The story is presented chronologically and topically. Chapter authors cover certain topics as well as provide their own personal stories and poignant anecdotes. Most chapters include short essays (sidebars) by others who were involved. Hundreds of photographs (black and white and color) help illustrate and document the program, which extended for over 35 years. A list of hack site attendants for the United States and Canada is included. The text, about 200,000 words, 21 chapters, and 50 sidebars, although mostly written in a popular first person style, contains a great deal of unique information about the Peregrine Falcon and the recovery program. A chapter written by renowned British scientist, Ian Newton, documents the contribution of the restoration program to the understanding of the Peregrine and generally summarizes what is known about the species from a scientific perspective. An extensive literature cited section is included along with a list of scientific and common names of birds and other animals mentioned. The book will be published in a large format (~10 in x 13 in) with photographs scattered throughout the text. A special effort has been made to obtain high quality and historical photographs illustrating the restoration effort and the Peregrine. Candid images and short biographies of contributors accompany each chapter and sidebar.

Hundreds of photographs help illustrate and document the program, which extended for over 35 years.

5

Bill Burnham

Bill Burn-

Why Do People Persecute Harpy Eagles?

Illegallycaptured Harpy Eagle chained to a tree, later rescued by our biologists.

6

M

id-summer: after several days of searching we found James, a male Ursula Valdez Harpy Eagle we had released on Barro Colorado Island. James had been shot and mortally wounded. He died just a few days later. When something like this happens we can only ask, “Why would someone do that?” James’ shooting underscored the need to learn more about the attitudes ordinary people have towards birds of prey, and Harpy Eagles in particular. It was evident that an education strategy was needed to reduce the conflict and increase the benefits of our conservation endeavor. In early 2002, Kathia Herrera and I visited four rural villages in the Panama Canal basin to learn why people

kill Harpy Eagles and what we could do about it. We interviewed 344 residents aged from 15 to 95 years in their homes and documented their attitudes toward the Harpy Eagle and its conservation, their appreciation for the environment, and their willingness to participate in education programs. Most of the people were extraordinarily receptive to us, even if it was only because of curiosity, and provided answers to our questions. The most common responses to the question of why they thought people kill Harpy Eagles were because people do not know what they are (21%), out of fear (17%), in the belief that they eat domestic animals (11%), and out of malice (9%). The least common reasons were the belief that they eat people, in order to keep their talons, to keep or sell their feathers, to keep them as pets, and out of curiosity. The survey results not only confirmed the need for community education, but also conferred upon us the responsibility of developing strategies to create positive feelings towards birds of prey, and to provide accurate information needed to achieve this goal. It was encouraging that most people (94%) already had an appreciation of the Harpy Eagle, due in part to its recently being declared Panama’s national bird. It was also encouraging that most people (93%) were interested in future educational programs and 77% said they would be willing to participate. In the past eight months, the Neotropical Environmental Education Program has been working hard to engage adults and children of rural, indigenous, and urban communities of Panama. We are constantly visiting communities and conducting educational activities that resonate with the audiences. We have obtained the support of the government, other scientific institutions and organizations, private enterprises, the media, and most important, the general public. Coincidentally, on the morning of 14 August 2002, almost two years after James died, we took Pannaba and Sulub, female and male young Harpy Eagles, to a hack site at the heart of Soberania National Park. Just before leaving the hack site, we took a last glance at them, and those two faces filled our hearts with mixed emotions. First, with the knowledge that we can not completely safeguard their future, but at the same time with the hope that one day we will return to Soberania and find them living in the forest free of human threats. The Fondo Peregrino-Panamá (The Peregrine FundPanama) is devoted to securing a future for Pannaba, Sulub, and more eagles by spreading the message to Panamanians that will help them to learn to respect, protect, and love the Harpy Eagle, their national bird. It will be then that we have an answer to another question, “Why are people proud of Harpy Eagles?”

Harpy Eagle Chicks Named by Panamanian School Students

T

hese past months have been loaded with hectic work days but were also full Ursula Valdez of enthusiasm. This enthusiasm has been shared not only by the Fondo Peregrino-Panamá staff, but also by our local partners and mainly by hundreds of students who participated in the contest, Name The idea of a naming contest originated in January of 2002 as a result of the great news of having the firstever captive-bred Harpy Eagle hatched in Panama, and in our breeding facilities! Soon after, we were greatly surprised when more eggs were laid and more Harpy Eagle chicks were hatched at the center. Our biggest satisfaction and mission is not only to reproduce Harpy Eagles in captivity, but also to work hard to ensure that in the future they fly free in the tropical rainforests of Panama. To achieve this goal we certainly need the participation of more Panamanians in the process. The time was perfect to share our success and conduct an educational activity in which we could involve more people and institutions in our Harpy Eagle conservation efforts. What better start than inviting students from primary schools in the Panama province to participate in this original naming contest? We worked hard preparing contest materials, and it was gratifying that in coordination with the Ministry of Education we were able to send invitation packages to more than 700 schools in the area. As a reward, we received 308 name proposals from the finalists of internal contests at many participating schools. Then came the day to choose the 10 winners of the contest. We assembled an enthusiastic voting panel of judges formed by representatives of the Panama Canal Authority, the National Environment Authority, the Ministry of Education, the Ecological Police, the City of Knowledge, USAID, Patronato Amigos del Aguila Harpia, and Jaco Lacs, a Board member of The Peregrine Fund. They chose the 10 winners of the contest. The judges had a hard time selecting among the many creative and original names, and even more among the meaningful paragraphs the students wrote explaining the reason for their choice. And...the winners are..!!! Our first Harpy Eagle chick hatched in Panama, a female, received the name of Pannaba, a word for Panama in the Kuna language. Other female names selected were Flora, because of the important relationship between Harpies and trees, Amistad to symbolize friendship and peace among animals and humans, Huri, a mythological name that means beautiful woman, related to “harpy,” meaning

Perry Conway

a Harpy Eagle and Become a Scientist for a Day.

Angel Muela addresses a group of Panamanian school children.

woman with the body of a bird, and Soberania to symbolize the freedom and sovereignty of Panama and its people. We also have names for male Harpy chicks and they are: Sulub, meaning eagle in the Kuna language; Yala Purba, also in Kuna meaning soul of the Earth; Millennium, to denote that while people are facing many challenges in this new millennium, the Harpy Eagle faces the biggest challenge: to survive; Urraca in honor of a national hero who fought for the freedom of Panama; and Centenario to honor the 100 year anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Panama. The big day arrived on the 24th of June when we all came together in a formal award ceremony—the contest winners, teachers, parents, representatives of institutions, the judges, the press, and many more people. All the students received certificates, Fondo PeregrinoPanamá hats and t-shirts, and each of them had a photo session with our Harpy Eagle used for education. They also won a special visit by the Harpy Eagle to their schools. However, the most singular prize is that the winners will have the opportunity to spend a day with our biologists as they conduct their daily activities. It was great to see the anticipation and enthusiasm that these students showed about this experience; undoubtedly it is something they will remember the rest of their lives. After this experience we feel that we made a little step forward in our mission. But more than anything we have the satisfaction that many young students learned something new about their national bird and that a seed of love for this magnificent bird was planted in their hearts. We certainly have a long and a difficult path ahead of us, but only with the help of Panamanians of all ages will we be able to save Panama’s national bird, the Harpy Eagle.

…many young students learned something new about their national bird, and a seed of love for this magnificent bird was planted in their hearts. 7

Harpy Eagle Propagation Improves in the New Neotropical Raptor Center, Panama

T

W. Perry Conway

he Harpy Eagle is a wildlife flagship species synonymous with conservation Bill Burnham of lowland Neotropical forests from southern Mexico to Argentina. The Peregrine Fund’s interest in this species and other large tropical forest eagles has been long term. Through our field research we discovered that as a result of human persecution, the Harpy Eagle, and probably most other large forest eagles, tends to be lost from tropical forests even before trees are cut and the habitat is degraded. The conservation of this species cannot be achieved only by conserv-

Cal Sandfort

ing its forest habitat; we must also convince people not to kill them. To achieve this we have initiated an education program (see Why Do People Persecute Harpy Eagles?). But viable populations of Harpy Eagles have already been extirpated throughout most of the middle Americas, even in many places where apparently suitable forest habitat exists. The goal of our captive propagation and release program for Harpy Eagles is to bolster remnant and re-establish lost populations of Harpy Eagles wherever suitable unoccupied habitat remains. The program also provides important information on restoration of large tropical forest raptors. For example, management techniques developed for the Harpy Eagle may also benefit the Philippine Eagle and other large forest eagles in jeopardy worldwide. We began working towards captive propagation of Harpy Eagles in 1989 when the first eagle was brought to the World Center for Birds of Prey. It was not until 1994 that we had a pair produce the first fertile eggs. To propagate tropical species in the temperate climate of

8

Boise, Idaho, we constructed the Gerald D. and Kathryn Swim Herrick Tropical Raptor Building. The first young Harpy Eagle was hatched and raised there in 1995. From 1994 to 2001 we incubated 37 fertile eggs, but only 10 hatched and nine of them survived. Despite our best efforts, using a combination of both natural and artificial incubation of eggs, variation in vitamin enriched diets, and by varying management of the adults, we could not improve on the production of young. By the late 1990s we were convinced that to achieve the level of breeding success we desired for an effective restoration program, we needed to provide outdoor facilities in a warmer, sunlit, and humid environment. This could be achieved in environmentally warmer areas of the United States, but our past experience with obtaining permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, including CITES (Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species), made us believe it was unrealistic to think effective captive hands-on management for species abroad could be accomplished with birds bred in the United States. Instead, we invested in a tropical raptor propagation and research facility in Panama and moved our breeding pairs of Harpy Eagles from Idaho to our new facility in Panama, the Neotropical Raptor Center. Our first eagles arrived at the Panama facility in October 2000 and 14 months later, in January 2002, their first two eggs hatched. Since then, in just eight months, another seven thriving eaglets have been produced and five more fertile eggs have been laid, four of which are in the incubators, and one died while under the parents. This immediate change in breeding success rate exceeded our wildest expectations! In Panama, chicks hatched without human assistance and emerged from their shell strong and robust, whereas we previously had to remove the weak eaglets physically from their shells because they could not hatch without help. Before this move, we were fortunate to raise one or two young each year from a pair of eagles. Now it seems that, with careful management, four to six young per pair may be possible. Of course, this sudden change in success creates a new challenge. At the appropriate age, eaglets must be moved to the release locations and hacked back into the wild, a task that can take months of field work to achieve. We are working hard to develop release methods that maximize the chances for survival and reproduction in the wild by our released birds while also being economically viable. We thank our friends, cooperating organizations and agencies, and donors for making establishment of the Neotropical Raptor Center and conservation actions for the Harpy Eagle possible.

UPDATE:

Grenada Hook-billed Kite Project

I

Russell Thorstrom

n the West Indies the Grenada Hookbilled Kite, Cuban Kite, Gundlach’s Russell Thorstrom Hawk, and Ridgway’s Hawk are considered rare or endangered. The Peregrine Fund is engaged in projects focused on these species. Here we provide a brief update on the Grenada Hook-billed Kite. The Grenada Hook-billed Kite is a subspecies of hook-billed kite found only on Grenada, a small six by 21 mile (310 km2 in area) island and the southernmost island (12° N, 61° W) of the Lesser Antilles. This insular kite was thought to be extinct at one time but is now known to exist in small numbers and is regarded as endangered. The earliest historical report described them as “not numerous” and mostly found near the seacoast, and virtually all records since have come from either the southwest and south coast or a small dry area around Levera Pond in the northeast. In June 1980, during one brief survey, researchers saw at least eight birds in Grand Anse, Beaton, and other areas of the southern dry woodlands, described aspects of the kites’ feeding behavior, and located one pair nest building, but otherwise there has been no study of either its diet or nesting behavior. Prior to The Peregrine Fund’s project, the most recent surveys of this kite were concentrated in the drier southwest peninsula and the northeast tip of the island and revealed a total estimated population of about 30 birds in July 1987. No systematic survey of the entire island

Fledgling Grenada Hook-billed Kite.

has ever been made. Presently, the taxonomic status is unclear. The question remains whether this is an endangered subspecies or species. We began a conservation and research project focused on this bird in 2000 with Edward Massiah, a multi-year volunteer from Barbados and a keen birder. We discovered the Grenada Hook-billed Kite appears tolerant of habitat that contains a mixture of native, introduced, and ornamental tree species, which comprise the predominant habitat found around the city of St. Georges. The steep wooded slopes around St. Georges, with stands of tall large-boughed trees, seem to be preferred nesting locations. The most important discovery in this study was of several kites utilizing rainforest habitat away from the southwestern xeric woodlands. Nesting activity has been seen on forested slopes of Mt. Parnassus in both February and August and in rainforest near Palmiste Lake on the west coast in February. Both are entirely new locations for the species. Finding that kites use rainforest and forest slopes up to 400 meters means that there are many other areas of suitable forest habitat in Grenada that could contain kites. From our surveys to date we estimate the current population of Grenada Hook-billed Kites to be at least 40 individuals. By recommendation from an independent researcher on the Grenada Dove and Dry Forest Project, and Michael Jessamy with the Department of Forestry and National Parks, we have selected Desmond McQueen as a Peregrine Fund trainee to begin studying Grenada Hook-billed Kites. His job will be to search for pairs and nests, recording kite sightings and monitoring the population. In 2002 we were eager to teach what we have learned about the kite in Grenada to Desmond. After a long meeting with the Department of Forestry we introduced Desmond to two nest sites we had discovered in the previous days. We aim to prevent extinction of the endangered Grenada Hook-billed Kite, assist the Forestry Department by developing a means to monitor and evaluate conservation of the Grenada Hook-billed Kite, and to develop local capacity for conservation through student and technician training and public awareness.

Giving is simple. • Arrange an automatic payroll deduction… many employers will match your charitable contributions! We are a member of Earth Share and participate in the Combined Federal Campaign (#0945). For more information, see your employer’s personnel representative, check our website, or call Linda at (208) 362-3716. • Visit our website, www.peregrinefund.org, and click on “How you can help” to make a donation through our secure server. • Browse our gift shop– in person, online, and on the last page of this newsletter. All purchases support our projects! • Send your check, money order, or credit card information in the envelope enclosed in this newsletter. • Many planned giving options are available, including bequests, gift annuities, trusts, and other forms of gifts. These are placed in our endowment to help conserve birds of prey and their environments in perpetuity. For information, contact Jeff Cilek, Vice President, at (208) 362-3716 or by e-mail at jcilek@ peregrinefund.org. • If you wish to make a provision in your will, the following general form is suggested: I give, devise, and bequeath to The Peregrine Fund, Inc., an Idaho notfor-profit corporation, located on the date hereof at the World Center for Birds of Prey, 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho 83709, the sum of $____ (or specifically described property).”

9

Prayer of the African Fish Eagle

10

Tony Crocetta

T

he haunting cry at dawn of the African Fish Eagle is the Munir Virani quintessential sound of Africa. It is yet another awe-inspiring sunrise in Kenya where the golden waters of Lake Baringo appear motionless against the picturesque backdrop of Laikipia Escarpment in Kenya’s Rift Valley. A pod of grunting hippos make a last attempt at grazing on the little grass available to them before seeking refuge in the water. Flocks of flamingoes anoint the pastelcolored sky with their graceful splendor. A new day begins in Africa. The eastern leg of Kenya’s Rift Valley is dotted with a series of spectacular lakes, two of which contain freshwater, Baringo and Naivasha. Baringo lies in a dry thorny-scrub bowl where temperatures often exceed 95°F. The lake area is home to Njemps fishermen and Tugen pastoralists who depend on the lake for sustenance. Over 400 species of birds have been recorded at Baringo and Naivasha where the African Fish Eagles are by far the main star. These magnificent eagles epitomize inland lakes and water systems of the continent, and are effective indicators of the ecological state of aquatic environments. We have been monitoring populations of African Fish Eagles at Lake Baringo over the last three years to begin adding information to an existing longterm monitoring program of the species at Lake Naivasha, 150 km south of Baringo. At Naivasha, populations of fish eagles have plummeted by nearly 50% since the early 1970s. This decline has been caused by decreasing water levels, clearing of Acacia woodland shoreline habitat, and perhaps the most detrimental of all, the introduction of the Louisiana crayfish that has wrought havoc on the lake’s fragile food webs. Counts in the 1970s at Lake Naivasha by the late Leslie Brown recorded approximately 200 fish eagles. In 1994, when we began monitoring fish eagles at Lake Naivasha, populations had dropped to about 110 individuals. By 1997, only 67 fish eagles were present around the lake. This decline was compounded by the fact that nesting had virtually stopped—only one pair produced a single chick in over three years.

Unabated horticultural expansion along the lake shores, an exponential influx of job seekers, and uncontrolled water extraction continue to degrade the already parlous state of Lake Naivasha. The riparian land around its shores is entirely privately owned and is at the heart of the country’s rapidly growing flower industry. The concern that overuse of pesticides and habitat loss may have had an impact on the fish eagle population warranted further studies. My colleagues and I trapped and banded 25 fish eagles, collected blood, and began observing their behavior more closely. Nearly three-quarters of the banded eagles were severely underweight and malnourished, barely sustaining themselves, let alone attaining breeding condition. Raptors, as with other avian species, need to build up adequate body reserves to prime themselves for egg laying. Kenya was experiencing its worst drought, fish populations had crashed below sustainable levels, and the tens of thousands of waterfowl (mainly coot, grebes, and ducks) had disappeared as a result of depletion of their primary food source, submerged water plants that were consumed by the exotic Louisiana crayfish. Then in early 1998, following heavy El Niño rains, it appeared as though the fish eagles’ prayers were answered. The lake level rose by three vertical meters resulting in the formation of crystal clear lagoons fringed by large papyrus belts. Fish populations began to explode and the lake became a cacophony of breeding

activity. Towards the end of that year, at least seven pairs of fish eagles had large chicks in their nests. Immature to adult fish eagle ratios returned to 20%, similar to the level that Brown recorded in the early 1970s. Between 1999 and 2002, the population of African Fish Eagles at Lake Naivasha stabilized between 100 and 106 individuals which appears to be the present carrying capacity of the lake. Understanding the population dynamics of “umbrella species” such as the African Fish Eagle is crucial in detecting changes in the ecology of a fluctuating lake system such as Naivasha. At Lake Baringo, there are approximately 35 fish eagles comprising 15 territorial pairs. Fish eagle populations here have also declined by as much as 50% since the early 1970s. Here, we are trying to understand how the fish eagles are coping with a rapidly sedimenting lake. High turbidity of the water makes it virtually impossible for fish eagles to hunt. At least six pairs of eagles residing on the small islands within the lake are virtually dependent on local community touroperators who feed the eagles on a daily basis. Tourists are taken by boat to habituated eagles that are conditioned to respond to whistles and swoop at fish thrown to them from a mere couple of yards from the boats. Many argue against the value of artificially feeding free-flying eagles, yet economically this is a great boost to the local community. The fish eagles of Lake Baringo generate about $150,000 annually towards the local com-

UPDATE:

T

he Cape Verde Red Kite is found only on the Cape Rick Watson Verde islands, a rather barren archipelago of volcanic Atlantic Ocean islands about 500 kilometers west of Senegal, Africa. Our surveys for kites in May through August 2001 located four red kites on Boavista Island and two on Maio Island, but none were found on Santa Antao, the island considered to be the species’ last stronghold. This species is clearly on the edge of extinction. Our efforts in August 2001 to capture the birds for captive breeding failed due to equipment limitations and an abundance of food in the wild. Grasshoppers were everywhere and the kites were full of the large insects which they plucked with ease from treetops like ripe fruit. With custom traps, renewed enthusiasm, and hope, our field team returned to Cape Verde in June 2002 to find and capture the remaining kites. It was a formidable task. To describe what it took to go to some of the most arid, rugged islands in the tropical Atlantic Ocean looking for far-ranging birds, find them, trap them against the odds of their wary and peculiar behavior, care for them, ensure their health and well-being with limited facilities, transport them from one island to another to care for them in one place, and then transport them to the United Kingdom would take much more space than this brief report allows. Yet, we succeeded! By mid-September, five kites were captured using careful observation, skill, and ingenuity to lure them into our traps. Within days

they were safely delivered to our project partner in the United Kingdom, The National Birds of Prey Centre, where they are receiving the care and attention needed to nurse them into breeding condition. With at least some kites safely in captivity, we plan to continue watching and studying kites remaining in the wild to learn about their behavior and breeding, and be in position to help the species’ recovery.

Captured Cape Verde Red Kite.

Improvised trap.

All photos by Jim Willmarth

munity simply by having fish thrown at them. They are revered and held in high esteem. This is a prime example of raptor conservation and community-based development operating in harmony. We are working closely with Baringo boat-operators to increase knowledge and ethics about raptor conservation of the area. The African Fish Eagle screams again, its head thrown backwards, the echoes ringing in my ears. I feel a tingle running down my spine. Is this a desperate prayer for help? Kenya’s Rift Valley lakes are fast shrinking for lack of water. Changing global climatic conditions combined with Kenya’s disappearing forests may have contributed towards lower rainfall patterns and reduced watershed inflow. Water is scarce, and crops need to be irrigated and livestock watered. Increased evaporation caused by drought conditions and unsustainable water use by farmers exacerbates the problem. Many families have moved closer to the lake and taken up fishing to feed their hungry children. Lake Baringo is getting shallower as a result of siltation. This has followed years of erosion caused by destruction of forests and overgrazing upstream and in the Laikipia catchment. On my drive home, I observe between 20 and 30 bicycles laden with overloaded sacks of charcoal, a sobering testament of the deplorable state of Kenya’s forest management system. From the corner of my eye, I see a fish eagle carrying nesting material and landing on its nest. The pair will perhaps breed this year for they are fed every day. I pass by Lake Naivasha as well, and the water level appears lower than when I saw it just three months ago. The rains have failed yet again and so will breeding. Will the fish eagles’ prayer for help be answered again? The African Fish Eagle Project is conducted by The Peregrine Fund’s Kenya Project with help from the following organizations: University of Leicester, Earthwatch Institute, Department of Ornithology of the National Museums of Kenya, Kenya Wildlife Service, Fisheries Department, Lake Naivasha Riparian Owners Association, and Lake Baringo and Borgoria County Council.

Cape Verde Red Kite

Cape Verde landscape.

11

One of our favorite habitats is on your desk.

explore

Peregrines of North Greenland

W

e began work in North Greenland in 1993, finding one Peregrine FalKurt Burnham con eyrie near Thule Air Base on Mount Dundas. The same location was first reported in 1938 by Danish scientist, Christian Vibe, who photographed a Peregrine flying in front of the cliff. Famed explorer and author, Peter Freuchen, reported seeing the falcons there in the 1940s. Although Peregrines had also been reported from Saunders Island (16 km way), no eyrie is known to have ever been found. That island contains very large seabird colonies of Thick-billed Murres, Black-legged Kittiwakes, and Northern Fulmars. None of the North Greenland or North Pole expeditions reported seeing Peregrines or collected any elsewhere, although a number of Gyrfalcons were shot, skins from which can be found in various museums. Interviewing local hunters in North Greenland in the 1990s we found they did not recognize Peregrines when pointed out in bird books, but all recognized Gyrfalcons and knew of eyries. Only this year did we find a hunter who, to our questions, answered, “Yes, the dark ones,” and explained they began appearing in the last two or three years, but he assumed they were only dark Gyrfalcons. Since our initial re-discovery of the Dundas Peregrine eyrie in 1993, we have located additional sites with territorial Peregrines and found single Peregrines, and sometimes even pairs, loosely associated with a

cliff or area. Many of these are subadults, falcons probably looking for mates and potential future breeding locations. Based on our results we believe Peregrine Falcon density is rapidly increasing in North Greenland as a result of a range expansion from more southern Greenland or from improved reproduction and/or reduced mortality of a once much smaller northern population. Surveys for falcons in North Greenland have now been accomplished from 76° 00’ to 77° 40’ North longitude. We have located Peregrines throughout the area with the most northern-known breeding pair (with four young) at 77° 14’ North. However, an adult female Peregrine relentlessly drove a Gyrfalcon from an area at our very northern survey limit. We did not have an opportunity to search for the Peregrine’s potential eyrie before dense fog moved into the area followed by a storm. We do not yet know how far north Peregrines breed in Greenland, but we are already north of the previously most northern-known breeding location ever reported in the world. Each time we extend our search north we find “That cloud-biting anchor shape, that crossbow flinging through the air...” (J.A. Baker 1967) dominating the sky and their surroundings with their piercing cries and fearless determination.

Young of female Peregrine with satellitemonitored transmitter— August 2002.

shop

plan

give

12

Kurt Burnham

join

Update: Asian Vulture Crisis Project affecting wildlife, domestic, and human populations across the region. The situation is clearly an emergency demanding swift and decisive action. The Peregrine Fund and partners, Ornithological Society of Pakistan and Bird Conservation Nepal, have been working to solve the mystery of the Asian vulture decline since 2000. We began by measuring reproduction and mortality among remaining vultures to provide the first scientifically rigorous data on the rates, patterns, and causes of mortality. Local biologists were equipped and trained in field techniques of raptor study. Our second breeding season began in October 2001. Numbers at our field sites made depressing reading: all populations had declined dramatically in just 12 months, with the colony most severely affected undergoing a 75% reduction in the number of breeding pairs. Tissue samples have been exported for analysis. We have sought the expertise of specialists in the fields of avian diagnostics, microbiology, and toxicology. Lindsay Oaks, Washington State University, is coordinating our diagnostic studies, involving experts in numerous institutions. Features of the development of renal failure in the vultures are becoming clearer, and we are currently exploring several lines of enquiry. The investigation of wildlife mortality is never straightforward; unraveling multiple lines of evidence, theories, and clues is a difficult task. The rate and scale of the vulture decline demands that our work proceed with urgency. Only through combined field study and laboratory diagnosis will the riddle be solved. Our response will depend on uncovering the cause, and will lead to further questions. If an infectious disease is implicated, will the now reduced populations demonstrate a resistance that might allow them to recover? Can the vultures do this on their own, or are there ways we can help them through treatment, vaccination, or captive-breeding? And if pesticide poisoning is occurring, are other species affected, and what should be done about it? We cannot ignore the fragility of the once superabundant vultures of south Asia. We are committed to meeting this challenge, and through hard work and tenacity to help ensure that these species do not slip into history. Martin Gilbert

T

he plight of endangered wildlife is a subject that is familiar to us all. Across Martin Gilbert the globe a host of species are plagued by dwindling numbers, habitat fragmentation, and disruption of ecosystems. For many, the threat of extinction looms ever larger on the horizon. Yet, rarely have the fortunes of a species floundered as spectacularly as those of south Asia’s vultures in the last decade. As recently as 20 years ago the Oriental White-backed Vulture was considered to be the most abundant large bird of prey on the planet. Vultures were a familiar sight, flourishing on the spoils of city and farmland alike. Surely a bird whose very success has been dependant on a rapidly expanding human population must be most resistant of all to extinction? You would think so; but things have changed, and at a rate that is hard to comprehend. No one really knows how many vultures have been lost in the last 10 years, but realistically the number lies in the hundreds of thousands. Normally it would be unusual to find the body of a long-lived species such as a vulture; birds that can live for 20, maybe 30 years or more just do not die that often and are almost never noticed when they do! Yet in less than two years of surveys, we have located more than 1,200 dead vultures in a small area of Pakistan alone. Across the whole region, reports are disturbingly similar: vulture populations have plummeted, in places declining to extinction. The question is why? Despite their traditional success, vultures have always faced a multitude of problems. Their feeding preferences expose them to poisons intended to eradicate feral dogs. Local changes in the disposal of livestock carcasses can deprive the birds of food and force them to move elsewhere. But these are just local problems and do not explain a decline that has occurred almost simultaneously across over a million square miles, and bridging international borders. Suspicions point either to an epidemic of infectious disease that has swept across the subcontinent or a widespread change in the usage of pesticides that has resulted in poisoning and death across a huge area. Either theory is possible, and each is associated with its own array of frightening implications. An infectious agent capable of wiping out a once abundant species could continue spreading well beyond the confines of the region. Diseases know no boundaries, and migratory vultures could seed the infection across the countries of Central Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North Africa. In addition, vultures are large and easily observed birds, and their absence is readily apparent. Perhaps other less visible species have already been affected, or may be affected in the future. A pesticide may be less selective in its effects, and the example of the vultures would be indicative of a far wider problem

Vultures were a familiar sight, flourishing on the spoils of city and farmland alike.

13

from the Three Years with Madagascar Fish Eagles

I

June 1999: The Place of a Thousand Crocodile Eyes

14

fell in love with Madagascar long before I ever got there. Ruth Tingay I had seen pictures of dancing lemurs, upside-down trees, and giant jumping rats and had heard many a tale of exciting discoveries and adventures in this strange and forgotten world, not least the re-discovery of the Madagascar Serpent Eagle by The Peregrine Fund biologists. I was not disappointed when I finally got there myself. My chance came when Rick Watson asked whether I would be interested in studying the critically endangered Madagascar Fish Eagle for my Master’s thesis. He only had to ask once! Rick and other researchers from The Peregrine Fund had been studying the fish eagle since 1991, and they had noticed some unusual breeding behavior at some nest sites. It seemed that some breeding pairs had extra-pair birds involved with their nesting activities, and it was my job to try and shed some light on who these extra-pair birds were. Were they male or female? Why did they occur at some nests but not others? Were they contributing to the success of the breeding attempt or were they waiting in the wings, so to speak, ready to kill the chicks and claim the territory for themselves? Or perhaps they were related to the primary pair. Were they progeny from previous years, delaying their own dispersal into new territories simply because the habitat was no longer available to support them?

Was this behavior limiting the abundance of the fish eagle, causing it to be listed as one of the seven rarest birds of prey in the world? The scene was set for an intriguing five-month field season, which began with a 2 am start on a three-day journey across Madagascar to reach the base camp on the western side of the island. A recent cholera outbreak meant a hastily arranged vaccination in Antananarivo (the capital, known locally as “Tana”) in order to pass the army checkpoint on the main road out of town. Those without a certificate were forced to swallow some suspicious-looking tablets on the spot, causing another roadblock a few miles on as people pulled over to vomit. My traveling companion was Yves, the local Peregrine Fund driver, and as dawn broke we swept up onto the central high plateau where the gaping wounds of erosion were only too apparent. No trees, no wildlife, just a few remote villages and an endless vista of crumbling red soil. The area was littered with the elaborate tombs of the ancestors, quite palatial in comparison to the mud-smeared huts of the living. The Malagasy practice a religion of ancestor worship, where the power of the dead is held in high esteem. Every seven to 12 years the bones are removed from the tomb to provide an opportunity to communicate with, and seek advice from, the dead. Many Mala-

All photos by Ruth Tingay

gasy believe that if their crops have failed, it is a sign that the ancestors are unhappy and efforts must be made to appease their displeasure. After much drinking and dancing, the families re-wrap the bones in a new burial shroud and replace them in the tomb. We descend from the cool highlands down onto the vast, baking western plain, where the tarmac road soon gives way to what can only be described as a glorified ox-cart track. Deeply rutted and dusty, this is Madagascar’s answer to a motorway. We slowly bounce and jolt along in the searing midday sun, accompanied by Yves’ somewhat eclectic taste in music, including Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree interspersed with Guns and Roses Greatest Hits. At sunset we approach the west coast town of Morondava to be greeted by a landscape of upside-down trees (the island’s famous baobabs) and the promise of a hot shower, the last for many months. Our journey continues at dawn as we travel north to the first river crossing,

I sound like someone out of a Tarzan film–“Me study birds.” “Me live England.”

where a “restaurant” serves cold drinks and boiled fruit bat. A seven-hour wait (usually it’s only four) until the ferry arrives and we board the wooden platform that has been nailed to some oil drums for flotation purposes. Another night in a hotel across the river, where I’m lucky enough to get a room at the front so I can enjoy the all-night disco without having to pay an entrance fee. A cold shower and an old mattress shared with fleas and cockroaches heralds the threshold into the glamorous world of fieldwork in Madagascar. Day three and we head further into the unknown, where even the oxcart track ceases to provide any clear route. Fortunately, Yves has made this trip many times and he steers us across the remote plain with his built-in sense of direction, pausing only to shuffle through his cassette box to find the next 70s soundtrack. We enter the giant Tsimembo Forest at dusk and finally pull into the camp by the glimmer of a half-crescent moon. I am exhausted after the journey and hastily erect my tent under the star-studded sky and fall straight to sleep.

I crawl out of my tent at daybreak to set eyes on the tranquil surroundings. Our camp is situated on the shore of one of three large freshwater lakes, surrounded by the dry deciduous Tsimembo Forest. Each lake supports a high concentration of fish eagles, with 12 known pairs in this area (approximately 10% of the total world population). There are wetland and forest birds everywhere, and I try to make sense of the unfamiliar calls and song. I am greeted by the eight Peregrine Fund technicians who live at this camp all year round. They are all employed from the local community and have been trained in the techniques necessary to monitor the fish eagle population. All the technicians speak Malagasy, and some speak French. I try out my rusty schoolgirl French but soon realize that my pocket phrase book will be in high demand this year! I sound like someone out of a Tarzan film—”Me study birds. Me live England.” Fortunately, Loukman, the field manager, speaks some English, and so we discuss the project in a mixture of “Franglaise” and elaborate hand signals. I am eager to get out onto the lake and see my first fish eagle, but Loukman insists I have a tour of the camp first. Camp really comprises very little. Its formal name is Ankivahihy Camp, which, in typical Malagasy style, is as unpro-

continued on page 16

15

Biologist Ruth Tingay (left).

Crocodile Eyes continued from page 15 nounceable as it looks. The nearest I can get to saying it is Camp Handkerchief and this name sticks for the rest of the season. We walk past eight tents, and Loukman tells me which technician sleeps where. The kitchen has a fire pit and a few smoothed-down logs for seating. At the other end of camp is the long-drop toilet, housed inside a mud hut with a thatched roof, and it is home to hundreds of scuttling giant hissing cockroaches. It is fairly classy though as far as long-drops go, as it has a toilet roll holder made from a stick and a couple of pieces of string dangling from the roof. A large wooden building sits in the central area of the camp, although really it is only a shell of a building. Nobody lives in it, but it is used to store all the project field equipment and also makes for a comfortable hideout for the local rat population. There is no running water and no electricity here and the nearest town/village is situated 11 km away on the other side of the forest. Worryingly, the town is called Masoarivo, which translates as “The Place of a Thousand Crocodile Eyes!” Loukman tries to tell me that the Nile Crocodiles here are not dangerous and that it is safe to bathe in the lake. I remember seeing a tomb on the road to camp, which had a mural painted on the outside wall depicting scenes from the dead person’s life. The picture was of a man with his leg in a crocodile’s mouth (presumably how he died). I tell Loukman, “Me scared crocodiles,” and I build myself a shower cubicle from scavenged pieces of wood, well

16

away from the water’s edge! Finally, we head out across the first lake, Soamalipo, in search of the eagles. I hear them before I see them, their calls carrying high over the buzzing boat engine. Loukman points out the large stick nest in the distance, high up in a huge baobab tree well above the forest canopy. As we approach and switch off the engine, I see my first eagle, albeit just a head, poking out over the top of the nest. Another eagle glides in from the far side of the lake and can only be described as looking like a flying door! It has hugely broad wings, and cruises effortlessly in to land on the nest tree. Both eagles call, throwing back their heads and duetting beautifully. I am transfixed and quickly frame the perching eagle in my binoculars. Loukman, looking on like a proud father, tells me this is the male (males have a slightly higher-pitched voice than the females). He is gorgeous! Not the usual black and white color, typical of most sea eagles, but a deep chestnut brown with whitish cheeks and a stark white tail. I can not see any colored bands on his leg that might identify him (some of the fish eagles in this area have been colorbanded to allow researchers to identify certain individuals from a distance). Although we are only about 75 meters away, both eagles appear to ignore us. Loukman explains that the eagles here are used to seeing humans, as all the lakes have large fishing communities camping around the shores. We sit and watch as

the male preens himself and the female settles back down deep into the nest cup. It appears this pair is in the incubation stage of the breeding cycle, which usually lasts for approximately 42 days. Suddenly the male throws his head back and calls again and the female joins in. Then we hear a third bird calling, just out of view and further back into the forest. I scan the tree line looking for it, but it is keeping a low profile. The male has now turned his back on us and is also looking in the direction of the third bird. The third bird calls again, and Loukman identifies it as another male. Our first male leaves the nest tree and flies purposefully towards the direction of the second male. He flies out of sight behind the forest, but we can hear more high-pitched and frantic calls behind the trees. Suddenly they both appear above the tree line, with one male in hot pursuit of the other, both calling wildly. They twist and turn, dip and dive, and then are lost to view again. We listen intently for clues to their location, but everything has gone quiet. I turn my binoculars back onto the female on the nest, but she is not showing any signs of a reaction. After a few minutes, an eagle flies in silently and perches back in the nest tree, a few branches above the nest. I look for a telltale leg band again but can not see any. Loukman signals that we have to leave so he can show me the rest of the lakes, and reluctantly I agree that this would be a good idea, as we start up the engine and head further down the lake to look at the other nest sites.

© W.S. Clark

...the falcons become confident hunters and flyers and slowly wean themselves from the tower...

Aplomado Falcon - Dog Days of Summer

A

s the dog days of summer bring the Aplomado Falcon Erin Gott team closer to the end of the hack season it is difficult not to reflect on the past two months with sentiment and pride. Over the past eight weeks the team acted as guardians to over 100 juvenile Aplomado Falcons. During this time we experienced a spectrum of emotion, from joy when witnessing our falcons’ first flights to despair when discovering a falcon dead from natural predation. But as the summer nears its end and our Aplomado Falcons gain greater confidence in their skills, we understand the project’s big picture. The birds that survive will help supplement the wild population of the Northern Aplomado Falcon. This goal, combined with the dynamic presence of the falcons, is what gives us strength to tolerate the endless hours in tough field conditions. In fact, one of the most challenging aspects of our job is to troubleshoot problems that arise at each hack site. An Aplomado Falcon hack site consists of one or two towers, usually around 10 feet tall, with a hack box secured to the top of each. The box, which usually holds four to seven falcons, consists of three solid sides and a large barred window. From here the young falcons observe their environment for approximately a week before release. On release day the box is opened and the falcons emerge to

find food tethered on the tower’s deck. From this point on the falcons will return to the tower to feed on fresh quail placed daily by the hack site attendants. Over the next six to 10 weeks the falcons become confident hunters and flyers and slowly wean themselves from the tower to become independent. In order to care for the falcons and to collect valuable behavioral observations, hack site attendants spend their days, from sunup to sundown, observing the falcons from a blind about 100 yards away from the tower. These attendants are the project’s eyes and ears. They work long, hot days in often inhospitable environments, keeping track of each Aplomado Falcon. By the end of the summer they are hardened observers with invaluable knowledge of their site, the falcons, and the surrounding ecosystem. This year we had a great group of attendants. With our hack sites located hours apart from each other, communication between attendants and supervisors was critical to the project’s success. A hacked bird scarcely went missing a day without the attendants reporting it to the office. This communication allowed the team to be proactive when problems occurred in the field. For example, shortly after one of our releases a group of older hack birds came in and scared two of the young falcons off the tower. The attendants from the site quickly located the lost Aplo-

mado and reported it to the office. A field supervisor was able to place a portable feed perch near the young falcons, allowing the birds to feed and finally gain enough confidence to return to the tower. Just as the hack site attendants are crucial to the project’s success, the landowners that allow us to work on their properties are invaluable. This year we had the great fortune to release birds on four privately owned ranches, the Means, Miller, El Sauz, and Forshage ranches, and four conservation refuges, Laguana Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, and Welder Wildlife Refuge, and The Nature Conservancy land. It is the support and enthusiasm of the landowners and refuges that give the Aplomado Project legs to stand on. Without access to this land, Texas would be closed to our reintroduction efforts. Just as important is the individual devotion landowners and refuge managers bestow upon the Aplomado project. It is refreshing to see landowners and refuge personnel involved with the falcons. Though each new year presents its own challenges, we are looking forward to returning to Texas next season in order to continue to work with our partners and cooperators, to continue to improve our release techniques, and to expand our knowledge about these amazing falcons.

17

North Greenland 23 July 2002 H ello everyone. I am back after an aborted Bianca Perren five-day trip to Olrik Fjord and the Qaanaaq region. After a 5 am (Lord save me) breakfast and packing the boat full of camping gear, food, and personal bits, we set out yesterday into a thick, occasionally soupy fog and calm water, hopping island to island, point to point, past Drown Bay, Booth Sound, rounding Cape Parry into Hvalsund. In Hvalsund, choked with bergy bits and unfortunately not choked with whales of the narwhal variety, we stopped to check out a Gyrfalcon eyrie where three Gyrs (one adult female and two

chicks) had been caught and transmittered last year (the adult female was followed to Ellesmere and then was lost in Baffin Bay sometime in winter). Bill and Regan went to check out the eyrie while I hung back on the slatey, slick talus slope (the cliff looked a little too precipitous for my liking). The eyrie was empty save for a few relatively recent prey bits suggesting that one of the pair returned and left after a few days with no mate. From my perch below the eyrie, well above the water, I had a great view (intermittently obscured by fog) down to the calving snout of the glacier, which discharged some thunderously massive bergs while I

watched. Back on the water, the fog cleared a bit with an increasing wind, and we made our way down Olrik Fjord. We stopped about a third of the way down Olrik Fjord at Qaqarsseaq for me to sample a lake and for the rest to check out an eyrie on the other side. Jack then checked in with the Thule weather station to discover that the low-pressure system that has been hovering for a while was quickly mobilizing our way and that winds in Thule were already 40 knots. So, leaving the diatoms to their lake and the Gyrs to their eyrie, we battened down the hatches and prepared ourselves for a wet and cold ride home. And what a wild ride it was—

Jack Stephens, jackstephensimages.com

The wild water seemed to fit well with

18

and incredibly beautiful—smooth white lobes of ice dipping down from the plateaus, nosing fresh moraines into the fjord, elsewhere sheer cliffs of gneiss, and once we rounded Cape Parry, smooth broad green and brown plains sloping into the sea. Cape Parry was wild with wind and waves—the fetch along Smith Sound is substantial—and we were airborne, flying along the wave tops, buried in the troughs, and everything inbetween. The wild water seemed to fit well with the rugged and impenetrable coastline and serves as a not so subtle reminder (as if we needed one) that here the weather and ocean rule and going out

on the water is serious business. Lucky for us, we are well equipped with just about the best boat and drivers and weather prediction. So, warm in my survival suit, I held on and enjoyed the ride back to Thule. All told we covered 244 miles (with the tank still reading full...) and got home around 9 pm. Safe and warm and left to write long, long e-mails to family and friends and look out the window at the thickening cloud. So there we go. Now time for you guys to write...

[This is a message Bianca sent to her family and agreed to otherwise share. Bianca is working on her Ph.D. in paleolimnology at the University of Toronto in Canada. Her research is on recent climate change in West Greenland. She is volunteering for The Peregrine Fund this summer while collecting diatoms from lakes in North Greenland. Her M.Sc. research was accomplished on Ellesmere Island reconstructing changes in lake ice cover over the last 2,550 years.]

the rugged and impenetrable coastline…

Kurt Burnham

Jack Stephens, jackstephensimages.com

Bill Burnham

Gyrfalcon in flight.

Above: The snout of a glacier, calving icebergs. Left: Bianca Perren, dressed for a day on the water. Opposite page: The Peregrine Fund’s research boat, dwarfed by an iceberg.

19

California Condors

20

Sophie Osborn.

File photo

A

fter the frenetic activity in April and May, June Sophie Osborn began with relative calm. The Arizona condors spent more and more time on the wing. Overall, the birds frequented predictable areas, dividing their time primarily between the North and South Rims of Grand Canyon National Park, Navajo Bridge, and the North Kaibab Plateau. Much to our relief, our birds of concern (newly-released birds and birds that have been recaptured because of excessive curiosity and unwariness of humans, then later re-released) all behaved like model condors, giving us little cause for worry. Indeed, we often had to worry more about excessive human curiosity than condor curiosity! On several occasions, operators of guided raft trips stopped their boats upon seeing condors playing on Navajo Bridge beach. Rather than watching from a distance, several groups could not resist the temptation of paddling over and beaching their boats. Luckily, even the inexperienced newly-released condors consistently retreated to the safety of the cliffs when persistent rafters, eager to get close-up photos, jumped off the rafts and approached the birds. In the past, condors have not frequented the Navajo Bridge area throughout the summer, so we could only hope that the Navajo Bridge season would soon come to a timely close, ending such unnecessary condor/human interactions. Young condors are extremely curious and do not appear to have an innate wariness of people. Since our condors are released into the wild without their parents to teach them to fear humans, part of our job in monitoring the condors is to give them a scare and haze them away whenever they come too close to people. Over time, the young condors learn to be wary. Should you come across a condor during a visit to the Grand Canyon area, the best thing you can do for the condors is to keep your distance. When people approach the condors to photograph them or observe them at close range, they inadvertently give the birds the message that humans are not to be feared. Unfortunately, such a message may cost a con-

dor its life, as it did for Condor 124 who was shot and killed in March 1999. Aside from learning to stay away from overly curious people, the young birds continued to learn that there are other hazards to be avoided in the wild. On 3 June, juvenile Condor 240 was struck by a diving, territorial Peregrine Falcon. Fortunately, Condor 240 showed no ill effects from this encounter. Even older, wiser condors are sometimes not immune to single-minded aerial hazards! Six-year-old Condor 134 was also hit by a Peregrine a mere two days after Condor 240’s encounter. The feisty Peregrine went on to harass young Condor 223. Hopefully, the condors will put lessons learned from their encounters with falcons to future good use in potential encounters with far more dangerous Golden Eagles. While certain hazards can easily be foreseen and often headed off by watchful crew members, every now and then those of us who watch over the released condors are taken by surprise and can only watch helplessly as one of our young birds finds itself in a potential life and death struggle. On 9 June, new crew member Kate Parmentier was keeping a close watch over the condors in the Navajo Bridge area: Condors 114, 158, 162, 195, 223, 227, 240, and 246. It was a high wind day and the bridge appeared to roll under Kate’s feet as she looked down at the beach and river over 450 feet below her. As she watched, two-year-old Condor 227, who had been

playing on the beach, took off and began flying to the other side of the river. Condor 227 has always been an exceptional young flier. He has amazed us by making repeated flights back and forth from one favorite condor hangout to another during the course of a single day. He once flew from the release site to the South Rim, then back to the release site, a round-trip of more than 100 miles, in two hours! He has grappled with a Bald Eagle and chased off Golden Eagles. In short, he has shown himself to be a spectacular young condor. How great was Kate’s surprise, therefore, when Condor 227, making a routine flight across the Colorado River, stalled and dropped into the fastflowing water! Helplessly she watched as 227 was carried down river. With only his head and parts of his wings above water, 227 struggled for the shore that he had left so confidently moments before. In an agony of suspense, Kate trained her binoculars on Condor 227 as he battled the current and fought his way back to the beach. The river was running high and fast. It must have felt like hours to Kate, but within minutes, Condor 227 hauled himself back to safety and emerged dripping wet from the water. “I thought we were going to lose him for sure,” Kate wrote in her field notes. But echoing the sentiments of the entire field crew, she continued, “but 227 is an amazing condor!”

Reproduced from The Peregrine Fund, ENewsletter, Notes from the Field, June 2002

New members welcome.

Our Promise: We will only directly request your contribution once a year and then it will be by mail, so please give generously. We will keep your name and address confidential. They will not be traded or sold to others. We will keep you informed of our progress through reports, newsletters, and our web site. We will work hard to see your dollars are spent carefully and effectively. We will do our best to make a meaningful difference.

Membership Benefits •

Newsletter Subscription

•

Annual Report

•

10% Discount on Gift Shop and Catalog Purchases

•

Special Events Notification

Join us today at www.peregrinefund.org or return the enclosed envelope.

Use the order form and envelope in this newsletter, or call 1-800-377-3721 to order.

Polar Fleece Vest

Visit our website at www.peregrinefund.org for these and other great items. Remember, all purchases from our catalog support our projects!

Stay warm and look great! Try one of these comfy fleece vests on for size! Available in vivid royal blue, each vest is enhanced with The Peregrine Fund logo embroidered on the front. . . . . . . .$47.50

2002 Christmas Ornament The Mauritius Kestrel is featured on the 2002 Christmas ornament. The image was created by John Schmitt and produced by Barlow Designs, Inc. Each ornament is engraved on the back with “The Peregrine Fund 2002.” Visit our website for the entire collection of ornaments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $17.50

California Condor Mugs by Ellen Parish These original hand crafted and painted pottery mugs are one of a kind. Each unique mug contains two California Condors in flight and the words “The Peregrine Fund.” Each mug is signed by the artist. Please allow us to select one for you. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $19.95 Bald Eagle Head Pin This flashy Bald Eagle head pin is 1 inch tall and shows the finest of detail. Made out of metal, the glossy finish is eye catching. Make your birds of prey ensemble complete with this pin. . . . . . . . . . . . . $25.95

Cool North Wind — Morley Nelson’s life with birds of prey California Condor Chick This soft and plush California Condor chick is a must have for anyone who has been following the success story of the California Condors. Soon we hope to have chicks in the wild in Arizona, but for now you may have your own at home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $6.95

Written by Stephen Stuebner, Cool North Wind is an account of Morley Nelson’s life with birds of prey. From his early childhood to carrying the Olympic Torch through Boise this past winter, the book spans Nelson’s entire life. Hardcover—431 pages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95

Photo by Rick Kline

The Peregrine Fund World Center for Birds of Prey 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane Boise, ID 83709 United States of America

www.peregrinefund.org

Non-Profit Organization U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Boise, ID Permit No. 606