Cape May - Raptor Banding Demonstration

Certain days of the week there is a raptor banding demonstration near the Hawk Watch at Cape May.  I found it most interesting. Since they started banding hawks, they've banded over 132,000 and gotten data back from over 2000. One of the more interesting stories was of a chick that was banded in the nest Greenland and captured at Cape May a mere three weeks later! Amazing!

Most of the time, the birds are captured, banded and immediately released. For the demonstration, the raptors are put in these tubes because it calms them down.  They are only kept in these tubes a very short time, long enough for the visitors to see these amazing creatures up close and to learn about them in a way that would not be possible otherwise. The birds are released unharmed to continue on their journey south.

In order to capture the raptors to band them, you must set a trap using bait birds. The bait birds used are pigeons, starlings, and house sparrows. However, it is amazing how these bait birds are treated. They have flack jackets tailored for each size bird. The pigeon's protective gear is made from Lexus leather car seats.

The sparrow's is made from leather jackets. The sparrow one was so tiny and actually cute.

 We got to see  sharp shinned hawks,

a Cooper's hawks,

and a peregrin falcon. 

He showed us how their feet are specially made to capture their prey and how their heads don't move during flight so they can find their prey easier.

The crowd was fascinated, as was I.  I hadn't brought my big camera, but I couldn't help myself - I pulled out my iPhone and was shooting snapshots for memories.

The Hawk

Birdsong fills the air in the mornings at my house. From the "ter radio radio radio" of the wren, the "pa-tewter pa-tewter pa-tewter" of the cardinals, the redwing blackbirds harsh cry, and the white wing doves coo, I hear a beautiful symphony to start my day. While I was enjoying the tranquilty of the morning and the birds visiting the feeders, I saw a bird coming in fast from the treeline across the road. I could tell it was a bigger bird than the doves and the sparrows, but it was coming in much faster . . . I realized it was a small hawk and it was certainly on a mission. It came in low only slightly above the grassline flying through the barbed wire fence -the destination - the hanging feeder on the other side of my front porch. I had moved my sitting spot toward the north end of my long porch to have better viewing of my bluebirds so I did not see whether he was successful in his stealth raid. I only saw him come in, I did not see his departure. But all the little birds disappeared. The air was eerily silent. From the woodpile in the pasture, I would occasionally hear a very small, very timid "Peep" . . . . "Peep" . . . . . . . . . . . . "Peep" My realm was very silent for a very long time as the birds fled to their hiding places. Thirty to forty five minutes later, my "regulars" slowly began to return.

Since I had a sharp shinned hawk during the winter, my best guess is that my raptor was either a sharp shinned or a cooper's hawk. While I have had northern harriers in the area recently, this bird's behavior and appearance did not match.

Having seen this quick and unexpected attack . . . I can't help but wonder if my missing bluebird has been a meal for this hawk.

My Sharp Shinned Hawk

Recently, I looked out my living room window and to my surprise and delight there was a little hawk perched in the tree right outside the window. I ran for my camera and first shot through the window so i could have something with which to better identify it later after it flew. Then I sneaked out the front door and got a few more shots.

I went to my bird identification books and puzzled over the ID, studying each of the hawks and their relative sizes. I narrowed my choice down to the Sharp Shinned Hawk, a juvenile. To verify and have a more positive ID, I posted a photo on my website and posted to Texbirds. Texbirds is really great. I got lots of posts and emails with so much help in nailing an identification. I also learned a lot about another very similar hawk - the Cooper's hawk.

From the information I've been given and based upon the size (which since it shows up so close to the house and to me even when I sneak out), I'm pretty sure I have a juvenile Sharp shinned. This is a very small hawk. Its tail seems to be squared. The streaks on its breast are wide and broad with some barring. And even the white tip on the tail is narrow and appears notched like the sharp shin description in my Peterson Field Guide. Since the RGV Birding Festival, I've been using the Sibley guide, but one of my responders mentioned that I should go back to Petersen's. I don't think I could have made the initial ID from Petersens guide, but the details to look for made this identification easier.

But now the fun begins. As we were packing up for our Amarillo trip, I glanced out the window again. There was my "sharpie" on the ground under the rosebushes. This was the second time I'd seen him under the rose bushes, although the first time he was under a different bush. I thought then that perhaps he was trying to get to a suet packet that had fallen down there. But this time, I watched him almost fly through the densely branched (and thorned) bush chasing a little bird. He then moved over to a more open area under some other bushes and waited, biding his time hoping for dinner. I did not have time to watch all of the drama, but in my viewing he never caught his dinner. But I learned some things about his behavior . . . I was expecting him to swoop down from the tree to get his prey, not run them down or try to scramble through the dense rose bushes. Why doesn't he get scratched? Will he still be there when we get back home?

Another interesting side note to this story: When I went to stock up on the seed cylinders that help keep my bird feeding consistent even when we are gone, I mentioned that I had attracted some hawks. The first thing the owner said was that I should scare them off. I mentioned that on Texbirds and the feedback was mixed. Yes, this bird is a hawk. Yes, he will eat some of the little birds I am attracting. Yes, I love my chickadees, white crowned sparrows, Harris sparrows, orange crowned warblers, ruby crowned kinglets . . . . But . . . . I like hawks too. At the moment, I think it is pretty cool that my feeding over the last few years has attracted enough little birds that my property is now attractive to the raptors as well. And my property has always had water birds because of the pond. At the moment we like having the full spectrum of an ecosystem. I guess we'll have to wait and watch what happens. And I have noticed that I don't have quite as many little birds in the mornings, they're a little skittish.

The Raptor Field Trip

One of the special events at this NANPA was a visit to Fort Collins to visit the raptors that are part of the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program. This program nurses injured birds back to health and provides programs for education. We got to see and photograph six birds - an American kestral, a swainson hawk, a golden eagle, a great horned owl, a long eared owl, and a burrowing owl. The volunteers were especially good at placing the birds so that we had natural backgrounds for our photos.

Yes, these are captive birds, but they have all been injured or damaged in some way, and probably would not survive in the wild. The burrowing owl had lost one eye - they don't know how but suspect he got hit by a car. One of my positions on captive animals is that they act as good will ambassadors for their species. By educating our children as to the beauty, magesty, and purpose of these animals, they will learn to appreciate nature and hopefully gain the desire to preserve our natural resources.

When I have attended various sessions such as this, it helps me better identify the birds in the wild. I also appreciate the beauty of their feather patterns and their keen intelligence. It is truly a joy and a privilege to spend time with these incredible birds of prey.