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[T40cfr403]

Invited Commentary: Fifty Years of Raptor Research

http://www.bioone.org.sci-hub.io/doi/10.3356/0892-1016-51.2.95


Abstract

This review examines the main developments that have occurred over the past 50 years in our understanding of three aspects of raptor biology: (1) natural factors that limit breeding densities; (2) influences of toxic chemicals; and (3) movements and migrations. Early evidence indicated that raptor breeding densities were limited naturally by the availability of either prey or nest sites, whichever was in shortest supply in the area concerned. More recent evidence has shown that predation can have additional influence, with larger raptors and owls limiting the numbers of smaller ones to below what food or nest sites would permit. In addition, it has become apparent that some migratory raptors, like other migratory birds, can be limited in their migration and wintering areas to levels below those that conditions in breeding areas would permit. As many raptor populations have recovered from the effects of organochlorine pesticides, attention has switched to other limiting agents, including lead (from ammunition), which is currently preventing California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) from establishing self-sustaining populations in the wild, and anti-inflammatory veterinary drugs, which have caused massive declines in Asia vultures (Gyps spp.). The development of radio-tracking enabled studies of the local movements of individual raptors, providing new information on territories and ranging behavior, while satellite-based tracking has revealed the migration routes, wintering areas, and behavior of hundreds of individual birds.

[T40cfr403]

Offshore migration of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) along the Atlantic Flyway

http://www.briloon.org/uploads/BRI_Documents/Wildlife_and_Renewable_Energy/2014%20Report%20Ch%2017%20-%20Offshore%20migration%20of%20Peregrine%20Falcons%20along%20the%20Atlantic%20Flyway%20-%2014pg.pdf

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BLOOD‐LEAD LEVELS OF FALL MIGRANT GOLDEN EAGLES IN WEST‐CENTRAL MONTANA

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/get_the_lead_out/pdfs/Domenich_and_Langler_2009.pdf

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Dudek, Ben - The role of Trichomonas gallinae and hematophagous ectoparasites in golden eagle nesting ecology

https://raptorresearchcenter.boisestate.edu/dudek-ben-the-role-of-trichomoniasis-gallinae-and-hematophagous-ectoparasites-in-golden-eagle-nesting-ecology/




From: The Distribution and Relative Abundance of Mexican Chicken Bugs in Golden Eagle Nests in Southwestern Idaho
*BENJAMIN M. DUDEK

"Hematophagous ectoparasites can increase the costs
associated with reproduction of many raptor species.
Raptor nestlings require substantial energy for growth
and development, leaving little capacity to deal with
health challenges caused by nest ectoparasites.
Ectoparasite-induced anemia can reduce nestling mass
and immunocompetence, and repeated exposure to biting
insects may elicit stress responses triggering premature
fledging. Insects in the family Cimicidae (Order Hemiptera)
can significantly impact host species because both
nymphs and adults require blood meals. One species in
particular, the Mexican Chicken Bug (Haematosiphon
inodora), has been shown to negatively impact nestling
development, cause premature fledging, and nestling
mortality in a variety of raptor species. In 1996, a new
northern latitudinal distribution of Mexican Chicken Bugs
was reported in the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of
Prey National Conservation Area (NCA). Our objectives
were to assess the distribution and relative abundance of
Mexican Chicken Bugs in Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
nests along the Snake River Canyon in the NCA. We visited
Golden Eagle nests throughout the breeding season and
quantified abundance using cimicid-specific traps at nest
sites. We compared relative abundance of Chicken Bugs to
nestling health and development and we evaluated nest site
characteristics to understand the factors that may increase
risk of Chicken Bug infestation. We also evaluated the use of
aromatic green plant material at nest sites as a method for
controlling abundance. We estimated the amount of plant
material in each nest, collected samples of nest material
for identification and chemical analysis, and compared
the presence of aromatic green plants to ectoparasite
abundance."

From: PROTOCOL FOR GOLDEN EAGLE OCCUPANCY, REPRODUCTION, AND PREY POPULATION ASSESSMENT
Prepared By Daniel E. Driscoll Bald and Golden Eagle Biologist American Eagle Research Institute

"If nest infestations are severe, the bugs can kill young eagles by depleting body fluids and making them more susceptible to heat stress (Hunt et al. 1992, Driscoll et al. 1999).

Nests infested with Mexican chicken bugs tend to harbor the parasites each year the eagles use
that particular nest. The parasites can be killed by a thorough application of diatomaceous earth
after young have fledged, or in extreme cases, during nest climbs to band young (J. Driscoll pers.
comm.). Nest infestations could possibly be controlled by the application of pyrethrins (a
naturally occurring neurotoxin insecticide made from Chrysanthemum cinerariaefolium flowers)
after the young have fledged, or in extreme cases, during nest climbs to band young. Young can
also be sprayed with a pyrethrin solution. If a particular nest is not accessible to climbing,
diatomaceous earth or pyrethrins could potentially be applied by use of a shotgun or a paint-ball
gun from a helicopter. Synthetic pyrethroids (Bifenthrin, Permethrin, and Cypermethrin) are
currently produced commercially.

[T40cfr403]

Identifying Power Line Collision Risk Areas for Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Using Telemetry Data

*CRISTINA A. FRANK ([email protected]),
Pepco Holdings, Newark, DE, U.S.A. ELIZABETH K. MOJICA,
EDM International, Inc Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A. KATHLEEN
CLARK, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Woodbine,
NJ, U.S.A.

Avian protection is a critical issue for electric power delivery
companies. Avian interactions with power lines can result in
death/injury for birds and power outages. Pepco Holdings
(PHI), a power delivery company, developed an Avian
Protection Program (APP) to improve power reliability,
ensure customer satisfaction, and minimize risk to birds. PHI
utilizes an APP to respond to avian incidents and proactively
minimize electrocution and collision hazards on its system.
Effective avian protection requires the identification of high
priority bird use areas where proactive retrofitting and avian-
friendly pole design could prevent electrocution and collision
incidents. PHI?s service territory includes the Chesapeake
Bay and Delaware Estuary where thousands of Bald Eagles
congregate year-round from breeding and migratory
populations. Bald Eagle collisions with electric infrastructure
are increasing in the region and usually result in death or
injury to eagles. Mitigation techniques include marking
power lines with bird flight diverters to increase line visibility
to eagles. PHI collaborated with the New Jersey Division of
Fish and Wildlife to identify high priority eagle areas where
risk mitigation efforts could be implemented. Telemetry data
from a five year tracking study involving seven New Jersey
Bald Eagles was used to identify communal roosts and flight
paths entering and exiting roosts. Collision risk around each
roost was assessed by examining intersections of eagle flight
paths with nearby distribution and transmission lines. Using
telemetry data, 78 eagle roosts were identified in Maryland,
Delaware, and New Jersey. Eagle flight paths highlighted
21 areas around roosts where PHI can evaluate the
engineering/construction feasibility of proactive line marking.
Areas with the highest collision risk were power lines
adjacent to or bisecting water with little to no vegetation to
shield the lines. Collision risk and roost locations will be used
to inform future eagle management in the region and to
prioritize PHI?s risk mitigation efforts.

[T40cfr403]

Wind Wildlife Research Meeting XI - Presentation Abstracts - Nov. 29 thru Dec. 2, 2016

https://www.nationalwind.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/WWRMXI_Abstracts-11-21-16.pdf

RAPTOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION - 2016 Annual Conference | Cape May, NJ

http://www.raptorresearchfoundation.org/files/2016/11/2016_conference_program.pdf

Raptor Research Foundation | 2015 Annual Conference

http://www.raptorresearchfoundation.org/files/2015/11/2015_conference_program.pdf

Raptor Research Foundation 2014 Annual Meeting

http://www.raptorresearchfoundation.org/files/2014/09/2014_program.pdf

[T40cfr403]

Ingestion of lead from ammunition and lead concentrations in white-tailed sea eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Sweden

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222422738_Ingestion_of_lead_from_ammunition_and_lead_concentrations_in_White-tailed_Sea_Eagles_Haliaeetus_albicilla_in_Sweden

Sublethal Lead Exposure Alters Movement Behavior in Free-Ranging Golden Eagles

http://cdn-pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.est.6b06024

"Our study highlights lead exposure as a considerably more serious threat to wildlife conservation than previously realized and suggests implementation of bans of lead ammunition for hunting."

[T40cfr403]

Power Pole Density Informs Spatial Prioritization for Mitigating Avian Electrocution
*JAMES F. DWYER

Reports of raptor and corvid electrocutions collectively indicate
continental conservation concerns for breeding, migrating, and
wintering birds. Although concerns are widespread, mitigation
is implemented primarily at local scales of individual electric
utilities. By not considering landscape-scale patterns, conservation
strategies may fail to focus mitigation where efforts are needed
most. To enable resource managers to consider electrocution risk
at larger scales, we developed a regional model of distribution
power pole density in a grid of 1 square kilometer (km2) cells
throughout Colorado and Wyoming. To do so, we obtained data
on pole locations from a sample of electric utilities covering 31%
of Colorado and Wyoming. We used these in a Random Forest
machine learning classification procedure based on anthropogenic
and natural land-cover characteristics to develop a predictive model
of power pole density. We used out-of-sample validation to test
the model, then predicted pole density across two U.S. states. Pole
density was influenced by road lengths, number of oil and gas
wells, slope, development, and land cover. Poles were densest in
areas with high road lengths, high numbers of wells, and relatively
flat terrain, and in areas developed for agriculture or human
residences. When model predictions are viewed together with
species-specific habitat maps, locations where high pole densities
overlap high-quality habitat suggest areas where mitigating
electrocution risk could be prioritized. As an example, we
compared model predictions with Golden Eagle (
Aquila chrysaetos
)
breeding season foraging habitat in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming
to identify candidate areas of high electrocution potential. If poles
in these areas were not built or previously retrofitted to minimize
electrocution risk, retrofitting measures focused there may offer
substantial conservation impacts. Thus, the model provides a
framework for systematic spatial prioritization in support of
regional conservation planning.

[T40cfr403]

Identifying Power Line Collision Risk Areas for Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Using Telemetry Data

*CRISTINA A. FRANK ([email protected]),
Pepco Holdings, Newark, DE, U.S.A. ELIZABETH K. MOJICA,
EDM International, Inc Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A. KATHLEEN
CLARK, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Woodbine,
NJ, U.S.A.

Avian protection is a critical issue for electric power delivery
companies. Avian interactions with power lines can result in
death/injury for birds and power outages. Pepco Holdings
(PHI), a power delivery company, developed an Avian
Protection Program (APP) to improve power reliability,
ensure customer satisfaction, and minimize risk to birds. PHI
utilizes an APP to respond to avian incidents and proactively
minimize electrocution and collision hazards on its system.
Effective avian protection requires the identification of high
priority bird use areas where proactive retrofitting and avian-
friendly pole design could prevent electrocution and collision
incidents. PHI?s service territory includes the Chesapeake
Bay and Delaware Estuary where thousands of Bald Eagles
congregate year-round from breeding and migratory
populations. Bald Eagle collisions with electric infrastructure
are increasing in the region and usually result in death or
injury to eagles. Mitigation techniques include marking
power lines with bird flight diverters to increase line visibility
to eagles. PHI collaborated with the New Jersey Division of
Fish and Wildlife to identify high priority eagle areas where
risk mitigation efforts could be implemented. Telemetry data
from a five year tracking study involving seven New Jersey
Bald Eagles was used to identify communal roosts and flight
paths entering and exiting roosts. Collision risk around each
roost was assessed by examining intersections of eagle flight
paths with nearby distribution and transmission lines. Using
telemetry data, 78 eagle roosts were identified in Maryland,
Delaware, and New Jersey. Eagle flight paths highlighted
21 areas around roosts where PHI can evaluate the
engineering/construction feasibility of proactive line marking.
Areas with the highest collision risk were power lines
adjacent to or bisecting water with little to no vegetation to
shield the lines. Collision risk and roost locations will be used
to inform future eagle management in the region and to
prioritize PHI?s risk mitigation efforts.

[T40cfr403]

Advances in Tracking Movement of Raptors
*TODD E. KATZNER

Tracking movement is an important theme in raptor
research. Over the past 50 yrs, the techniques used to
track movement of raptors have improved dramatically. To
understand the development of tracking studies over time
and to describe the techniques used, I surveyed all issues
of The Journal of Raptor Research (JRR) from its inception
(as Raptor Research News) in 1967 through 2016. The
simplest and oldest way to track movement of raptors is
via banding, and such studies have been a part of JRR
since two were first published in 1970. Although banding is
basic, analysis techniques and band records have improved
and more than half of banding studies in JRR have been
published since 2009. The most commonly used mechanism
to track movement of raptors is via conventional VHF radio
tracking. VHF is useful because it can be used with small
raptors and ≥ 82 such studies have been published in
JRR, generally 0-6 per year, the vast majority from 1980
to the present. Since 2002, there have been ~30 satellite
telemetry studies, nearly all using the ARGOS satellite
system and either Doppler shift or GPS to determine animal
location. Since 2010, several new techniques have arrived
on the animal tracking scene. These include GPS systems
that allow download via either the mobile phone network
(three studies) or a VHF connection (one study), light-level
geolocators (one study) and stable isotope ratios (three
studies). Although banding, VHF and satellite technologies
provide less information than does use of more recently
developed technologies, they have a number of strengths
and they should remain prominent in the literature as other
techniques continue to be developed and refined.
________________________________________

[T40cfr403]

Juvenile dispersal of Bald Eagles (Halieeatus leucocephalus) in the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia, U.S.A (sounds familiar  )

*TRICIA A. MILLER, ([email protected]), MELISSA
BRAHAM & ADAM DUERR, West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV, U.S.A. JEFF COOPER, Virginia Department
of Game and Inland Fisheries, Fredericksburg, VA, U.S.A.
MICHAEL J. LANZONE, Cellular Tracking Technologies, LLC,
Somerset, PA, U.S.A. JAMES T. ANDERSON, Division of
Forestry and Natural Resources, West Virginia University,
Morgantown, WV, U.S.A. TODD E. KATZNER, U.S. Geological
Survey, Forest & Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center
Boise, ID, U.S.A

Long-lived species of raptors tend to mature slowly and
have a prolonged but poorly understood pre-breeding phase.
To better understand this phase of the life-cycle of Bald
Eagles (Halieeatus leucocephalus), we tracked 17 nestling
Bald Eagles from 13 nests during 2013 ? 2015 in the
Chesapeake Bay region of Virginia, U.S.A. Between 2013
and 2016, we tracked these eagles for an average of 618
? 386 ds (?SD; range: 79 ? 1054) and collected a total of
1,731,333 GPS locations (mean: 101,753/bird ? 84,729;
range: 8,266 ? 241,509). Our analysis suggested that eagle
movements were highly variable among individuals. Eagles
fledged between 16 May?13 Jun (1 Jun ? 6.1 days) and
dispersed from their nest site 57 ? 15.5 ds later (range: 44
? 97 ds) from 14 Jul ? 31 Aug. Maximum dispersal distance
was 1040 km and the minimum distance was 9 km. On
average juveniles dispersed 360 ? 74.7 km. Direction of
long-distance movements varied, but typically they were
to the north (n = 12; 70.5%) and rarely to the south (n
= 3; 17.6%) or east (n = 1; 5.8%). These long-distance
movements were typically short-lived (i.e., eagles returned
to their general natal area) and usually occurred within
a month of leaving the nest site. However, juvenile eagles
occasionally moved far from the natal area in subsequent
years and stayed at a distant site for as long as 3 mos, a
movement that might be described as migration. Following
dispersal from the natal area, juvenile eagles utilized a
variety of habitat types including densely populated urban
areas (e.g., New York City, NY), upland agricultural areas,
landfills, airports, and wildlife refuges. Our data highlight the
highly variable nature of juvenile Bald Eagle movements and
allow us to understand potential threats eagles may face
following dispersal from their natal areas.
_______________________________________

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Bald Eagle Lead Exposure in the Upper Midwest

S.E. WARNER, ED E. BRITTON and *DREW N. BECKER
([email protected]), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Moline, IL, U.S.A. M.J. COFFEY

In 2012, 58 Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) that
were found dead along the Upper Mississippi River and
in the adjacent states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa
were (1) examined for clinical signs of lead exposure, (2)
measured for morphometric data, and (3) analyzed for
lead in livers. Sixty percent of Bald Eagles had detectable
lead concentrations and 37.9% had concentrations within
the lethal range for lead poisoning. The results of the liver
lead analysis prompted us to initiate a voluntary non-lead
ammunition voucher program during the 2012 managed
deer hunts at the Lost Mound Unit of the Upper Mississippi
River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge (Refuge) in
northwest Illinois. This was the first program in the National
Wildlife Refuge System known to provide vouchers for
free non-lead ammunition to reduce the threat of lead on
the landscape and exposure to Bald Eagles. Of 31 white-
tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) harvested during
managed deer hunts on the Refuge, 32.3% were shot with
non-lead ammunition provided by the voucher program,
25.8% were shot with non-lead ammunition provided by
the hunter, and 41.9% were shot with lead ammunition.
We collected and radiographed the offal from the deer
shot with lead ammunition. The radiographs showed that
38.5% of the offal, which would have been discarded on
the Refuge, contained lead fragments ranging from 1-107
particles per offal specimen. This indicates that lead is on the
landscape and available to Bald Eagles. The use of non-lead
ammunition for deer hunting is an effective management
tool that reduces the amount of lead on the landscape,
thus limiting exposure to Bald Eagles and other scavenging
wildlife. Increasing hunter awareness through a broad
information campaign on the relationship of lead ammunition
to lead exposure in Bald Eagles is an important management
tool for voluntary use of non-lead ammunition.


Bald Eagle Lead Exposure in the Upper Midwest

https://www.fws.gov/uploadedFiles/Warneretal2014.pdf

[T40cfr403]

Testing Perch Deterrents and Supplemental Perches Designed to Mitigate Raptor Electrocutions

*MICHAEL C. TINCHER ([email protected]) and GAIL E.
KRATZ, Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, Fort Collins,
CO, U.S.A. JAMES F. DWYER and RICK E. HARNESS, EDM
International, Inc., Fort Collins, CO, U.S.A.

Avian electrocution is an ongoing globally important
conservation concern. Electrocutions occur because most
overhead power lines are constructed with bare wire, to
reduce wire weight, which reduces the number of poles
needed per line. This allows lower energy costs, but can
place birds, particularly raptors, at risk of electrocution
when perching on poles. Electrocution mitigation focuses
primarily on covering energized wires and equipment.
Sometimes, covering energized components is not feasible,
so perch deterrents and supplemental perches are used to
shift perching raptors away from high risk points. Because
these methods have met with limited success in the field,
we are working to identify their strengths and weaknesses.
We have completed two year-long studies, and are currently
conducting another, evaluating the effectiveness of perch
deterrents and supplemental perches on mock power
poles within a flight conditioning enclosure of a wildlife
rehabilitation center. To test a spiked perch deterrent
designed to prevent raptor perching between insulators,
we evaluated perching by 16 raptors. As reported in
Northwestern Naturalist in 2016, deterrents were perched
upon significantly less than all other perch options, and
were perched upon significantly less than expected given
their proportional availability. To test a supplemental perch,
we compared perching on cross arms with and without
a supplemental perch. As reported in Colorado Birds in
2016, the 17 raptors we tested used the supplemental
perch significantly more than all other perch options, and
the supplemental perch was perched upon significantly
more than expected given its proportional availability. These
data demonstrate that, at least in a captive setting, raptors
can be shifted from high-risk perching locations on a pole.
Our ongoing study builds on the two completed projects by
evaluating the effectiveness of a combined perch deterrent
* Presenting Author
** William C. Andersen Memorial Award Candidate
RAPTOR RESEARCH FOUNDATION
2016 Annual Conference | Cape May, NJ
78
and supplemental perch. Our presentation will summarize
and illustrate methods and results of all three studies.
_________________________________________

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Journal of Raptor Research - Table of Contents - Jun 2017

http://www.bioone.org/toc/rapt/51/2

[T40cfr403]

Stunning fossil reveals prehistoric baby bird caught in amber

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/06/09/stunning-fossil-reveals-prehistoric-baby-bird-caught-in-amber/?utm_term=.d569c7a145f8&wpisrc=nl_most-draw14&wpmm=1