19 Sep
2015

Posted in: ASRI, Audubon Society of Rhode Island, Uncategorized
By Hugh    No Comments

Raptors Invade ASRI’s Education Center

Saker falcon.

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Some feed on insects, others on mice. Still others dine on ducks, and a very few are capable of making off with Pepe the Chihuahua. Some have a punch that packs a wallop, and most could spot a vole a hundred yards away. What they all have in common is that they are all raptors, and they all came to visit the Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s (ASRI’s) Education Center in Bristol as part of Raptor Weekend.

Eagles, hawks, falcons, owls… all of them fall under the classification “raptor”, Latin for “to seize or grasp.” They usually feed on live prey, often “grasping” it in their talons and then tearing into it with sharp beaks. Wildlife rehabilitators, falconers, and photographers came from all over New England to participate in one of Audubon’s biggest fundraiser of the year. The two day event featured an ongoing rotation of lectures and demonstrations, all devoted to some of nature’s most talented predators.

Marcia Wilson with a Barred owl.

Under one canopy, Marcia and Mark Wilson, founders of “Eyes on Owls”, displayed a series of owls they keep for educational purposes. Their birds are all disabled in some way. In many cases, they were hit by cars, and the damage done prohibited them from being released into the wild. Two of the smallest the Wilsons showed were Screech owls. At only three or four ounces, Screeches can be found throughout New England, often tucked into the hollow of a tree. Despite the name, they normally make a cooing sound, particularly in the spring during mating season.

The Wilsons worked their way through their collection according to size, including a Great Horned owl (the raptor that has actually been documented seizing a Chihuahua) and a Snowy owl. Snowies, which have attracted much attention in Rhode Island for the past two winters, have one of the fasted horizontal flight speeds, said Mark Wilson. The white and black birds chase after ducks at up to 60 mph. With a list of prey some 100 species in number, Snowies have a diverse palate. Wilson also reminded the audience that those who arrive in RI are actually not starved, as some had initially thought.

Snowy owl

Rather, they are often the juvenile offspring that resulted from a bumper crop of lemmings, small rodents that make up much of the Snowies’ diet, in the Arctic. Plentiful food means more successful broods, and as the broods fledge, they will search into more southern ranges if those closest to home are crowded.

The event also featured a number of booths designed for budding ornithologists, including one demonstrating nest building techniques, another featuring face painting, and others demonstrating the bone structure and feathers of raptors. Indoors, photographer Peter Green from Providence Raptors discussed his work capturing urban raptor images. Green was selected by Audubon as photographer of the popular Peregrine falcon nest atop the “Superman building” (the former Industrial National Bank) in Providence. Green followed ornithologists as they banded and weighed the chicks, which are also the subject of ASRI’s web cam each spring.

Saker falcon.

Behind the building, the crowd assembled on a grassy slope overlooking ASRI’s nature trail. At the foot of the slope, Lorrie Schumacher strode out in front of the crowd carrying a Saker falcon. A large bird, its young age meant its markings were less distinct than typically associated with falcons. Schumacher is the founder of Talons!, a New York organization featuring raptor encounters. In this case, her focus was on demonstrating flight, and the hour-long program included several species of raptors. The Saker she brought, Schumacher said, kills its prey with a “falcon punch”. It swoops in on its prey at great speed, with its talons balled into a kind of fist. It “punches” the prey in the breast, which stuns the animal and leaves the falcon just enough time to finish it off with its beak.

Lorrie Schumacher with a Barn owl.

Among the largest was a Eurasian Eagle owl. An imposing bird, “Big Mamma” flew from Schumacher to a perch some 100 feet away, lighting easily to feast on meat her handler had left there. It is the European Eagle that is capable of actually taking down a fawn. While they are incapable of carrying more than their weight, the owls can kill an animal that size and will stay with it for days as it eats.

“Big Mamma”, Schumacher’s Eurasian Eagle owl.

Throughout the weekend, volunteers and presenters focused on educating the public about the important role raptors play in the environment. John and Vivian Maxson, wildlife rehabilitators and founders of Born to be Wild Nature Center in Rhode Island, summed things up this way: “By understanding the important role each and every member of the ecosystem plays, we can help preserve essential habitats and sustain Rhode Island’s precious biodiversity.”

Screech owl.

Marcia Wilson with her Eurasian Eagle owl. This shot illustrates the size of the bird.