THE PEREGRINE FUNDTHE PEREGRINE FUND

working

to conserve

birds of prey

in nature

fall/winter 2006

newsletter number 37

William A. Burnham, our President andleader for the past 23 years, has diedat the age of 59 after a brief battle

with cancer. What can one say about a person who diesbefore his time? In Bill’s case quite a lot.

We all die; “therefore,” as John Donne cautioned,“never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls forthee.” How long we live is not as important as how wellwe live—how much we contribute to the good ofhumanity and to the welfare of the earth, the sustainerof all life. Bill Burnham made outstanding contributionsto the preservation of his beloved birds of prey andother wildlife, and to nurturing the habitats they require.Therefore, we should not mourn but celebrate his lifeand move forward, strengthened by our association withhim and thankful for all he has done.

Bill became associated with The Peregrine Fund(TPF) in 1974, after receiving his MS degree at BrighamYoung University under Prof. Clayton White. That sum-mer, Jim Weaver met him on a field trip to westernGreenland. Hiking and camping with Bill in the arcticwilderness, Jim became greatly impressed by his staminain the field and by his eagerness to face up to hard chal-lenges. Jim recommended that TPF hire Bill to head up anew program of captive breeding and reintroduction ofPeregrines that we were just starting in collaborationwith the Colorado Division of Wildlife to restore falconsin the Rocky Mountains.

On Christmas eve of 1974, Bill and his wife, Pat—soon to be joined by a son, Kurt—moved into somerooms on the second floor of an old game farm facilitythe Colorado Division of Wildlife made available forTPF use on the outskirts of Fort Collins. Kurt was bornin May, 1975 at the same time the first baby Peregrineswere hatching. Pat not only mothered her child, she alsocared for many young falcons over the years and alwaysremained the person Bill relied on most for running ThePeregrine Fund. Bill quickly attracted several skilled anddedicated associates to help with the breeding andrelease of Peregrines. Two of them, Bill Heinrich and CalSandfort, are still with TPF 31 years later.

By the 1980s the Fort Collins team, under Bill’ssupervision, had produced hundreds of Peregrines andhad released them in several Rocky Mountain states andin the Pacific Northwest. At the same time all this inten-sive work was underway, Bill somehow managed to earna Ph.D. degree from Colorado State University withoutever taking time off from his job. Bill’s effectiveness inmanaging the western operations did not go unnoticedby the fledgling board of directors of TPF. In 1977 hewas elected to the board of directors, and in 1982 hebecame the fifth “Founding Member” of the board, join-ing Bob Berry, Frank Bond, Tom Cade, and Jim Weaver.

When TPF had an oppor-tunity in 1983 to consolidateits eastern program at Cor-nell University and its west-ern operations into onefacility, Bill was put in chargeof finding a location, con-structing the new campus,and making the move. At thesame time the directorsdecided to expand the mis-sion of The Peregrine Fund to embrace work on birds ofprey worldwide. Through Bill’s leadership and ability toorganize the volunteer efforts of many falconers and rap-tor enthusiasts, members of the business community,and government agencies into a unified and productiveendeavor, the World Center for Birds of Prey came intoexistence on a hillside overlooking Boise, Idaho, in1984. The site was dedicated in May, construction begansoon after with much comradeship and enthusiasm, andthe birds from Fort Collins were in their new quartersbefore the next breeding season in 1985. The Cornellbirds followed a year later.

It quickly became clear to the small group of directorsthat TPF’s expanded global mission would require a muchbigger board of influential people and a strong and deter-mined chief executive. Bill became President in 1986, andhe began to build a more active and diverse board ofdirectors, including people from the business world, sci-entists, and conservationists. Through Morley Nelson’sintroductions, he began to establish personal relation-ships with local business people in the Boise community,meeting weekly with some of them for breakfast and dis-cussion. Several joined the board and brought some oftheir friends along. Our vice presidents, Jeff Cilek andPeter Jenny, whom Bill wisely chose to help him, madeimportant additional contacts, as did Frank Bond and BobBerry. Currently the board consists of more than 30 mem-bers, and it is considered to be one of the strongest boardsof a non-profit, conservation organization in the country,thanks largely to Bill’s ability to forge personal ties withinfluential and supportive people.

The combined fund-raising abilities of Burnham,Cilek, and Jenny, and their equal facility in dealing withgovernment bureaucrats and legislators, were beautifulto observe in action. They allowed TPF to move beyondits original focus on the Peregrine and to take on manyother projects around the world, although we had beeninvolved previously in cooperating with Carl Jones onrestoration of the Mauritius Kestrel.

The first major effort was the “Maya Project,” whichgrew out of Pete’s and Bill’s interest in the Orange-

Tom J. Cade

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Thank You, Bill(1947–2006)

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UNITED STATES

Linda BehrmanSue BelloRoger BenefieldJoell BrownJoe BurkeKurt K. BurnhamPat BurnhamJack CaffertyEmma ChristensenDavid ClineDonna DanielsSam DavilaEdward FeltesRobert GayBrian GloshenSherri HaleyMichael HaynesTim HauckBill HeinrichGrainger HuntMartha JenkinsJ. Peter JennyLeslie JonartJustin JonesPaul JuergensMeagan KaiserLloyd KiffThom LordAngel MontoyaAmel MusticBrian MutchFrank NebenburgTrish NixonChris ParishNick PicconoMark PurdyTravis RosenberryCal SandfortAmy SiedenstrangCindy ThielRussell ThorstromRandy TownsendRick WatsonDavid WellsEric WeisJim Willmarth

ArchivistS. Kent Carnie

INTERNATIONAL

PanamaEloy AripioEdwin CampbellCalixto ConampiaMarta CurtiSean DavisBriceno FlacoPróspero Gaitán Noel GuerraYanina GuevaraKathia HerreraMagaly LinaresJosé de Los SantosLópez

Gabriel MinguizamaRodolfo MosqueraAngel MuelaJulio OvispoBolívar RodríguezFidel SabugaraSaskia SantamaríaHernan VargasJosé Vargas de Jesus

Asia

Muhammad AsimFaisal Farid

Pan AfricaSimon ThomsettMunir Virani

Madagascar

Tolojanahary R. A.Andriamalala

Adrien Batou

Be Berthin

Augustin NoëlBonhomme

RazafimahatratraChristophe

Eloi (Lala) Fanameha

Eugene Ladoany

Kalavah Rox Loukman

Jules Mampiandra

Moïse

Charles (Vola)Rabearivelo

JeanneneyRabearivony

Berthine Rafarasoa

Norbert (Velo)Rajaonarivelo

Jeannette Rajesy

Marius P. H.Rakotondratsima

Yves A. Rakotonirina

Gaston Raoelison

Bien AiméRasolonirina

GilbertRazafimanjato

JosephRazafindrasolo

Jacquot Martial

(Lova) Razanakoto

Lily-Arison Rene deRoland

Seing T. Sam

Gilbert Tohaky

Remembering Bill BurnhamWe celebrate the life and legacy of our late president . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Aplomado FalconFirst releases in New Mexico prove successful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

California CondorLead-free ammunition use may lead to fewer Condor poisonings . . . . . . . 6

Eastern Peregrines RevisitedThe Peregrine Fund’s founder returns to once-empty eyries . . . . . . . . . . . 8

San Diego Zoo AwardThree leaders of The Peregrine Fund receive Conservation Medal . . . . . 10

Orange-breasted FalconPropagation efforts succeed after years of perseverance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Neotropical Raptor Conservation Turning to other species with lessons learned from the Harpy Eagle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Asian VultureA closer look at a reviled—but remarkable—raptor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Crowned EagleGrabbing the attention of tourists and conservationists in Kenya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Bird’s-Eye ViewBrief but noteworthy news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

THE PEREGRINE FUNDN E W S L E T T E R N O . 3 7 • F A L L / W I N T E R 2 0 0 6

The Peregrine Fund is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. © 2006. Edited by Pat Burnham. Photo Editor Jack Cafferty. Design ©2006 by Amy Siedenstrang.Business Office (208)362-3716 • Fax (208)362-2376 • Interpretive Center (208)362-8687 • tpf@peregrinefund.org • http://www.peregrinefund.org

The Peregrine Fund Staff

DIRECTORS

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

Harry L. BettisRancher

P. Dee Boersma, Ph.D.Wadsworth Endowed Chair in Conservation ScienceUniversity of Washington

Frank M. BondAttorney at Law and Rancher

Robert S. ComstockPresident and CEO,Robert Comstock Company

Scott A. CrozierSenior Vice President, GeneralCounsel, and SecretaryPETsMART, INC

Patricia A. DisneyVice Chairman, Shamrock Holdings, Inc.

James H. Enderson, Ph.D.Professor Emeritus of BiologyThe Colorado College

Caroline A. ForgasonPartner,Groves-Alexander Group LLC

Samuel Gary, Jr.President, Samuel Gary, Jr. & Associates,Inc.

Z. Wayne Griffin, Jr.Developer, G&N Management, Inc.

Robert Wood Johnson IVChairman and CEO, The Johnson Company, Inc.,and New York Jets LLC

Donald R. KayserPrivate Investor

Patricia B. ManigaultConservationist and Rancher

Carter R. MontgomeryPresident and CEO, Longhorn Partners Pipeline

Velma V. MorrisonPresident, Harry W. Morrison Foundation

Ruth O. MutchInvestor

Carl E. NavarreBook Publisher and CEO,MyPublisher, Inc.

Peter G. PfendlerRancher

Lucia Liu Severinghaus, Ph.D.Research FellowResearch Center for BiodiversityTaiwan

Russell R. Wasendorf, Sr.Chairman and CEO, Peregrine Financial Group, Inc.

James D. WeaverPresident, Grasslans CharitableFoundationand Rancher

P.A.B. Widener, Jr.Rancher and Investor

Board of Directors of The Peregrine FundOFFICERS AND DIRECTORS

Ian Newton, D.Phil., D.Sc., FRS.Chairman of the Board and DirectorSenior Ornithologist (Ret.)Natural Environment Research CouncilUnited Kingdom

Lee M. BassVice Chairman of the Board and DirectorPresident, Lee M. Bass, Inc.

J. Peter JennyActing President

Karen J. HixonTreasurer and DirectorConservationist

D. James NelsonSecretary and DirectorChairman of the Board,EmeritusPresident, NelsonConstruction Company

Tom J. Cade, Ph.D.Founding Chairman and DirectorProfessor Emeritus ofOrnithology, CornellUniversity

Roy E. DisneyChairman of the Board,Emeritus, and DirectorChairman of the Board,Shamrock Holdings, Inc.

Paxson H. OffieldChairman of the Board,Emeritus, and DirectorChairman of the Board andCEO, Santa Catalina IslandCompany

Julie A. WrigleyChairman of the Board,Emeritus, and DirectorChairman and CEO, WrigleyInvestments LLC

Kurt

K.B

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On the cover: BillBurnham holds twoGyrfalcons during2004 research inEast Greenland.

(continued on page 2)

… he wisely left

us with the

capability to

move forward

without him,

but ever in

memory of

him.

with The Explorers Club’s Lowell Thomas Award in 2004. In2006 he was chosen to receive the Conservation Medal of theZoological Society of San Diego in recognition of his many con-tributions to the conservation of birds of prey.

I knew Bill for 32 years and watched in admiration how hedeveloped as a person and crafted The Peregrine Fund into anoutstanding organization. Bill was the quintessential workaholic,an early riser, often in his office before 6 a.m. and putting inmany seven-day weeks. He was a natural-born leader, attractingmany good and loyal people to work with him. He viewed hisposition as President to be one of making the big, strategic deci-sions, and he left his associates free to handle most of the tacti-cal, day-to-day things. Consequently, he empowered a strong,well-organized group of people to carry on after him.

Bill worked hard, but he also played hard. He was not a largeman, but he had great body strength and great endurance. His stam-ina in hiking and backpacking was legendary. On hikes in Green-land looking for falcon eyries, he was always ahead and would beset up in camp brewing coffee by the time the rest of us straggled in.

Danger excited and challenged him. He actually enjoyed rap-pelling on a rope hundreds of feet down cliffs to enter falconeyries. You can read his account of one such climb on a karst cliffin Guatemala in search of the nest of the Orange-breasted Falcon(page 189 in his book A Fascination with Falcons, 1997). Once in a

campfire discussion, we both agreed that one of the things thatmakes true wilderness so exciting is the possibility of being eatenby a grizzly bear. Remove the bear—no more wilderness.

Bill was an avid falconer, especially in his earlier years. Whenhe became President of TPF he selflessly reduced his practice offalconry, a time-consuming avocation, so that he could devotemore attention to the needs of the organization. He did continueto hunt big game seasonally, often with his close friend, PeteWidener, and more recently, upland game birds with Kurt andother companions. I know it was one of his great joys to return tofalconry in recent years.

Although Bill had the reputation of being a practical, rough-and-ready, can-do, let’s-get-it-done-now, sort of guy, he alsorevealed a more philosophical and meditative—even poetic—sideto his character from time to time. Some of his reflections on theneed for conservation and the value of wild animals and wildplaces in his book, A Fascination with Falcons, reflect a deep devo-tion to nature. I especially like his short essay on “The Scent of aPeregrine” published in Return of the Peregrine (2003, p. 222), abook he conceived and helped edit: “There is nothing in the worldthat smells like a newly captured Peregrine. She smells like a mix ofwillow and birch of a green arctic tundra, the scent of pine as therays of the sun pierce the forest to dry the needles of the morningdew, the freshness of the golden prairie grass on an autumn day,and the fragrance of the sea breeze through marsh flowers.”

Bill loved to explore new places and to test his enduranceagainst hardships. One of my strong memories of him is how hestood stalwart and confident at the controls of our “Safe Boat”with Kurt by his side, as we faced into a gale and icy rain, whiletraveling up the west coast of Greenland with icebergs passing toport and starboard. Jack Stephens and I crouched in the back ofthe open boat, huddled in our rain parkas trying to keep fromfreezing to death, while Bill and Kurt faced the brunt of the stormduring hours of hard travel to reach a safe harbor.

When traveling under such conditions, I tend to enter a kindof sleepy lethargy, and all sorts of random thoughts and imagesdrift through my groggy consciousness. Once I glanced up andsaw Bill still at the wheel, and some words from history came tomind: “There stands Jackson like a stonewall.” I then realizedthat our “Safe Boat,” said to be unsinkable, was safe not so muchbecause of its design as because of who was at the helm.

One of Bill’s legacies is that he has left behind a strong andcapable wife and son who have guided us with grace and dignitythrough these last days with Bill. He has also left behind a dedi-cated and active group of colleagues, which he molded into aninternationally respected conservation organization—The Pere-grine Fund—and which he wisely left with the capability to moveforward without him, but ever in memory of him.

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Clockwise, Bill duck hawking with his female Peregrine Falcon,Ebony, near Sheridan, Wyoming, in 2004; with his son Kurt con-ducting Peregrine Falcon surveys near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland,in the summer of 1992; and with his best friend Pete Widenerantelope hunting near Buffalo, Wyoming, in the fall of 2005.

All gifts received in memory of Bill will be placed equally in thegeneral endowment for The Peregrine Fund and the endowmentfor The Archives of Falconry.

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breasted Falcon, a rare species of the Neotropics. Located in TikalNational Park, Guatemala, the fieldwork for the Maya Project washeaded up by Dave Whitacre with several assistants, notably Rus-sell Thorstrom, and included local Guatemalans. Carried out overseveral years, the project resulted in new scientific descriptions ofthe life histories of more than 20 species of tropical raptors and adetailed analysis of their community ecology, as well as studieson Neotropical migrants and the training of a number ofGuatemalan biologists.

In 1990, a comparable project started up in Madagascar andcontinues to the present, under the supervision of Rick Watson,again with impressive fieldwork by Russell Thorstrom. It hasfocused on the ecology of the rare and endangered raptors foundonly on the island, notably on the Madagascar Fish Eagle.

The list of overseas projects quickly expanded under Rick’ssupervision as International Programs Director, including activi-ties in Africa, New Guinea, Mongolia, Pakistan and India, andLatin America. In Hawaii Bill set up a program for the captivebreeding and reintroduction of endangered bird species uniqueto the islands and oversaw the development of two breedingfacilities. Under the management of Alan Lieberman and CyndiKuehler, this program was later transferred to the Zoological Soci-ety of San Diego. Bill also established a new branch of The Pere-grine Fund located in Panama City—Fondo Peregrino-Panama,and supervised the construction of the Neotropical Raptor Centerto carry out research and conservation involving raptors of LatinAmerica and the Caribbean, again emphasizing rare, little-known,and endangered species, such as the Harpy Eagle, Orange-breasted Falcon, and Ridgway’s Hawk.

One of the most important but least heralded accomplish-ments spearheaded by Bill was the discovery of the cause for the“Asian Vulture Crisis”—the virtual extinction of three species ofgriffon vultures on the Indian Subcontinent in just the pastdecade. In collaboration with a former associate of TPF, LindsayOaks, now a veterinarian specializing in avian virology at Wash-ington State University, TPF biologists obtained conclusive proofthat a veterinary drug called diclofenac was fatal to vultures thatfed on carcasses contaminated with this chemical, which hadbecome widely used on the Subcontinent as an analgesic andanti-inflammatory for domestic livestock. In 2006, as a directresult of this discovery, the governments of India, Nepal, andPakistan banned the use of diclofenac for veterinary purposes.This achievement is in many ways equivalent in importance tothe banning of DDT in the United States in 1972. Recovery of thevultures is now a possibility.

The study of Peregrines and Gyrfalcons in Greenland was BillBurnham’s favorite project. His first trip to Greenland was in 1972when Bill Mattox started the Greenland Peregrine Survey, whichon Mattox’s retirement in 1998 he transferred to TPF. Burnhamexpanded the project to include Gyrfalcons and the prey speciesfalcons eat, and with help from his son, Kurt, established the“High Arctic Institute” at Thule, using a decommissioned facilityleased from the U.S. Air Force. Father and son worked together inGreenland each summer for the past 16 years, along with manyother associates. Bill was able to fulfill his last wish by making twotrips to Greenland in the summer of 2006, despite an incapacitat-ing illness that would have kept anyone else in hospital.

Since the removal of the Peregrine from the list of endangeredspecies in 1999, an accomplishment that involved Bill and otherTPF staff in negotiations with the federal government for morethan five years, our two main domestic projects have been the useof captive breeding and reintroduction to restore nesting popula-tions of Aplomado Falcons in the Southwest and California Con-dors in northern Arizona. By negotiating use of the “safe harbor”policy for private landowners in Texas and the non-essentialexperimental population designation under section 10(j) of theEndangered Species Act for condors in Arizona and falcons inNew Mexico, Bill quietly but effectively maneuvered TPF througha tangle of political and societal issues that initially impeded thedevelopment of these projects.

Believing strongly that public education and academic train-ing are the keys to successful conservation, Bill promoted projectssuch as the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center, which welcomesthousands of visitors each year, and the Gerald D. and Kathryn S.Herrick Collections Building. The latter houses a major ornitho-logical library, egg and specimen collection, and the Archives ofFalconry. Both facilities attest to Bill’s commitment to education,as does TPF’s support over the years of more than 20 Doctoraldegrees, 53 Master’s degrees, and numerous Bachelor degrees andhigh school diplomas earned by students around the world.

Bill also participated in many activities external from butrelated to TPF interests. For example, he helped establish a uniquegraduate program in raptor biology at Boise State University(BSU) and became an adjunct professor in the program, supervis-ing a number of students who carried out research associated withTPF projects. Secretary of the Interior Emanuel Lujan appointedBill to the National Public Lands Advisory Council; he also servedas a trustee on the BSU Foundation; as a conflict mediator andthen member of the Bureau of Land Management’s OversightCommittee for the Snake River Birds of Prey Area; on the councilfor the multi-agency and university Raptor Research and TechnicalAssistance Center at BSU; on the board of the North AmericanRaptor Breeders’ Association; on the advisory board of the WaltDisney Company’s Animal Kingdom; as an adviser to the Philip-pine government on science and conservation for the PhilippineEagle; as a board member of the Philippine Eagle Foundation, Inc;and in various other similar capacities.

He was elected to be a “Fellow” of the Arctic Institute ofNorth America and of The Explorers Club. He was also presented

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Thank You, Bill (continued from page 1)

Species restoration requires persistence and sustained financial investment. We thank the many individuals and organizationsthat have brought this magnificent species back to the American Southwest and two foundations specifically. Our progress in restoringthe Northern Aplomado Falcon has only been possible with significant and dedicated funding from the Lee and Ramona BassFoundation and the Robert J. Kleberg and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation. The Bass family has the distinction of being the project’slargest donor while the Kleberg foundation, along with providing considerable support, has been with us since the project began.

more common in brushlands than in open grass-lands. Brushlands are also less suitable than opengrasslands to the hunting strategies of Aplomados, inthat brush affords escape cover to birds being pursuedby the falcons. In the larger perspective, The PeregrineFund’s experiment brought logic to the simple expla-nation that brush encroachment caused the loss ofthe Aplomado, that loss beginning with the arrival ofthe Spanish in the 1600s. Today, ranchers throughoutthe region are actively involved in restoring and man-aging open grasslands on behalf of cattle production,a factor that bodes well for the future of Aplomadosand other open-country species, such as Attwater’sPrairie-Chicken.

In 2002, with the restoration process well in handin coastal Texas, The Peregrine Fund began releasingcaptive-bred young in the yucca grasslands of WestTexas near the town of Valentine. Like the releases insouthern Texas, the project is largely experimental. Theextensive grasslands appear ideal in many ways, butfood supplies may be limiting, particularly in droughtyears, as has been evident in our studies of breedingAplomados in nearby Chihuahua, Mexico. Researchersare beginning to see pairs forming in West Texas, andthe first wild reproduction seems just around the cor-ner. Meanwhile, The Peregrine Fund is continuing todevelop relationships with private landowners in an

effort to increase enrollment in Safe Harbor, a provi-sion of the Endangered Species Act that exemptslandowners from federal regulations on land use asso-ciated with released populations. Safe Harbor, nowcovering more than two million acres in Texas, hasfostered the good will and cooperation of many ranch-ers, allowing them to be integrally involved in the suc-cess of the project.

The Safe Harbor provision, so successful in Texas,does not apply well in New Mexico because most of thehistoric range of Aplomados there is federally owned.However, an alternative provision in the EndangeredSpecies Act, known as the 10(j) rule, allows reintro-duced populations to be regarded as experimental.Since The Peregrine Fund believes that good will is themost important factor in falcon restoration, the organi-zation was unwilling to release falcons in New Mexicowithout the 10(j) in effect. When the Aplomado finallyreceived its 10(j) designation in mid-summer 2006, ThePeregrine Fund was ready and able to begin falconrestoration in New Mexico by releasing 11 young fal-cons on the Armendaris Ranch in Sierra County. As inany experiment, only time and close monitoring willtell whether all the necessary habitat ingredients are inplace, but, to date, all 11 falcons have survived, anunusually high rate, attributable perhaps to a scarcity ofGreat Horned Owls in the area of release.

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As in any

experiment, only

time and close

monitoring will

tell whether all

the necessary

habitat ingredients

are in place.

An adult femaleAplomado Falcondelivers food toyoung chicks.Nests built in yuc-cas (inset above)and abandoned byother raptors likethe White-tailHawk are preferrednest sites becausethey provide protec-tion from predators.

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The range of the Aplomado Falconcenters in Latin America, but in the1800s, the species extended over asizeable portion of the southwestern

United States. The historic range included the savan-nas of coastal southern Texas, western Texas, southernNew Mexico, and southeastern Arizona. One can onlyimagine the corresponding distribution in northernMexico in those days, but, at present, Aplomadosoccur primarily from Veracruz southward alongMexico’s eastern coast and elsewhere in scattered loca-tions, including the grasslands of eastern Chihuahua.What accounted for the profound shrinkage in theAplomado’s range remains uncertain, but changes inthe character of savannas, from open grasslands tobrushlands and croplands, was likely the primary fac-tor. By the 1930s, the species had all but disappeared

from the United States, with the last known nest near Deming, New Mexico, in 1952.

In the mid-1990s, ThePeregrine Fund chose southernTexas as the place to begin therestoration process. There are stillremnants of open grasslands, par-ticularly near the coast, and thereis abundant food for Aplomadosin the form of doves and othermedium-sized birds. Today, fol-lowing the release of some 840fledgling Aplomados produced atThe Peregrine Fund’s captive-breeding project in Boise, Idaho,there are at least 50 wild pairsextending from the Brownsvillearea north to Matagorda Islandnear Rockport. Wild reproductionhas been excellent during the past

several years with the annual fledging of at least 50young, despite a recent drought. With careful monitor-ing and management, there is every reason to believethat the population will thrive within the area.

The Peregrine Fund learned much during its workin South Texas. In a way, the releases were experimen-tal, in that so little was known in the beginning abouthow well the eventual population would fare andwhat problems it would face. It was quickly learned,for example, that predation by the Great Horned Owl is the critical factor influencing the survival andeventual distribution of the falcons, the owls being far

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Grainger Hunt, Angel Montoya & Paul Juergens

Aplomado Falcon: An Experiment inSpecies Restoration

Peregrine Fund Biologist Angel Montoya is assisted inplacing a young falcon into a protective hackbox at arelease site by Jill Miller, one of the many landowners whoparticipate in restoration work through the Safe Harborprogram.

Above: A young Aplomado Falcon carries a yucca seed podduring playful activity with other young falcons.

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release site and found that high lead levels in bloodsamples corresponded with the fall deer hunting sea-sons on the Kaibab Plateau. Condors visiting that areain November and December had higher lead concen-trations than those going elsewhere. The thought thatrifle bullets might be an important source of leadingestion by condors was strengthened by the discov-ery in radiographs of hundreds of metal fragments inrifle-killed deer and deer offal. That study, recentlypublished in The Wildlife Society Bulletin, and otherPeregrine Fund papers soon to be published by theAmerican Ornithologist’s Union, have given additionalweight to the idea that the near extinction of condorstwo decades ago in California may primarily haveresulted from lead poisoning.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department respondedto these findings by offering two boxes of lead-freeammunition to every hunter who drew a deer permiton the Kaibab Plateau in 2005, an effort that translated

to a 50 percent reduction in the incidence of lead indeer remains. A questionnaire revealed that few of thehunters had been aware that condors occurred in theirhunting area, and fewer still knew of the danger of leadpoisoning. Once informed, the majority respondedenthusiastically by using lead-free copper bullets dur-ing their hunt. Fortunately for condors, ballisticsexperts consider these “X-bullets,” developed by theBarnes Bullet Company in Linden, Utah, to be superiorfor hunting purposes and, indeed, the Arizona huntersoverwhelmingly agreed: 93 percent of respondents saidthat the non-lead bullets performed as well or betterthan lead-based bullets. Although copper bullets aremore expensive than comparable lead-based bullets,increasing use by conservation-minded hunters bodeswell for the future of the condor population.

There is still much work to do in establishing a self-sustaining condor population in the canyon country ofnorthern Arizona and southern Utah. Each morning, asalways, radio-trackers station themselves at strategicpoints and follow the condors as they depart upon thewind. The new day may present the unexpected—per-haps a new pairing or an unanticipated journey—ayoung bird heading out alone, following a GoldenEagle to hidden food or joining a cadre of ravens clus-tered in a river nook. The job of these dedicated menand women is to safeguard the birds from harm, tocollect scientific data to better understand the popula-tion, and to educate the people around them aboutcondors and condor restoration. It is certain that publicappreciation for this magnificent species will show itsimportance over the long term, as exemplified by therobust cooperation of northern Arizona deer huntersand their success in reducing condor exposure to lead.If such forces in conservation are signs of the future,these extraordinary wind-riders will, like Peregrines andBald Eagles, replenish themselves as celebrated mem-bers of the southwestern wildlife community.

Hatched in 2001,this male condor isnow approachingbreeding age as evi-denced by changes incoloration. Juvenileshave mottled gray towhite underwingfeathers and blackheads; adult under-wing feathers arepure white, andheads are brilliantpink or orange.

A stair-step of cliffsdescending to canyonwalls along theColorado River nearNavajo Bridge pro-vides optimal roost-ing, breeding, andforaging habitat forCalifornia Condors.

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Life for the California Condor, the largest of all North American soaring birds, is

all about air currents. When one ofthese great scavengers launches itself from ThePeregrine Fund’s release site on the edge of theVermilion Cliffs, high above the Colorado River innorthern Arizona, a strong updraft carries her easilyyet another thousand feet above the valley floor. Thereshe joins a buoyant flock of contemporaries soaringupon adventure, this time across the pine forests ofthe Kaibab Plateau to the promise of deer carrionalong its western edge. From there, the condors drifteffortlessly southward upon a curving beltway of risingair, as the earth falls away into the enormity of theGrand Canyon, then up again to the peopled summitof its southern rim. Here the arriving condors joinravens and Turkey Vultures, coursing above a throng ofpark visitors, binoculars in hand, thrilled by the sightof condors at close range. Among the observers is aPeregrine Fund biologist who systematically accountsfor each condor according to its radio signal or num-bered wing tag. Meanwhile, the great birds, unaware oftheir notoriety, settle singly or in small groups uponthe canyon wall for the night.

The reappearance of condors during the pastdecade represents a change in their fortune runningcounter to a century-long trend of decline. By the early1980s, only 22 individuals remained in existence, allin southern California, their rate of populationdecrease so steep and their extinction so imminentthat all were taken into captivity. Experts at the LosAngeles and San Diego zoos paired them for breeding,and the birds have since produced hundreds of young-sters. Each year since 1996, young condors producedat The Peregrine Fund’s captive breeding facility inBoise, Idaho, have been set free in northern Arizona,and there are now almost 60 free-ranging individuals,including at least four wild-breeding pairs.

Condors were absent from Arizona prior to theonset of the reintroduction project. Scattered sightingsaround the turn of the Twentieth Century may havereflected the existence of a small population, but thelast known full-scale habitation of the Grand Canyonregion was at the close of the ice age when now-extinctmammoths, camels, and horses were still abundantenough to produce an ample supply of carrion. As theselarge animals disappeared from the landscape, the con-dor population receded to its stronghold on California’scoast, sustained in part by the beached carcasses ofmarine mammals. The arrival of Spanish cattle toCalifornia in the late 1700s, however, increased condorfood supplies inland, and the subsequent spreading oflivestock to other parts of the West, together with mod-ern wildlife management programs, enhanced theprospects for condor reestablishment.

Today’s northern Arizona is an area where terrainconditions appear perfectly suitable for condors—awonderland of air currents giving them an easy, ener-gy-saving chance to travel. These currents arise fromexpanses of bare rock that warm in the sunshine andcreate air pressure differences across the landscape.Prevailing southwesterly winds deflected upward bythe steep slopes and cliff faces form natural elevatorsfor condors to tower upon, then glide to the nextupdraft. The cliffs also provide lofty perches, not onlyoffering expansive views of the surrounding country tothese sharp-eyed scavengers, but also cavities for nest-ing, safely isolated from predators.

As in many reintroduction projects, the Arizonacondor program is immersed in the science of adap-tive management, an ongoing process of decision-

making based on results in the field. A decade ago,when The Peregrine Fund began releasing condors inArizona, no certain knowledge existed about how theywould fit into the landscape or what dangers wouldawait them. Long-ranging flights during the first fewyears took them as far away as Flaming Gorge,Wyoming, but eventually the flock settled on a corearea of travel, from the release site at Vermilion CliffsNational Monument, south to the Grand CanyonNational Park, and north to the Kolob region ofsouthern Utah. Meanwhile, the periodic return of con-dors to the release site, especially in winter, made itpossible to monitor their health, maintain trackingdevices, and recapture those whose behavior did notyet suit them to life in the wild.

As condors became more proficient at finding wildcarrion, the incidence of lead poisoning increased.Peregrine Fund biologists responded with the system-atic testing and treatment of condors returning to the

Wings on the Rising Wind

Grainger Hunt& Chris Parish

Although copper

bullets are more

expensive than

comparable lead-

based bullets,

increasing use

by conservation-

minded hunters

bodes well for

the future of

the condor

population.

6

When The Peregrine Fund began itscaptive breeding and reintroductionprogram at Cornell University in

1970, there were no Peregrines known to be nesting in avast region from the Mississippi River to the AtlanticCoast. Historically there had been about 50 occupiedeyries in the Upper Great Lakes region and along theupper Mississippi River and its tributaries, and another50 or so in southern Ontario, Quebec, and theMaritimes. In the eastern states from Maine to Alabamaand Georgia, Joe Hickey, the father of Peregrine biology,had carefully tabulated a list of 205 known and proba-ble eyries, and he estimated that the total population ofthis Appalachian region was about 350 pairs, overallsome 450 pairs. Nearlyall of these fal-cons had disappeared bythe 1960s, prima-rily owing to the effects ofDDT on their reproduction.

The banning of DDT in 1972gave hope that the environmentwould soon be clean enough tosupport breeding Peregrines onceagain. In 1974 The PeregrineFund released its first captive-pro-duced falcons, in New York State.From that time to the end of thereintroduction program in 1992, wereleased nearly 1,300 captive-producedfalcons in 13 eastern states. Researchers atthe Raptor Center, University of Minnesota,and Canadian workers carried out comparable reintro-ductions in the Midwest and Upper Great Lakes regionand in southeastern Canada. These three regions com-prise what was the range of the original eastern “duckhawks” or “rock peregrines” as they used to be called.

We found the first released falcons breeding success-fully in the wild in 1980, one pair on a cliff in southernQuebec near Vermont, and two pairs utilizing hackboxes on towers in the salt marshes of New Jersey. Fromthat time to the end of our fieldwork in the easternstates 12 years later, the population rapidly built up to aminimum of 92 territorial pairs, nesting in a variety ofsituations, some on cliffs but others on buildings incities, on bridges, and on hack towers we had construct-ed in coastal salt marshes for releasing young falcons.Some pairs were also nesting by then in the Midwestand southeastern Canada.

Although the recovery goal in the official U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service’s recovery plan for the easternregion was a minimum of 175 breeding pairs, orwhatever number the current environment would sup-

port, we felt that by 1992 there wereenough established pairs breeding at

a sufficiently successful rate so that thepopulation would be able to continue

increasing on its own without additionalreleases. Some of our associates had reserva-

tions, but by 1999, when the American PeregrineFalcon was finally removed from the list ofendangered species, there were about 118 pairs

known in the East, 107 in the Midwest and GreatLakes, and approximately 65 in southeastern Canada,surpassing the minimum recovery goal for the UnitedStates by some 50 pairs.

This is not the end of the story, however, for thesepopulations have continued to increase toward thatultimate number that the current environment cansupport. I recently conducted an informal survey ofeastern states and provinces and found that in 2005 aminimum of 230 active nesting sites were known inthe East, 158 in the Midwest, and 137 in southeasternCanada, some 525 pairs now exceeding the total num-ber estimated to have occurred in the region in the1930s and 40s prior to the widespread use of DDTand nearly doubling in size in the six years since thefalcons were de-listed in 1999.

The falcons in New York and New Jersey haveshown especially impressive population growth. NewYork had 62 pairs last year, New Jersey had 20, manymore than were known in earlier decades. New YorkCity alone has a dozen or more pairs nesting on build-ings and bridges, but most gratifying of all, the famousHudson River Palisades in New Jersey, directly acrossthe river from New York City, again harbor four to five

9

nesting pairs. These eyries were probably the ones nat-uralists and falconers visited most frequently in theearly 1900s, including such well-known Peregrineenthusiasts as Roger Tory Peterson, Dick Herbert, JoeHickey, and Walter R. Spofford.

Their successful re-occupancy after 50 years ofabandonment represents a high point in the long roadto full recovery of Peregrines in North America, as dothe re-occupied eyries on cliffs of the upperMississippi and the north shore of Lake Superior. Onereason is because Great Horned Owls had taken overmany of the old river bank areas where the falconsused to nest, and it took some time for the newlyestablished falcons to learn how to deal with the owls.

In the first week of June, 2006, my wife and I hadthe great fortune to visit some of the old, and new,Hudson River eyries with state and local coworkerswith whom we had shared both good and bad timesin the early years of the restoration effort. Kathy Clarkof the New Jersey endangered species program andLinn Pierson with the Palisades Interstate Park kindlyshowed us the eyries on the Hudson Palisades, andmost exciting, we may have discovered a new, fifthnesting pair. Next, we spent a day with ChrisNadareski of the New York City Department ofEnvironmental Protection, keeper of the city’sPeregrines, and Dr. Heinz Meng, Professor Emeritus ofthe State University of New York at New Paltz, whohelped with the first hacking of young Peregrines in1974 and 1975. We were hoping to view two re-estab-lished pairs at the historical Traps and Millbrookeyries in the Shawangunk Mountains within the pri-vate Mohonk Preserve. Because of rain we settled for aslide show, which Chris presented at the MohonkPreserve’s new interpretive center. The following morn-ing we ended up meeting Barb Loucks and Pete Nye,both with the New York State Department ofEnvironmental Conservation, underneath a bridgebetween Albany and Rensselaer, where a pair ofPeregrines had three nearly fledged young in a nestbox on a tier below the roadbed of the bridge.

These bridge sites have become frequent places forPeregrines to nest, and just about every bridge across theHudson from the Verrazano Narrows to Albany has anesting pair. Acceptance of such a wide array of nestingsites is one reason why Peregrines are now more abun-dant in many parts of their range than they used to be.

It was spiritually restoring to see these eyries flour-ishing after so many years when no Peregrines nested ineastern North America. Peregrine eyries are very specialplaces for those who are captivated by falcons. Theybecome etched into our memories like engravings onthe finest Damascus steel. They epitomize the words ofJohn Keats: “A thing of beauty is a joy forever…”

Tom

Cad

e

Jim Weaver and Steve Sherrod in 1975 atthe Taughannock Falls hack site, where thehack box was built into the cliff. Young falcons are being lowered in a box.

One of the early captive-breedingPeregrines at Cornell feeds itsyoung.

Alpine Lookout, oneof the eyries on thelower Hudson Riverthat is now reoccu-pied after a lapse ofnearly 50 years.

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Eastern Peregrines Revisited

8

Tom J. Cade

Nearly all of

these falcons

had disappeared

by the 1960s,

primarily owing

to the effects

of DDT on their

reproduction.

Known Peregrine Falcon breedingrange from 1970to 1975.

Jim

Wea

ver

Phyllis Dague, one of the first hired forthe breeding program at Cornell, readsa poster developed to enhance reports ofPeregrine sightings.

My fascination with the Orange-breasted Falcon (OBF) began in1992. Bill Burnham and I were

sprawled on a large boulder on the bank of the MacalRiver in western Belize glassing an intimidating cliff facecalled Ecktun (Black Rock) that was home to a pair ofOBFs. My scribbled notes bear witness to my excitementas the male, buoyed by afternoon thermals, mounted toincredible heights without ever beating his wings, onlyto plummet vertically with astonishing speed, streakingpast his cliff face, then pitch up for a repeat perform-ance or roll and bank like a jet fighter and rocket awayto harass a Black Vulture or Plumbeous Kite. Little didwe know that in a large deep cavity in the cliff there wasa female OBF brooding three youngsters that were laterobserved to fledge successfully. Throughout the follow-ing week, we were to see several other active OBF eyriesand an extraordinary number of tropical birds. I washooked for life!

Biology, Early Research, and DistributionThe OBF is a brilliantly-colored, medium-sized fal-

con that inhabits the moist tropical forests of Centraland South America. Unlike several species of forest fal-cons, the OBF’s niche is above the forest canopy, nestingon ledges and potholes of large cliffs and sometimes

among epiphytes in emergent trees. It feeds on a largevariety of small- to medium-size birds and bats cap-tured in flight, most often during hunts at dawn anddusk. Before Peter Jenny began his research and studieson the species in 1978, little was known about thespecies’ biology, and its distribution and populationcontinue to be poorly understood. The species’ distribu-tion is defined by sightings and fewer than 50 speci-mens in the world’s museums. After several decades ofresearch, including aerial and ground surveys through-out much of Central America, The Peregrine Fund isbeginning to understand the natural history of thespecies, and the breadth of its vast but patchy distribu-tion, which may have extended from southeast Mexicothrough Central America south to Peru, Bolivia,Paraguay, and northern Argentina.

The largest known and only extensively studied OBFpopulation resides in the rolling forested limestone hillsof Belize and Guatemala. We have identified 19 nestingterritories and estimate this most northern populationat fewer than 50 pairs. One has to travel 900 miles tothe south to find the next OBF eyrie in the DarienProvince of Panama, the northern limit of the southernpopulation. Records from the last century suggest thatthese populations were once contiguous. Much less is

Robert B. Berry

Orange-breasted Falcon Captive Propagation Succeeds—at Last

After 14 years of

working with

OBFs, 2006

proved to be the

breakthrough

year for success-

ful propagation.

11

(continued on page 12)

Adult male (left)and femaleOrange-breastedFalcons. Males ofthis species areabout 40 percentsmaller thanfemales, which typ-ically weigh about600 grams (21ounces).

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The Zoological Society of San Diego will award its prestigiousConservation Medal this year to three men whose vision and energyhas steered The Peregrine Fund and helped to conserve raptors

around the globe. Bill Burnham, Tom Cade, and Paxson Offield will be honored

December 7 at the Zoological Society’s President’s Club Holiday Dinner.The Conservation Medal is awarded annually by the Zoological

Society’s Board of Trustees to individuals who have sig-nificantly increased knowledge of wildlife habitats;

played an active role in endangered speciespreservation through breeding programs,

research and the establishment of wildlifepreserves; or furthered the cause of conser-vation through financial support, influenceor publicity. Since its inception in 1966,the Conservation Medal has been present-ed to an impressive international array ofmore than 50 conservationists. Past recipi-

ents include Jane Goodall, Gilbert M.Grosvenor, H.R.H. The Duke of Edinburgh,

Sir David Attenborough, and E.O. Wilson. Tom Cade, Founding Chairman and Director

of The Peregrine Fund, was one of a group of sci-entists and falconers searching for the cause of cata-

strophic declines of Peregrine Falcon populations in the late1960s. This group found a link between exposure to DDT, a common pes-ticide, and the thickness and viability of Peregrines’ eggshells. As a profes-sor at Cornell University in New York, Cade founded The Peregrine Fundto develop techniques for captive breeding and release, and to educate thepublic about the plight of birds of prey. Using a unique combination offalconry and scientific methods, Cade and his associates released nearly1,300 captive-produced falcons in 13 Eastern states.

Bill Burnham joined The Peregrine Fund in 1974 to develop and man-age its Western program for Peregrine restoration. Three years later, hiswork earned him a place on the board of directors, and in 1984 he wasappointed to lead the entire organization, a role he fulfilled for 23 years.His vision and commitment helped to establish the World Center forBirds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, and propelled the organization beyondPeregrine recovery to now encompass raptor species worldwide.

Paxson Offield, in addition to serving as The Peregrine Fund’sChairman of the Board from 2002 to 2005, has also provided significantfinancial support for the Fund’s work to conserve Gyrfalcons and HarpyEagles. He is also a long time supporter of the conservation work of theZoological Society of San Diego through the Offield Family Foundation.He has supported numerous grants for conservation scientists at theZoological Society’s center for Conservation and Research for EndangeredSpecies (CRES).

The not-for-profit Zoological Society of San Diego manages the 100-acre San Diego Zoo, the 1,800-acre San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park(more than half of which has been set aside as protected native specieshabitat), and CRES.

Conservation Medal Awarded toPeregrine Fund Visionaries

Conservation Medal recipients (fromtop) Tom Cade, Bill Burnham, andPaxson Offield.

four nesting pairs of OBFs in Darien Province close tothe Colombian border. During this same period, avianvirologist Lindsay Oaks had been studying adenovirusin falcons from a 1996 outbreak infecting theAplomado Falcon and had identified the Peregrine asthe endemic carrier of the disease. Knowing the sourceof the disease was wonderful news since it would giveus the knowledge to protect other species. Talk of OBFcollections for captive propagation surfaced once again.

In 2000 I constructed a new falcon breeding barnin Wyoming to more closely mimic the habitatrequirements of tropical species. No Peregrine hadever been housed in the new facility. Beginning in2001 through 2005, Angel Muela and other biologistscollected 16 OBFs, 14 from Panama and two fromBelize, all but three being collected as eggs which per-mitted the parents to recycle and lay more eggs to sus-tain productivity. These eggs were hatched successfullyat the Neotropical Raptor Center and two, both males,were experimentally released for the first time in 2005.During this period, I recognized possible deficienciesin my new facilities and began constructing a thirdgeneration building for OBFs.

In 2005, three female OBFs laid 15 infertile eggs.Subsequently, foster chicks were placed with eachfemale to promote future breeding success. One of thefemales in Panama also laid a single egg but did notincubate. Encouraged by the Wyoming success, wedecided that our options for successful propagationwould be maximized by combining all of our OBFs in asingle facility in Wyoming and that the risks of doing sowere manageable. On 8 January 2006, all eight falconsfrom the Panama facility were transported by privatecharter aircraft directly to my facility, courtesy ofPeregrine Fund Chairman Emeritus, Paxson Offield.

Success at LastAfter 14 years of working with OBFs, 2006 proved

to be the breakthrough year for successful propaga-tion. Close observations again confirmed aberrantcourtship without copulation prior to egg laying. As aresult, artificial insemination was initiated after thefirst egg was laid in each of five clutches. Four healthyyoungsters were produced from 16 eggs bringing thetotal number of the captive colony to 20.

Management and Goals The art of falconry has provided many of the tools

for species management and restoration used by ThePeregrine Fund. Two OBFs reared together are beingcarefully exercised in traditional falconry so that wemay learn more about their management and behaviorand how they have evolved relative to temperate zoneraptors. They have already provided some significantclues. Their minimal play and silent demeanor com-pared to other falcon species suggest that the benefitsfrom these behaviors are overridden by some factor,such as increased mortality from predation in theTropics. Also, their delayed first attempts to attack livequarry are consistent with a slower rate of maturity and

a longer period of parental dependency observed inother tropical species. Although observation in a naturalsituation is needed to test these hypotheses, we havealready learned that the period of care and feeding dur-ing release of captive-bred birds may have to be extend-ed for the OBF. We are just beginning to uncover thesecrets of this enigmatic species. Bill Burnham has writ-ten: “Through captive management and breeding, wewill learn about species behavior and reproductive biol-ogy. Through captive propagation and release, we willincrease our knowledge, particularly if a populationcould be established in a workable terrain and situation.”

We expect to take a giant step forward next springwith the experimental release of captive-bred OBFs inthe Maya Mountains of Belize. If all goes well, we willbegin to establish a self-sustaining, experimental pop-ulation and long-term study of the species the follow-ing year at a location to be determined. Our ultimategoal is to discover those factors that limit OBF popula-tions and how we might address those factors for thebenefit of the species.

A wild OBF inBelize, “one of thetruly exquisite gemsof the rainforest.”

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12 13

We expect to take a

giant step forward

next spring with

the experimental

release of captive-

bred OBFs in the

Maya Mountains

of Belize.

Orange-breasted Falcon (continued from page 11)

known about the South American population otherthan sight records, which are often confused with thesimilar but more common Bat Falcon, and a few muse-um specimens. The species appears to be sensitive todeforestation and other types of habitat alteration, butits wide distribution may buffer its risk of extinction.

Research, Collecting for Propagation, and FailuresBecause of the OBF’s extreme rarity and preference

for remote primary rainforest, the study and preserva-tion of the species has been one of The Peregrine Fund’sgreatest challenges. Peter and Barbara Jenny collectedthe first pair for captive propagation from Guatemala in1980, which produced two youngsters via artificialinsemination at Cornell in 1985. Both the adults andtheir progeny failed to reproduce thereafter. Three moreOBFs were collected in Guatemala in 1983 and werehoused with the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird ResearchGroup in California, only to die within a year ofunknown causes.

In1991, Aaron Baker began his landmark six-yearstudy of the OBF in Belize and Guatemala as a mem-ber of The Peregrine Fund’s Maya Project. Aaron’s mas-ter’s thesis and scientific publications have providedmuch of what we know today about the natural histo-ry of the species.

With Aaron’s help, I was able to collect six OBFchicks in 1993 and 1994 that were housed at my facilityin Wyoming. I also imported a female OBF rescuedfrom a bird market in Peru. One of these three pairswas to lay infertile eggs at both three and four years ofage. Our hopes for successful propagation were dashedin 1997 when six of the seven OBFs died in less than 12hours from an adenovirus infection, possibly the samevirus that killed the birds at Santa Cruz in 1983. Ourinitial propagation efforts had failed, and we were onlybeginning to understand the husbandry of the speciesin captivity. Before any future collections could beundertaken, we had to find out where the virus camefrom and how to prevent a future attack. Our fears wereto be mitigated by the series of events that followed.

A New Beginning—the Neotropical Raptor CenterShortly after the conclusion of the 10-year Maya

Project, Wendy Paulson and I urged Bill Burnham toconsider establishing a permanent research station inLatin America. This conversation led to the founding ofthe Neotropical Raptor Center in Panama in 1999. Thecenter was created as a raptor research facility thatincluded captive propagation and release of HarpyEagles and possibly other species of concern. No OBFnesting had been recorded in Panama, although twomuseum specimens had been collected. Sight records ofthe species were sketchy. Even Robert Ridgely, author ofA Guide to the Birds of Panama, had not positivelyidentified the species in Panama and has observed fewerthan a dozen individuals elsewhere during his lifetimeof work in the Tropics. We were delighted when a sub-sequent helicopter survey of Harpy Eagle nests disclosed

Above: Bob Berry feeds a male Orange-breasted Falcon(OBF) following free-flying behavioral studies. OBFs arecrepuscular, or most active at twilight.

Center: A 25-day-old OBF chick (left) feeds from a bowlwith a 13-day-old male.

Below: Third generation OBF breeding facilities nearSheridan, Wyoming, with four additional chambers underconstruction in the foreground.

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months, sometimes more than a year, to become fullyindependent and begin hunting on their own. Yet, onefemale that was released at 20 months of age, beganhunting significantly earlier after release than most ofthe other birds. To test the theory that Harpy Eaglescould become independent more rapidly if they werereleased at an older age, we began releasing birds at 18months of age and early results suggest this methodmay work to reduce the amount of time young birds aredependent on human care in the wild. These types ofadaptations and lessons learned will help make therelease of Harpy Eagles and other large forest eaglespossible and practical in the future.

Over the coming year we will release six more juve-nile Harpy Eagles into Soberania National Park inPanama. Once the young birds are independent, theywill be translocated and released again in the forests ofRio Bravo, Belize, their final home. We will also test therelease of two adult breeding pairs to learn more abouttheir behavior. Our hope is that they will stay togetheras bonded pairs and quickly begin to nest in the wildnear their release site, thus avoiding the lengthy periodof juvenile dispersal—a time when natural mortality inthe wild is very high. Volunteers will remain inSoberania National Park and will continue to monitorthe success of the released birds, feeding them as neces-sary, and tracking them to ensure that they are huntingon their own. Once the last of the young birds reachesindependence, close field management will most likelynot be needed. The adult pairs and all independentbirds will be fitted with special transmitters that allowus to continue monitoring their movements deep intothe forest via satellite. By tracking the birds in this way,we can detect changes in their behavior, measure disper-sal and home range, and identify when they beginbreeding for the first time.

Over the next year we will also continue our on-the-ground study of released, independent eagles in Belize.Two biologists are tracking each of our eagles for onemonth during the rainy season and one month duringthe dry season. They are studying dispersal patterns anddistances, prey availability and selection, and develop-ment of foraging behavior. These studies will help us tolearn more about the habitat, food, and space needs ofthis species over time.

By closing one door to the Harpy Eagle captive-breeding and release project, we will be able to openmany others and devote more time and resources tolearning about numerous species of little-known rap-tors throughout Latin America. We will be able to studythese species, many of which are of unknown conserva-tion status, and have the opportunity and knowledgeto develop the best course of action to prevent theirextinction. Our approach may include another captive-breeding and release program with lessons learnedfrom the Harpy Eagle project enabling greater likeli-hood of success.

15

This female Harpy Eagle was the first hatched at the then newly-createdNeotropical Raptor Center in Panama. She was released in Soberania NationalPark in September 2002. Once independent, she was relocated to the Rio BravoConservation Management Area in Belize, where she continues to thrive.

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14

The Harpy Eagle is the largesteagle in the Americas. A charis-matic species that instills won-

der and admiration in all who see it, the national birdof Panama is an ideal symbol for the conservation oflarge predators worldwide. Though it maintains a rela-tive, but dwindling, stronghold in much of SouthAmerica, its numbers in most of Central America haveplummeted. These are some of the reasons we chosethe Harpy Eagle as the focus of our conservationefforts in Panama.

When the Harpy Eagle Conservation Program firstbegan, the goal was three-fold: first, to successfully andpredictably breed, hatch, and raise young Harpy Eaglesin captivity; second, to develop techniques to releaseyoung Harpy Eagles into the wild in such a way as tomaximize their chances of survival to independence andeventual breeding; and finally, to adapt both the captivebreeding and release methods to other large foresteagles that are much less known and potentially moreendangered than the Harpy Eagle.

With the successful release of over 30 captive-bredbirds and three wild-hatched rehabilitated birds, thefirst two goals of this project have been met. Now webegin our focus on the third goal—turning our atten-tion to other tropical raptors that are less known andcould be much closer to the brink of extinction than theHarpy Eagle.

Since 1998, we have been releasing captive-bredHarpy Eagles into the forests of Panama and Belize.Over the years, as we learned more about the behaviorand specific needs of this large forest eagle, we haveadapted and modified our management techniques inorder to have the highest possible success rate.

We began the captive breeding of Harpy Eagles atour facility in Boise, Idaho, in 1995, and through 2001,a total of 10 chicks hatched from three breeding pairs.Despite efforts to create special environmentally con-trolled breeding chambers that closely mimicked theirnatural habitat, the chicks were not hatching or not sur-viving for long after hatching. It became evident that anaturally warm, moist, and sunlit environment was nec-essary for them to breed successfully. In 2001, thebreeding pairs were moved to a new facility located justoutside of Panama City, Panama, and built specificallyto meet the Harpy Eagles’ needs. In the first breedingseason alone, the three pairs produced 17 healthychicks and have continued to produce five to sevenchicks each year.

Likewise, our releases have gone exceptionally welland we have had a 60 percent survival rate amongreleased birds. This is quite high compared to theapproximate 25 percent survival rate of most wildyoung. Over time we have also adapted our release tech-niques to the special needs of Harpy Eagles. Initially, wereleased the birds at six months old, their normal fledg-ing age in the wild. However, these birds took many

Marta Curti, Angel Muela,& Saskia Santamaría

New Chapter Beginsfor NeotropicalRaptor Conservation

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The Rio BravoConservationManagement Area inBelize is part of thelarger Selva Maya,one of the largestremaining tracts ofcontiguous forest inCentral America.Here, there is still anabundance of preyand habitat able tosustain the needs ofa large predator suchas the Harpy Eagle.

… we begin our focus on the third goal–

turning our attention to other tropical

raptors that are less known and could be

much closer to the brink of extinction

than the Harpy Eagle.

Searching for released Harpy Eagles is slow, difficult work; field biologist Ryan Phillips negotiates a swamp in Belize.

proficient at effortlessly traveling long distances insearch of food. Vultures need to be heavy and large tosoar at great speeds, and they need to quickly eat hugeamounts (up to 20 percent of body weight) to takeback to their chicks. Being heavy and large helps themdefend themselves—and their food—against jackals,coyotes, and hyenas at a carcass, and it allows them tostore fat and go long periods between meals. Bare skinon their heads and necks helps them keep cleandespite sticking their heads into rotting carcasses. Justas importantly, this bare area helps them radiate heatin hot conditions, thus avoiding heat stress. They havelong necks for reaching far into carcasses, and theyhave powerful, sharp bills to tearthrough meat and even hide.Their feet are relatively weak anddesigned for walking rather thankilling. Except during mating, vul-tures are usually silent, perhaps sothat other scavengers are notattracted to a carcass.

So why should we care aboutvultures, particularly in SouthAsia? Vultures have significant cul-tural and ecological value that isbeing lost as their populationsplummet. In Hindu mythology,Jatayu, the Vulture King, isbelieved to have sacrificed his life to save the GoddessSita. In other cultures, vultures are viewed as “trans-porters of souls,” releasing cleansed spirits into the uni-verse. Tibetans and the Parsi communities of India stillperform sky burials, which rely on vultures to consumethe bodies of their dead. As vultures have disappeared,these millennia-old traditions are threatened.

Vultures are nature’s sanitary engineers. They rapidlydispose of infected and rotting carcasses that may other-wise be a reservoir for diseases like anthrax and brucel-losis, which can affect both humans and livestock. Theirvirtual disappearance from most of India and Pakistan

appears to have led to anincrease in feral dog and ratpopulations, necessitatingalternative methods of car-cass disposal to reducepublic health risks fromplague, rabies, and physicalattack. Loss of vultures,therefore, represents notonly a loss of biodiversity,but also loss of importantecological, economic,human health, and culturalresources.

In May 2006, the government of India directed alldrug companies to stop the manufacture of diclofenacfor veterinary use within three months. At least 25manufacturers have rescinded their licenses. This is anhistoric triumph in The Peregrine Fund’s and its part-ners’ vulture conservation efforts. Another drug,meloxicam, has been identified as a suitable and safealternative. However, it is more expensive to manufac-ture and will require government subsidies to motivateproduction and marketing. In the near future, allSouth Asian countries must also consider existingstocks of veterinary diclofenac and ensure that untest-ed drugs do not replace it.

The ramifications of thediclofenac ban on remnant popula-tions of wild vultures will be signif-icant. Hopefully, vultures will beginto return to areas where they hadbeen extirpated. Awareness aboutdiclofenac at the grass roots level isvital in educating rural livestockowners about sensible use of veteri-nary drugs. Thousands of postersthat we have distributed in Indiaand Pakistan will help ensure thatdiclofenac is not used on livestock.It will take time before the giants ofthe skies return, as vultures are

slow to reproduce in the wild and will have to com-pete for food with an established and aggressive feraldog population.

It was not long ago that people perceived sharksand wolves with horror and abhorrence. We havebegun to appreciate these animals after discoveringthat they possess unique behavioral qualities and playimportant roles in healthy ecosystem function.Vultures deserve not only the same appreciation, butalso gratitude for their ecological services, sympathyfor the losses caused by diclofenac, and above all, ourunstinting support to help their populations recover.

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Effective 21 September 2006,Pakistan banned the veteri-nary use of diclofenac!

Along with its ban in India andNepal earlier this year, the future ofvultures in South Asia is lookingsignificantly brighter. This is terrificnews and a moment for ThePeregrine Fund to be very proud ofits pivotal role in discovering thecause of the Asian vulture crisis.

With a great

mastery of flight,

these denizens

of the skies

soar effortlessly,

riding natural

air currents to

carry them afar

in search of

their food.

An official of the village of Nimli, in the state ofRajasthan, India, explains a Peregrine Fund flyerabout the dangers of diclofenac.

Mu

nir

Vir

ani

Disgusting birds with bald scarletheads, formed to revel in putridity,”pronounced an appalled Charles

Darwin when he first saw Turkey Vultures on hisfamous voyage to South America in the H.M.S. Beaglein 1832. It’s a view of vultures and their “grotesque”habits that continues to this day. The poet AmyLowell wrote, “hate is ravening vulture beaks descend-ing on a place of skulls.” Vultures do not evoke a par-ticularly inspiring image. We are all too familiar witha venue of vultures jostling with their blood-stainedheads at a carcass amidst a cacophony of sordid hiss-ing. No wonder they are viewed as famished villainsand opportunistic hoodlums waiting for their chanceto cash in at a kill.

Despite this popular view, there are now those ofus—with insight gained from studying these birds—who regard vultures as among the most graceful andspectacular of all flying animals. With a great masteryof flight, these denizens of the skies soar effortlessly,riding natural air currents to carry them afar in searchof their food. Darwin later wrote of them, “it is trulywonderful and beautiful to see so great a bird, hourupon hour, without any apparent exertion, wheelingand gliding upon mountain and river.” If the greatCharles Darwin changed his opinion about vultures,then this is my attempt to change yours!

During my involvement with the Asian VultureCrisis Project, I have met hundreds of people who askme the obligatory, “So what do you do?” question.“Well, I work with a team of people trying to save vul-tures of the genus Gyps in South Asia from extinction,”is my answer. “They are dying of kidney failure fromeating dead livestock contaminated with a painkillingdrug called diclofenac. Nearly 99 percent of threespecies of Gyps vulture populations have perished as aresult.” The reactions I get range from astonishment tofascination. As of June I can now add, “The govern-ment of India has recently placed a ban on the manu-facture of veterinary diclofenac, so there is hope thatvulture populations will recover, though we think theywill need help through captive breeding.” Given half achance, I’ll launch into an impassioned lecture aboutwhy South Asian Gyps vultures are unique and valu-able, and why we have an obligation to save thesemagnificent birds of prey from extinction.

Vultures are highly evolved raptors. Fossil recordsfrom about 40 million years ago show that their ances-tors had large talons typically associated with birds ofprey. As the earth cooled, grasslands expanded and graz-ing mammals became larger, more numerous, andmore available in the open landscape, creating a newfood niche for large, flying scavengers. Over thousandsof years of adaptation, vultures’ talons reduced in size,and they lost the agility, aggression, and killer instinctsthat characterize most other birds of prey. Instead, vul-tures became extremely efficient at locating carrion bymastering their foremost asset—the art of soaring togreat heights. Notwithstanding human pressures of per-secution, habitat loss, and poisoning, vultures becamearguably among the most successful of all raptors.

Vultures may look hideous by human standards,but they are marvels of evolutionary engineering. Theirunparalleled ability to soar, gliding through the air forlong periods of time without losing altitude, comesfrom having a large wing area in relation to body size.Combined with a skillful understanding of their envi-ronment to detect rising air currents, this makes them

16

Munir Virani

Once Upon a Vulture

“

Mu

nir

Vir

ani

19

and a crocodile. Tragically, we learned nothing fromthese deaths, nor did we find a solution to avoid suchlosses. But some eagles did persevere and we were ableto follow their progress and ensuing love lives with thesame fervour as watching a soap opera.

In 1998, one of the released males moved 15 km(9.3 mi) downstream to a patch of inhospitable DoumPalm forest where I had earlier been treed by a buffalo.From time to time I would see him displaying there invain attempts to lure a mate. I had searched this forbid-ding place unarmed, alone, and on foot, and finally hadto give up. Then, in May 2003 we saw a freshly fledgedfemale Crowned Eagle emerge from the area. It wasimpossible that this chick was anything other than hisprogeny. I was reassured when in 2004 I found himagain, with a wild female on a nest. But in February2006 a pair of African Hawk Eagles occupied the nest,and the Crowned Eagles were absent.

Meanwhile, the pair at Finch Hattons built a seriesof nests and laid eggs each year from 2004 to 2006.Baboons predated all three chicks within weeks ofhatching. Baboons now present a serious threat to thesurvival of many tree-nesting raptors, even deep withina national park, because they have proliferated from theabsence of predators promoted by the proximity ofhumans and invading livestock. But each year the eaglesseek better, less accessible trees and appear ready to suc-cessfully raise a chick to fledging soon.

In mid-2005 we released three eagles together at aremote mountain in northern Kenya called Kitich.Again we were fortunate to have the active help of campowners. Guilio and Andriola Bertoli were besotted bythe magnificence of these eagles. Lpiikin Lekeetei, theirchief tracker, proved invaluable help in the field. Butthese eagles were to face an unexpected challenge—awild pair of Crowned Eagles occupied the higher slopes,and vicious battles ensued. The released eagles foundareas of least resistance in which to hide, but we had toremove one for its own safety, and re-release it in Tsavo.

We learned many things from these experiences, notleast of which is the need for observation for years afterrelease. Large forest eagles, while they may appear capa-ble of survival where lesser raptors would not, are vul-nerable because they depend on acquired skills honedover years of experience. We observed half a dozenyoung eagles repeat the same clumsy mistakes at perch-

ing, crash landing, and fumbling hunts before establish-ing themselves successfully in the wild. After a few suc-cessful repeats they could fly “blindfolded” throughminute gaps between branches and trees as if followinga mental map. Interestingly, the same flight paths andperching places were used by different eagles years apart.Their hunting skills, although well proven prior torelease, needed a new repertoire of cunning strategies inforest habitat where stealth is of the essence. We observedthem attack full-grown female bushbuck and impala(36-54 kg, or 79-119 lb) and very nearly kill them. Thefemale eagles would fly into a galloping herd of impalaand take down large calves weighing at least 16 kg (35lb). Pairs hunting cooperatively have a very high successrate, taking monkeys, hyrax, and antelope calves.

It was nearly 30 years ago when as a boy I flew Rosyin a forest that has long since gone. Crowned Eagles,like all large eagles, were not uncommon. We haveshared many adventures and many people have had theresponsibility of looking after and releasing his young.He has appeared in the media and a number of docu-mentaries. The simile with the “big five” has certainlyhelped his and our cause. I look at him and his matetoday, identical, un-aged, and perfect in feather, andwonder how much longer they will directly influenceKenyan raptor conservation and awareness.

Sim

on

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Sim

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A male CrownedEagle released atKitich in northernKenya. A localSamburu tribesman(opposite page)helped with therelease.

Above, left: an example of forestfragmentation inKenya.

Raptor conservation in Kenya faces someunusual competition. Distracted by large, charismatic species such as ele-

phants and lions, conservation entities focus resourceson strategies that confine and protect wildlife on theground, not high in the skies. Historically, awarenesscreated by releases of large cats and elephants hashelped create and maintain conservation areas and putKenya on the map as a premier wildlife viewing destina-tion. The Crowned Eagle certainly deserves the sameattention as other powerful predators; it has the physi-cal presence that can attract that all-important tourist-filled minibus, the only salvationfor wildlife. The most powerfuleagle in Africa, its hind talon (upto 10 cm in length—about fourinches) is the largest naturalkilling implement on the conti-nent. Its appearance and biologyplace it firmly in “the big five”charismatic fauna of Africa, a trib-ute the tourism industry increas-ingly supports.

Like other large tropical foresteagles, Crowned Eagles thrive inmature indigenous forests wherea high density prey base exists.However, even where habitat andprey remain intact, CrownedEagles are quickly lost if peoplepersecute them. Such is the casein much of Africa, where theirprey is hunted for the “bushmeat” trade, and eagles are shot for livestock protectionand superstitious beliefs involving eagle body parts andfeathers. Add to this the rapid loss of habitat, and thesetop-of-the-food chain predators are predicted to have apoor future.

For many years, I accompanied the late Leslie Brownin Kenya and Susanne Shultz in Ivory Coast to famousCrowned Eagle nest sites. We found that southernAfrican Crowned Eagles have adapted to even a subur-ban existence, while others live in exceptionally dry andopen locations where a high level of human toleranceto both eagles and their prey is unequalled. Forest coverhas dwindled so that of the 27 nest sites I knew in thelate 1970s, none survived in 1991. The true number ofremaining Crowned Eagles in Kenya is possibly in thelow hundreds and declining fast.

Outside my kitchen window is a shed larger thanmy house in which a pair of Crowned Eagles, Rosy andGirl, are busy nest-building. Rosy is a locally famousmale eagle I received in 1978 with a badly fracturedwing. His mate, Girl, is of similar age, but was received

in 1987. When I joined The Peregrine Fund in 1991, Ibuilt a large breeding chamber on David Hopcraft’sgame ranch. Since then, this pair made 12 breedingattempts and successfully raised nine young. It hap-pened to be the first successful captive breeding of thisspecies in the world, and they are still the only captivepair of eagles in Africa that reproduce. They incubateand rear chicks without human intervention, which Ibelieve may have contributed to the overall success ofthe young when released.

Their breeding is similar to that of other large foresteagles, with one chick produced only every second year,

though in some years we wereable to induce one chick a year.Each was kept with its parentsup to four months post-fledging.Thereafter, parent attentivenessdeclined and the chicks’ boister-ous behavior outgrew the con-fines of the breeding chamber.They were then removed andflown for falconry in the compa-ny of other mature CrownedEagles until a minimum of threeyears old. During this time theyhunted wild antelope, hares,springhares, and monkeys, andwere exposed to potential preda-tors or human threats in prepa-ration for life in the wild. Theywere asked only to tolerate theirhandler, and readily avoided thethreats.

Sites for release had to fit nearly impossible criteria:healthy, undisturbed indigenous forest; a secure future;and separation from the territories of competingCrowned Eagles. We had the backing of our associates,the Ornithology Department of the National Museumsof Kenya and the Kenya Wildlife Service.

We began our releases at Mazima Springs, TsavoWest, in April 1998, but due to its attraction to touristsand the resultant artificially augmented population ofYellow Baboons, we changed our site to another hippo-filled spring at Finch Hattons, a resort in Tsavo West.Over the next seven years we released six CrownedEagles at Finch Hattons. We owe our success to the parkwardens and the hospitality of the lodge owners, Peterand Connie Frank, who provided a number of luckyvolunteers and myself with some of the finest accom-modation and food to be found in the country! Theyand virtually all the lodge staff, especially pastry cookSammy Mwangi, took it upon themselves to helprelease a succession of eagles into the wild. Of these,two met violent ends in separate attacks by a leopard

18

Simon Thomsett

Crowned Eagle Conservation in Kenya

…it has the

physical presence

that can attract

that all-important

tourist-filled

minibus, the only

salvation for

wildlife. Sim

on

Th

om

sett

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Bill Burnham weaves a life story of adventure,research, and world travel inA Fascination with Falcons.His insights into falconry,biology, ecology, andhands-on conservationreveal the philosophiesthat guided his tenure aspresident of The Peregrine

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The Idaho state quarterdesign, featuring a PeregrineFalcon, was unveiled Monday,24 July 2006 by Idaho Gover-nor Jim Risch at The PeregrineFund’s World Center for Birdsof Prey in Boise, Idaho. Thedesign was chosen by DirkKempthorne, Idaho’s governorfrom 1999 until his appoint-ment as U.S. Secretary of theInterior in May 2006. A groupof students participating in asummer education program joined Governor Risch (above) and The Peregrine Fund’s Rap-tor Specialist, Trish Nixon, for the announcement. Distribution of the new quarter willbegin in 2007. The Peregrine Falcon was designated as the Idaho State Raptor in 2004.

BIRD’S-EYE VIEW

20

The Second NeotropicalRaptor Conference (II NRC)organized by the Neotropi-cal Raptor Network (a Pere-grine Fund project) and heldin Iguazu National Park,Argentina in June 2006,attracted over 120 partici-pants from South and Cen-tral America. Delegates gaveover 100 presentations, andparticipated in five work-shops: Management andHandling of Raptors, Fal-conry Legislation in SouthAmerica, Conservation ofthe Andean Condor, RaptorVocalization Recording andAnalysis Techniques, andRaptor Census Techniques.As a result, the NeotropicalRaptor Network member-ship climbed to over 200this year. For informationon membership and adownloadable copy of con-ference abstracts, visit theNeotropical Raptor Networkwebsite: http://www.neotropicalraptors.org/index.i.html

The new Arab Falconry Her-itage Wing at The Archivesof Falconry (TAF) in Boise,Idaho, is nearing completion;Archivist Kent Carnie isworking with a team of pro-fessionals on the details ofdisplays to complement thecenterpiece: a Bedu falconrytent (artist’s renderingbelow), complete with ori-ental carpets, cushions, andaccoutrements. The tentwas a gift from His Excel-lency, Mohamed Al Bowardi,the Managing Director ofAbu Dhabi’s EnvironmentAgency, to veterinarian KenRiddle. Ken then donatedthe tent to The Archives. In2005, His Highness, SheikhMohamed bin Zayedawarded a grant in honor ofhis late father to help sup-port construction of thenew wing.

Cape Vulture conservationtook an important step for-ward in March 2006 whenPeregrine Fund biologist RickWatson chaired a workshopin South Africa that wasconvened by the Centre forAfrican Conservation Ecol-ogy, Nelson Mandela Metro-politan University, and theNorthern Cape ProvincialGovernment in associationwith the Vulture StudyGroup, Endangered WildlifeTrust. The meeting wasattended by 20 experts invulture biology from acrossthe species’ range fromNamibia, Botswana, Zim-babwe, and South Africa.The result was the publica-tion of a Cape Vulture Con-servation Plan, and thecreation of a locally organ-ized and funded Cape Vul-ture Conservation Task Forceto implement the plan.

“Defying Nature’s End: The African Context,” a symposium organized byConservation International,was held in Madagascar inJune 2006. Participants from40 countries examined thecritical linkages betweenbiodiversity, ecosystems,poverty, and sustainabledevelopment. Ten criticalpoints were identified andentitled the MadagascarDeclaration. Among its goalsare to conserve biodiversity,protect and restore freshwater systems and coastalecosystems, support com-munity management ofresources, involve the pri-vate sector, address agricul-tural intensification and fuelwood alternatives, andincrease collaborationamong leaders in Africa andother tropical nations.

Jack

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The Peregrine FundWorld Center for Birds of Prey5668 West Flying Hawk LaneBoise, ID 83709United States of America

Non-Profit Organization

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDBoise, ID

Permit No. 606

Jack Stephens

A Peregrine Falcon descends from its eyrie in Greenland.

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