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SCPBRG News
Governor Schwarzenegger Signs Condor Range Lead Ammunition Bill
On October 13, 2007 Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law Assembly Bill AB 821, the Ridley-Tree Condor Preservation Act, submitted by Assemblyman Pedro Nava (D-Santa Barbara), which bans the use of lead-based ammunition in the California Condor range thereby removing one of the most significant sources of mortality impeding the recovery of the species.
Petition Accepted to Delist the Peregrine Falcon in California
On October 11, 2007 the California Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously to accept the petition to de-list the peregrine falcon in California, which was submitted by Gary Alten on May 4th, 2007. The peregrine will now enter a one year candidacy period during which its status will be thoroughly reviewed and studied. At the end of that period the Department of Fish and Game will submit a written report indicating whether the petition action (delisting) is warranted. Gary Alten presented his petition before the Commission. SCPBRG and members of the California Hawking Club and the falconry community also gave presentations or spoke in favor of the delisting. No one spoke in opposition to delisting.
George and Gracie's 2007 Offspring Ready for Release!
In March George and Gracie attempted to nest in a dangerous location on the Bay Bridge. The eggs were retrieved by SCPBRG staff and incubated at their breeding facility to improve their chances of survival. A female eyas hatched on April 20th, and she is now almost ready for release. On Saturday June 2, 2007 she will be released at Long Marine Laboratory in Santa Cruz, at 10 AM. The public is welcome to attend. See George and Gracie's 2007 Nest Diary for additional details.
SURPRISE! Four Chicks hatch at Oracle!
An unexpected surprise! For the first time since spring of 2002, peregrine falcons have once again nested on the Oracle building in Redwood Shores, CA. After two successful nesting seasons at Oracle in 2001 and 2002, the falcons were conspicuously absent from the nest box for the subsequent four spring nesting seasons. However, earlier this year, the birds were once again sighted on the top of building 400. See the Oracle page for more information on this season's activities thus far.
Falcons Hatch at San Jose City Hall!
Jose and Clara, nesting atop the San Jose City Hall, welcomed THREE new youngsters into the world between the night of April 27, and the morning of April 28th! This is the first year that Jose and Clara have nested together, and their entire nesting season is being broadcast live this year. For more news regarding this pair and their offspring during the nesting season, see the 2007 Nest Diary, and the live camera video.
Peregrines Hatch on California's Santa Barbara Island!
SCPBRG lead biologist, Brian Latta, has documented peregrine falcons hatching on California's Santa Barbara Island for the first time in more than 50 years. Peregrines have had difficulty breeding on the island since at least the 1950's due to egg-shell thinning secondary to DDT and PCB contamination in their environment. This year the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program funded SCPBRG to conduct a comprehensive monitoring program as part of an effort to restore resources injured by past DDT and PCB releases. Brian Latta went to the eyrie with the intent of recovering an unhatched egg for contaminant analysis as part of this project, but much to his surprise, when he arrived he discovered two recently hatched chicks, and one pipped egg in the nest (pictured above right).
One Egg Hatches from the Bay Bridge
On Friday April 20, 2007 one of the three eggs retrieved from George and Gracie's nest under the center anchorage of the west span, hatched! A second egg hatched on Saturday afternoon, but the chick did not survive due to a developmental defect. The third was determined to be inviable soon after it was retrieved from the bridge. For updates regarding the surviving chick, see George and Gracie's 2007 Nest Diary.
SCPBRG Retrieves 3 Eggs from under the Bay Bridge
On March 30 the SCPBRG crew, consisting of staff biologist Brian Latta, and Alex Stewart, descended into George and Gracie's new eyrie on the center anchorage of the west span of the Bay Bridge. Brian was equipped with a 'helmet-cam' and was able to catch some images of the eggs in the nest before they were removed. The eggs have been transferred to an incubator, and thus far at least two of the three eggs are confirmed to be viable. See George and Gracie's 2007 Nest Diary for updates.
George and Gracie Nest Precariously on the Bay Bridge
In anticipation of the 2007 nesting season, SCPBRG and PG&E installed cameras at two separate locations on the PG&E headquarters late last year. Unfortunately, George and Gracie have elected to nest on the west span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge this spring, the same nest where George was hatched in 1999. Due to the precarious location of this year's nest, SCPBRG intends to remove the eggs from the bridge on March 30, and hatch them at the SCPBRG facility in Santa Cruz.
Three Juvenile Peregrines Released at Long Marine Lab
On Saturday March 17, 2007, three juvenile peregrine falcons were released at Long Marine Lab's Seymour Discovery Center, at UC Santa Cruz. As of the morning of March 21, all three falcons have successfully fledged. The falcons are expected to remain in the area for the next couple of weeks. The public is invited to bring their binoculars, and watch these young falcons make their way toward independence. For more information, and directions to the Seymour Center at Long Marine Lab, see the Peregrine Falcon Releases page.
San Francisco Peregrine Makes a Splash Downtown!
Although the 2006 nesting season is over for our pair of peregrine falcons in San Francisco, Gracie continued to grace the streets of San Francisco well into the autumn. She was the subject of a poster that is part of the "Art on Market St." exhibit by the San Francisco Arts Commission. The series was titled "Ecology of Market Street", and was on display at various locations along Market Street through early November 2006. The poster was designed by a local artist, Mark Brest van Kempen, using an image of Gracie that was taken by Glenn Nevill on the 30th floor of 201 Mission Street the day SCPBRG banded the 2006 eyas. For more information about the San Francisco peregrine falcons, see the Nest Cameras page. Select image for an enlarged view of the poster.
Peregrine Falcon Chosen for the 2007 Idaho Quarter
As part of the US Mint's 50 State Quarters program, the peregrine falcon has been selected to appear on the quarter representing the State of Idaho. Idaho adopted the peregrine falcon as its official state raptor in 2004. The new quarter will be minted in 2007, and was unveiled at the Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey headquarters in Boise, Idaho, in July 2006. The phrase "Esto Perpetua", meaning "it is forever" or "it is perpetual" will be prominently displayed next to the image of the falcon. The Peregrine Fund has played a critical role in the truly remarkable recovery of this species, and "couldn't be more thrilled" that the peregrine was selected as the winning design.
Peregrine Falcon Nest Cam
In 2005, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) was host to a pair of falcons, George and Gracie, nesting on the 33rd floor of their downtown San Francisco headquarters. PG&E graciously invited SCPBRG to share the nesting activities with the public and had underwritten the costs of doing so with an educational grant to the UC Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group. We were pleased were partner with PG&E on this exciting venture! The entire season was broadcast live on SCPBRG's website from courtship to fledging. In 2006 George and Gracie nested across the street from PG&E. They laid four eggs, and one hatched on April 14th. The eyas was banded on May 4th and determined to be a young male. He successfully fledged on May 26th, and spent his first night away from the nest sleeping on the southeastern ledge of the PG&E building, back on the 33rd floor. Although the camera is now closed, the 2006 season's highlights are available.
Awards and Honors
Predatory bird researcher Brian Walton honored by Audubon Society
Brian Walton was honored recently as an Audubon champion at the annual Audubon California awards luncheon in San Francisco.
SCPBRG-PIEREA Avian Transmission System Mitigation Program
A quarter of all power outages in California are due to bird and wildlife electrocution. These outages cost nearly $3 billion a year. Most of the outages caused by bird electrocutions involve raptors protected by state and federal laws. Recently the US Fish and Wildlife Service has begun to prosecute and fine companies for these avian deaths. Additional fatalities occur at windfarms.
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is taking the lead in addressing the problem in California. The Commission recently awarded a $3 million grant to the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group (SCPBRG) that is being used to sponsor research by a variety of groups aimed at assessing the extent of the problem and reducing the risk of bird fatalities and power losses.
Peregrine Survey Protocol
In an effort to include serious bird-watchers in our scientific studies, we are inviting participation in our 2006 peregrine falcon nesting survey. Those who know of peregrine falcon nests may record information following our guidelines. In 2004 we received information on 67 eyries, approximately a quarter of the known territories in the state. In 2003 we also coordinated the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's post-delisting monitoring survey in California. A copy of the monitoring plan can be found at:
http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/peregrine/
California Burrowing Owl Consortium
Next meeting scheduled for: TBA
Meeting Location: TBA
Meeting minutes from previous sessions now online.
