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Teton Valley News - March 29, 2012 - Page B1
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B1 teton valley news - March 29, 2012
Va lle y
inging it Raptor Center presents birds of prey Ken Levy TVN Staff
Jason Jones of the Teton Raptor Center held a hybrid half Merlin and half gyrfalcon, bred for hunting. But the little bird seemed nervous. As Jones spoke, the falcon kept glancing over his shoulder at two distant eagles riding the thermals over a ridge. “This guy is small, he’s not at the top of the food chain,” said Jones. “He’s ever aware of the larger raptors flying around, because if he wasn’t aware of them, he would have been eaten long ago.”
Jason Jones explains the habits of golden eagles during a Teton Raptor Center presentation at the Jackson Hole Visitor Center Friday.
The hybrid is Jones’ own, and won’t be found in the wild. But Merlin falcons nest in Grand Teton National Park. Jones described the raptors’ habits and those of other birds of prey during a demonstration at the Jackson Visitor Center Friday, “Most falcons are very swift birds,” said Jones. They have long, narrow wings that taper to a point and have compact bodies, and usually have short tails, he said. “Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on the planet,” he said. Peregrines have been clocked diving from thousands of feet in altitude straight down at over 200 MPH. Merlins dine primarily on songbirds. They’ll hunt anything from the size of a sparrow up to various types of doves.
“For the most part, Merlins are migratory throughout their range. Many nest in the mid to upper regions of Canada, and as soon as the fall weather sets in and the migrating songbirds which they hunt begin to head southward, these birds will follow them down,” Jones said. GTNP is about as far south as Merlins will breed, but they’ll travel as far as Mexico during the winter. Jones, who doesn’t name his birds, then brought out a much larger raptor. The big Saker falcon isn’t found in North America. They are native to Eastern Europe and Asia and, during migration, make their way into the Middle East and parts of Africa. “Sakers are the second largest species of falcon in the world,” said Jones, second only to gyrfalcons, although their sizes overlap in some instances. Jones had it clad in a hood, to help keep it calm, since they have “amazing eyesight, and can identify predatory birds from miles away,” he said. “These birds are found nesting and living up on the open, barren Mongolian flats, where there’s just not a lot of TVN Photos/Ken Levy prey on a regular Jason Jones of the Teton Raptor Center holds a hybrid falcon. The bird is a cross between a Merlin basis,” said Jones. and Gyrfalcon and was bred for hunting. Falcons, hawks and eagles can’t see very well at night, said Jones, “She’s unable to flex her wrist, and that and they’re not meant to fly around. makes it so she can’t fly,” Warren said. “There are other nocturnal predators that The bird, at about eight years old, can live would take advantage of that,” he said. In North to 20-25 years. America, falcons spend a lot of time sitting Unlike falcons, owls are very slow. still “because throughout most areas “They’re big and fluffy, and are noted for we have large owls. Great Horned how slow they can fly, as slow as 10 MPH,” said Owls would come by and pick off a Warren. smaller bird of prey if they’re able to Those fluffy feathers allow the owl to swoop find it.” down on its prey virtually silently, she said. Meghan Warren of the Raptor The birds are the largest species of owls in Center presented Owly, a great horned the lower 48 states. Their big eyes allow them owl, one of the most common birds to see by starlight at night, and their ears are so seen at the raptor center. Unlike other sensitive that they can be sitting on the top of birds that are rehabilitated to return a 50-foot-tall tree and hear the heartbeat of a to the wild, Owly was too badly person walking below. injured to leave captivity. But they have no sense of smell, which Meghan Warren of the Teton Raptor Center introduced Owly, a great horned owl. Brought to the center badly injured, Owly will remain in captivity since it can no longer fly.
Raptors continued on B6