Today I lost a friend, but gained many more. For Artemis it will be a blessing
in disguise, only realized through time.

Two months ago my manager/friend, Rick and I decided to think about a better
avenue for Artemis; a female Eurasian Eagle-owl we had originally obtained, from
a breeder, for petting and educational purposes about 3 ½  years ago. During the
first 6 months of her life with us she was allowed to be petted by young
children, primarily, and was used during my nightly scheduled talks before the
show. Many things suddenly changed after that 6 month period, and Artemis was
not taken out nearly as often. My duties were suddenly shifted, and through time
Artemis was used less and less often. We realized that she would probably be
better-off with a more useful purpose. After 3 ½ years we finally gave up, but
would be very selective in who she was awarded.

It wasn't long before we found the perfect place for her … THE WORLD BIRD
SANCTUARY in St. Louis, Missouri. If you've never heard about them, just follow
this link to review their web site:

http://www.worldbirdsanctuary.org/

Roger Wallace drove down to receive Artemis, and was rewarded with a free
entrance to our Wednesday Night show. We also let him and his guests see and
understand many behind-the-scenes aspects of what I do, and an after-show flight
by the other falcon after the guests had left. They were all thrilled, of
course, but it's like getting a tour of Disney Land, on a much smaller scale.

Artemis was transferred into the carrier by me, alone, as I gained her
confidence enough to get her to enter the transport carrier. There was some
resistance, but she trusts me, and went in reluctantly without issue. She may
never trust me again, or she might look forward to my visit someday, WHOOOO
Knows! Actually, she'd probably appreciate Rick better at any visit as she
hooted to him quite often.

Sometimes the best tools you have are no longer useful. There is always someone
else who needs that tool. I think we accomplished our goal tonight, and Artemis
will have a chance to serve a much greater purpose than we could ever imagine.

Douglas E. Trapp, Owner
Raptors International

One of the Peregrine Falcon chicks that has grown up in front of devoted webcam
fans for the last six weeks decided today was the day--it was time to fly! The
youngster sailed from its nest 14 stories above downtown Boise and landed safely
on a building across the street. Whew! The next few weeks will be risky as this
fledgling and its two siblings practice their flying skills.  Be sure to check
our webcam page often in the days ahead and we will keep you posted on all the
latest developments.

http://www.peregrinefund.org/webcam2009.asp

Enjoy Boise 's new reality show! A webcam installed in a nest box on the 14th
floor of One Capital Center in Boise, Idaho reveals the daily life of a pair of
Peregrine Falcons incubating four eggs. If all goes well, they will have hungry
chicks to feed in about a month. The webcam presents live streaming video 24/7.
Tune in and tell your friends.

http://www.peregrinefund.org/webcam2009.asp

A landscape vital to maintaining Madagascar's rich biodiversity is
expected to be officially protected by that nation's government in
the next few weeks, according to The Peregrine Fund, a Boise-based
conservation organization for birds of prey.

Located on the western coast of Madagascar, the Manambolomaty Lakes
region is home to many rare species found nowhere else on Earth,
including the Madagascar Fish-Eagle, a critically endangered species.
The site will be added to the System of Protected Areas of
Madagascar, a program that protects biodiversity while reducing
poverty and promoting rural development.

"After 13 years of hard work on this project, it is gratifying to be
so near our goal of conserving this incredible area," said Russell
Thorstrom, a Peregrine Fund biologist. Details of the process leading
up to protection for the region are described in a paper co-authored
by Thorstrom and published in the December issue of "Madagascar
Conservation & Development."

The 57-square-mile Manambolomaty Lakes region is being managed, with
The Peregrine Fund's assistance, by two associations of local
residents who historically used taboos, religious customs and social
conventions to maintain natural resources at sustainable levels and
allow a local economy to thrive. The system was threatened in the
1990s by immigrants over-fishing the lakes and cutting down portions
of the surrounding forest, which provide habitat for fish-eagles and
other endemic species.

The two associations were formed in 1997 and 2000 to benefit from a
new Malagasy law that empowers local communities to sustainably
manage their natural resources. Thorstrom said the associations have
proven they are capable of dealing with such issues by blending new
regulations with traditional customs. No traces of slash-and-burn
agriculture have been found in the forest and over-fishing has been
controlled. Meanwhile, the fisheries management system has increased
annual local revenue by an estimated $1,562 per fisherman per season,
according to Peregrine Fund research.

Becoming part of the System of Protected Areas will further
strengthen enforcement and monitoring to avert resource exploitation
in the future, Thorstrom said.

"Early on, we wanted to help the Malagasy people help themselves to
conserve endangered raptors and other wildlife," Thorstrom said. "Our
experience has shown that species can be protected successfully with
plans that incorporate strong involvement by traditional societies
and self-enforced codes of conduct that are handed down from
generation to generation."

The management plan has been so successful that it is being used as a
model by other non-profit organizations working in Madagascar,
Thorstrom said.

In 1998, the Manobolomaty region was one of the first sites in
Madagascar to be listed in the Ramsar Convention, an international
treaty that protects globally significant wetlands. The region
consists of four lakes surrounded by a deciduous forest. Significant
resources include:

•    More than 50 species of water birds, including five threatened
species.
•    In the forested areas, 80 bird species and seven lemur species,
including two that are threatened.
•    The endangered freshwater big-headed turtle.
•    A unique source of an endemic tree that is important to the
Sakalava people, who consider it an honor to buried in coffins made
with wood from the tree.

The Peregrine Fund, based in Boise, Idaho, first began working in the
island nation 18 years ago to survey and conserve threatened birds of
prey and their habitat. The organization is assisting in two other
regions to be included in Madagascar's System of Protected Areas.

Two California Condor chicks fledged from their nests in the Grand
Canyon in December, bringing the world's population of endangered
California Condors now flying free in the wild to 169. This is the
first year that there are more condors flying free than are in
captivity for breeding purposes.

"This shows that we are making real progress in bringing this
ecologically significant bird back from the brink of extinction,"
said Bill Heinrich, who oversees the condor recovery program for The
Peregrine Fund, a Boise-based conservation organization for birds of
prey. "I am thrilled that these two chicks appear to be doing well
and I hope they will survive to become productive members of the
flock."

Currently, the total number of California Condors is 327, with 158 in
captivity. Of the 169 condors in the wild, 67 are in Arizona and 83
are in California. There also are 19 California Condors flying free
in Mexico. The goal is to produce at least 150 members in each of the
U.S. populations, including at least 15 breeding pairs.

The Peregrine Fund breeds and produces condors at its World Center
for Birds of Prey in Boise and releases them to the wild in northern
Arizona. Eight wild condor chicks also hatched this year in
California, where a geographically separate population is being
produced by zoos, along with The Peregrine Fund.

California Condors are some of the world's rarest birds. Their
numbers had dropped to just 22 individuals when the recovery program
began in the 1980s. Because condors eat carrion, they help fulfill
the role that scavengers play in the environment by consuming dead
animal carcasses that might otherwise spread disease and foul land
and water resources.

The Grand Canyon chicks, which hatched in May, were produced by two
sets of condor parents nesting in the canyon's remote ledges and
caves. The chicks were first observed testing their wings with short
flights in September and October. One of the chicks was produced by
the same adult pair that in 2003 hatched the first wild condor chick
in the Grand Canyon in more than 100 years. The other chick belongs
to first-time parents. The adult female is the last bird remaining
from the group that was released when the Arizona recovery program
began in 1996.

This month's fledglings make a total of nine wild chicks hatched in
the Grand Canyon since 1996. Eight are still alive.

The largest survival challenge facing the two new chicks and all
condors is lead poisoning from lost or unretrieved remains of animals
shot with lead ammunition, Heinrich said. The Peregrine Fund works
with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and local hunting groups on
an awareness campaign that has produced a dramatic increase in the
number of hunters who voluntarily switch to copper bullets or other
non-lead alternatives in condor country, with a corresponding drop in
condor deaths due to lead poisoning.

"We are grateful to all the hunters who are valued partners in
restoring California Condors to their historic range," Heinrich said.

Nevertheless, every condor must be captured twice each year and
tested for lead poisoning. Because they are social eaters, it is
possible for just one carcass to poison several birds. Condors are
treated with chelation, a process that removes lead from a bird's
body, and re-released to the wild. None treated this year have yet
died from lead poisoning.

     "Until we significantly reduce the amount of lead they are
exposed to, we will never have a self-sustaining population of
condors," Heinrich said. "We look forward to the day when they no
longer need us to survive."

###

Did you know?
•    Prior to reintroduction, the last wild condor in Arizona was
sighted just south of the Grand Canyon in 1924.
•    Condors reach maturity at about six years of age. They usually
produce one egg every other year.
•    Recovery and reintroduction cooperators include The Peregrine
Fund, Arizona Game and Fish Department, Utah Division of Wildlife
Resources, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service and U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.

Fri Jun 6, 11:45 PM ET

Three endangered California condors were returned to the wild Friday
after undergoing treatment for lead poisoning at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Three other condors continued to receive treatment at the zoo, said
Jesse Grantham, an official of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's
California Condor Recovery Program.

The program is trying to create a self-sustaining population of the
species, which was on the brink of extinction in the 1980s and even
now number only in the low hundreds.

Officials this week announced they were in "crisis mode" after seven
of Southern California's roughly three dozen condors were found with
lead poisoning. One of the birds died during treatment at the zoo.

The birds started turning up sick about a month ago during random
trappings at Bitter Creek National Wildlife Refuge in the San Joaquin
Valley.

Lead poisoning is a known risk for California condors. The vultures,
which can have 9 1/2-foot wingspans, are scavengers and may feed on
carcasses of animals that have been killed by hunters using lead
ammunition.

Finally, the long awaited English version of this highly acclaimed book by
Beatriz Candil García.

Since its first publication, in Spanish, in 2004, this book has been
regarded by many as one of the definitive works about the Red-tailed Hawk.

Everything you need to know about this species, the training regimen
required to prepare the hawk for use in falconry, and the care needed to
maintain it in optimal hunting condition…and much more – all in one place.

Packed with detail, with an impressive collection of more than 150
photographs and illustrations, this is a book that is not just for the
expert falconer; it is equally useful to anyone with an interest in the
magnificent world of wild raptors.

This limited edition has been printed in both the UK and US to minimize
shipping costs and is immediately available for shipping and delivery.
Paypal payments accepted or buy directly online through our Yarakshop. Don´t
miss it!

For more information and to make your order, please email bea@...
or publishing@....

Please also visit my own website for more info, contents and sample pictures
of the book at


http://www.yarakweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=226&Itemid
=1

Thank you!

Best regards, B. E. Candil García

Have a Merry Christmas and continue for many  Years Your extraordinary
group of raptors.

   It is always interesting to receive your messages.

Josep Vilet

San Luis Potosí, MÉXICO

Mon Oct 22, 9:31 AM ET

Wildlife experts from around 60 countries gathered in Scotland Monday
to push for an agreement to help save rare, migratory birds of prey.

Delegates to the International Conference on Migratory Raptors,
taking place at Loch Lomond, are working to protect up to 77 species
of endangered birds ranging from eagles and falcons to kites,
buzzards and osprey, conference organisers said.

Speaking ahead of the opening, conference chairman Colin Galbraith
told reporters the meeting would address some of the key issues
affecting birds of prey including persecution, habitat destruction
and the long term effects of pollution.

British Environment Minister Joan Ruddock, who is attending the
conference for the government, said it was vital that any
international agreement also address the future problems that climate
change will bring to migratory birds.

Among first steps, organisers hope the conference will raise funds
for future conservation and protection work.

In Scotland, hosting the conference for the first time, recent
figures showed that at least 455 birds have been killed by poisoning
in Scotland since May 1999.

Other problems include shooting and trapping of rare birds.

A final agreement is not expected until a further conference due in
the United Arab Emirates in 2008 but delegates hope to announce
progress following this week's Scottish meeting.

Hi,
Just a quick note from Forrest Miller from Arizona Falconry Supply.
From a Falconer to a Falconer, Arizona Falconry Supply is a family
operated start up business, with one goal in mind; to provide quality
products at an affordable price for the average falconer. Many of the
products are hand made with special attention paid to important
details like durability, resilience and functionality. Having been
falconers ourselves we know how important it is to use well designed
jesses, anklets, traps, perches and other products for your overall
success and the health of your falcon or hawk. Building on the
experience of others is a long held tradition in the art of falconry
and is easily as important as your equipment. You will find an
extensive array of resources like books and DVDs to aid in your
overall success. Visit us at www.azfalconrysupply.com.

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Dallas, Texas is currently
seeking a Professional Assistant to the Master Falconer.

Said candidate should have experience and knowledge of avian
husbandry. Falconry experience or raptor handling is a plus.

Position is fulltime (32+ hours/week) and will include overtime
during the spring season (starting in February), and will be included
during the extensive training period (first 3 months).

Duties include (gram/hour) weight loss management of falcons and
other raptors for show; educational discussions; public interaction;
care and maintenance of housing facilities (mews); equipment
maintenance; and requires working holidays and weekends, as scheduled.

The Assistant is expected to care for the birds and facilities
on "non-show" days.

The Assistant must not have any other employment or School that will
conflict with working schedules.

The Assistant must be prompt, reliable, willing to follow detailed
instructions, and reside in or near to the Dallas-Fort Worth
Metroplex, or willing to relocate to that area.

The Assistant is expected to be willing to "self-educate" in all
respects regarding raptor management and falconry techniques,
following the guidance of the Master Falconer.

The Assistant will be trained in various levels of "show falconry"
techniques as well as the art of lure-flying (with style and form).

The Assistant will be trained to be part of the show for periods when
the Master Falconer is off location or on special assignment.

The Assistant will be trained for non-related duties as needed by the
Show Manager.

Send Resume to:

Douglas Trapp
via E-mail:

KC6ZOF@...

or ...

Falconryguy@...

or via SNAIL MAIL TO ...

Douglas Trapp, Master Falconer
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
2021 North Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75207

Dear Members:

I've added a few new links to some interesting raptor cams to our main
site page. Simply go to our site page to see them.

Douglas E. Trapp. Owner
Raptors International

Dear Raptor Enthusiasts:

During my two week vacation this year (June) I took time to visit the
World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho as well as the Snake
River Birds of Prey Natural Area (BLM). While at the World Center I
had a nice encounter with one of their male California Condors, and
became a bit obsessive with them from that point.

Normally I travel to Skamania County, Washington to conduct wildlife
research near Mt. St. Helens every year in June, but I think I am now
more interested in witnessing wild California Condors next year.

One good area for condor observation is the Grand Canyon, Arizona.
Several condors are flying free there, and I thought it would be a
nice expedition for those of us interested in this species to gather
next year and attempt to view these birds in the wild.

I am not sure of the details yet, and I need a few responses from
members here before I make further plans. I will research the
observation areas and camp sites, and from the response you provide I
will plan the expedition dates based on the majority availability.

Please contact me ASAP if you are interested in attending this
proposed expedition next year, especially if you are certain you can
commit to it. Let me know what time of the year in 2008 would be best
for you. Based on your responses, I will continue my research for
this. Contact me at the address listed below, NOT in this group:

Douglas E. Trapp
KC6ZOF@...

Hello all!
My name is Bea, I am Spanish falconer and author of various books on birds
of prey and of the world's only falconry and bird of prey portal,

www.yarakweb.com

I would like to tell all the members, particularly those interested in
birds of prey in general and falconry about my work and my site.  It is
free to join and is focused on falconry and birds of prey, encouraging
conservation and wellbeing of the environment.

I would really welcome having more ornithologits and bird enthusiasts from
all over the world and would like to share experiences with you.

The site is bilingual for now in English and Spanish although soon
available in more languages and includes:

Chat & Forum
Worldwide weather & newsfeeds, including weekly Earthweek
Authors corner for expert articles and book reviews
Interactive falconry tools
Yarak TV, for all your favourite falconry and bird of prey videos
Lost & Found
Beginners, DIY, and Recipes section
Yarakshop

All this and much more!

Also, if you have conservation projects please also feel free to post.
This is also a place for reading, learning and meeting like-minded
individuals.

Thanks to all for your time and hope to see you around.

Best, Bea

what is wrong with the mail lately?

what is wrong with the mail lately?

http://www.dailybulletin.com/search/ci_5982887

Fri Apr 20, 9:14 AM ET

A flock of robotic falcons has been dispatched to tackle an influx of
obese pigeons who are increasing in number and size thanks to an
unnatural diet of fastfood.

The mechanical birds -- called 'Robops' -- have been placed on
rooftop locations around the British city of Liverpool, and will flap
their wings and squawk loudly to scare the problem pigeons away.

The initiative was launched to deal with the birds who are now
considered a nuisance in the city, flying at people and leaving
droppings everywhere, Liverpool council said.

The pigeon problem has been exacerbated by residents in the city
feeding the birds -- whose natural diet is seeds and insects -- with
take-away leftovers. "We need to get the message across that anyone
who feeds the birds intentionally, or occasionally with leftovers
such as sausage rolls or burgers, is responsible for our streets
being so crowded with these birds," Berni Turner, Liverpool city
council's executive member for the environment said.

The falcons, created by a Scottish company, resemble a Peregrine
Falcon - which is a natural predator of pigeons.

As a result of the scaring techniques and people not feeding the
birds, it is hoped that the pigeon population will move out of the
city center and into Liverpool's parks and green spaces.

The Council's Environmental Health manager Andy Hull said that the
scheme was an attempt to improve the health of the pigeons, as their
current diet is unhealthy and dangerous.

However, experts have condemned the scheme, saying that the council
needs to tackle the source of the problem, rather than the symptoms.

Emma Haskell, Director of PiCAS UK, the leading independent advisory
body on the issue of bird control in Britain said her organization
had done studies with mechanical deterrents and had found them to be
completely ineffective.

"We believe that this is a complete waste of time...and a waste of
money," she said. "Pigeons are a highly intelligent bird and they
soon realize that these mechanical things are not a threat."

Liverpool has been named European Capital of Culture in 2008, but the
city council currently uses the equivalent of 88 man-hours a day
cleaning droppings from streets and buildings, at a cost of 160,000 a
year.

"The robotic hawks are almost laughable as a method of control and
the cost associated with buying and installing the product... simply
cannot be justified," PiCAS said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070420/sc_nm/britain_robofalcon_pigeons_d
c

Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament in Dallas, Texas is currently
seeking an Assistant to the Master Falconer. Candidate should have
experience and knowledge of avian husbandry . Falconry experience or
raptor handling a plus.

Position is fulltime (32+ hours/week) and may include overtime during
the spring season and during the extensive training period.

Duties include weight management of falcons and owls; educational
discussions with public interaction; care and maintenance of housing
facilities (mews); equipment maintenance; and requires working
holidays and weekends, as scheduled. The Assistant is also expected
to care for the birds and facilities on non-show days. The Assistant
must not have any other employment or School that will conflict with
working schedules. Assistant must be prompt, reliable, willing to
follow detailed instructions, and reside in or near to the Dallas-
Fort Worth Metroplex, or willing to relocate.

Assistant will be trained in various levels of show falconry
techniques as well as the art of lure-flying (with style and form).
Assistant will be trained to ride a horse, and will be trained to be
part of the show during periods when the Master Falconer is off
location or on special assignment. Assistant will be trained for non-
related duties as needed by the Show Manager.

Pay Scale begins at $13/hr
Fulltime benefits package included

For more information, contact the following via E-mail immediately:

Douglas E. Trapp, Master Falconer
Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament
Dallas, Texas
falconryguy@...

  This message was sent to you from Julie Hale

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

Have a Merry Christmas and continue for many more Years Your extraordinary group of raptors.

It is always interesting to receive your messages, Thanks.

Josep Vilet

San Luis Potosí, México.

http://mx.geocities.com/mexquitic_zoo/

Debra Gruszecki
The Desert Sun
Palm Springs, California
December 11, 2006

PALM SPRINGS - Elite Land Tours of Palm Springs has begun to offer
falconry educational tours in the Coachella Valley.

The tours, which have clients playing a part in the actual hunt with
birds of prey in their natural environment, offer clients an outdoor
learning experience about falconry from masters of the sport, said
Elite Land Tours owner Mark Farley.

Falconry, a sport once reserved for the nobility, is one of the
oldest forms of hunting.

The falconers who conduct the tours are fully licensed in accordance
with state and federal regulations, and have been members in good
standing with the California Hawking Club since 2001, Farley said.

The hunting parties to a spot in the valley by way of a Hummer H2,
will be limited to no more than four guests.

While there are no age requirements, the ability to hike in the field
or remote desert spots required because the terrain varies from flat
to mountainous. It is recommended that youth be 12-years or older.

Guests are guaranteed interaction with the falconer, the Harris hawks
and dogs. However, they will not be able to handle the birds.

The first tour was booked last week, Farley said. Another headed into
the high desert of Yucca Valley over the weekend.

James Debono
Malta Today

Falconry enthusiast Rene Scicluna has filed an application for the
construction of a falconry centre and to sanction illegal works in
Ta' Zgamardi in Siggiewi, where around 30 raptors are being kept in
cages.

The birds, belonging to seven different species including golden
eagles, eagle owls and falcons, are already housed in four-metre high
cages, clearly visible on the illegally developed site.

Contacted by MaltaToday, Scicluna insisted that the animals are tame
and if handled professionally pose absolutely no threat to
anyone. "The eagles are as tame and faithful as dogs and other
domestic animals," Scicluna said, who has also brought over an expert
from the United Kingdom to take care of the animals.

Speaking to MaltaToday in July, Scicluna lamented that the eagles
lacked space as he had to keep them in a room. "Now the eagles have
enough space and can even breed."

Scicluna insists the eagles were brought over legally from European
Union countries. In July the Veterinary Affairs and Fisheries
Division had told MaltaToday that a number of eagles had been legally
imported since Malta joined the EU. According to the division, in
order to keep these raptors for commercial purposes an application
had to be submitted to MEPA for the approval of the veterinary
services.

Scicluna also claims his falconry centre will have an important
educational role. "While visiting the park hunters will start
learning to appreciate these birds of prey while they are still alive
instead of shooting at them."

Scicluna has very close connections to the hunting community as a
partner of hunters' federation secretary Lino Farrugia and other
prominent members of the Federazzjoni Kaccaturi Nassaba
Konservazzjonisti in Leisure Field Sports Ltd.

Falconry centres are very popular in the United Kingdom where 30,000
birds are kept in 300 falconry centres. In the UK, falconry is
permitted without a special license, but only using captive-bred
birds. All raptors native to the UK are ringed and registered, and
can be DNA-tested to verify their origins.

Scicluna insists he only wants to emulate falcon centres in the
United Kingdom. "This would even be good for tourism as tourists will
have something different to do," Scicluna claims.

But his illegal development in Siggiewi lies on a rural conservation
area lying outside development zones. In February, he filed an
application for the development of a countryside park for the display
of birds of prey. In 2004, he had applied to sanction and extend an
illegal garage and two rooms at a site next to the proposed park,
claiming his aim was to house homeless in-laws and a "handicapped
uncle."

The application was refused twice by MEPA but an appeal is still
pending before the planning appeals board. Scicluna claims that
before he bought the site it was full of rubbish and the rubble walls
were collapsing before he rebuilt them.

jdebono@...

Published: Monday, 27 November, 2006, 10:36 AM Doha Time
Golf Times
Doha, Qatar
Ghanim Mohamed, Staff Reporter

ABOUT 1,000 falcons are imported every year by enthusiasts of the
traditional sport of falconry, a senior official of the Supreme
Council for the Environment and Natural Reserves (SCENR) said
yesterday.

"We are taking necessary measures to protect the species, in line
with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(Cites) of Wild Fauna and Flora, to which Qatar is a party," Wildlife
Conservation and Development director Ghanim Abdullah Mohamed said.

Qatar recently restricted the import of falcons from September 1 to
January 31 of every year, contrary to the year-round import
permission earlier.

"We want to ensure that falcons are not caught from the wild during
their breeding season, which runs from April to July," Mohamed said.

Falcons are imported mostly from Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, the UAE,
Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the US and the UK. The importers have
to produce permits from the country concerned.

In Qatar, the hunting season is from September 1 to May 1 for the
permitted species, except for wild rabbits, which can be hunted only
from November 15 to January 31.

Wild rabbits, found in some parts of Qatar's north, are hunted using
Salukis, a breed of hunting dog.

Violators of the hunting period could be punished with a fine of
QR10,000, six months imprisonment, and/or confiscation of vehicles
involved.

"If Qataris mostly go to Saudi Arabia for hunting, there are some who
go as far as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Morocco and Pakistan, during the
season that extends from September to March," the official said.

The relevant permit has to be produced by the owner every time a
falcon is taken out of the country or brought in. SCENR has
inspectors round-the-clock at the airport, seaport, and the land
border to watch out against unauthorised wildlife imports.

"The number of wildlife smuggling cases has come down considerably,"
Mohamed added.

SAN FRANCISCO
San Francisco Chronicle
- Bob Egelko
Friday, December 1, 2006

A Redwood City man has pleaded guilty to smuggling live eggs from
Eurasian eagle owls into the United States and painting them like
Easter eggs to slip them past U.S. Customs inspectors, federal
prosecutors said Thursday.

Jeffrey Diaz admitted Tuesday that he imported the eggs from Austria
in violation of a treaty that prohibits international trade in
endangered species, said U.S. Attorney Kevin Ryan's office.

Prosecutors said Diaz brought in 12 painted owl eggs in two trips in
March and April 2005, carrying them in Easter baskets with plastic
grass and hand warmers. Two of Diaz's employees reported the
smuggling to federal agents in July 2005, Ryan's office said in legal
filings.

His lawyer said Diaz ran an environmental bird control business
called Ronin Air Falconry Service.

The birds are native to Asia, Europe and the Middle East and are
among the largest owls in the world, with wingspans of 5 to 6 feet.
Their population declined in the first half of the 20th century
because of hunting and disease, but the species has been recovering
under protected status in Europe, according to conservation groups.

Three of the eggs smuggled by Diaz hatched, and the owls are being
cared for in wildlife centers.

THIS STORY RAN IN THE NORTH BAY EDITION

Page B - 3
URL:
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?
file=/c/a/2006/12/01/BABADIGEST3.DTL

Hawk Mountain reports seeing more than 25,000 raptors.
By Christian Berg Of The Morning Call

Hawk Mountain biologist Laurie Goodrich has watched thousands of red-
tailed hawks soar past the sanctuary's North Lookout, but the one she
spotted at 11:45 a.m. last Wednesday was special.

That hawk was the 25,000th raptor recorded in this year's Autumn
Hawkwatch. Officials from the Kempton-area conservation group say
it's the first time in 20 years — and just the sixth time in the
count's 70-year history — that threshold has been reached.

In addition to spotting large numbers of raptors this year, Hawk
Mountain has set records for a number of unusual species, including
203 merlins and a record-tying 62 peregrine falcons.

Keith Bildstein, the sanctuary's director of conservation science,
said the increase in raptor biodiversity is something to celebrate.

''We counted only 50 bald eagles in 1986, but 198 this year; 43
golden eagles in 1986 but 150 this year; 25 peregrine falcons in 1986
but 62 this year; only 77 merlins in 1986 but 203 this year,''
Bildstein said. ''All I can say is wow!

''That uncommon species are appearing in increased numbers in recent
years is good news. Higher biodiversity signals a healthier
environment, and healthy environments are good for people, too.''

According to Hawk Mountain officials, one reason for this year's
large flight may be optimal weather conditions, including a series of
unseasonably cold mornings, the likes of which have not been seen
since 1978. For example, following a series of chilly mornings, the
migration season received a jumpstart Sept. 12, when 7,508 broad-
winged hawks passed the North Lookout, marking the fourth-highest one-
day count in Hawk Mountain history.

This year's species totals, as of Dec. 5, included 11,801 broad-
winged hawks, 5,480 sharp-shinned hawks, 3,844 red-tailed hawks, 929
Cooper's hawks, 675 ospreys, 198 bald eagles, 150 golden eagles and
271 northern harriers.

Totals for late-season migrants, such as bald and golden eagles, red-
tailed hawks, northern goshawks and rough-legged hawks are expected
to continue climbing through Friday (December 15th), when this year's
Hawkwatch concludes.

The all-time record for migrants at Hawk Mountain occurred in 1978, a
season known to veteran hawkwatchers as ''The Miracle Year.'' That
year, counters tallied an astonishing 40,698 raptors from Aug. 15
through Dec. 15, including an astounding 29,519 broad-winged hawks on
Sept. 14 alone.

Hawk Mountain's Autumn Hawkwatch is the world's longest running
annual count of migrating raptors. Results allow biologists to track
the status of raptor species, many of which are highly secretive at
other times of year.

Scientists say raptor watches, which are conducted by trained
observers who record every bird spotted, are the most cost-effective
way to estimate populations of hawks, eagles and falcons. Results
also help identify conservation needs and direct efforts where most
needed.

Daily and season totals from the Autumn Hawkwatch, along with
searchable archives dating back to 1998, are available on the Hawk
Mountain Web site at http://www.hawkmountain.org . Information also
is updated after 6 p.m. daily on the sanctuary's information line at
610-756-6000, ext. 7.

christian.berg@...

610-778-2252

By Norman Miller/ Metrowest Daily News
Boston Herald
Sunday, December 10, 2006 - Updated: 01:34 PM EST

Call it a case of suburbia red in tooth and claw.

Young Chris Campo had to fight a wild beast for his puppy's life on
Friday when a red-tailed hawk tried to turn the Weston youngster's
Dachshund into dinner.

But a well-placed kick by the courageous Campo to the hawk's head
freed 5-month-old Dimi, who quickly high-tailed it to safety.

"I took the dog out to go to the bathroom and he started to run
around like he was kind of scared," said the 11-year-old Weston
Middle School sixth-grader. "I felt a tug (on the leash) and I look
back and a hawk was on the back of my dog, trying to eat him."

While the dog was yelping, Chris stepped on the bird's wing, reared
back and let loose with a kick at the hawk's head, he said. The
ravenous raptor did not let go at first and so hawk, dog and child
started madly struggling until the dog broke loose.

"I didn't really think - I just turned around and kicked the bird,"
he said. "My dog was being attacked."

Charles Campo said his son was outside their home for about 30
seconds when he heard the boy yell.

"I go outside and there was this enormous red-tailed hawk," said
Charles Campo."It was trying to carry the dog off, and my son
wouldn't let go and he fought off the hawk. My son was literally
fighting a hawk. I was stunned."

28 Nov 2006 - Arizona Public Services Gift of the Sun to Condors

Standing on the Paria Plateau atop northern Arizona's Vermilion
Cliffs, four APS employees admired the solar unit they had just
installed. The unit will make life much easier for field biologists
for The Peregrine Fund and improve the work they do to preserve these
amazing giant birds.

They installed two solar powered telephone poles equipped with shock
aversion units to keep California Condors from landing on them. One
is located in the large fly pen and the other is close to the feeding
site. The estimated donation of staff time, labor and equipment is
around $25,000.

In early November, Arizona Public Services (APS) brought up a 3,000
pound array of nine solar panels – enough to supply 30 amps of power
to the holding pen and a field lab on top of the cliffs. This will
keep the water supply thawed through the winter, make it possible to
utilize video cameras for remote observation, and supply electricity
directly to the field lab.

The project is at an elevation of more than 6,000 feet on Bureau of
Land Management property. In winter, the birds' drinking water often
froze. Project personnel had to enter the fly pen to break through
the ice. This situtation was not ideal as every effort is made to
minimize condor-human interaction.

Getting the solar unit to its final destination was no simple task.
When the solar unit arrived in Prescott, Arizona, the backup
generator did not work. After a few hiccups in getting the correct
parts, the unit was loaded onto a dual-wheeled, diesel-powered, four-
wheel drive flatbed truck for the drive to the release site. It took
two additional four-wheel drive trucks and a trailer just to get all
of the equipment to the base of the cliffs. Once there, the final
parts were installed and all systems were tested and operating
correctly. Now for the tough part – a climb of nearly 800 feet. With
two trucks in front and three in back, the flatbed began its slow,
painstaking journey to a place few people have seen. Inches of pale
strawberry colored, talc-fine sand covered a deeply rutted trail that
was barely wide enough for a single vehicle. In places, sand drifted
across layers of red sandstone that resembled steep flights of uneven
stairs. At the final part of the climb, it took two trucks to tow the
flatbed up the slope and into position to unload the solar unit.

Reaching the site late morning, a quick inspection showed the panels
had arrived undamaged! The team then unloaded using 2x4 sections to
make a ramp allowing the unit to be slowly winched off the truck and
onto the ground. As the crew worked, a rising wind ushered in a sharp
drop in temperature and replaced the swarming gnats with never-ending
swirls of powder-fine dust that coated equipment and people alike.

A little after 2:00 pm it was time to test it out. Everyone breathed
a sigh of relief as word came across the hand-held radio from the
holding pen: "We have 120 volts!" Success. And, through it all,
previously released California Condors soared overhead and above the
valley far below.

The Peregrine Fund staff repeatedly expressed their appreciation to
APS for donating the equipment and especially for the tremendous
efforts to get things in place and working. Chris Parish, Condor
Field Project Supervisor for The Peregrine Fund said, "When condors
have human contact, it delays their release into the wild by up to a
year. Having electricity here is a huge benefit that allows us to
remotely conduct our work and reduce direct interactions."

APS employee, Scott Paulsen said, "We took this project because we
wanted to do something that could make a long-term difference. With
the benefits this will provide both the birds and the people working
with them, the birds' population should continue to increase. And we
can say that APS played a part in it. How cool is that?"

APS Employees that assisted with this project: Richard Berdahl, Tom
Fletcher, Peter Johnston, Bret Minnihan, Scott Paulsen, Jeff Spohn,
and Bill Zawicki.

Julie,

There ARE NOT a lot of raptor rehabilitators like you in this world,
and I truly wish there were. The one thing I keep trying to instill
in my public audience is that hand-raising a raptorial bird is not
natural, and we suffer from it when we do so. Contrary to public
belief, it is the juvenile raptors who chase the adults away from the
nest site as they become more and more agressive toward the adults
for free food offerings; not the adults who chase the young away. In
captivity, when we hand raise raptors, we do not go away, and the
agression toward us never ends, nor does the food-begging. There are
counter-measures used by experienced falconers to discourage food-
begging and agression by hand-raised raptors, but most rehabilitators
do not use these methods and end up with more than their share of
negative-reverse contact with the bird they raised. Still they love
their birds, of course ... it's only human to do so ... but thinking
that such a bird loves you is simply being Anthropomorphic!

Douglas E. Trapp, Owner
Raptors International

--- In raptorsinternational@yahoogroups.com, Julie Hale <julhale@...>
wrote:
>
> The only time my educator bird (barn owl) acts like she loves me is
when she sees me and thinks "that's the human that gives me food"....
at which point, she food begs and chirps to me.  She only exhibits
that behavior with me, which I could easily apply human emotions to
and thing "aw, she knows I'm mom".... but that is w-r-o-n-g wrong!
>
>   Having raised her from a baby, its easy to think of her as one of
my feathered kids.
>
>   But from her end of the spectrum, she would just as easily snap
my fingers as she would snap a mouse from my hand.  She only comes
when I have something to offer her.  Its totally food-based wild
behavior on her part.  Her lack of fear and agression in my presence
is simply conditioned behavior.
>
>   But gosh I love that bird :)
>   :)julie
>
> "Douglas E. Trapp" <falconryguy@...> wrote:
>           As I stated in my paper, there is no real social instinct
among most
> raptorial birds. Even to claim a "Alpha Male" type behavior to a
> Harris' Hawk is not really an accepted aspect in raptor biology. We
> know that they do associate together in the wild, but we do not
know
> of any friendly behavior among them in a wild situation, or only a
> few limited observances of such, or only of what of we suspect to
be
> social. Raptors, no matter how social they may appear to us, are
not
> social animals in comparison to those animals of which we have
> learned to manage. We have learned to manage certain animals based
on
> their social behavior, but we have not learned to do so with the
> Harris' Hawk or any other semi-social raptor. Sometimes our
> perception of socialization is totally wrong.
>
> I deal with both social and non-social animals daily, to give you
> some advise. My horse is social with me, but only if I praise him
and
> excersize him as needed; and the falcon cares about none of this,
no
> matter what I do to praise her. I have had Harris' Hawks in the
past
> of whome I thought were social until they ripped into my hand
without
> notice. The point here is that falconers deal with wild animals,
and
> thinking they are social is probably the worse possible thing to
do.
> They never like or love you, they never really appreciate you, and
if
> there is any love at all it is on your end only. Any other thought
> process is truly anthropomorphic.
>
> Douglas E. Trapp, Owner
> R.I.
>
> --- In raptorsinternational@yahoogroups.com, M P <mehiel@> wrote:
> >
> > I don't know much about Sea Eagles but we have a
> > captive Harris' Hawk, definitely social and raptor.
> > She shows no preference for whom she attacks (she is
> > most certainly an alpha bird) and readily flies to
> > glove for anyone with food. However, in answer to the
> > original question about Sea Eagles, Harris' Hawks do
> > hunt and raise their young communally, although I
> > would not tend attribute this to "affection" or
> > altruism as the survival of the individual depends
> > upon the survival of the flock.
> >
> > --- crhughes3 <no_reply@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Falconry Guy:
> > >
> > > A very good and interesting essay! It's funny to
> > > think that a
> > > raptor only has a pea-sized brain, and that a brain
> > > so small imbue so
> > > many keen instincts and abilities.
> > >
> > > Parrots, being social, definitely act as though they
> > > exhibit love.
> > > Tame ones will initiate affectionate behavior
> > > towards people and
> > > spend hours, if encouraged, interacting physically
> > > and mentally.
> > >
> > > I wonder if sea eagles are considered social because
> > > they gather in
> > > groups, and whether they display altruism or
> > > affection to non-mates.
> > >
> > > Chuck Hughes
> > > Monroe, Louisiana
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In raptorsinternational@yahoogroups.com,
> > > "Douglas E. Trapp"
> > > <falconryguy@> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Introduction:
> > > >
> > > > Anthropomorphism
> > >
> > > <cut>
> > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> > http://mail.yahoo.com
> >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
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