Golden eagle with Red-tailed hawks in flight cage.

All birds of prey are federally protected. It is a violation of federal law to harm a bird of prey, disturb a nest, take eggs, or even have a feather in your possession without express permission from the federal government. The near demise of several species, due to indiscriminate use of pesticides and loss of habitat, along with other reasons, has led to this "blanket" protected status for our native birds of prey.

The most commonly seen birds of prey in San Diego County are the following:

• Owls: Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl
• Hawks: Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk
• Eagles: Golden Eagle
• Falcons: Kestrel, Merlin

Barn Owls in the corner of our flight enclosure.

These are our most visible species, but certainly not all of the birds of prey in our area. The attentive bird watcher may also see Black-shoulder Kites, Screech Owls, Burrowing Owls, Prairie Falcons, Ferruginous Hawks, Zone-tailed Hawks and once in a while a magnificent Bald Eagle. All of these birds of prey, plus more, are in our area-some as permanent residents and some just passing through. The Turkey Vulture, although considered a bird of prey, feeds solely on carrion (dead things). One of our more misunderstood birds, the Turkey Vulture is a close cousin of the treasured California Condor, an asset to our area, and one of the few birds possessing a sense of smell. This unique sense gives the vulture the ability to locate a food source that might otherwise be missed by the other birds of prey who rely on only their keen eyesight. Additionally, a kettle of vultures circling the sky lets the somewhat lazy Golden Eagle know that an easy source of food is nearby. Golden Eagles will also eat carrion and often rely on the vulture to locate the dead animal. Often vultures and eagles, along with crows and ravens, can be spotted on our roadways eating road-killed animals. In many such cases, crows and ravens are able to fly away from on-coming traffic, leaving the slow-moving eagle and vulture behind. This accounts for many deaths and injuries to our eagle and vulture populations. Whenever possible, roadkills should be removed from roadways to prevent these tragedies from occurring.

Man-made pesticides have been responsible for the deaths of thousands upon thousands of non-targeted animals. Abuse of DDT nearly caused the Peregrine Falcon to become extinct several years ago. Even today in our environmentally aware society, poisons can be readily purchased for eliminating rodents such as gophers, mice and rats. Many of these poisons not only kill the targeted animal, but the predator who feeds on the dead or dying animal. Secondary poisoning is generally a much slower death with apparently prolonged suffering involved in the process. Many birds of prey die annually due to secondary poisoning. The true tragedy in these situations is that we inadvertently kill the very animals who would have solved our initial rodent problem.

The predators in our area consume volumes of rodents, and represent the only natural way to control them. If you have birds of prey in your area, be grateful. Your rodent problem would be much worse if you didn't have them. Don't put out poisons, seek humane deterrents, and construct nest boxes to encourage birds of prey to nest and reside in your area. For Barn Owl and Kestrel nest box plans, contact the Resource Conservation District at (760)745-2061, or contact us at (760)789-2324. We'll be glad to send you copies of our plans.

Predators keep our environment in balance and birds of prey perform an enormously important role within our eco-system. Nature's way of controlling populations is far more refined, humane, and environmentally sound than any of our man-made traps or poisons.

Related Links:

• The Raptor Center
• Hawk Conservancy