IICRard j. ceare

ARCH

A Quarterly Publication Of The Raptor Research Foundation^ Inc.

Volumo 4r

January - 1967 -

Nimboy 1

Editors: Donald V. Hunter, Jr., Centerville, South Dakota
Byron E. Harrell, University of South Dakota,

Vermillion, 3, Dak,

This newsletter has been planned as a medium of information
exchange between persons interested in any aspect of research on
raptors. To be successful in this aim we are sending out this first
issue to as many people as we can that may be interested. If you
are interested, we hope that you will tell others that may also be
interested that you will affiliate with the Foundation or at least
subscribe to the newsletter, and that you will send items of inter-
est for the newsletter of research on hawks and owls so that it can
really be a medixun of information exchange.

The Raptor Research News will be sent to each member of the
Foundation; the membership consists of the Board of Directors, the
Advisory Board, and Associate Members. Associate membership is open
to anyone who makes a financial contribution for a particifLar calen-
dar year. A calendar year subscription to the new.sletter is also
available for $1,00. Contributions or subscriptions should be sent
to The Raptor Research Foundation, Centerville, South Dakota 57014*
An application for tax exempt status on contributions has been
applied for.

This newsletter will appear during the months of January,

April, July, and October. Material for the issue should be in the
hands of one of the editors before the 15th of the preceding month.

A S hort History of The Raptor Research Foundation

The idea of some sort of organization of persons interested in
raptors in a broad sense had been talked about for some time. Exist-
ing organizations which include concerned people were considered too
general (ornithological societies) or too specialized (falconry
associations). It was felt that an organization devoted exclusively
to the birds of prey would be desirable. It was also felt that the
number of concerned people was getting larger and that the changes
going on in the status of many species of birds of prey and their
environment justified an organizational approach. The Foundation
began in an infornial way in 1965 and with the support of others was
formally organized later in the year by Donald V. Hunter, Jr., an
attorney from Centerville, South Dakota, who has long been inter-
ested in the biology of birds of prey and in falconry; by Dr. Byron
E, Harrell, an ornithologist at the University of South Dakota at

I

%

r *

I

2

Vermillion, who is cur?*ently conducting and supervising research on
birds of prey; and by Pr, Paul F. Springer, Leader of the Coopera-
tive V;ildlife Research Unit at South Dakota State University at
Brookings, who adds a broad background in wildlife management to
the organization, A Certificate of Incorporation was issued by the
Secretary of State of the State ox South Dakota on February 11,

1966. Bylaws of the Foundation have been drawn up and approved, and
application for tax-exempt status for contributions has been made.

One of the most important activities at present began before
the formal organization, as a cooperative effort to develop methods
of breeding birds of prey in captivity by Hunter, Frank Beebe,

Harold M. Webster, G-. Ronald Austing, Richard Fyfe, and others.

If some of the disastrous population changes continue , it is best
to develop some of the necessary techniques while birds are avail-
able. It is also clear that some types of scientific research will
only be possible with, or greatly aided by, birds in captivity.

The first general meeting of the Raptor Research Foundation
was held in Madison, Wisconsin, on September 2, 1965, following an
international conference on Peregrine Falcons; a report on this
meeting prepared by Dr. David Hancock of the University of British
Columbia is summarized in this newsletter. A second general meeting
was held in Centerville, South Dakota, on November 26, 1966, at the
time of a national falconry meet; a report on this meeting prepared
by the editors is also included in this newsletter.

The Foundation is organized and incorporated as a Non-Profit
Corporation. The number of incorporators who became the original
Board of Directors was kept small initially to enable them to meet
frequently enough to expedite the activities of the organization.

In order to broaden the limited base provided by a small board, a
larger advisory board has been authorized. The Directors hope that
the Advisory Board will be representative of the wide variety of
backgrounds of those interested in raptors. It is planned to call
upon such advisors as appropriate and occasionally send question-
naires to them as a basis for making policy decisions. It is hoped
that with this arrangement the organization can fxinction in a prac-
tical but still representative fashion. A number of people are
being invited to join the Advisory Board. We plan to publish a list
of the members of this board in the April newsletter.

A policy on projects which use the name of the Foundation is
being developed. One important aspect of this is related to the
obtaining and the legal status of birds used in the breeding pro-
ject. It is the pplicy of the Board of Directors of the Foundation
that in order for a project to be given permission to use the name
of the Raptor Research Fo\mdation, approval by the Board must be
obtained. We are making up a /orm on which proposals may be made.
The reason for this is to provide a file of purpose and program of
sponsored projects to give continuity to the effort and afford

i

3

protection for the Foimdation and the investigators. In the future
we hope to have sufficient money to make small grants to support
research.

Other aspects of the Foundation are being developed as time
permits. V/e look forward to your comments | criticism, and sugges-
tions.

The First General Meeting . September 2, 1965 . Madison . Wisconsin

The time and place of this meeting were chosen because of the
international gathering of raptor researchers attending the Peregrine
Conference of the preceding four days. Thanks are here offered to
Dr. J. Hickey and the University of Wisconsin for the facilities
provided to our group.

Persons attending the Raptor Research Foundation Meeting were:

Chairman: Don Hvinter, South Dakota

David Hancock, B.C., Canada
Frank Beebe, B.C., Canada
Richard Fyfe, N.3. , Canada
Joe Simonyi, Ontario, Canada
Fran Hammerstrom, Wisconsin
Fred Hammerstrom, V-isconsin

Lucille F. Sticks 1, Patuxent, Md.
W. H, Stickel, Patuxent, Md.
Morlan Nelson, Idaho
Steve Herman, California
Granger Hunt, Texas
Hans Herren, Switzerland

Discussion topics . Since time was limited and since consider-
able time of the Peregrine Conference had been devoted to the general
lines of Raptor Research needed, the meeting Was primarily concerned
with breeding raptors in captivity.

Bibliography and previous related research . A list of person
and literature references was volunteered by the members. By neces-
sity these are incomplete in detail and by no means exhaust the
topic. The most notable point here is that there is undoubtedly a
great wealth of references and particularly of persons with unpub-
lished pertinent information which must be gathered up, correlated,
evaluated and made available to all concerned.

Prestwick’s book, ”A Record of Raptors Bred in Captivity" is a
fine introduction — a reference to many successful breeding attempts.
However, this compilation refers only to published accoimts of
successful attempts — it omits references to failures which may well
contribute as much as successes in our early stages of investigation.
Furthermore, considerable work has been done since the book was pub-
lished.

The discussants were agreed that the Foundation should undertake
the initial responsibilities of bringing together and correlating as
much of this published and unpublished data as possible so it is

available. Initially it would probably be feasible to try to issue
lists of references as a supplement to Prestwick's list. Hopefully,
the information from these literature references and persons with
experience can be summarized on record caz^ds. Por example, each
worthy breeding attempt would have a separate card listing, for in-
stance, species, age apd where the birds were acquired, dimensions
of pen, birds' behavibi*, management, etc. Technical photos might
also be helpful. A few of the discussants related more citable per-
sonal experience of which a couple are briefly related here; though
they will be presented in greater detail later.

(1) Peregrine Falcon laying eggs - unmated. Morlan Nelson,
Boise, Idaho (report being prepared by Morlan),

(2) Reestablishment of Peregrine Falcons nesting at deserted
eyrie site - Joe Simonyi, Hornby, Ontario.

A wild caught immature male was brought from a hawk dealer;
later it was fed daily (in morning) on same log by an old deserted
eyrie site for three weeks, then released. This male, distinguished
by its tail plumage, got a mate who laid 4 eggs, hatched 4 eggs, and
reared 4 young to about 5 weeks old and then they were thought to be
taken from the nest by persons unknown. This is . indeed a remarkable
feat and Joe is to be highly congratulated. Prior to the release of
the male a desirable nesting ledge had been sprinkled with lime to
simulate the characteristic whitewash. After release he had repeat-
edly served the male live prey.

4

Joe also tells us how this technique had been carried out three
times previously in Italy and how his grandfather in Hungary had
bred peregrines many years ago. Hopefully, Joe will separately write
up his re introduction experiment for us and secondly put down on
paper what he recalls of his grandfather's experiments.

(3) Kestrels Breeding in Captivity - Mr. and Mrs. Stickel,
Patuxent Research Center, Laurel, Md.

In connection with pesticide research to study the effects of
various poisons on the reproduction of the Kestrel, 41 pairs were
acquired (mostly eyasses) were housed separately, provided with two
nesting boxes per pen and fed on ground meat and turkey starter mix.
Forty of the 41 pairs laid eggs, many laid 2-3 clutches. The number
of fledglings produced was very low, due to eating of eggs and yoizng
by adults. It is hoped we will have more detail from the Stickels
on this extremely promising project shortly.

Approximate Food Mix Formula

1. 20 quarts 2/5 edible offal from a slaughter house, ground up.

3/5 lean beef ground.

2, 5 pounds turkey breeder food mash.

3* 2 tbls . sp. bone meal - vitamin supplement.

The above is ground and mixed together while still partially frozen
and fed in small "meat patties" of a size that birds could carry.

5

The turkey mash formed pellets. (Who said that hawks wouldn’t eat
ground meat?)

At this time in the discussion two cautions regarding food were
presented.

1, Turkey Starter . Most commercial turkey starter contains
additives: antibiotics and sex depressants (Amptil). This
sex depressant might Jeopardize breeding experiments. How-
ever, Turkey Breeding Food is good and does not contain the
depressants.

2. Clhicken Heads as Food . Many persons successfully feed
chicken heads but Frank Beebe warned that many chicken "pro-
duction plants" now insert or inject growth hormones into
the neck of young birds to promote growth. He cautioned
that perhaps such hormones might have deleterious effects.

BETTER check:

Management and housing . Considerable attention was given to
how potential breeders should be housed. The merits and personal
preferences of wire versus barred pens were discussed. Should birds
be outdoor or indoor? Wna.t features of pen construction are desir-
able when considering protection from sun, wind, cold and disturb-
ance .

The many diverse ideas all had some merit and had been used by
various persons in housing raptors at one time or another. This
diversity of ideas suggests the necessity of a complete review of
published and unpublished material on this matter.

A technique often desirable to reduce injury to birds when
they fly into the wire or wooden slats is to hang rope net (herring
sein net or camouflage net) on the inside of the wire or wood to
"soften" the blow.

Species recommended for initial breeding programs . The consen-
sus of opinion seemed to be that most effort should be devoted to
the Kestrel, Peregrine and Bald Eagle. The latter two species have
many populations already exterminated or threatened with extinction,
yet other populations remain in such abundance as to afford experi-
mental breeding material.

On the other hahd^ many individuals unable to assist directly
in major concentrated projects would be able to make as great, if
not greater contribution, by working with one or two pairs of what-
ever species are available to them. In essence, it would be desir-
able to gathdr data on as many species as possible xmder a wider
range of conditions and at the same time have more extensive studies
which utilize and test out the^ data prdvided by the small-scale
projects ih the few major concern species.

6

4

Sources of financial support . Since the Raptor Research Roimda-
tion is being set up as a non-profit corporation it will be able to
accept monies (tax deduct j.ble ) from granting agencies, business and
private donors.

This aspect and the policy of the Foundation will be dealt with
at a later date.

The discussants at this meeting were unanimously in support of
a foundation to guide and stimulate scientific interest in the rap-
torial birds. The world plight of the Peregrine Falcon and other
raptors which was reviewed at the Peregrine Conference certainly
pointed out the great need for further investigation.

(Prepared by David Hancock, Zoology Department, University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada.)

The Second General Meeting . November 26, 1966 . Centerville . S. Dak .

This meeting was held because of the presence of a mamber of
interested persons at a national falconry meet. Twenty-six persons
were present from various places in the United States, Canada, and
Great Britain. Don Hunter presided. Those present introduced them-
selves, and for background information Hunter read the material
printed in the Foundation brochure.

Breeding project. Brief informal reports were made by those
. present who were involved with the breeding project. Progress was
reported by Frank Beebe and for Ron Austing (by Hunter). Longer
reports on these are reported elsewhere in the News . Henry Kendall
reported on his plans for a breeding project with Peregrines and
Prairie Falcons. He also reported on experiences with two hand-
raised male Red-tailed Hawks which might be useful in artificial
insemination experiments since they would undergo copulatory behavior
with a little stimulation while held in the hand.

Dr. Heinz Meng reported that he obtained a first year wild
caught Red-tailed Hawk in 1946 and that since the fourth spring it
has laid 2 or 3 eggs each spring. Since these were infertile he
replaced the eggs with wild-obtained eggs of Red-tailed Hawks, Gos-
hawks, Prairie Falcons, and even chickens which she incubated. Last
year when the eggs were removed she laid 2 eggs three weeks later.
This definitely indicates recycling in a captive bird. He described
a new breeding house 30 x 15 x 10 feet at the eaves. Two passage
birds that were taken in 1964 were put in the breeding chamber in
May 1965; last spring the birds were seen to bow to each other and
the male was seen to take food* to the female who took it.

Bob Berry described his experiences with Goshawks kept in a
25 foot high 30 foot long building which had inside and outside
chambers* The female did nbt accept the male} however, she built

7

4

a nest and would incubate, and she raised a ydong Pwed-tailed Hawk
which was substituted in the nest. He would like to obtain an adult
male. Beebe offered an adult male European Goshawk.

Don Hunter reported on experiences with Peregrines. No eggs
were produced but by changing the lighting both birds were brought
into the molt at the same time; the female of Arctic origin and the
male of Irish origin ordinarily molt at different times.

Jack Mavrogrodato said that 30 years ago he had a four year old
Goshawk which laid four eggs after two others were taken earlier.

He also pointed out that it might be important to remember that in
falcons the male usually picks out the site and that the female adds
to it.

Beebe mentioned that five years ago he had a male European Gos-
hawk and a Swedish first year female. He put them on blocks with a
larger block between where the food was placed and the jesses just
long enough to reach the food but not reach each other. They were
then placed together. In April the male was carrying sticks and
arranging them; nothing more happened since the female was lost in
an accident. He felt that the initial relationship was very impor-
tant .

Several people commented on food. Meng felt that perhaps the
maturity of the birds fed to the falcons was important; he uses
pigeons and chicken heads, as much as they can eat. Beebe uses
chicken heads and avoids town pigeons because of the uncertainty of
what they have eaten. Hunter has frozen six-week old chicks which
have never had any DDT exposure; the chicks are also taken off feed
containing coccidiostat (an anti-coccidia drug) six days before they
are killed.

Population studies . Himter mentioned his raptor survey in South
Dakota reported elsewhere in this newsletter. Harrell mentioned
briefly that several students were working on population studies in
South Dakota. Beebe has been interested in the Queen Charlottes in
British Columbia; during this past year he visited 3 or 4 new islands
and he now knows of over 80 eiries although he is quite sure that he
is not finding all of them. Mavrogrodato thinks there is a slight
upturn in British Peregrines since there has been a decrease in the
use of chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Information exchange. Problems in this connection were dis-
cussed. This newsletter is an attempt to alleviate some of these.

Education and public relations . Hunter reported on ah educa-
tional project on an Indian reservation which is reported elsewhere „
Beebe reported that there are slides and movies of his breeding pro-
ject which will be shown on TV" in British Columbia.

A momber Of other subjects Were discussed including pesticides.
Pran Hammerstrdm mentioned some greatly improved recent techniques fc::

determining concentrations. (Prepared by the Editors)

Q

Breeding Pro.ject Reports

Frank L> Beebe ( Victoria , B*0* ) Peregrine Breedin/g; Project.

At the conclusion of the airport gull clearance projects the remain-
ing falcons were transferred to breeding projects at the request of
the Raptor Research Foundation. Beebe's report was mainly concerned
with his project involving one pair of Peale's Peregrines which came
from the airport clearance project.

A well-documented procedure was followed to introduce the pair
to each other and to condition them to feeding together at liberty
in the "breeding room." This was done in the fall of 1965. By
March there was observed what appeared to be a sort of courting
ritual but no eggs were produced. The birds were at this point two

years old. Near the end of March both birds entered a deep and rapid

molt. Following the molt, and starting in early July, both birds
were flown to the lure together until December. At this time all
flights were discontinued and they were confined to the 12 x 18 x 8
building.

Between the ninth and fourteenth of March 1966 3 eggs were laid.
Both birds in turn incubated the eggs. V/hen they did not hatch after

33 days of incubation the eggs were sent to South Dakota. They were

examined by Dr. Walter Morgan, poultry specialist at S. Dak. State
University and no embryo was found. If the eggs were ever fertile
the embryo died at a very early stage. One egg was sent to Patuxent
for pesticide analysis.

Sight yo*ung birds were collected on permits from the British
Columbia fish and game department granted for the purpose of provid-
ing additional stock for the breeding projects. These young were
adopted by the adult pair discussed above and raised. Both male and
female took part in feeding the yoimg birds, adopting them immediate-
ly upon their introduction to the quarters where the eggs had been
laid. This was surprising to the experimenter as there was a time
lag from April 16 to June 11 when the eggs were removed to the time
of introduction of the young Peregrines.

Though there was evidence of courtship, no copulation had been
observed. However, the experiment is being repeated and Beebe re-
ports that about the middle of November 1966 he witnessed copulation
for the first time.

It was noted that the only documented case of fertile Peregrine
eggs being produced in captivity also produced apparently infertile
eggs on the first attempt.

Note. It is considered that the Peregrines raised by the adults
are of considerable value as s'Ubjects for future breeding attempts
and are being conditioned by three other breeding projects as basic
stock. The progress of Frank Beebe is a source of great encourage-
ment to those conducting breeding projects and there is high hope
that as early as 1970 a strain of captivity breeding Peregrines will
be well on the way of being established < (Summary of a longer report
by Beebe, prepared by Don Hunteri)

9

Ron Austin^:* s Breed in^y Re detailed Hawks : Male obtained

as eyas in 1956, by Peter Maslowski, trained and flown at rabbits for
two years, then given to me. Very aggressive individual, once opened
a gash over Pete's eye that required 26 stitches. Female obtained as
passage in November, I960, wing-shot by hunter. Exceedingly gentle
individual, and like male, fearful of nothing. Both were released in
an old building in early 1963, about 20 feet long, 12 feet wide, 7
feet high. Oil drum was provided for a nest site, filled to within a
foot of the top, old red-tail nest placed on top of this. Additional
sticks and nesting material was provided. I4ale showed immediate in-
terest and added to the nest with the material provided. He spent
much time shaping the center depression. Female failed to show any
interest. Both birds remained in these quarters until the fall of
1964, having shown no further interest ttet spring. (Male again re-
built nest, etc.)

A series of large enclosures was then constructed to serve as
quarters for various other birds that had come into my possession
that I preferred not to keep tethered. These measure about 18 feet
long, 10 feet wide, 7 feet high. The red-tails were transferred to
one of these in late 1964. A golden eagle and horned owls occupied
the adjacent enclosures. Both hawks took an active part in rebuild-
ing the nest in February. I observed copulation several times in
early March. Unfortunately I spent the last two weeks of March in a
hospital. My wife brought me the news March 17 that the female was
incubating two eggs. I persuaded the doctor to let me return home
for a day in order to get a few photos. About 3 weeks later one of
the eggs exploded beneath the incubating female, frightening her
badly; but she returned to the job some hours later. After 35 days
I was convinced the remaining egg was also bad, even though it didnH
"slosh," A small hole was drilled to blow it, when an almost fully
developed chick was found inside, very near hatching. I attempted to
repair the egg with scotch tape, but without success. A two day old
chick was obtained from a wild red-tail nest and was raised perfectly
by the hawks. Both birds shared in the feeding of the young about
equally. The male was most anxious to assist in incubation anytime
the female was off the nest for any reason, and also brooding.

Throughout the year both birds were fed about 65 ^ chicken heads,
with occasional road kills of rabbits, etc. With the introduction
of the chick, white mice were substituted entirely for the first few
weeks, then a gradual changeover to the basic diet. The birds were
always fed juet about as much as they wanted, once each day in the
afternoon. This amounted to about 5 heads per day, 3 for the female.
Feeding was regulated to immediate response to the food as soon as it
was introduced. If response was slow due to warm temperature, etc.,
feeding was cut to one head each or eliminated entirely that day.

I attempted to keep the birds in high condition yet not really fat;
about similar to wild birds. "

This year, 1966, things went along similar to 1965- Female laid
first egg March 11, second March 14- One egg pipped April 15 and wa&
hatched the next day. Other egg bad. At this writing the hawklet is

a week old and in excellent condition* Only difference in the birds
this year is their aggressiveness towards me* Last year I could
enter the cage and handle the young or eggs with no problems. Anyone
else would have been clobbered I In fact any time a stranger would
enter the yard, the birds would h^irl themselves against the wire in
efforts to attack. The horned owls and eagle were constantly
attacked with such vigor that I was obliged to partition them off
with plywood. This year, both birds have threatened me when I
entered the cage to inspect the eggs and now that the egg is hatched
I am sure my entrance would not be tolerated.

Prairie Falcon ; Female obtained as eyas in 1959. Of interest,
she began first molt that October and finished in February, clean.

She first became ducky about that time, never outside, but always
when returned to the mews in the evening or after flying. For years
her clucking area was around her block in the mews (screen perch
never used). After the first year she would become ducky sometime
in December and remain so until May or June. Seeing me in a pair of
slippers, and/or shorts, always had a very pronounced effect that
would cause her to increase her enthusiasm. Any strangers that ever
entered the mews ^^^ere invariably threatened, regardless of the season.
Outside, during the clucking season, onlookers were usually bombarded
during this time; the rest of the year they were totally ignored.
Weight flying ranged from a low of 28 to a high of 33 depending upon
conditions. No layoff for molt ever. Only complete layoff was each
year Nov. 15 - Jan. 15, the gun hunting season. Moult always clean,
not even a contour feather has ever been retained.-

Last year, 1965, I released her in the mews in the basement on
Nov. 15 and provided a nest ledge to see if she might lay eggs. Most
of her time was spent on the ledge. When I entered the room, if she
was not already on the ledge, she would immediately fly to it and
begin clucking. No eggs were laid.

This year, 1966, I provided a sand ledge and again released her
Nov. 15. Immediate interest was shown in the ledge. By late February
I obtained a year old eyas prairie, obviously too young for reproduc-
tion, but I decided to introduce them anyway, for the experience.

After giving her a chicken head I walked into the room with the tier-
cel and let her see him. No reaction. I released the tiercel. He
flew around from perch to perch a few times. Still no reaction what-
soever from the falcon. After finishing her meal she flew up to a
perch near him and twisted her head upside down to look him over.

Some hours later the tiercel began screaming. I went doxm to watch
through the peep hole and found the falcon chasing him around from
perch to perch, as if to test him, or show him who was ’’boss,” etc.

She never made any effort to lay a foot on him, however. This be-
havior continued off and on for several days, then was discontinued
altogether. After about two weeks the falcon would regularly fly up
to the tiercel and bow down and begin clucking all around him, V/hen
I entered the room, if she wasn’t already there she would fly to the
shelf to continue clucking. As a matter of interest I began stroking
her back, then beneath her tail around the vent. This would cause

A

11

her to stand nearly on her head with tail straight up ! Four eggs
were laid: March 10-21-24-26 • She began sitting with the third.

The eggs are still solid at this writing, April 23, but I am all but
certain they cannot be fertile. With an older male I*m sure we would
have young falcons. The area is about 25 feet long, 12 feet wide and
7 feet high. There are no windows and a 25 watt bulb supplies light
at all times. (Report prepared by Ron Austing, )

An Evaluation of Raptors Nesting in South Dakota

A raptor breeding population count has been undertaken primarily
for the use of the Game, Fish and Parks Department to provide informa-
tion for purposes of management.

Though a complete census will not be possible, fairly accurate
estimates can be made if the sample data are selected with care.

As this program develops it is hoped that with the aid of knowledge-
able persons a highly representative sample can be obtained. Con-
siderable care is being taken in choosing cooperators as even well-
intentioned disturbances can adversely affect nesting success.

Also, since all interests in raptors are not oriented toward preser-
vation, data are considered highly confidential as to nest or eyrie
locations.

In addition to merely a coiont of breeding biapds, data on nesting
success are being gathered. Over a period of several years these
data may be meaningful in several ways, particularly so in indicating
trends and in correlation with other phenomena to indicate possible
causes of such trends.

Only in areas where personal observations were made vxithin the
past few years can comparisons be made to indicate a possible trend.

It is our impression from these isolated cases that Prairie Falcons
(though not common anywhere), and Redtailed Hawks are showing a
slight gain, while Marsh Hawks are down. It also appears that Golder^
Eagles, Marsh Hawks, and Swainson*s Hawks had relatively poor per-
centage of nesting success, Kestrels perhaps showed a good percentage-,
while Prairie Falcons, Redtailed Hawks and Ferruginous Hawks had an
excellent year, as did Great Homed Owls.

To date we have no report of successful Marsh Hawk nesting for
this year. It is our impression that the total number of these
birds is way down.

Of the four known Golden Eagle eyries in South Dakota, two are
known to have been unsuccessful in 19^6, another contained an egg in
mid- June and is assumed to have been unsuccessful, and the fourth
was unchecked but an unverified report indicated that two young were
flown from this eyrie.

A

12

Swainson*s Hawk did well in some areas but in others many nests
and young were lost by being blown from the tree by high winds.

Kestrel nest censusing takes a great deal of time. Since time
was limited^ it was decided merely to note apparently nesting pairs.
No success data are therefore available. Our impression, derived
from juveniles observed in July, is that success percentage was at
least good.

We have only a few Prairie Falcon eyries in the state and it is
felt that a high percentage of these were checked. Nesting success
was high, over four young fledged from each eyrie. No failures were
noted.

Hedtails averaged over two per nest. Of all Redtails observed,
including those which were classed only as probably breeding, 76 ^
were known to be successful.

Don Adolphson of Huron, South Dakota, reported that twelve pairs
of G-reat Horned Owls in ten different counties fledged 21 young for
an average of 1.75 young fledged per nest. Mr. Adolphson also con-
tributed some valuable data on Swainson^s Hawks, Redtailed Hawks and
Ferruginous Hawks. Some interesting and valuable data on Ferruginous
Hawks were gathered by John Flavin of Lemon, South Dakota. The rest
of the data were collected by Donald Hunter and Anthony B. Lus combe of
Sioux City, Iowa.

Colateral with the census, a two-day raptor recognition and
appreciation course was given for the Sioux Ranger Corps Training
School at Pine Ridge. The purpose of the course was to provide the
rangers with identification skills to help in managing and teaching
appreciation of birds of prey on the rather extensive Pine Ridge
reservation. Wildlife management is one of the principal missions
of the newly formed Ranger Corps. The course was conducted by
Donald Hunter with the assistance of Tony Luscombe. (Report pre-
pared by Donald Hunter. )

Call for Snowy Owl Observations

Several Snowy Owls have been seen in the Lake States region
this winter. A survey of the southward movement of the Snowy Owl is
being made this winter to determine the distribution of these birds
as well as the extent and duration of their invasion. The following
information is requested: Name and address of observer, date, time,
and location of observation (state, nearest tov/n, county, and if
possible: township, range, and section), habitat, activity, and
weather. If bird is perching, how high and on what is it perchxng?
Please send observations to: Thomas H. Nicholls, University
Minnesota, Museum of Natural History, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455*
Cooperators will be sent a report of the results, if requested.

LOOKING AHEAD IN RAPTOR J^;3MRCH NEWS

The editors hope our readers have found the contents of the
newsletter interesting ar^d worthwhile. We hope to have more on
these topics and more on hew topics in the future. We shall
solicit notes on various topics but sha3,l also welcome contribu-
tions.

Some examples of the type of material we would welcome are:
(l) reports from different universities and colleges on the types
of research being done on raptors; (2) similar information from
other organizations such as state and federal wildlife agencies;
(3) reports on developments in pesticide detection; (4) biblio-
graphical material; (5) translations of important foreign papers,
V/e hope the readers will have other ideas which they may wish to
pass on to other News readers. Eventually the Foundation may be
able to publish formal papers > reports, or monographs in addition
to this informal newsletter. We would also welcome comments on
the style, format, and publication frequency of the News as well
as ideas on the activities and development of the Raptor Research
Foundation,