Sky Hunters Summer 2006 Newsletter
Welcome to the Sky Hunters Summer 2006 Newsletter. We plan on providing a helpful, informative, electronic newsletter on a quarterly basis. Please let us know if you would rather not receive this newsletter by sending an email to accipiter@sky-hunters.org .
Sky Hunters Environmental Education was founded to teach respect and awareness for wildlife and habitats in California. We take great pride in providing small group presentations geared toward enlightenment, enrichment, and empowerment. We introduce live, native birds of prey in each presentation as indicators in an environment. Experience has shown us that the personal introduction of these wild creatures will capture your imagination, and hopefully your heart, and our conservation message will be delivered with wildlife and wild places in mind.
What does it mean to be “environmentally aware”?
Is there an urgency behind global warming, the thinning ozone layer, greenhouse effect and other environmental issues that threaten the health of our planet? What can we do, as individuals, to lessen their effects and to make our neighborhoods a healthier place to live?
By becoming aware of the issues and what has caused them, we can help by not contributing to the problem, help restore the balance, or at least stop the progress of these environmental issues.
On global warming and the greenhouse effect.
According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. There is new and stronger evidence that most of the warming over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities. Human activities have altered the chemical composition of the atmosphere through the buildup of greenhouse gases – primarily carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. The heat-trapping property of these gases is undisputed, although uncertainties exist about exactly how earth’s climate responds to them.
Energy from the sun drives the earth’s weather and climate, and heats the earth’s surface; in turn, the earth radiates energy back into space. Atmospheric greenhouse gases (water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases) trap some of the outgoing energy, retaining heat somewhat like the glass panels of a greenhouse.
Without this natural “greenhouse effect,” temperatures would be much lower than they are now, and life as known today would not be possible. Instead, thanks to greenhouse gases, the earth’s average temperature is a more hospitable 60°F. However, problems may arise when the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases increases.
Rising global temperatures are expected to raise sea level, and change precipitation and other local climate conditions. Changing regional climate could alter forests, crop yields, and water supplies. It could also affect human health, animals, and many types of ecosystems. Deserts may expand into existing rangelands, and features of some of our National Parks may be permanently altered.
Most of the United States is expected to warm, although sulfates may limit warming in some areas. Scientists currently are unable to determine which parts of the United States will become wetter or drier, but there is likely to be an overall trend toward increased precipitation and evaporation, more intense rainstorms, and drier soils.
What difference can I make? Think back to the days before recycling became popular – when everyone threw everything out in the trash. In less than 20 years, most households have gone from recycling little or nothing to recycling newspapers, plastics, glass and metal. Many businesses recycle paper and buy recycled products and many industries practice source reduction in their packaging efforts. An entire mindset has changed in one generation!
Taking action on global warming (or climate change) is similar. In some cases, it only takes a little change in lifestyle and behavior to make some big changes in greenhouse gas reductions. When that action is multiplied by the 270 million people in the U.S., or the 6 billion people worldwide, the savings are significant.
"Individuals Can Make A Difference" By identifying actions that many households can take that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in addition to other benefits, including saving you money! The actions range from changes in the house, in the yard, and in how you use your car. Everyone's contribution counts, so why not do your share?
The first step is learning something about the problem. Next, take steps to find little things you can do to help make a difference.
Being environmentally aware helps people appreciate the importance of protecting and conserving local wildlife and resources.
Check out the following website for more information and PDF handouts.
From - http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
Also a good source of information on Ozone layer depletion, skin safety and teacher resources for grade levels K-5 with power point presentations and follow up crossword puzzles.
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/index.html
The ozone layer forms a thin shield in the upper atmosphere, protecting life on Earth from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays. In the 1980s, scientists began accumulating evidence that the ozone layer was being depleted. Depletion of the ozone layer results in increased UV radiation reaching the Earth's surface. Overexposure to UV radiation can lead to serious health effects, such as skin cancer, cataracts, and immune suppression.
What can individuals do?
Global warming, greenhouse effect, thinning ozone layers are important to all of us, but on a more local level, what about things to do in our neighborhoods to be aware of environmental issues?
While tropical rainforests, arctic tundra, shifting desert sands, and vast coral reef habitats may excite your passion and interest in conserving and preserving their fragile, important environments. Local asphalt parking lots, undeveloped weedy fields, backyard gardens, city parks and open spaces may not evoke quite the same degree of passion. These more immediate places that make up your world are equally important to preserve and protect, they can be just as interesting.
When I was growing up, the weedy fields between houses, the culverted creeks with vegetation on the bottom, and the unmanaged prune orchards were places of wonder to me. I would spend hours sitting and watching the interactions of birds and other small animals in these “wild” places. I knew these places, and the creatures that lived in them, so well that even as a child I was aware when something was wrong. When the orchards were sprayed with pesticides, the birds disappeared and so did the insects. When the creek dried up, the tadpoles, frogs, insects, and dragonflies were nowhere to be found. When the weedy fields were developed one by one, my favorite lizard had lost his home; my little piece of the wild was lost. Are you aware of what is happening in the environment in which you live?
Nature abounds in both urban and suburban settings and you can turn your neighborhood, schoolyard, or workplace into a rich and rewarding study area. There are many ways to connect with nature in your neighborhood.
Start with your immediate surroundings - add a pinch of creativity, an inquisitive attitude and you have a recipe for becoming environmentally aware.
Explore! Explore your local neighborhoods looking for the special places of wonder. It could be your own backyard. You can create and restore habitat at home, in your workplace, or in your local parks and open spaces. Attracting birds to your property can be as simple as providing them with a decent habitat, by providing an area safe from predators, with ample water, food, and nesting sites.
When you find an area that piques your interest, start by evaluating the site. It is important to remember that a diversity of habitats encourages a larger variety of birds and other wildlife.
Investigate! Dead trees and brush piles provide shelter, nest sites, and food (insects) for resident and migratory birds. Always check a dead tree out carefully for hidden wildlife nesting and try not to disturb them through their nesting cycle.
Assist! There are many ways to be aware of your environment and to offer a helping hand:
GET INVOLVED!
Now that you have found a special place to enjoy nature and wildlife, watch and monitor what is happening within it each day, and each season, and be aware of changes on a local and global level. You have become more environmentally aware!
American Kestrel Nest Box Plan taking flight.
Sky Hunters Environmental Education has two equally important goals: education and conservation. The primary focus of Sky Hunters is to teach respect and awareness of wildlife and habitats, fostering an enthusiasm for learning to increase the sense of caring and conserving. Through knowledge and awareness, informed and concerned citizens can make more positive contributions to their environment and society.
Sky Hunters is proposing just such a positive project: putting up and monitoring kestrel nest boxes on your land or open space. If kestrels or other bird’s, use the nest box, you will be making a positive contribution to our local ecosystem.
An added plus to this project is that it will have a significant conservation effect on American kestrel populations. Although kestrels are not an endangered species, their numbers have declined. Habitat loss, and in particular, the loss of nesting sites, is a primary cause. Kestrels can’t excavate their own nest holes; they depend on the holes and cavities created by woodpeckers. For years the wildlife value of dead or partially dead old trees went unrecognized. Dead trees were cut to clear land, for firewood, or simply because they were perceived as ugly or a liability. Fewer dead trees meant fewer nest sites and fewer kestrels. Today, across Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, there are many areas with plenty of open space and food for kestrels, but kestrels are absent simply because there are no nest sites.
Nest boxes are an easy and inexpensive way to solve this problem. Kestrels readily use the nest boxes in place of natural cavities. Nest boxes are beginning to be put up across North America, and kestrel populations are increasing nearly everywhere the nest boxes appear. Individual landowners and open space managers, especially in agricultural areas, have come to realize that more kestrels will mean less insects and mice to plague their crops, and are putting up nest boxes.
Are you interested in joining the effort to increase American kestrel numbers in our local area? Attached is a general description of the habitats we are looking for that will support American kestrels. If your site fits the requirements, contact Sky Hunters at accipiter@sky-hunters.org or 650-743-4219. Thanks to Vince Moreschini’s Boy Scout Eagle Project, kestrel nest boxes are available for placement in suitable habitat. Installation is required.
Natural History and Nest Site Requirements.
The American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in our local area and is very widespread, ranging throughout the Western Hemisphere. They are found from the Arctic Circle in Alaska and northwestern Canada, south through Canada and the United States, into Mexico, parts of Central America, and most of South America.
They occur in a variety of habitats from sea level up to about 3,700 m (12,000 ft.) in the Rockies. They require open ground for hunting and are most often found in habitats such as short grasslands, mountain meadows, marshlands, deserts, open pine forests, and any kind of mixed woods and grasslands, agricultural land, vacant sites, airfields, along the edge of highways, etc. Kestrels tend to nest in open, grassy, shrubby areas as well as in hollows of dying trees. They have come to rely heavily on these areas for feeding, searching for insects and small rodents sometimes unearthed by farmers' plows.
American kestrels usually defend a territory of approximately half a square mile. Their prey consists mostly of small rodents, reptiles, insects, and an occasional small bird hence the common name of "Sparrow hawk."
Most kestrels do not gain access to a mate and nesting territory until they are two years old. Males tend to establish their nesting territory first, then the females join them. At first, the females are loosely bonded to a particular mate. They move about between two or more males before settling down with one.
Kestrels prefer tree cavities as nest sites, but will also use potholes or crannies in a cliff, enclosed space in a building, or an abandoned nest from another bird. They will also readily accept nesting boxes. The availability of suitable tree cavities may be the chief density-limiting factor on breeding populations. Since they do not make their own holes, they depend on natural cavities or holes built by other birds; and, as a result they have to compete with woodpeckers, owls, squirrels, etc.
Courtship behavior usually begins with the onset of spring. After mating, the male brings the food to the female in the nest; and she begins to cache the extra. Depending on their range, eggs may be laid from mid-April through early June.
The female will lay 3-7 buff with reddish-brown marked eggs, but typically 4 or 5 are laid. Incubation lasts about 30 days, and the young begin to fledge at 27-34 days.
In some areas, they are loosing their natural nesting sites such as cavities in trees, and may depend on nest boxes being placed in these areas.
Requirements for putting your nest box up in just the right place and in the right way so kestrels will use the box.
1. You must put your nest box in the right habitat. Kestrels are open country birds. They don't nest in forests. Look for places where you often see kestrels hunting. Your nest box is designed to take the place of natural nesting cavities in large trees. If there are plenty of large trees with woodpecker holes already there, keep looking. Ideally, you want to find a place where kestrels are hunting, but not nesting: a place where there are no large trees for nesting, but there is still open country with mice and insects for hunting.
2. Kestrels will nest fairly close (1/4 mile) to people, houses, etc., but they will not nest in your backyard in town. For best results, make sure your nest box is at least 200 yards away from people or buildings.
3. Farms, ranches, orchards, croplands or other agricultural areas are often ideal places to put up a nest box. Kestrels help control the populations of rodents and insects.
4. Installing a kestrel nest box. Contact professional tree climbers, pole climbers, firemen, or utility workers and ask if they will help you put the box up. Use a ladder and make sure someone holds the bottom of the ladder.
5. Your nest box should be at least 10 feet above the ground, preferably between 15-20 feet high. You could go higher, but it is not necessary and it will usually make it more difficult to put the nest box up.
6. Mount the nest box so it is either vertical, or tilted just slightly towards the ground. Don't mount it tilted up towards the sky. You want to keep the rain out!
7. The nest box entrance hole should face east or southeast towards the rising sun. Make sure the box receives afternoon shade; mount it on the east side of the pole or tree. In warm climates this is especially important.
8. There are lots of ways to mount, or attach, the box. If you are mounting onto something wooden, large screws are best but good solid 16p nails will work too. Be sure to pre-drill holes in the box backboard, so you don't split it. Use two nails on the top and one or two on the bottom. Make sure the box is secure and won't wiggle. Remember, if the box isn't solidly secure, predators like raccoons might knock it loose, causing it to fall to the ground. If you are mounting onto something metal, pre-drill two holes on the top and two holes on the bottom of the backboard. Use bailing wire to wrap 3 or 4 times through your box holes and around the metal pole. Make sure the bailing wire is tight, and no loose ends are sticking out that could harm an incoming kestrel.
9. Be creative! Remember, there are lots of ways to mount or attach your nest box. Just make sure it is totally secure.
Raptor Trivia Quiz - See how much you know –
1. Which characteristic separate raptors from other birds?
2. For most species of raptors, which sex is significantly larger?
3. Raptors have an excellent sense of smell.
False, most raptors have very limited sense of smell, the scavengers such as the Turkey Vulture being the exception. Turkey Vultures can smell dead meat buried up to two feet under soil. As most birds are built with limiting weight in order to fly, the sense of smell is one of the senses left out.
4. What is the smallest North American falcon? The American Kestrel. We have five falcons that can be seen in our local area, the smallest, and most common, being the American Kestrel averaging at about 8.5" to 10.5" in length and weighing in at around 4 oz. The Merlin coming next at approximately 12" in length, the Prairie Falcon at 15.5" to 19.5", the Peregrine Falcon at 16" to 20", and the rare visitor, the Gyrfalcon at 20" to 25" inches.
5. Which North American hawk has the widest habitat usage? This would be our Red-tailed hawk, please read more under the species handout for this adaptable bird.
6. From which North American owl did ghost stories propose to originate? The Common Barn owl on its silent, white wings, as it screams its call in the middle of the night.
7. What bird is nicknamed the "duck hawk"? The Peregrine falcon which is a specialist at hunting ducks. Many people did not know the individual species of raptors and used their prey to describe the bird.
8. Which raptors can you easily tell the males from the females by plumage, sexual dimorphism?
In North American, the American kestrel and the Northern Harrier.
9. Which North American owl is nicknamed “flying tiger”?
The Great Horned owl because of the striping of it plumage or feather pattern on its belly and for its agressive hunting style.
10. Owls can locate and catch prey without being able to see it?
True, owl locate and catch their prey by hearing alone. Studies at Stanford University have shown that the Barn owl can hunt in total darkness. Most other owls require a candle of light to hunt by.
I hope you enjoyed the trivia quiz. Watch for more in the next newsletter.
