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| Portrait by Cheyenne (Cricket) Friscia prior to K5's release |
Community is valuable in both the avian and human world. Thanks to a connection I made with raptor biologists during my traineeship at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in Pennsylvania, I recently met with a local biologist here in Washington. Jeff Kidd (Kidd Biological Inc) and several technicians band, tag, and sometimes place GPS transmitters on birds trapped at the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport. He treats the birds with the utmost respect and care and his appreciation for raptors and conservation in general is obvious. Kidd has many years of experience studying raptor species, including burrowing owls and rough-legged hawks.
Earlier this year, he invited me along on a red-tailed hawk release to learn how to properly fit a GPS transmitter backpack onto a medium-sized raptor. Understanding how to adjust the Teflon straps correctly is important in making sure the bird is exposed to the least amount of impairment while conducting natural behaviors. Since these transmitters are solar powered, even a feather laying over top of the panel could prevent the birds from sending a signal. Movement data on raptors is extremely valuable to conservation efforts and knowing how to correctly place this technology on a bird is an invaluable skill.
When I first arrived to release the RTHA, the bird was hooded and well-fed in her enclosure. Jeff was photographing her morphology and made sure I had handled raptors previously before taking her out. I held my hand out in the 'finger-gun' technique I learned at Hawk Mountain, placing my fingers around her densely feathered legs. Her yellow wing tag boldly read 'K5.' She weighed roughly 1300 grams (2.8 pounds) and was determined to be an adult in her fourth year. Her beautiful plumage was photographed in detail, focusing on her unique tail feathers.
When I first arrived to release the RTHA, the bird was hooded and well-fed in her enclosure. Jeff was photographing her morphology and made sure I had handled raptors previously before taking her out. I held my hand out in the 'finger-gun' technique I learned at Hawk Mountain, placing my fingers around her densely feathered legs. Her yellow wing tag boldly read 'K5.' She weighed roughly 1300 grams (2.8 pounds) and was determined to be an adult in her fourth year. Her beautiful plumage was photographed in detail, focusing on her unique tail feathers.
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| After K5's hood was removed, she was ready to be released. Digital sketch by Emily Ritter. |
After documenting her morphology, we brought K5 to Skagit County where the Skagit Valley Wildlife Area boasts thousands of birds-- including geese, swan, eagles and hawks. We finished collecting data on her molt and carefully secured the transmitter, allopreening any feathers covering the solar panel and making sure the 'back-pack' straps were correctly secured. Although released in exceptionally suitable habitat, a map of K5's travels reveals that she did return to SEA-TAC. I'm very grateful to have been able to be a part of this hawk's journey and I look forward to writing more about the raptor research I've been involved in as of late.
