BIRDS OF A FEATHER
Wildlife expert describes world of raptors
Wildlife educator Trish Marki took people on a fanciful flight through the world of “Birds of Prey” during a Wednesday presentation at The Summit at Saratoga, an independent senior living community.
Marki is executive director of the Saratoga Springs-based Wildlife Institute of Eastern New York.
About 50 people turned out for the program, which included close-up views of an Eastern screech owl, barn owl, red-tailed hawk, raven and Eurasian eagle owl, the world’s largest owl species.
“Raptors use their talons to catch and kill prey,” Marki said. “If they don’t hunt, they die. It’s how they survive.”
The most common raptors found locally are hawks, eagles, owls, osprey and falcons.
She brought the raven, named Marlena, to show and explain the difference between birds of prey and scavengers.
Marki’s birds were either born in captivity or they were injured, rescued and rehabilitated, but unable to return to the wild. She uses them for educational programs in many different settings such as schools, senior centers, libraries and church groups.
The Eastern screech owl is the second smallest owl in New York state behind the Northern saw-whet owl. It primarily lives in tree cavities and feeds on rodents, songbirds and large insects such as grasshoppers and dragonflies.
“It likes urban settings and the country,” Marki said. “All they need is a food supply.”
The barn owl, once quite common, is now extremely rare in upstate New York for three reasons. They are:
• Habitat loss — after 9/11, many metro New York area residents moved upstate and purchased farms. But the land isn’t actively farmed, so grain, which attracts rodents, isn’t available. In turn, this reduces the barn owl’s food supply.
• Development — farmland and other open space is continually giving way to commercial and residential growth.
• Poison — When people put out poison to get ride of mice and rats, birds that feed on these rodents die, too.
New York’s barn owl population has declined so much that the state Department of Environmental Conservation is expected to reclassify these birds as threatened or endangered, Marki said.
However, they are quite prevalent elsewhere. In California, barn owls were brought in to control vineyard rodent populations.
“It’s a natural pest control, without having to use pesticides,” Marki said. “This one’s name is Talula Belle. She can hear a mouse on the ground at 100 yards, the length of a football field. So you can’t sneak up on them.”
The Eurasian eagle owl, named Wyatt, entertained onlookers by flying to a perch Marki set up for him.
Like its cousin, the great horned owl, this owl’s talons have 1,000 pounds of crushing power. It weighs six pounds, but can carry three times its weight.
“In the wild he could take something as big as a baby deer,” Marki said.
Wyatt is only 8 years old, but Eurasian eagle owls have a 60year lifespan.
The red-tailed hawk’s greatest asset is incredible sight.
“He can spot a mouse from a mile high in the sky,” Marki said.
Red-tailed hawks are seen quite often perched in trees along roads and highways, such as the Northway, where grass shoulders are mowed, making it easier for them to detect mice and other small mammals.
While not as strong, fast or lethal as raptors, ravens are among the world’s most intelligent birds.
They’ve been known to carry rocks up to their nest and drop them on would-be intruders, and put acorns in highway intersections so cars run over them, revealing the meat inside.
Marki also discussed what people should do if they encounter different types of injured wildlife. She responds to all kinds of animal-related incidents, including bears.
For information go to: www. silentwingsraptors.org.