Part of the University of Alberta Ferruginous Hawk study involves trapping the hawks and attaching leg bands and tracking devices. By trapping the birds we can get information such as migration routes, overwintering ground location and home range use. The devices record a location once every minute and are designed to fall off after 1-2 years and run off solar power. Every day the transmitter sends an email containing the movement locations for that day. This data can be seen on a 3D map showing the location and elevation the birds have been flying at.
First we choose a mild, dry day and make sure the chosen nest has young that are old enough to with stand the brief absence of their parents. This male is keeping guard over his transmission tower nest whilst the female sits on the nest.
Next we set up the nets.
Live Great Horned Owls are a natural enemy of the hawks and often prey on young in the nest. The hawks will defend the nest against the owls by swooping down and dive bombing them. We have Fiest, a rehabilitated and rescued bird from a local sanctuary to use as a hawk lure. Fiest sits behind a Dho Gazza net. As the hawks swoop the owl it gets caught in the net and the owl remains unharmed.
Then we sit in a blind and wait hawks to get caught. The aim is to catch the male as he will provide more location readings than the females who to tend to stick closer to the nest. A falconry hood is placed on the bird to keep it calm during banding and transmitter attachment.
The transmitter is checked and then double checked to make sure it is loose enough before the release.
I had the privilege of releasing this light coloured (or light morph) male.
Just before I gave him back his freedom, I got chills as I noticed I could see the vast prairies reflected in his eye.
Then I gave the him back to the prairies.
Here is a link to a great video of the project and who and what it involves. http://www.biodiversityandclimate.abmi.ca/ .
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