Feeding wild raptors (1 Viewer)

[Mila]

For the last few weeks I've been watching a nest of red-tailed hawks. They had 3 chicks, but one chick was repeatedly harassed by an older one and he's there no more. He could have been killed by a sibling or he could have died from hunger because that older chick did not let him to eat. It looks like there is not enough food supply there, maybe because of the drought that is getting worse (I am in California).

So one guy started feeding the hawks with chicken legs he buys in a local grocery shop, and some frozen rats. The male hawks takes the food he's offered and takes it to the nest, where the female feeds it to the chicks.

I'm very much against feeding wild hawks (which BTW is against California law) , but before I share my reasons with you, I'd like to find out what do you think about feeding wild raptors.

Thanks.

 

[SteveTS]

The situation here is a world away from where you are but locally I shoot several hundred rabbits a year and these are mostly left out to the considerable benefit of the common buzzards and the much rarer red kites.

Buzzard numbers are up on my patch and I'm very pleased with that.

As for directly feeding a nesting pair ; for me I would rather see nature take it's course than encourage the survival of the weakest.



Best wishes,

 

[Mickr]

My opinion is that it should depend on the situation, I'm not against feeding them to get over a temporary problem like poor weather or if one of the parents is dead or injured. It would also depend on the rareity of the species and the importance of the individual clutch.

 

[Mila]

Thank you both for the responses.

Red-tailed hawks are the most common raptors in California.
We have at least 4 nesting pairs I know about in a close proximity to my house, and many more all over the city.


I've read that more than half fledglings die in the first year of their life, and 20% every next year. Our drought is not going to end any time soon.
So would that man keep feeding the chicks even after they'd leave the nest?
Would they fly after him for food as they normally fly after their parents?
Besides chicken legs from grocery store do not have all nutrition that their normal food does. They need to eat freshly killed prey to get all nutrition they need.

I think this particular pair is a little bit unusual. For example, when they were incubating the eggs, the male refused to leave and to let the female to take over almost on every occasion, and sometimes for hours.


I made a website for them, to where I posted some of my observations
if somebody is interested.

 

[Mickr]

Thank you both for the responses.

Red-tailed hawks are the most common raptors in California.
We have at least 4 nesting pairs I know about in a close proximity to my house, and many more all over the city.


I've read that more than half fledglings die in the first year of their life, and 20% every next year. Our drought is not going to end any time soon.
So would that man keep feeding the chicks even after they'd leave the nest?
Would they fly after him for food as they normally fly after their parents?
Besides chicken legs from grocery store do not have all nutrition that their normal food does. They need to eat freshly killed prey to get all nutrition they need.

I think this particular pair is a little bit unusual. For example, when they were incubating the eggs, the male refused to leave and to let the female to take over almost on every occasion, and sometimes for hours.


I made a website for them, to where I posted some of my observations
if somebody is interested.

I've had a quick look at your website and look forward to watching your videos when I have more time, thanks for sharing.

As for the chicken legs, as long as they aren't cooked and aren't fed too often then they shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure we all eat things from time to time which aren't good for us but are OK in small doses.

Another thing with feeding birds of prey too often is that they get used to it and become lazy and they potentially become pests which can cause problems in other ways.

 

[Mila]

I've had a quick look at your website and look forward to watching your videos when I have more time, thanks for sharing.

As for the chicken legs, as long as they aren't cooked and aren't fed too often then they shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure we all eat things from time to time which aren't good for us but are OK in small doses.

Another thing with feeding birds of prey too often is that they get used to it and become lazy and they potentially become pests which can cause problems in other ways.

Thank you for your interest in the hawks, and my site!

That man feeds hawks every day, and maybe twice per day. I don't see the male hunting anymore, and the female has never hunted ever since they were courting and mating.

As a matter of fact I've practically stopped watching this nest because every time I did the chicks were fed with chicken legs.

I miss seeing and filming this male hunting.

 

[Sangahyando]

Here in Europe, raptors are sometimes fed in winter. In Spain, as a reaction to the scarcity of carrion (changes in agricultural practice coupled with dumb EU regulations) there are also official "feeding stations" to help support the country's diverse vulture and eagle population (for some reason, they have five species of vultures and eagles each, which is more than the entirety of North America has).
At one estate in Britain, the local Hen Harriers are fed to divert their attention from the commercially farmed grouse (see the numerous discussions on Hen Harrier persecution on this board).
Far from ideal, but in both cases it's a compromise that allows the raptors to adapt to recent human-made changes in the environment.


That said, if where you live private feeding is against state law, there's little point in continuing it I guess.

Thank you for your interest in the hawks, and my site!

That man feeds hawks every day, and maybe twice per day. I don't see the male hunting anymore, and the female has never hunted ever since they were courting and mating.

Maybe the female had already been fed the whole time? Anyway, I think that if one raptor species should make it out of the drought without human assistance, it'd be the Red-tailed Hawk. After all, gophers and roadkill should still be around.

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I know of one naturalist at a nearby park who would get deer carcasses from the local highway patrol and leave them out for his resident pair of bald eagles.

Obviously a different situation than with red-tails, but clearly red-tails can be highly dependent on man for their food sources. Otherwise, why would so many of them perch on the lamp-posts on the interstates waiting for roadkill.

 

[SteveTS]

Here in the UK many people feed their local red kites, carcass scraps from the butcher or culled day old cockerels are popular foods.

I have a wild buzzard who has learnt that when I am on his ground there is a good chance of a meal, he has taken to following me on my round, usually some 300-400 metres behind yet always just there and over several miles. They are high intelligent and adaptable birds and deserve their new found success.

 

[Mila]

Here in Europe, raptors are sometimes fed in winter. In Spain, as a reaction to the scarcity of carrion (changes in agricultural practice coupled with dumb EU regulations) there are also official "feeding stations" to help support the country's diverse vulture and eagle population (for some reason, they have five species of vultures and eagles each, which is more than the entirety of North America has).
At one estate in Britain, the local Hen Harriers are fed to divert their attention from the commercially farmed grouse (see the numerous discussions on Hen Harrier persecution on this board).
Far from ideal, but in both cases it's a compromise that allows the raptors to adapt to recent human-made changes in the environment.


That said, if where you live private feeding is against state law, there's little point in continuing it I guess.



Maybe the female had already been fed the whole time? Anyway, I think that if one raptor species should make it out of the drought without human assistance, it'd be the Red-tailed Hawk. After all, gophers and roadkill should still be around.

It is sad that in Europe some wildlife ought to be fed in order to survive and/or to divert their attention from the commercially farmed grouse. I think wildlife should be left to be wild, otherwise it would be something as a giant ZOO or a safari park.

Gophers eat vegetation, and now the soil is so dry, that there are not nearly enough vegetation left, so gophers left too.

I've read about red-tailed hawks. Siblicide is rare in them. Yes, chicks could be aggressive towards each other, but the aggression subside if there's enough food. In this situation, the aggression increased, and eventually a chick was killed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGJqeN9oags

Another indication that there was not enough food there was the behavior of the female, which I observed on many occasions.
She was sitting at the nest, guarding the chicks, but as soon as she was noticing the male make a kill, she was flying towards him (no matter how far from the nest it was) , screaming and then escorting him to the nest. It is a rather rare behavior, and IMO also an indication there was not enough food there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofe2JSeFskE


Yes, feeding hawks is illegal, and I could have reported the man, but I have no intention of doing this.

I know of one naturalist at a nearby park who would get deer carcasses from the local highway patrol and leave them out for his resident pair of bald eagles.

Obviously a different situation than with red-tails, but clearly red-tails can be highly dependent on man for their food sources. Otherwise, why would so many of them perch on the lamp-posts on the interstates waiting for roadkill.

The hawks I was watching did not depend on man for their food sources before that man started feeding them. A road kill in the city is rather rare. I saw none that my hawk benefited from, and I used to watched these hawks for a few hours per day almost every day. That hawk used to make kills himself. Of course now he's waiting to be fed.