Tag Archives: Raptors Are The Solution

Important Information for Cape Ann Wildlife Supporters!

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Do you want to help rid our community of rat poison, specifically SGARS, which is the rat poison attributed to killing our local hawks, eagles, owls, and falcons? Please attend the City Council meeting on Tuesday, Aril 8th, and read the following from Caroline Haines, founder of the organization Rescue Gloucester Wildlife.

Dear Rescue Gloucester Wildlife supporters,

 

There is good news regarding our efforts to eliminate or reduce the use of SGARS (second-generation anti-coagulant rodenticides) in Gloucester. The Gloucester City Council will consider a proposed ordinance to ban the use of rodenticides on city owned property.  It is scheduled for a Public Hearing at the next council meeting on Tuesday April 8th at City Hall. The meeting begins at 6, but the agenda is lengthy, and the ordinance is not early on the agenda. Advocates will have three minutes to speak about the proposal.  I will be speaking, and I plan to prepare ahead so that I can get all of my points squeezed in, in the allotted time. I hope that many of you will consider giving heartfelt testimony, too. If you are not able to attend, sending an email or making a call to a councilor is another way you can make an impact. There is a lot of support on the council itself, but the more they hear from us, the better. Councilors Gilman, Gross, Grace, Nolan, and Benson have been very encouraging and helpful. And Councilor Worthley put the motion forward. 

 

Currently the proposed ordinance is being reviewed by the city’s legal department and some technical language is being revised.  There is a caveat in subsection (d) that allows that “the Director of Public Works may choose, after determining that less toxic integrated pest management strategies would be or are ineffective, to use SGARS for the period of time he/she deems necessary. The only requirement is that he/she share this information publicly as well as directly with the Mayor and the City Council.”   This is somewhat concerning. I would prefer a clear time limit on the temporary use of SGARS and I don’t like the “would be” language, which seems to imply that the DPW doesn’t have to try integrated pest management first, before resorting to rodenticide use. If this concerns you, too, please speak up about it, or email your councilor. Council email addresses are simply first initial, last name @gloucester-ma.gov  (i.e., tgross@gloucester-ma.gov).

 

Council Chair Tony Gross has promised to keep me posted if the proposed ordinance is rescheduled for any reason.  I will post on our Rescue Gloucester Wildlife Facebook page if this should happen. Otherwise, I hope to see some of you at the Council meeting on April 8th.  Thank you all for interest and efforts in eliminating these destructive poisons from our environment.

 

Onward,
Caroline Haines

American Kestrel Beauty!

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Raptors are on the move, including the exquisite American Kestrel. I typically find these pint-sized falcons perched on sparse trees above low growing vegetation, scanning the landscape for their next meal. Kestrels eat a wide variety of invertebrates – mostly grasshoppers, beetles, cicadas, dragonflies, scorpions, spiders, butterflies, and moths. They also eat voles, mice, shrews, bats, small songbirds, snakes, and lizards.

From a distance, this male Kestrel I thought was at first a Mourning Dove, though possibly not. I took several snapshots before realizing my exposure setting was still set for filming creatures in dark foliage. He flew away as I was adjusting the exposure. The photo is very overexposed, nonetheless, I like how brilliant his feather patterning and colors show in the image.

Tip – The American Kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon found in North America however, the population has declined by 50 percent. The primary reasons are loss of habitat and pesticides. You can help these North American beauties by leaving dead trees standing where ever possible. Kestrels nest in natural tree cavities and nests excavated by other tree cavity nesters. They will also nest in manmade nest boxes designed for Screech Owls!

American Kestrel Male

 

RATS!

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Gloucester’s Animal Advisory Committee recently sponsored an informative presentation by Gary Menin, director of the Massachusetts chapter of the organization R.A.T.S. (Raptors Are The Solution). Gary presented a talk with accompanying slides on the catastrophic effects of rodenticides on owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, and other birds of prey.

Gloucester is a waterfront community and as such, we will most assuredly always have a rat population.  As has been pointed out dozens of times at the AAC meetings, improper handling of garbage is one of our number one problems. Garbage bags not contained in cans that are placed on city streets the night before trash collection attracts and provides food for coyotes, gulls, crows, and rats. Dumpsters not properly closed and maintained also support rats, gulls, crows, and coyotes, as do overflowing beach barrels.

Although second generation rodenticides are banned, exterminators are still allowed to use them. Gary reminded us however that YOU are the client. If all else fails and an exterminator must be hired, tell them not to use rodenticide under any circumstance.

Firstly, if we better manage our trash, we can greatly shrink the nuisance critter population. Additionally, Gary provided an excellent list of alternatives to rodenticides.

1). Snap traps

2). Ultrasonic waves

3). Electrocuting traps

4). Live trap and relocate

5). Dry ice pellets placed at hole entryways

6). Moth balls and peppermint oil as a repellent

7). Goodnature A24 Rat Trap

Under no circumstances are glue traps recommended as they are an unusually cruel method of extermination.

As we have talked about many times on Good Morning Gloucester, the White-footed Mouse and the Chipmunk are the greatest vectors of Lyme disease. Raptors play a vital rope in controlling mice, chipmunks, and other small rodent populations and have proven to be an important link in the fight against Lyme disease.

Gary also mentioned that the city of Revere recently purchased rat-proof garbage cans that every member of the community is mandated to use. The local governing body was fed up with the proliferation of rats because of flimsy trash bags, overflowing barrels, and careless disposal of garbage. You can read more about Revere’s new barrels here: Revere Looks to Put Lid on Rat Problem.

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We can also purchase or build our own owl nest box. With a quick google search you can find tons of DIY videos, plans, and directions online such as this one for a Screech Owl house.

Screech Owl House Plans

Every year we hear Screech Owls in our neighborhood, close-by, and I’m inspired to build an owl house after hearing Gary’s presentation!

Last winter Hedwig was seen with almost clock-work regularity departing nightly for her evening hunt. An adult Snowy Owl feeds on average three to five times per day.

The food web graphics provided by R.A.T.S. are terrific and are free and downloadable for anyone’s use.

R.A.T.S. – RAPTORS ARE THE SOLUTION!

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Check out these terrific outreach posters for wildlife educators and school teachers found on the website RATS, or Raptors are the Solution. They have a bunch of free downloadable, printable posters, including several versions for young kids to color. You can download the posters here, and go to the RATS website here and see more free educational material.

PROGNOSIS NOT LOOKING GOOD

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Erin and Jodi at Cape Ann Wildlife are treating this sweetest juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk for rat poison. The young hawk is yet another patient in their long list of wild creatures that have been poisoned this year by rodenticide. The prognosis is not looking good for this little guy.

All photos of the sickly juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk courtesy Cape Ann Wildlife

The adult Red-shouldered Hawk is a medium sized hawk. They are mostly forest dwellers. I’ve only see one once and it was stunning in flight.

Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk – Image courtesy wiki commons media

Please Don’t Poison My Dinner

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Several friends have asked whether or not I was freaked out by the mouse running up my dress and out my coat sleeve. No, I wasn’t. Surprised, but not panicked, and just happy the frightened little thing did not bite me.

We live in an old house and are occasionally visited by mice, despite my husband’s best efforts at sealing any cracks that may develop in the almost one hundred and seventy five-year-old mortar of the granite foundation. Our cat, Cosmos, before he suffered severe brain damage from a coyote attack, was the best mouser ever. Now that Cosmos has retired, Tom uses Have-a-Heart traps.

I have written about this topic previously, but never in a million years would we use a rodenticide. The first reason being is that if one of our beautiful raptors (including owls, hawks, falcons, and eagles), eats a rat or mouse that has ingested rat poison, the raptor will most surely perish. For example, the majority of Snowy Owls that die in our region and are autopsied, have been killed by rat poison. Secondly, most rats, after ingesting poison, will return to their nest ie., that cozy spot behind your wall. Working in theatre for many years, I encountered more than a few rats, as well as well meaning types who decided to kill rats with rodenticide. If you have ever smelled a dead rat laying behind an inaccessible theatre wall, you would never again use rat poison (and the odor lasts for weeks!).