• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Battle won, war still ongoing.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

In after Baud. Damn.

We’re not going back!

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

If you are still in the GOP, you are an extremist.

An almost top 10,000 blog!

Only Democrats have agency, apparently.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Thanks for reminding me that Van Jones needs to be slapped.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Let there be snark.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

He really is that stupid.

The willow is too close to the house.

Mobile Menu

  • Winnable VA House Races
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • War in Ukraine
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • 2021-22 Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / Albatrossity / On The Road – Albatrossity – Raptor Trapping and Banding

On The Road – Albatrossity – Raptor Trapping and Banding

by WaterGirl|  March 8, 20215:00 am| 28 Comments

This post is in: Albatrossity, On The Road, Photo Blogging

FacebookTweetEmail

On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

Wow, somebody is pissed off at #7!  Yikes.  Wonderful set.

Albatrossity

Because I take way too many pictures of hawks, I sometimes get contacted by hawk researchers to get more details about some of the bird images I post on FaceBook or on eBird. This is a great way for me to learn more about the birds and the folks who study them.

One of those contacts led to a small adventure in late February, when I had the privilege of accompanying Bryce Robinson and Luke Decicco, of the Red-tailed Hawk Project, on an expedition to trap, tag, and perhaps put transmitters on some of our winter-resident dark hawks. Bryce is a graduate student at Cornell, and Luke is a graduate student at the University of Kansas, just down the river from my town of Manhattan KS. They are interested, like lots of others, in the multitude of plumage variations in Red-tailed Hawks, and are working to figure out the summer breeding locations for some of the dark redtails who winter here on the Great Plains. You can read more about the project here.

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 8
Near Manhattan KSDecember 26, 2020

It was a blustery overcast day when I met up with them in the morning to find and trap and tag some of the birds I have been tracking locally. Per usual, the birds that I had located that might be of interest to them were either AWOL that morning, or ignored the trap. But finally they managed to get one of the birds that I had seen several times previously this winter. This guy.

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 7
Near Manhattan KSFebruary 21, 2021

Trapping Red-tailed Hawks is usually done with a device called a bal-chatri, which consists of a bottom-weighted wire cage that holds a couple of conspicuously visible small live rodents (mice, gerbils, etc) that might be of interest to a hungry hawk. The top and sides of the cage are covered with monofilament nooses that entangle the talons of any raptor who pounces on it to get the rodents who are safely inside the cage. Similar devices, sometimes baited with birds rather than rodents, have been used for centuries to capture falcons for hunting. The loaded trap is tossed onto the ground from a slowly moving vehicle when an appropriate hawk is sighted; the vehicle and its occupants then move a distance away to park and watch. When the bird gets tangled with the trap, they quickly move in to grab the bird and reassure the terrified rodents. Here’s a shot of that process.

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 5
Near Manhattan KSFebruary 21, 2021

Once the bird is safely in hand, and the rodents back in the warm car, photos and data collection commence. The hawk is held firmly by the legs, so that it cannot use the talons to shred the researchers, and it often displays its irritation. This one looks particularly irritated because of those bright yellow eyes. Plumage characteristics, especially the tail, identify this bird as a second-year dark-morph Harlan’s Hawk.

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 6
Near Manhattan KSFebruary 21, 2021

And here’s a shot of that gorgeous tail!

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 3
Near Manhattan KSFebruary 21, 2021

The bird is photographed against what might be the world’s largest 18% grey card, which helps researchers ensure that the photos are exposed properly even under varying light conditions. The other useful tool in this image is the 24-patch Color Checker that ensures that the color balance of all images (of this bird and any other birds captured) can be corrected if needed. Wings, tail, and facial shots are taken.

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 4
Near Manhattan KSFebruary 21, 2021

Spread wing shot

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 2
Near Manhattan KSFebruary 21, 2021

I do like the white eyebrow on this bird, which makes it look even more scary and pissed-off.

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding 1
Near Manhattan KSFebruary 21, 2021

Bands are attached to the bird, a regular metal Bird Banding Lab band on the right leg and a colored re-sighting band on the left; those are partially visible in this shot of yours truly holding the bird. This bird ‘s color band is blue with the alphanumeric code 0Y. If you see him, let me know! Blood and feather samples are also taken for later chemical and DNA analyses. Some birds get transmitters; for various reasons this bird was not fitted with a transmitter. Transmitter tracking data from two birds trapped last year can be viewed here. 

 

 

On The Road - Albatrossity - Raptor trapping and banding
Near Manhattan KSJanuary 8, 2021

The entire process takes about 25-30 minutes, and the bird is then released to seek more palatable and less magical small rodents. Here’s a video of the release.

If want to see some of the other hawks trapped so far this winter, here are some pics. And here’s a link to a page to contribute to the project, should you desire.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « COVID-19 Coronavirus Updates: Sunday/Monday, March 7-8
Next Post: Monday Morning Open Thread: International Women’s Day »

Reader Interactions

28Comments

  1. 1.

    Chris T.

    March 8, 2021 at 5:26 am

    Because I take way too many pictures of hawks …

    How many is too many?  Is it like cats, where if you have 1 or 2 you’re normal, but somewhere between 3 and 8 you become the Crazy Cat Person?

  2. 2.

    raven

    March 8, 2021 at 6:38 am

    Incredible !

  3. 3.

    Wanderer

    March 8, 2021 at 7:03 am

    Best self portrait ever! What a beautiful bird.

  4. 4.

    wvng

    March 8, 2021 at 7:23 am

    What a great story. I hope the terrified rodents were given some sort of treat, so they would look forward to the next time.

    About 50 years ago I helped trap vultures at the Miami City Landfill using cannon netting technique with seafood scraps from a high end restaurant as bait. That was fun too.

  5. 5.

    debbie

    March 8, 2021 at 7:32 am

    Do they ever calm down and stop fighting being held?

  6. 6.

    Albatrossity

    March 8, 2021 at 7:39 am

    @debbie:  They stop fighting, but would not describe that face as calm, and that is the face they maintain until they are released!

  7. 7.

    oldster

    March 8, 2021 at 7:57 am

    Amazing pics. Thank you.

    I don’t see you guarding against the beak — will they not try to shred you with that?

  8. 8.

    Albatrossity

    March 8, 2021 at 8:16 am

    @oldster: The talons are the major weapon. Even when folks band eagles, they don’t worry so much about the beak

  9. 9.

    MazeDancer

    March 8, 2021 at 9:01 am

    Totally fascinating!

  10. 10.

    MelissaM

    March 8, 2021 at 9:18 am

    Wonderful and fascinating and such a beautiful bird! I think that face is telling you all the things the talons want to do to you.

    Is the guy grabbing the bird in pic 2 wearing slippers??

  11. 11.

    susanna

    March 8, 2021 at 10:00 am

    Wonderful photos!  Such glorious closeups.

    I find it hard to take in their fear, while also admiring their fierceness in protesting.  All for the greater good, I’m sure.   Thanks for these.

  12. 12.

    Chat Noir

    March 8, 2021 at 10:02 am

    I love your posts and pictures! Always fascinating.

  13. 13.

    pat

    March 8, 2021 at 10:17 am

    Love the gray card. At first glance I thought you were using the car.
    Thanks for these.

  14. 14.

    TomatoQueen

    March 8, 2021 at 10:20 am

    Wonderful & fascinating! I was familiar only with mist-netting for birbs before. A bit worried about the poor mice but bastard rodents carry Hantavirus so not too worried.

  15. 15.

    4D*hiker

    March 8, 2021 at 10:44 am

    Awwww What a great post! I loved it and the pics/links. Thanks!

  16. 16.

    mvr

    March 8, 2021 at 11:20 am

    This is so cool!

  17. 17.

    jame

    March 8, 2021 at 11:38 am

    Where is the picture of the frightened, but safe, mice?

  18. 18.

    BigJimSlade

    March 8, 2021 at 11:47 am

    Thanks for the great post!

  19. 19.

    citizen dave

    March 8, 2021 at 12:08 pm

    This is super cool!  Now when pixar has an eagle character with eyebrows I’ll know where it came from.

    My belief is the rodents live comfortably to old age in a nice warm place with mouse lollipops and moonbeams, and occasionally are taken on these brief outdoor trips.

  20. 20.

    J R in WV

    March 8, 2021 at 12:11 pm

    Fascinating~!!~

    Years ago we visited Mountain Lake down in Virginia, and some folks from Va Tech (nearby Mountain Lake) were studying birds with big invisible black nets strung out to trap small songbirds. Much more my style than catching raptors like these. But great photos of a complex and delicate task, thanks so much!

    Mountain Lake is an old fashioned get-away resort with a lake on a mountain top in Giles County, IIRC. Pretty high elevation (3,900 ft), lots of work done there by Virginia Tech students/professors.

  21. 21.

    dp

    March 8, 2021 at 12:13 pm

    Great post.

  22. 22.

    JustRuss

    March 8, 2021 at 12:31 pm

    Great post, love the release video.  I think I spotted my first northern harrier yesterday, but he was gone before I could get my binoculars on him/her.

  23. 23.

    Albatrossity

    March 8, 2021 at 12:43 pm

    @citizen dave: The mice live like rock stars, indeed. They are well taken care of!

  24. 24.

    Yutsano

    March 8, 2021 at 12:47 pm

    BIRBS!!!

    I was sitting here speculating about the education levels of the gentlemen you were working with there. Did some small research ( I have an appointment to get to so not a lot of time right now) and the only place I could find where you could get a master’s in raptor biology is still Boise State University. Which as an alum* has me quite chuffed.

    *Yes I am a proud graduate of Washington State University. But I started at Boise State oh so long ago. Wonderful campus. Would not have been great for my queer awakening.

  25. 25.

    Albatrossity

    March 8, 2021 at 1:35 pm

    @Yutsano:  Indeed, Boise State is a great place for raptor research. Maybe not researchers so much these days; I see that there are a mask-burning protest in Boise over the weekend…

    Cornell and KU have long been great places for ornithology in general, and I think we can expect good things from these two fine gentlemen in the future!

  26. 26.

    Laura Too

    March 8, 2021 at 2:20 pm

    These are wonderful! I learn so much from your posts. I went to look at the pictures of the other hawks. The first one listed with a transmitter is Clarence-my beloved Uncle Schlimazel’s other nickname. A beautiful thought of him soaring free and providing data for a project. He would be very pleased.

  27. 27.

    Albatrossity

    March 8, 2021 at 2:26 pm

    @MelissaM: I don’t know! But I have a long history of not paying attention to the footwear of others :-)

  28. 28.

    debbie

    March 8, 2021 at 5:58 pm

    @Albatrossity:

    The calm seems more threatening than the fury!

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

VA Purple House Delegates

Donate

Political Action

Postcard Writing Information

Recent Comments

  • Tony Jay on Cold Grey Dawn Open Thread: SBF Goes On Trial — Officially (Oct 3, 2023 @ 7:11am)
  • eclare on On The Road – BigJimSlade – German and Austrian Alps, Summer 2023, part 3, Eibsee (Oct 3, 2023 @ 7:11am)
  • Marmot on Cold Grey Dawn Open Thread: SBF Goes On Trial — Officially (Oct 3, 2023 @ 7:10am)
  • Rusty on Cold Grey Dawn Open Thread: SBF Goes On Trial — Officially (Oct 3, 2023 @ 7:10am)
  • Baud on Cold Grey Dawn Open Thread: SBF Goes On Trial — Officially (Oct 3, 2023 @ 7:06am)

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
We All Need A Little Kindness
What Has Biden Done for You Lately?

Balloon Juice Meetups!

All Meetups
Talk of Meetups – Meetup Planning

Fundraising 2023-24

Wis*Dems Supreme Court + SD-8

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Mailing List Signup
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)

Twitter / Spoutible

Balloon Juice (Spoutible)
WaterGirl (Spoutible)
TaMara (Spoutible)
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
TaMara
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
ActualCitizensUnited

Join the Fight!

Join the Fight Signup Form
All Join the Fight Posts

Balloon Juice for Ukraine

Donate

Cole & Friends Learn Español

Introductory Post
Cole & Friends Learn Español

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!