Unfortunately it’s that time of year when we can see red-tailed hawks admitted with what are likely gunshot wounds. See photo right of a bird admitted 30 October 2012 >>>. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state laws make it illegal to kill, capture, possess, harass, or harm any bird of prey. Violations are punishable
30 August 2015 at Dale Valley Vineyard SOAR is having a typical rehab year… but on a more personal note, we’ve had some lows this year. Kay’s friend (and SOAR’s go-to-handyman) Colton Pulver lost his life in a car accident at the end of June. Kay, SOAR, and ‘raptor nation’ lost a friend, advocate, and
Dove hunting season starts on 1 September here in Iowa and runs through 9 November 2015. Please encourage hunters to use steel shot. Research shows that, when lead shot is used for dove hunting, as many doves die from ingesting lead and lead poisoning as are harvested (3% of the population). Approximately, 17 million doves
Two hatch-year 2015 red-tailed hawks were released at The Nature Conservancy Bison Day program on 11 July 2015. One released was captured on video.
A hatch-year and adult great horned owl were quietly released at Dickson Timber in Carroll County on 3 July 2015.
Two HY14 eagles admitted summer 2014 were released at SOAR on 18 June 2015. Project AWARE, admitted 17 July 2014, and Clay, admitted 9 August 2014, were both very sick juveniles when admitted and much supportive care and time in the flight pen was part of their rehab. Releasing them at SOAR gave us an
SOAR has been a part of the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar (LHPS) for many years, educating attendees about the importance of quality habitat for raptors and also natural history and biology of a raptor that can be found in the Loess Hills. Tyler talked with participants on 31 May 2015. If possible, SOAR also releases
Make the switch! Watch this segment from Itasca Community TV (Minnesota) of Just Outdoors – Copper Bullets that talks about ballistics, shot placement, human and wildlife health, and three shooting demonstrations. (It’s not short, but is informative!) The Case for Copper: Research uncovers problems with lead bullets for deer hunting Check out this article from
The bald eagle admitted on 13 December 2011 that had been caught in a leg-hold trap also had elevated blood lead levels (BLL) of 9.6 µg/dL. She coughed up a pellet (accumulated undigested material, in the case of eagles primarily hair) shortly after initial exam at SOAR. This pellet was x-rayed for lead fragments. The
A perspective from SOAR Executive Director, Kay Neumann 5 September 2014 — Usually summers are relatively quiet here at SOAR; young kestrels and screech owls that need a little food and flight time; the occasional Coopers hawk and window collision, red-tailed hawks and car collisions, baby vultures and hollow tree removal. Well quiet might not