Falcons, Hawks, and Wildlife Rescue

Last week I shared the experience of going on a “hunt” with falconer Matt Mitchell. Now here's insight into the life of someone who works with birds of prey.

Matt has always loved animals. When he was a teenager living in Albuquerque, a neighbor had a Swainson’s hawk. “I thought that was the coolest thing,” Matt says. He did the necessary training and apprenticeship, eventually working up to a master falconry license, and at the time of this writing had 13 birds.

Matt also nurses birds that have been injured by hunters or in accidents. He says, “Having birds, people started bringing me injured birds, and of course you have to be covered by a permit, so I joined wildlife rescue. Most hunters now tend to be more conscientious, but I still get injured birds in every year.”

Matt considers education the most important part of wildlife rescue. He talks to school children and other groups, letting people see the beauty of falcons and hawks. This kind of education “gives wildlife value, because it says somebody cares.”

Falconers play an active role in conservation, working with environmental groups on projects such as protecting habitat. “The biggest threat to falconry today is loss of habitat,” Matt says. “Falconers are very aware of keeping places wild, keeping lots of birds and bird breeding habitat protected. We’d like to see the sky full of birds.”

He sometimes gets birds passed along by well-meaning but inexperienced people who have tried to raise a wild chick or injured bird. The bird has almost always suffered from poor care. People must have a permit to keep falcons, and getting one requires a two-year apprenticeship and inspection of facilities. Matt’s facilities include two stucco buildings, each with separate 8x8 rooms for individual birds, plus a large, net-covered flight pen.

Chicks at 3 weeks and 2 days

“Falconry is an addiction in a way,” Matt says. “In the summertime, when the hunting seasons are closed and the birds are molting, it was just a natural thing to keep working with the birds and breed them. I think it’s good for their state of health, to pair up. I started breeding birds in 1989.”

In late spring, he may have two or three newborn chicks in his house at any time, carefully tending them to strengthen their immune system. The day-old chicks are floppy balls of fluff greeting the world with tiny squeaks and squawks. After a few days, they’ll go back to a mother bird. When they’re old enough, they’re moved to the flight pen. At that point, “They are basically wild birds,” Matt says. “They’ll tolerate you, but they are in no way tame.”

One day when I visit, he has a hybrid falcon chick—part peregrine and part gyrfalcon, bred through artificial insemination—he’s raising for a client in Florida. In the United States, hybrids must be raised as human imprints, meaning a human raises the bird by hand rather than giving it back to a mother bird. This helps ensure the imprints won’t escape into the wild and mix with native species. 

At three weeks old, the bird is a fat, wobbly ball of white fluff whose screeches sometimes trail off into a goose-like honk.

On my next visit, three weeks later, the bird is sleek and graceful, with only a few stray tufts of down to show he’s not fully grown. As the falcon poses on Matt’s arm, he beats his wings, practicing for the day – very soon – when he’ll soar.

“I like imprints,” Matt says. “You’re like a team. Now some falconers hate imprints, because they’re real quick to show their moods. If they’re angry at you, they don’t hold anything back. If they’re hungry, they’ll scream. They don’t have this aloof nobility of a wild-trapped bird. But I love to see these behaviors, and have them do courtship or aggression or whatever. It’s what birds do to each other, and it gives me a window on that. In the wild, you’re lucky if you can watch feeding from across a canyon with binoculars, but I can go into the chamber with a piece of meat and we can feed the babies together.”

Stop back next week for part three of this series. This was excerpted from an article first published in the enchantment magazine by NMRECA, July 2012.

What We Found is a mystery with romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. It features falconry as a subplot.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. 

Friends in Flight: Hawks and Falcons in the Southwest

Etta comes in for a landing

On a beautiful fall afternoon, just outside of Socorro, we witness the ancient battle between hunter and prey. This hunter, weighing in at under three pounds, is a Harris hawk named Etta.

Falconer Matt Mitchell releases the bird and moments later we’re striding across the scrub desert. Etta flies ahead, soaring 20 or 30 feet above the ground before landing on a small tree. We pass by, trying to flush a rabbit from the brush. When we get ahead, Matt raises his left arm, which is protected by a thick leather glove, and the hawk flies to him.

As the late afternoon sun drops towards the horizon, a jackrabbit bolts from a bush. The hawk takes off on silent wings. Seconds later she dives behind a bush. The rabbit shrieks.

Etta the Harris hawk

Matt runs toward the action. He has almost 20 years on me, but twice-daily hunts with his birds keep him in top shape and I trail behind. The rabbit has vanished, leaving only a tuft of fur caught in the bush. One of Etta’s feathers sticks out at a sharp angle. I’m probably imagining her indignant glare. “She got beat up,” Matt says. “That rabbit put some moves on her. The jackrabbit went around these bushes in figure eights and whatnot and stalled the bird out. The bird ended up on the ground and the rabbit took off.”

Chalk one up for the prey.

Fortunately, Etta doesn’t need to catch her own dinner. As dusk falls, we return to our vehicles where Matt holds a piece of meat high in the air. Etta jumps from the ground to his hand to get the snack, building the muscles she needs for a strong takeoff.

Successful or not, the hunt is an experience to remember. Matt has been working with hawks and falcons since 1968, hunting them, breeding them, and working with injured wild birds. But he never gets bored. “You’re always learning something, and no two flights are the same,” he says. “That’s the excitement of it.”

Matt with a falcon, ready to hunt pigeons

Protecting The Hunters

Peregrine falcons were nearly extinct in the 1960s, the victims of pesticides like DDT (now banned), which caused their eggs to have thin shells. Falconers established the Peregrine Fund, bred their birds, and released over 4000 peregrines into the wild in North America. The peregrine falcon was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list in 1999, but dangers still exist.

Every year, thousands of birds – including raptors like hawks and falcons – are killed by power line electrocution or collisions with power structures like elevation towers and wires. These deaths can be reduced by proper site selection for towers and lines, and making minor modifications to poles or lines that are especially troublesome.

New Mexico’s rural electric cooperatives take a stand to protect raptors. Ben Leyba, EVP at Northern Rio Arriba Electric Cooperative, explained how they help protect birds of prey. Ospreys like to nest on power poles there, which can electrocute the birds and cause power outages. “We will erect a pole away from the lines so they have somewhere else to nest. We see what we do as it helps the environment, it helps the ospreys, and it helps us.” They hold a festival every year in honor of “Electra,” a baby osprey that was electrocuted but survived. Because of their efforts to prevent more of those accidents, the co-op won the New Mexico Avian Protection Award in 2002, and other co-ops have won in other years.

The New Mexico Avian Protection (NMAP) Working Group involves individuals, conservation organizations, government agencies, and corporations working to prevent avian mortality caused by electrocutions and collisions with utility structures. The NMAP website offers useful resources, including guides to identifying raptors or raptor feathers. http://nmavianprotection.org/

Hawks Aloft provides educational programs and community outreach using rescued injured raptors. The public can also get involved in nest surveys. http://hawksaloft.org/about/

Learn more about Matt and his birds:
Falcons, Hawks, and Wildlife Rescue
Window to the Wild: Working with Falcons and Hawks

This was excerpted from an article first published in the enchantment magazine by NMRECA, July 2012

What We Found is a mystery with romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. It features falconry as a subplot:

When Audra stumbles on a murdered woman in the woods, more than one person isn't happy about her bringing the crime to light. She’ll have to stand up for herself in order to stand up for the murder victim. It’s a risk, and so is reaching out to the mysterious young man who works with deadly birds of prey. But with danger all around, some risks are worth taking. 

“Another action-packed suspense novel by Kris Bock, perhaps her best to-date. The author weaves an intriguing tale with appealing characters. Watching Audra, the main character, evolve into an emotionally-mature and independent young woman is gratifying.” Reader Ellen R.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page.

New Mexican Green Chile Cheeseburger Recipe

Photo by Marshall Astor, Creative Commons license.

I write novels of adventure and romance set in the Southwestern United States. The novels touch on local culture, including food. For my most recent romantic suspense, The Dead Man’s Treasure, I put together a recipe booklet of foods mentioned in the book, including this New Mexican standard. (See also my posts Red or Green: The New Mexico Chile, Homemade Green Chile Sauce, Breakfast Burrito, Huevos Rancheros, Green Chile Stew and Enchilada Casserole.)

Green Chile Cheeseburger

This is simple, but oh so good, and perfect for summer cookouts. Cook a hamburger by your favorite method. (Many New Mexican restaurants seem to fry the burger on a griddle. The years of grease add that special something.)

Serve on a bun with cheese – I prefer cheddar – and chopped, roasted green chile to taste, lettuce and tomatoes optional.

Rather than basic chopped green chile, you can try this Homemade Green Chile Sauce, or make a roux by sautéing onions and garlic in a little oil, mixing in a couple of tablespoons of flour and sautéing until it's golden, then adding chicken broth and green chile until you have a thick, delicious sauce. It will thicken more upon standing. Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for about a week.

For a variation, try a taco burger. My husband and I like crisp corn tortillas, but you can also wrap your burger in a flour tortilla.

The Dead Man’s Treasure

Rebecca Westin is shocked to learn the grandfather she never knew has left her a bona fide buried treasure – but only if she can decipher a complex series of clues leading to it. The hunt would be challenging enough without interference from her half-siblings, who are determined to find the treasure first and keep it for themselves. Good thing Rebecca has recruited some help.

Sam is determined to show Rebecca that a desert adventure can be sexy and fun. But there’s a treacherous wildcard in the mix, a man willing to do anything to get that treasure – and revenge.

Action and romance combine in this lively Southwestern adventure, complete with riddles the reader is invited to solve to identify historical and cultural sites around New Mexico. See the DMT page of Kris Bock’s website for a printable list of the clues and recipes from the book.

The first book in the Southwest Treasure Hunters series is The Mad Monk’s Treasure. The Dead Man’s Treasure is book 2. Each novel stands alone and is complete, with no cliffhangers. This series mixes action and adventure with “closed door” romance. The stories explore the Southwest, especially New Mexico.

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Swarming Sofa: Raising Bees in the Southwest

In my recent posts, I've profiled Bee Chama Honey of Polvadera, New Mexico, and described meeting beekeepers in “Hive Mind: Raising Bees in the Southwest.” I met another beekeeper last year while working on an article for enchantment magazine, published by NMRECA. Here is that story:

Raymond Espinoza has a sofa infested with bees. The sofa had been on a porch. The homeowner left the bees alone at first, and neither she nor her dogs got bitten. But new neighbors have young children who like to visit. Ray brought the sofa to his property in Belen so he can collect the bees and add them to his hives.

First Ray invites me to place a hand against the fabric on the side of the sofa. There’s an odd vibration from the bees underneath. Ray cuts into the side of the couch. It peels back to reveal slabs of honeycomb – and thousands of bees. Ray uses a special vacuum to draw some of the bees into a box. This method allows him to collect swarms with very few bee deaths. Ray gently cuts off pieces of honeycomb of about the right size to fit in a frame.

Vacuuming bees

Ray, a retired state employee, is fairly new to beekeeping. He and his wife were looking out the window and Juanita said, “I think I need new glasses. Is that tree moving?” They found a huge swarm in an apple tree. Ray called Hays Honey & Apple Farm in Bosque Farms, south of Albuquerque, but Mr. Hays didn’t do captures anymore. He said, “Why don’t you do it?” Ray bought equipment from Hays, but by that time the swarm had moved on. “I tried to return the equipment, but Hays said, ‘Why don’t I sell you a hive?’”

Ray trained to be a certified bee master apprentice, taking classes and putting in volunteer hours. What started as a hobby became a business, Antiguas del Norte. Ray’s focus is on getting more hives in production. A dozen box hives cluster in one corner of his yard. You can’t put too many hives in one place, or the bees will steal each other’s honey instead of making more. Ray also puts hives on other people’s property and services them, sharing the honey.

Ray in his heavy-duty suit

Handling Swarms

Ray also goes out on swarm captures. “I get the calls that nobody wants,” he says. “The two-story homes, under mobile homes, in cinderblocks.” In one, Ray needed a cherry picker to reach the swarm. He adds, “Whenever I do swarm capture, I like to educate the homeowners so they are not afraid and know what to do next time or what to advise neighbors.”

Once Ray tried to go without equipment and got stung in the face. Now he has extra-tough beekeeping gear, designed for Africanized bees. Not that getting stung is all bad – he feels that bee stings help his arthritis.

Juanita helps with the bees. “It’s a lot of fun,” she says. “It’s amazing to watch. They’ll work for a collective goal.” She reads a lot of science fiction and wonders how many stories were inspired by bee behavior.

Their preteen daughters even have their own suits. They’ll hold the frames while Ray works, or stand by to hand him things. Ray sometimes brings in drones, male bees that cannot sting, for the girls to play with. “They’re so cute,” the younger one says. The older adds, “They have cute eyes and cute little thoraxes.”

Albuquerque has 150 to 200 estimated backyard beekeepers. Ray thinks that big apiaries may go away, because they use too many chemicals and are susceptible to disease. “Home beekeepers may save bees,”  he says. Urban beekeeping works well because with irrigation, flowers bloom year-round. Ray notes that younger women are getting into beekeeping, so they can make their own products while staying home, and add to the family income.

The beekeepers I’ve met have been friendly and generous. It’s a good community, Ray says. He gave someone new a hive, and learned that the person gave a hive to a veteran. “People help you out if you need something. I’ve had a lot of hobbies, and this is the most fun I’ve ever had. It’s so rewarding. The bees are out there doing something good.”

And the rest of us can enjoy the delicious fruits of their labor.

For More Information: Abq Beeks offers mentoring and hands-on experience for new beekeepers. The website lists events and has a forum for discussions. It also has phone numbers for people who handle bee swarms. 

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page.