Alaska Raptor Center visits for Birdfest

The Alaska Raptor Center is a Sitka-based rehabilitation center that cares for sick or injured birds. The Center cares for raptors, primarily, such as eagles, hawks, and owls. However, according to their website, they will care for "any bird in need." As a part of the Stikine River Birding Festival, two human and two avian representatives of the organization came to Wrangell to teach people about Alaska's raptors.

Raptors have several distinct characteristics from other types of birds. These characteristics include curved beaks and sharp talons, and powerful neck muscles for tearing away meat, and incredibly keen eyesight. A raptor's diet is largely carnivorous, while other species of birds rely on different sources of food.

"They're not a genetically separated group," said Sheila Swanberg. "They're separated from other birds by characteristics that they share."

Jennifer Cedarleaf and Swanberg gave a presentation at Evergreen Elementary school last weekend with Glaucus, a barred owl and Sophie, an American kestrel. Glaucus came to the Raptor Center from Tennessee, where she was found with an injured wing from her nest tree being cut down. Her wing did not develop properly, so she is only able to fly short distances. Sophie was found in Washington, as a nestling unable to fly. She has an extra toe due to a genetic deformity, and cannot fully extend her wings. Cedarleaf said that they are not certain about what caused Sophie's deformity, but she thinks it had something to do with pesticides.

"I suspect she has these deformities due to pesticides that were on the field," she said. "Kestrels are having a lot of problems with pesticides these days. They're having a big population decline because they're eating insects, insects are big part of their diet, and insects are affected by the pesticides."

Both birds are about eight years old, and have been with the Raptor Center since 2011. While they were not born in the area, both species can be found in Alaska. Barred owls used to only be found in the Rocky Mountains, but the species has migrated to Alaska and taken up a spot in the food chain that was once occupied by the spotted owl. According to the Alaska Raptor Center's website, barred owls tend to inhabit "wooded swamps, deep moist forests, and woodlands near waterways," which makes Southeast Alaska a very nice territory for them.

"There's 10 species [of owls] in Alaska," said Cedarleaf. "I would say we get about six out of the 10 species that live here year-round."

The American kestrel, North America's smallest breed of falcon, prefers more open areas to live. They tend to nest in tree cavities along roadways, bodies of water, or along the edge of the forest. According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, kestrels do not live in Alaska year-round, but will migrate to the area around the spring and summer.

Besides their habitat and food habits, the Raptor Center representatives also shared some interesting facts about both species of birds. Barred owls, for example, have 14 vertebrae in their necks, compared to seven vertebrae in a human's neck. This allows owls to turn their necks so far around, as many owls are known for. American Kestrels, while being the smallest falcon in North America, are also the most common. They tend to eat insects and small rodents, but will also go after small birds and reptiles, and occasionally amphibians.

More about the Alaska Raptor Center can be found at http://www.alaskaraptor.org.