Don't Miss Your Chance

World Bird Sanctuary will be hosting its hugely popular Avian Training Workshop October 31-November 3, 2013.

If you've considered attending the World Bird Sanctuary Avian Training Workshop in the past but couldn’t work it into your schedule, now is your chance to plan ahead.   There's still plenty of time to arrange your schedule and take advantage of the early registration bonus!  Save $100 by registering before October 1st!

The classroom section covers a multitude of subjects

What is an Avian Training Workshop you may ask?  

The WBS Avian Training Workshop is an intensive 4-day workshop, which covers all aspects of housing, training, feeding and caring for raptors, parrots, corvids and many other species.  The workshop includes both classroom and hands-on training.

Subjects covered in the classroom section include:  

*  Establishing your own program--permits, insurance, facilities, staff & volunteers

*  Working with and training your bird--manning and positive reinforcement, desensitizing

*  Choosing the correct species to work with

*  Transportation--crates, permits, driving, flying, shipping

*  Housing--mews, jumpboxes, A-frames, flight cages, climate, hotwiring enclosures, substrates

*  Perch types--bow, platform, screen, etc.--which perch works best for which species

*  Diets--food types, frozen vs. live, storage, prep, raising food colonies, vitamins

*  Training your birds for flying--weight management, base weights, target weighs, flyer food

Learn how to weight manage your birds

Everybody's favorite--the hands-on section:

Our staff believes the only way to learn is through the hands-on experience of doing things yourself.  At our workshop you will have the opportunity to actually do the following:

*  Make jesses, anklets, leashes

*  Practice imping feathers

*  Experience coping and trimming of a raptor

*  Participate in simple public speaking games and learn how different elements make you a better public speaker

*  Fly a Harris' Hawk and/or Barn Owl with WBS staff

*  Help train a new behavior with a Raven or crow (continues throughout the workshop)

*  "Be the Bird" in our training game

*  Participate in emergency medical care and do a gross necropsy on a raptor

Help train a Raven or Crow to do a new behavior

The workshop also includes an extensive tour of WBS' facilities and opportunities to see birds and housing up close.

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.  Workshop has a minimum of 10 participants and a maximum of 20.

WHEN:  Thursday, Oct. 31 through Sunday, Nov. 3

EARLY REGISTRATION:  Sign up by October 1st - Cost - $650/person

LATE REGISTRATION:  Sign up after October 1st - Cost - $750/person

$100 non-refundable deposit required by 10/01/13 for early registration, balance due by 10/15/13.

Registration fee includes lunch each day.

Transportation to and from St. Louis, hotel accommodations and breakfast & dinner are the responsibility of each participant.

To download a registration form CLICK HERE

Further questions?  Contact Teri Graves, 636-225-4390, ext. 0 or email workshop@worldbirdsanctuary.org

Really Weird Birds: Shrikes

 There are thirty-one species of shrikes throughout the world. 

Shrikes are medium-sized (~20 inches in length) passerine birds of the family Laniidae, the name being derived from the Latin word for butcher.  Some shrikes are also known as "butcher birds" because of their unusual feeding habits.  Their beaks are hooked, like birds of prey, indicating their predatory nature.  Most shrike species are found throughout Eurasia and Africa.  There are just two species found in North America: the Loggerhead and Northern Shrikes.

Loggerhead Shrike

Shrikes are birds of open country, especially grasslands and overgrown fields with scattered shrubs and trees.  They consume insects, other invertebrates, amphibians, small to medium-sized reptiles, and small mammals and birds.  The design of their beak allows them to quickly kill their prey with a bite to the back of the neck.  They use their beaks to transport small prey, and their feet to carry something larger up to their own body mass.  But what they then do with their prey is unique.  They impale their captured meal on a thorn, a sharp twig, or even barbed wire.  They can then proceed to rip and tear it apart into bite size pieces!  If the prey is too large to eat in one sitting, the shrike will leave it on its spike and return later to finish. 

Northern Shrike with impaled mouse

Shrikes are predators, but they lack strong feet and talons for holding prey down while eating it.  Therefore they have instead evolved this unique adaptation for feeding as well as for courtship displays.  In some species of shrikes, the larger the item the male impales, the more desirable he is to the female.  Also a study done in Poland on the Great Grey (in Europe this is the common name for the Northern Shrike species) Shrike showed that males impaled their prey faster and with less attempts per impaling than females.  The location of impaled prey also differed.  Males impaled prey in more visible places, especially during the courtship and mating season, whereas females found concealed locations.

Vlad, a Loggerhead Shrike who resided at WBS until he passed away in 2011 from old age

Males will also perform a courtship dance and song in order to attract a mate.  They will bow, shiver their wings, and zigzag up and down a branch.  Some shrikes will even impress the ladies by impaling shiny or colorful objects on a thorn.  Shrikes are typically monogamous and together build a cup shaped nest off the ground.  The female incubates the eggs while the male brings her food.

Unfortunately, a trait shared among shrikes around the World is that many species have suffered population declines.  The Loggerhead Shrike population has been decreasing across much of North America and has all but disappeared from many areas, to the extent that captive breeding programs have been started in an attempt to save some populations of this bird.

Biologists believe that habitat loss and pesticides are the chief reasons for their decline.  In Missouri, the Loggerhead Shrike is listed as a Species of Conservation due to its rapidly declining populations.

Submitted by Sara Oliver, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

June Nature Hike

Hey!  There's Nature in My Woods!  Time to go find it!

Have you booked your family onto World Bird Sanctuary's family-friendly guided nature hikes yet!  Our next Nature Walk is scheduled for June 22.

Join us for a leisurely 2-hour hike through our oak hickory forest to see what kind of nature is in our woods.

On an early spring hike you may be lucky enough to spot a baby Downy Woodpecker

An expert naturalist will lead you on your hike – where you may see birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals.  Learn about trees, rocks and who knows what else!

Each hike will be a new experience depending on the season and creatures we encounter.

Time: Hike starts at 9am.  Registration at 8.30am.

Dates: Every fourth Saturday of the month from April until October.

June 22^nd

July 27^th

August 24^th

September 28^th

October 26^th

Enjoy a walk through our oak hickory forest where you may encounter a colony of May Apples

 Cost: $9 for adults; $7 for children under 12.  Groups of 10 or more - $7 per person regardless of age.

Reservations Required: Call 636-225-4390 ext. 0 to make your reservation and find out what nature is in your woods!

Dress for the weather and don't forget your binoculars and cameras!

365 Photo Project 2013

May has been a very busy month with some great weather.  Since I love to bird watch, this is a great time of year to get out in the field and look for migrating birds along with some of the locals.

One of my early trips this month was to Busch Conservation area. As I was bird watching around the conservation area I was lucky enough to get a great photo of a Worm-eating Warbler.  This is a local species here in Missouri, but for someone that is from New York, it is still a nice find, since they are rare in New York.  Then during the editing process I made the mistake of deleting the photo, grrrrrr!

However, I did not delete this first photo I have for you of a Barred Owl.  Just by chance I chose to drive down a road that has reliably yielded me a Yellow Warbler sighting in the past.  I saw the warbler and then drove down the road to turn around.  Just as I started turning around I heard chickadees, titmice, and wrens making a lot of scolding noise.  Small birds scold and harass birds of prey, usually making the raptor leave the small bird’s nesting territories.  I looked up and there was this beautiful Barred Owl sitting in a tree.  I took lots of photos and then went on my way, trying to just let the owl be.

The next two photos are both from the same event--a bird release.  During an average workday I walk through the Wildlife Hospital on my way to train some birds that reside on WBS’s display line, so I frequently get a chance to see the patients that come into the hospital.  On this particular day I just happened to see a beautiful American Bittern.  The American Bittern is a relative of the heron family, known for sitting with their heads stretched up toward the sky in order to blend in with reeds; their usual habitat.  I made a comment about how cool it was, and the next thing I knew I was getting the opportunity to release the bird.  I had a day or two to think about where the release site should be, and with the help of the WBS Outreach Coordinator, Billie Baumann, I found a good location, and that evening off we went to release the bird. 

When we arrived I looked around at the setting and decided it would be a perfect release site.  I took the bird out of the crate for a second to get a few photos, then put the bird back in the crate.  Billie and I stationed ourselves off to the side ready to take pictures, and then opened the crate.  The Bittern walked out and immediately went into the classic “I am a reed!” bittern position.  Slowly the bird walked to the water, then finally took off.  It landed in a tree and we left to let the bird become accustomed to its surroundings.

And finally, one more photo for the month of May.  Recently I took a trip to the St. Louis Zoo.  I was very happy I did.  On this particular trip many of the animals were very active and the crowds were manageable.  However, I am glad I left when I did, since by that time the crowds were flocking in. 

On this trip I took tons of photos and there is one I would like to share with all of you.  As I walked by the lion exhibit I noticed that two young lions were very active.  I set up to take some photos.  While watching them interact I caught this photo of these two youngsters.  As one was drinking the other one walked up behind him and grabbed his tail!  It was just hysterical.  I had a great time watching them and all the other animals.

I encourage anyone who loves taking photos to develop your own 365 project.  Over the last year and a half I have experienced more and seen more than I ever have in years past; simply because I find myself looking for ways to take that next photo.  Rather than just taking the camera sporadically here and there, I just make it a point to automatically carry it with me.

Get out there and have fun!  There’s so much to see and so little time!

Submitted by Cathy Spahn, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist

Weathering The Weather

Rain, rain go away.  We still need to do shows today--if you don’t the people won’t stay!

A summer downpour does not make for good audience numbers

Rain, rain go away! I hate the weather…ok allow me to rephrase. I hate the weather during show season. Nothing can throw off the amazing groove you have going during shows faster than a sudden downpour or unexpected heat wave.

When all of your programs take place outdoors, good weather is very key.  The ability to read the weather is even more important.  After five years of doing zoo show programs, the weather still defies me. 

Even with the aid of a Doppler radar, I still get taken by surprise.  Very recently we looked at the radar before doing a practice show up at the Milwaukee County Zoo, where WBS presents educational birds shows for the summer, and it looked clear.  About halfway through the show it started to pour on us and we had to scramble to get everyone inside and protect the sound equipment.  Turns out a storm literally appeared out of nowhere on the radar!

There have been several occasions where we started a show, but had to cancel it because of inclement weather.  Not only to protect our guests and birds, but as you can imagine, expensive sound equipment does not react well to pouring rain.  Despite the fact that birds have excellent waterproofing on their feathers, even they cannot fly once they have been soaked to the skin by a rapid downpour.

A thoroughly soaked Peabody

 Unfortunately, once it does start pouring, many people begin fleeing for the exits (not that I can blame them--it’s pouring rain!), and sometimes there is still a bird on the stage, so we have to quickly get control of it again.

Surely, you might think, things must be less difficult when the rain starts before the shows, but no.  When the rain happens before shows start for the day or between shows we make sure that the birds are inside (or under cover) so that they are dry enough to fly.  Sometimes it rains right up until and through fifteen minutes before shows--in which case we unfortunately have to cancel.  Other times it stops raining sixteen minutes before shows start, which means we have to scramble to get all of the birds outside that are going to be in the show. Any way you slice it, rain, for us, is a problem. Maybe I should stop bringing Otis, our White-bellied Stork, to the shows I supervise (in Africa, where White-bellied Storks are from, natives look forward to the return of flocks of this stork because their return means the rainy season is about to start).

Otis, Bringer Of Rain

The lack of rain however is not necessarily any better, since this usually occurs in the dead of summer. Which of course equals hotter temperatures, and since our stages are made of concrete, hot stages as well.  If the heat index exceeds 105, we cannot do shows for the safety of our guests and birds.  Sometimes we have to feel the surface temperature of the stage for the birds that walk on it, since bird feet are not built for blistering concrete.  There have been times that we have actually fried an egg on the stage.  They get that hot!

Weather is an unfortunate factor when performing outdoors.  Over time you learn to read it a little and get better and better at adjusting for it.  Overall though, no matter how very vexing it is (and it is very vexing), it is important to work around the weather so that we can showcase our birds and their behaviors as often as possible.  After all, the show must go on!

Submitted by Leah Tyndall, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

Field Studies - May

Hey everyone. Hope you are all enjoying this amazing summer. I know the birds are keeping busy, and that is keeping me busy.  I am not complaining though.  It has been an incredible year so for.

Anyway, I thought maybe you would all like to know how things stand so far. The season got off to a slow start, but by late march we had lots of hopeful new birds picking boxes and starting on their new homes.  At first it looked like all we were going to get were Eastern Bluebirds, but by mid-April the Chickadees started staking their claims as well.

The first new chicks of the season were banded in the first week of May: 94 little Eastern Bluebirds and 6 Carolina Chickadees.  Of course, this was just the beginning.  Over two hundred Bluebird eggs were laid in April and by the middle of May we are looking at over 300 Bluebird eggs in total.

A nest full of Bluebird chicks

It has been a little tricky figuring out just when to get the bands on the chicks.  They are so tiny and delicate; it made me nervous at first.  They grow up so fast as well.  You do not get many opportunities before they fly the coop.  I managed to get it all figured out though, and have so far banded 137  birds--121 Eastern Bluebirds, and 16 Carolina Chickadees.  Many more will be banded in the following weeks.

As of this writing I had counted 322 Eastern Bluebird eggs. Of those 322 eggs 198 have hatched so far and I still expect many more to hatch in the following weeks.  Of course I cannot band them right away. In general, in about a week to ten days their little legs will have grown strong enough to get the little aluminum band.

Late April and early May saw the arrival of two new species to the boxes--House Wrens, and Tufted Titmice.  Already, the House Wrens have established 19 nests with 57 eggs, so they are going to give the Bluebirds a run for their money. The Tufted Titmice are moving a little slower with only two confirmed nests so far.

So that is my report to date. Do not worry. I will keep you informed with each new and exciting development in the field.

Submitted by Neal Cowan, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Supervisor

Father's Day

Are you stumped over what to get Dad for Father’s Day?

Tired of giving him the same old thing for his special day? 

Then why not give Dad a WBS inscribed brick telling him just how much you appreciate him? 

A 4" X 8" inscribed brick is $125

Even though Father’s Day is almost upon us it’s not too late to order a brick along with a certificate that can be mailed directly to Dad—or sent to you so that you can give it to him on his special day.

You can order a presentation certificate for an additional $7.50 (about the price of a greeting card)

Each time dad visits WBS his brick will be there in the World Bird Sanctuary amphitheater to remind him just how much he is loved and appreciated.

To order your brick Click Here—or call 636-225-3490, Xt. 0, and tell the person who answers that you want to buy a brick. 

Tales From The Field: CSI Bird Patrol

For all you regular readers, here is a little change of pace from our 2013 Field Studies Supervisor, Neal Cowan.

Tales From The Field

CSI Bird Patrol

Prologue:

For those of you who do not know me, I’m Neal Cowan and I’m running our 2013 nest box study, sponsored by Ameren, Missouri. Instead of a traditional blog, I thought it might be fun to tell you a little story about some of the mysteries I face, while embellishing the facts a little. All of the characters and events in the tale you are about to hear are allegories for birds, as well as some of the things I have to deal with in the field.  It is a wild world out there, and things don’t always go according to plan. While we all hope for the best, birds included, many nests will fall victim to predation before the chicks have time to fledge. This is the story of one such nest. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Meet our main character, Beau "Blue" Baird

Chapter 1:

It was a cold spring morning.  The kind of morning when you wake up and expect to find yourself eye-to-eye with a bad day.  Beau Baird glared with bloodshot eye at the clock from under the pillow: 4:32am.  Today was going to be just that--a bad one.  He reluctantly dragged himself out of bed.

“Dear Lord…” he murmured, “I’m coming…don’t get your panties in a twist.”

The insistent banging on the hard oak door was hardly an inviting wakeup call.

            “You better be smoking hot, or on fire.”

The hinges cried and the chain snapped tight as he peered into the poorly lit hall.  He immediately recognized the petite figure at the doorway and let out an audible sigh as he shut the door and let loose the chain. The door was opened, but she didn’t come in.

            “What do you want?“

            “Why aren’t you answering your phone?!,” She interrupted.

            “Chicka it’s 4…“

            “Get your pants on Blue, we’ve got a case.” And quicker than you could say coffee, she had disappeared down the hall.

           

            Caroline Dea always had too much energy, in Beau’s opinion anyway.  Once she got her nose into something that was it.  She was in high gear to the end.  Beau Baird, or Blue, as she took to calling him, was the polar opposite. For the best he always figured. She keeps him moving, and he keeps her feet on the ground.  He never knew for sure where she picked up the name “Chicka” though.

            He pulled on a pair of clean white slacks and his red turtleneck, grabbing his blue trench coat and fedora as he headed out the door.  The few minutes it took him to get dressed and into the car must have felt like an eternity to her.  She was already behind the wheel and looked like she could jump clean out of her skin at the drop of a hat.

            “There’s been a break-in, down on Jay Bird Street.  Four people are missing and the place is a wreck.  Corinne Tarin was picked up on the scene, but…” She was spitting words like a tommy gun spits lead.

            “Slow down Chicka, I haven’t even had my coffee yet. Swing by Dave’s and…”

            “Ugh, when are you going to learn?” She glanced at the styrofoam cup sitting in the holder next to his left knee as they sped down the road.

            Beau smiled and sighed in relief as he reached for the dark ambrosia.

            “So like I was saying, the neighbors reported a commotion and Corinne was picked up on the scene…“

            “Corinne? Of the…”

            “Yeah, as in member of the cowbird gang.”

            “But they…“

            “Exactly, that’s what I’m saying: this whole thing smells fishy!” She finished her sentence as they pulled up on the scene.

            With the sun peeking over the rooftops, but not quite reaching street level, the old brick house looked like Blue was feeling; like it was waking up to a day it just didn’t like the feel of.

            Blue and Chicka jumped out of the car and crossed the yellow police tape.  The cops had come and gone, leaving just one patrol car on the corner to keep an eye on things.  Of course the officer inside had long since dozed off.

            Once inside, the true scope of the carnage gave Blue pause.  With the yellow tape and broken window, there was no mistaking that this was a crime scene.  Inside it looked more like a hurricane had blown through than anything a mortal could have done.  Furniture was thrown around.  There was broken glass everywhere.  There were holes in the walls, and even the carpet was torn up.

            Chicka was speechless.  This worried Blue more than anything else.

           

            A member of the Cowbird Gang was found fleeing the scene when the cops arrived. Sure they’re a nuisance, destructive and annoying, but vandalism and kidnapping? This just isn’t there M.O. They like to lay their eggs in other birds’ nests so to speak, not destroy them.

            “You said there are four people missing?” Beau took a sip from his coffee.

            “Yeah, the father is out of town on business, but the wife and their three children are unaccounted for.”

            “What was Corinne doing here?” he mumbled as they continued examining the house.

           

            They wandered from room to room for a few more minutes, neither of them making a sound. The police, before them, had scoured the place with a fine toothed comb and found nothing. It was clean… too clean…

           

            “Let’s get downtown. I want to hear what song our caged bird has to sing about this.”

To be continued…

Submitted by Neal Cowan, World Bird Sanctuary Field Studies Coordinator

The Andean Condor

I want to talk about Andean Condors today because at the World Bird Sanctuary we are fortunate enough to have one sub adult female Andean Condor named Dorothy. 

Dorothy can be seen on our display line

Dorothy is on our display line of birds.   The Andean Condor is one of the world’s largest birds.  Considered to be a new world vulture (which are not birds of prey), the Andean Condor is found on the western coast of South America and in the Andes Mountains.  The Andean Condor is primarily black in color as an adult, and uniquely designed for a scavenger lifestyle. 

The Andean Condor is one of two Condor species in existence today.  Stretching up to eleven and a half feet from wing tip to wing tip, the Andean Condor is one of the world’s largest flying birds.  Males can weigh upwards of 30 pounds and females weigh up to 24 pounds as adults. 

Laurel, an adult female Andean Condor is Dorothy's mother

As they age Andean Condors will become dark gray overall and will develop a white ring at the base of the neck and white wing patches.  Mature males look different as adults, with a dark red bump on the top of the bill uniquely called a caruncle.  Unlike old world vultures (which are considered birds of prey), the Andean Condor has feet designed more for walking instead of a hunting/or defensive tool.

Dorothy's father, Gryph, displays the distinctive caruncle sported by the males

Adapted well to the scavenger lifestyle, the Andean Condor will travel great distances to find food (more than 120 miles in one day), and will regularly use warm rising air (thermals) to efficiently travel long distances.

The Andean Condor has almost no plumage on the head and neck because often times they will plunge their whole head and neck into a carcass.  The lack of feathers helps keep the Andean Condor mostly clean.  The upper part of the bill or beak is hooked and perfectly designed to tear chunks of meat from an old carcass.  They will feed on the remains of almost any carcass and naturally will target the largest carcasses that are available.  They don’t need to eat every day because they will often times gorge themselves at a single sitting, eating more than 5 pounds of food at a time, and even to the point that they can’t fly until the food has been fully digested!

Being the largest vulture species in their native habitat of South America, Andean Condors are one of just a few species of vultures that will feed first at a large carcass because they have such a strong and powerful beak. The smaller vulture species depend on the larger species to tear through the very thick outer layer of skin.

The Andean Condor is a very impressive bird to see and we at the World Bird Sanctuary are so lucky to have Dorothy as an ambassador of her species.  In my opinion she is by far the most popular bird to come and see on our display line.  Dorothy has the uncanny ability to grab the attention of the guests and is a real treat behold.

That being said I encourage our visitors to stop by and see Dorothy on the display line.  If there are any questions that you may have regarding Andean Condors or Dorothy any interpreter at WBS would be happy to answer them.  Please stop on by!

Submitted by Adam Triska, World Bird Sanctuary Naturalist/Trainer

”Are you going to eat that?”

Since I began volunteering for WBS in 2004, then joining the staff in 2009, my interest in many aspects of conservation have grown.  In the last few years, one particular area of concern that has really piqued my interest has come about because of a newfound passion for deer hunting.

 I became interested in the sport due solely to several of my coworkers, as I was raised with virtually no exposure to hunting in my family. 

Over the past two years I broadened my horizons and participated in the Apprenticeship Program offered through the Missouri Department of Conservation.  This is a great program, which allows for new or inexperienced hunters to hunt under the supervision and guidance of a licensed hunter for up to two years before they must complete the MDC Hunters Education Course.  It was a great opportunity for me, as I wanted to see if I could “pull the trigger” before committing the time to the 15 hour course.  And who better than to take me under their wing than my fellow co-worker, fishing buddy, mentor and friend, Naturalist Trina Whitener. 

After a successful hunt this past November, I decided that this is a hobby I want to pursue, and successfully completed the Missouri Hunter’s Education Course through MDC this past weekend.  Through learning about the many aspects of hunting, I came across some quite disturbing information that I want to pass along to all fellow hunters and fishermen as well.

I titled this blog “Are you going to eat that,” to address a subject of which many in the hunting and fishing community don’t seem to be aware.  The topic is lead poisoning, both in humans and in wildlife.  If you hunt or fish or know someone who does, I beg you to read on and take this information to heart.  This blog will deal solely with the topic of lead ammunition and fishing sinkers.  Because it is such a broad topic, time and space will only allow me to cover the highlights.

“Humans have been mining and using this heavy metal for thousands of years, poisoning themselves in the process. Although lead poisoning is one of the oldest known work and environmental hazards, the modern understanding of the small amount of lead necessary to cause harm did not come about until the latter half of the 20th century.  No safe threshold for lead exposure has been discovered—that is, there is no known amount of lead that is too small to cause the body harm.”  (This is an excerpt from a Wikipedia article.)

The bold type in the above paragraph is my notation, since those of us who love to hunt and fish handle lead ammunition and sinkers in the pursuit of our hobby—not to mention the fish and meat that we ingest that has been contaminated by these “tools of the trade”. 

Published here by permission of the Institute for Wildlife Studies - This diagram shows the difference in fragmentation between lead and non-lead ammunition upon firing

Much of the available ammunition and sinker weights, as well as reloaded ammunition and home made sinkers, contain lead.  Lead poses a serious danger to people and to wildlife.  What many hunters may not be aware of is that a lead bullet will typically shed 15 – 30% of it’s weight upon impact around the bullet’s path, leaving small shards of lead fragments in the meat.  Ultimately this lead ends up on your dinner plate.  Even if the bullet exits the animal, it leaves a trail of toxic lead fragments that may not be visible with the naked eye.

Published here by permission of the Institute for Wildlife Studies - photo shows the mushroomed lead bullet (in center of photo) surrounded by the lead fragments sheared off and imbedded in the target.  Brown objects are the pieces of the copper jacket material.  Hence, our title, "Are You Going To Eat That?"

And what about the entrails that are typically left in the woods after field dressing game?  This will contain lead fragments as well and is the number one culprit of lead poisoning in birds of prey – bald eagles, golden eagles, condors, vultures, hawks, and mammals, too.

Published here by permission of the Institute for Wildlife Studies - This x-ray shows the lead fragments imbedded in a deer's gut.

The good news is that simply choosing non-lead bullets and sinkers, which are becoming more and more readily available, can prevent this type of suffering.  I know that for many folks, changing something that one has always done and what they are used to isn’t easy.  If you have used lead ammunition and sinkers for as long as you can remember, I encourage you to really consider your future purchases, and what you already have in your tackle box and ammunition cans.  This is a choice that must be made in one’s own conscience, a choice that truly comes down to the greater good, for you and wildlife. 

I have read several arguments about why many sportsmen are reluctant to switch from lead ammunition.  Many fear that non-lead ammo will perform inferiorly.  Surveys of hunters in the field have shown that non-lead ammo performs as well as or better than lead.  I will vouch for that myself, as I harvested my first deer last year with a .30-.30 rifle at 100 yards taken with a Barnes VX round.  I had no worries about lead fragments in the meat that’s in my freezer that I will share with friends and family.

Published here by permission of Saving Our Avian Resources
This magnificent Bald Eagle has not been shot.  It is dying from lead poisoning due to ingesting lead tainted prey or carrion.

In my opinion, I have yet to see an argument that outweighs preventing the senseless deaths of wildlife, particularly birds of prey.  Lead poisoning is a horrific way for such majestic creatures to perish, and wildlife rehabilitators all over the country are seeing more and more of it every day. 

For more information on this subject Click Here.

The other argument that I have heard most often is that non-lead bullets cost too much.  I would have to disagree.  I have seen for myself some non-lead ammo that was actually cheaper than lead.  When I have found non-lead ammo that does cost more than lead, it is usually only a few dollars more per box.  If you are going shooting at a target range, whether or not you use lead isn’t going to affect our wildlife.  When going on a hunt, please think about what you will be putting on your plate, and about what you will be leaving behind in the field.

World Bird Sanctuary is getting behind several other organizations that are getting the word out to get the lead out of hunting.  We have just added an informative banner in our Environmental Educational Center regarding the effects of lead ammunition on wildlife, and the dangers posed to humans.

For more information about what you can do to help, visit www.huntingwithnonlead.org and spread the word to your fellow sportsman.  It is our responsibility to continue to help preserve our natural resources, including wildlife.

Submitted by Billie Baumann, World Bird Sanctuary Outreach Coordinator