O n Sept. 18, join Dr. Michele Losee, of the International Raptor Falconry Center, where visitors can get up close and personal with Harris Hawks, American Kestrels and a female Dark-morph Ferruginous Hawk. At Science in the Park, you can experience the thrill of meeting live birds of prey.
The Raptor Falconry Center is a non-profit organization that is devoted to the conservation and understanding of raptor species worldwide. Their mission is to make the world a better place for raptors through education and science. Through formal/informal educational presentations, falconers inspire a connection to fantastic predators that need protection. Raptor and falconry programs and experiences using trained raptors allow the public to not only enjoy such beautiful birds up close but to have a better understanding of their role in the ecosystem as an apex predator.
Dr. Michele Losee is a master falconer, raptor ecologist, a longtime disciple of avian medicine and educator with a partiality for mentoring aspiring falconers. Passionate about avian husbandry and enriching rescued birds’ lives to their fullest joy, Michele aims to make the world a better place for all raptors.
”To my knowledge, I am one of the very few individuals that is a master falconer, researcher holding a Ph.D., rehabilitator, and educator. Although you can be one without the other, I set out to be an interdisciplinary expert that intertwines all expertise to provide me with unique insight.”
Dr. Losee
Recently, the Center was called to action to rescue a male, juvenile Dark-morph Swainson’s Hawk was found on the ground unable to fly near Kendrick Park (North of Flagstaff). The original report was that he had a broken wing or something was wrong with his wing. Fortunately for the bird, the only thing that seemed to be a problem was he was extremely emaciated. He weighed only 375g his first night. Over the course of a week, he was force-fed and rehydrated as well as kept in a completely quiet/stress-free environment in order not to exert any more energy than he had to. “I wasn’t sure he would survive for even a week. When he did start eating on his own and ‘pooping’ more he began flicking his food and some bloody mutes (poop). He was then treated for Capillaria, Coccidiosis and Trichomoniasis.” says Dr. Losee.
”He improved exponentially after this, eating like a pig and gained weight...A LOT OF WEIGHT!”
Swainson’s Hawks are highly migratory so, his appetite was reflecting his need to get fat for the long journey to South America (typically Argentina). This also meant that to be released in time, he had to be ready by the deadline for migration. He had already missed the deadline to be released in Northern Arizona. Dr. Losee did not want him to be ‘over-wintered’ in captivity.
Based on his behavior, this bird was VERY young (late hatch) and had a hard life as a nestling. His tail feathers were riddled with stress marks which were from lack of food or several episodes of disturbance. Likely something (humans probably based on location) was disturbing the parents and preventing them from feeding him. And eventually, they might have just abandoned him all together.
”Keep this story in mind when you see a raptor nest and want to take a closer look at the babies; entertainment for you might be death to the nestlings.”
Swainson’s Hawks aren’t social like Harris Hawks but they are generally in large groups during migration and this bird was alone. Based on his behavior, he knew nothing of the ways of the world.
“Ultimately, he was cleared by his doctor to go for the migration! He began to get really antsy, and I knew his urge to migrate was strong. By this point, he weighed 979g! He had gained over 600g!! That’s 2/3’s of his weight!
Time to go! 🚀” Dr. Losee knew!
Because he was so young and inexperienced, his best chance of survival was to find a large kettle (group) of migrating adults so, he can just tag along. They know the best routes with the best feeding-up areas (layovers). For Swainson’s Hawks those are agricultural fields loaded with grasshoppers and mice. By learning from partners, Dr. Losee heard in reports of large kettles in the Tucson area, and it was determined that September 12th was the day! Early in the morning, Dr. Losee placed him with a huge kettle in an agricultural field.
”I wanted him to have his first day, a whole day of daylight to get acclimated to his new life. I cut his equipment off and released him. I really hope he is doing well, made it safely to Argentina and is enjoying his second chance at life.”
The International Raptor Falconry Center makes a huge impact for the raptors of Northern Arizona. The need for proper medical care for sick/injured raptors alone, keeps Dr. Losee extremely motivated.
“My drive to make this vision a reality seems to be stronger than any setbacks.” says Dr. Losee.
IRFC is a place of intellectual integrity for raptor knowledge which delivers professional education programs. IRFC employs ethical practices in falconry and fair training methods as well as providing extraordinary husbandry standards to the Flying Team.
Science in the Park takes place at Wheeler Park on Sept. 18 from 10 am- 2 pm. The outdoor event welcomes all community members. This free event is supported by local sponsors and grants and features dozens of agencies and family-friendly activities.
Photos by Ted Grussing and David Jolkovski
Board member, Adam Marsh, and lead paleontologist at Petrified National Forest, works with a team of scientists to uncover an approximately 300 million-year-old fossil skeleton discovered at Canyonlands National Park in Utah (June 2024)