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Participate in our pilot study to help raptor populations
Orange-breasted Falcon © Victor Gamez/ Macaulay Library
Dear Belize eBirder,

You have been selected to participate in this study because of your valuable contributions to eBird, and our ongoing mission to recover Central American raptor populations, including the endangered Orange-breasted Falcon. 

Researchers around the world have found that power pole electrocution of raptors is likely having a significant impact on populations and conservation efforts. More specifically, researchers have found that juvenile raptors are the primary victims of power pole electrocution (see examples below). The impact of electrocutions on populations is likely through mortality of juvenile individuals of pole-sitting raptors, so that fewer of these raptors survive and get recruited into the population to the following spring.

We are writing to ask for your help in assessing this risk and impact for raptor populations in Central America, as a participant in a pilot survey of electrocuted raptors found under electrical transmission power poles. Currently, our pilot efforts will be focused on Belize. We seek your help in identifying and documenting electrocuted raptors around the poles in Belize, where we have documented many hazardous poles. Since many areas beneath the poles are mowed to prevent fires, we are hoping that electrocuted raptors will be easy to survey during your ordinary birding travels.

We require a photo of the dead bird as well as photos of the pole and its GPS location.  Many poles have a unique ID number metal tag, if you can find this tag, please add a photo of it. Below are the instructions to include these observations on your regular eBird checklists.

For this pilot effort, we will be testing this process using the Orange-breasted Falcon survey protocol option in eBird.
 

Pilot Electrocution Study- OBF Protocol:

If you encounter a raptor perched on a power pole crossarm in Belize, please take the following steps:
  1. Stop and take a photo of the perched bird. The goal is to get a photo of the bird and the power pole crossarm so we can assess electrocution risk.
  2. Start a new eBird checklist and select the “Orange-breasted Falcon” survey protocol option (this is available in the “other” protocol options in eBird web and the eBird mobile app). Using this protocol will easily allow us to find your observations in the masses of eBird data coming in.
  3. Examine the area beneath the pole for dead raptors or other birds.
  4. If any are present, take photos of these dead birds, paying special attention to any markings that indicate electrocution (e.g., burn marks on feet, tarsus).
  5. Enter all the observations into eBird. For dead birds, put a count of ZERO in.
  6. Load the photos into eBird that correspond with each observation.
  7. For more information on the electrocution issue, please contact Brian Sullivan at Team eBird.
Thanks so much for your help in gathering this critical information needed to conserve raptors. For more information on this issue, please reply to this message to contact Brian Sullivan.

Brian Sullivan for Team eBird,
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology


Electrocuted juvenile Peregrine Falcon. Photo by Jimmy Wetherall.


Electrocuted Black Vulture. Photo by http://www.operationjimmy.uk/electricity-hazards/threats-to-birds/killer-poles.html.
 
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