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Barometric Pressure and captive/rehab raptor behavior (1 Viewer)

galvan

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Howdy, Aloha, bon jour, konban wha, hello folks,

My name is Anthony Galvan III. As Ismael said, you can call me Tony.

I live in Goleta, California. My interest/post is with barometric pressure and its effects on captive/rehab raptors.

I volunteer with a program, Eyes in the Skys, sponsored by the Santa Barbara Aududon Chapter to work with several non-releasable raptors.

Ivan (The Terrible - Red-tailed Hawk) was the bird folks did not want to handle or work with (he didn't get the name because he was easy to handle!). After a month I was able to get him to man the glove and handle him. Yet, there have been times when he goes into an "Ivan mode." After almost a year I don't find him hard to handle and others often say he okay or he's a pain!

Background. He was struck by an automobile. He is blind in the left eye (retinal detachment) and his left wing (manus) did not heal properly. Hence, he is not releaseable.

My question or proposition to the group is this. Does anyone have any records of barometric pressure and how a captive raptor behaves, responds during drops or increases of barometric pressure (BP)?

I realize this is a very broad premise but I am trying to identify a relationship between BP and captive behavior with a rehab raptor.

Any comments, posts or suggestions are appreciated. Ivan can be seen at: http://www.dosgatos.com/ivan

I am also a wildlife/natural history artist and am available for consignment art work.

tony
 
Welcome to the forum Tony. I have no idea about your question, but Ivan is a beautiful bird. It is a shame when these things (accidents) occur, but it is marvelous that there are organizations/people who are willing to devote their time to helping these birds instead of just putting them down.
 
Dear Brian,

Thank you for your kind words. I find wildlife rescue and raptor rehab very rewarding personally (where or when would one be able to get this close to a wild bird or animal) and spiritually.

I am a computer network administrator and with all the things that go bad everyday I've made working with Ivan part of my daily work schedule. Instead of taking lunch I work with Ivan two and sometimes three times during the work week. It's very theraputic.

Ivan has been such a factor in my life that at the age of 56 I am returning to school to get a certificate in Natural History and am finishing a Bird Biology course from Cornell's Ornithology Lab.
My wife Joan has helped too by letting me pursue these goals and being supportive of my time with Ivan and their other birds in our program.

You can see more about the program at:

http://www.rain.org/~audubon/sbaseducation.html

If you know any school age children point them or their teachers to the site.

Thanks again for your comments and words of support.

tony
 
Tony,

I know what you mean by being therapeutic. I happen to be a psychotherapist, so I kind of know all about that. That is what birding/photography is to me. It is great to have a supportive wife. You're never too young to learn! I will certainly keep that website in mind. Thanks.
 
Thanks for sharing Ivan with us Galvan. He looks to be in remarkably good condition despite his horrific injuries.

I'm afraid I can't help either as regards your barometric pressure query. I take it that have observed some differing reactions to pressure variations yourself in Ivan's behaviour ?
 
Ivan T T

Hi Galvan,

Ivan is a loverly bird to say the least, real shame he has taken a knock. , it looks like your doing a grand job of looking after him.

i do know the presure effects honey bees, i used to keep bees and it effects my aching bones so with animals being more in tune with nature Yes I would imagine they would be effected. there is not enough research into things like this.

all the best
 
Thanks to all of you for your great comments. Ivan continues to visit schools and museums spreading the good word about raptors. He's been getting more hopping and short flight exercise using two tree stumps as perches about four feet apart and at two different levels. Makes him pump those wings and keep that weight down.

As we come into the nesting season here on the central coast of California we pick up the pace as folks want to trim and prune trees, even when they see a nest in place.

As I say to Ivan every so often, "awk, raptor want a rodent?"

cheers,

t
 
Barometric Pressure has been noted to have an effect on behavior in many creatures, particularly a fall in pressure has been linked to the stockpiling of food by Squirrels and Jays etc, and may lead to a vigorous need in preditors to hunt, so that they are well fed enough to maintain body heat and energy during a bad spell of weather.
It could well be that to make up for his loss of sight in one eye, Ivan's other senses have become a little more acute to compensate, we see this in blind people who's sense of touch is increased as a result, this however may be as a result of necessity, if you can't see then you 'practice' more at feeling, thus you become more adept at it. 'Practice' is not really the right word there but I'm sure you know what I mean
 
Thanks Nigel. The blindness was one aspect I've overlooked completely. That could explain why the Kestrel (also blind in one eye), seems much more hyper at times.

This gives me something else to add to the equation.

cheers, t
 
I volunteer at the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program and we take care of both releasable and non-releasable birds of prey. Our birds do get "cranky" sometimes but I have never thought of connecting it with BP. We usually associate it with weather (cold, windy...), or simply the birds attitude because they are still wild animals and unpredictable.
 
Thanks for the reply. I've been adding moon phases to the bird's behavior (good and bad). For Ivan windy days do tend to show a bit more activity. This is also when we see a drop in pressure as fronts arrive from the west and northwest.

The moon phase is another variable which will compile at the end of May and then see if there are any trends.

Where in Colorado are you? I am a CSU and CU graduate and lived in Boulder for many years before leaving Colorado. What birds do you have?

When you have time check out my notecards. These are portraits of our birds:
http://www.dogatos.com/notecards.

thanks again

t
 
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