Organization and Operation of a Raptor Re–Nesting Program at an Avian Rehabilitation Center

Abstract

Tri–State Bird Rescue & Research, Inc. (TSBRR), located in Newark, Delaware, has a caseload of approximately 2500 native birds a year. Of these, 7 to 10 percent are raptors. Of the raptors admitted annually, about eight percent, or 20 to 30 individuals, are young birds still dependent on parental care. The policy of TSBRR is to return these young birds to their parents whenever possible. For raptors, as for all wild birds, care received in captivity is a poor substitute for the attentions of natural parents in a natural environment, no matter how appropriate the rehabilitation techniques. In addition to critical access to appropriate models for filial, sexual, and environmental imprinting, young raptors raised in the wild learn numerous hunting and survival skills from opportunities offered by their natural parents (Fox 1995). With a first–year mortality rate of 60 percent or greater, it is incumbent upon rehabilitators to offer young raptors the very best chance for survival by allowing them an opportunity to be wild–raised birds (Fox 1995).