The behavior of the pigeon fanciers is criminal and entirely wrong. In one
regard I have some sympathy for their frustration in that the Portland area
has an unnatural concentration of Peregrine Falcons. This has resulted from
efforts to bring the Peregrine Falcons back from the low numbers that
existed when DDT was in use. After the Peregrine Falcon recovered, the
breeding and hacking of Peregrines continued in the Portland area and
elsewhere in Oregon. I think that at least to some extent this was done
because Peregrines area a fun thing for people to work with ? as in the
sport falconry. As I believe is the case in Seattle Peregrines now nest in
many parts of the Portland area. (On business trips to Seattle I used to
watch the TV in the lobby of WAMU that was showing the nest on that building
in real time. I recall when an adult came to the nest with a Yellow-billed
Cuckoo!) As one of the pigeon fanciers who lives in the Ridgefield, WA area
indicated, the hacking platform at the Ridgefield NWR is a source of
grievance to the pigeon fanciers. I don?t know how many Washington birders
are aware of this facility. I believe that it is located in a remote part
of the refuge that is off-limits to birders. As I understand, the tower is
used to get hack Peregrines that are orphaned or that were hatched in
captivity and are then trained for release into the wild.

This results in heavy predation at wetland sites by Peregrines in the
Portland/Sauvie Island/Vancouver/Ridgefield area.

A pair of Peregrines at the overlook at Cape Meares State Park in Tillamook
County,Oregon may have been placed there. (I have not confirmed this. The
docents didn?t know last year.) The year that they started nesting there
the Tufted Puffins and Pigeon Guillemots that nested on the mainland cliff
below vanished. Close up views of puffins was a highlight for many. I
wondered how the Black Oystercatchers persisted until last year when I saw a
Peregrine grab a young oystercatcher for a moment until an adult
oystercatcher intervened with its powerful bill.

Peregrines are a top predator, and are protected by federal law. They are
no longer rare, and are fully able to take care of themselves ? even against
Bald Eagles.

Lest it be interpreted that I am defending the pigeon fanciers, I am not.
It is only in regard to their frustrations about the number of Peregrines in
the Portland area that I have some sympathy for them, and that after talking
to a birder who has owned pigeons, that apparently they feel for them as
many of us do for our pets.

To actually answer your question, the pigeon fanciers don?t have good legal
options to defend their birds. They are subject to attack even in the
middle of Portland. That being said, their hobby should be secondary to
wildlife.

Jeff Gilligan
Portland



On 6/17/07 5:52 PM, "Ruth Taylor" <rutht at seanet.com> wrote:

> Hi Tweets:
>
> The behavior described in this article (and a recent one about similar actions
> in California) is sickening, ignorant and a few other words that aren't
> appropriate for this list!
> Does anyone know exactly what is *legal* for pigeon fanciers to do to protect
> their birds? Obviously, this isn't, but what are they allowed to do? Is it
> regulated both by feds and states?
>
>
> Ruth Taylor
> Seattle
> rutht at seanet.com
>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: The Cummins Casa <montex at cablespeed.com>
>> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
>> Date: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 5:13 PM
>> Subject: [Tweeters] Pigeon Fanciers Take Aim at Raptors
>>
> The attached article appeared in the June 12 Oregonian.
>
> Gary Cummins
> Port Townsend
>
>
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