Steve
11-28-2000, 09:14 AM
INFORMATION SOUGHT ON PEREGRINE FALCON SHOOTING
LANSING--The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is
offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the person or persons who shot and
killed a peregrine falcon in or around Muscamoot Bay on Lake
St. Clair. The reward is being funded from the Nongame Fish
and Wildlife Fund and the Report All Poaching program.
Based on the condition of the bird when it was found, it is
estimated the peregrine falcon was shot last Tuesday or
Wednesday, November 21 or 22. An observant waterfowl hunter
noticed the bird Wednesday near his equipment and brought it
to the DNR's Harsens Island headquarters. The injured
peregrine was transferred to a local veterinarian for care;
however, it died later that day.
A leg band revealed the bird was a first-year bird that
fledged last spring in Chicago. After fledging, immature
peregrines often spend a couple of years traveling regional
areas until selecting a territory site.
Even though peregrine falcons have been removed from the
federal endangered species list, they remain on the Michigan
endangered species list. "Although we have had peregrines
accidentally killed or injured by vehicles or wires in the
city, this is the first event we know of where a bird has
been shot." said Raymond Rustem, DNR Natural Heritage
Supervisor. "It is even more tragic because the restoration
of falcons has been a regional project. This bird may have
been a potential breeding bird in Michigan."
Southeast Michigan has been home to as many as five nesting
pairs of birds. They are regularly seen near the Fisher and
Book buildings, which are located in downtown Detroit.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to
call the RAP hotline at 800-292-7800.
LANSING--The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is
offering a $1,500 reward for information leading to the
arrest and conviction of the person or persons who shot and
killed a peregrine falcon in or around Muscamoot Bay on Lake
St. Clair. The reward is being funded from the Nongame Fish
and Wildlife Fund and the Report All Poaching program.
Based on the condition of the bird when it was found, it is
estimated the peregrine falcon was shot last Tuesday or
Wednesday, November 21 or 22. An observant waterfowl hunter
noticed the bird Wednesday near his equipment and brought it
to the DNR's Harsens Island headquarters. The injured
peregrine was transferred to a local veterinarian for care;
however, it died later that day.
A leg band revealed the bird was a first-year bird that
fledged last spring in Chicago. After fledging, immature
peregrines often spend a couple of years traveling regional
areas until selecting a territory site.
Even though peregrine falcons have been removed from the
federal endangered species list, they remain on the Michigan
endangered species list. "Although we have had peregrines
accidentally killed or injured by vehicles or wires in the
city, this is the first event we know of where a bird has
been shot." said Raymond Rustem, DNR Natural Heritage
Supervisor. "It is even more tragic because the restoration
of falcons has been a regional project. This bird may have
been a potential breeding bird in Michigan."
Southeast Michigan has been home to as many as five nesting
pairs of birds. They are regularly seen near the Fisher and
Book buildings, which are located in downtown Detroit.
Anyone with information on this incident is encouraged to
call the RAP hotline at 800-292-7800.