Sipping for Sakers: Interview with Rick Harness on Saker Falcon Conservation
October 6, 2009
Article in: Bird Conservation
The following is an interview with Rick Harness who is spearheading efforts to save Saker Falcons in Mongolia from power line electrocutions. [Some responses are from Marty Niles, president of Cantega, which focuses on power system protection. This is part of the combined efforts of Burning Hawk Wines and Birdfreak.com to raise money and awareness for this wonderful conservation project throughout October. Check out more details on this project here.
- How long have you been into bird conservation?
20+ years, I’ve been interested in birds since a kid too. My parents knew they were in trouble at preschool age when I brought home a large wading bird which almost pecked my grandfather in the face. - How long has this particular project been a focus? ~3 years
- Why focus on the Mongolian Saker Falcon? It’s a red book listed species and a high profile bird (charismatic mega fauna). If we solve problems with this bird, many other birds will also benefit (hawks, owls, eagles, vultures, etc.)
- Are there other birds that would benefit from installing these devices? Yes, see 3
- How do the devices work to prevent electrocutions? A bird must touch either two energized wires or one energized wire and a ground to be shocked. Unfortunately many of the new lines in Mongolia are being built with concrete poles and steel crossarms. This creates a situation where the cross-arms are grounded, thus perching birds must only touch 1 wire. The top of the pole is also grounded, thus a bird touching the center wire is equally at risk (see photo).
- How much does such a device cost to produce/install? The devices we want to install are insulation products as opposed to perch discouragers. From Cantega President Marty Niles: Retrofitting poles with mitigation measures can vary significantly depending on the pole configuration and the related equipment on it, but typically between $700-$1,000 will protect most poles.
Labor would not be much of a factor in Mongolia as labor rates are very low. This is the opposite of the US where labor costs often exceed the material costs and drive how to retrofit a pole.
- Could these be applied globally to other locations to prevent raptor deaths? In many countries concrete with steel is more the norm. In the US we use wood on wood. For retrofitting, yes this Mongolian approach will work anywhere. More critical however is to convince utilities to not use this type of framing. Concrete and steel can be safely used, but the wires should be suspended instead of supported on the top of the pole and cross-arms. I worked with a utility in Utah using steel and concrete using this modified configuration. We have had no problems on this modified line type.
- Do you know the success rate of such devices? I’m confident we can eliminate the problem with these solutions. Nothing has yet been implemented other than developing the new products with Cantega. I took the Cantega prototypes to Mongolia a couple weeks ago and left them with my field partner Dr. Gombobaatar (aka Gomboo). He will be working with the utility to gain acceptance. The goal is to gain acceptance on our approach and materials, and then to initiate a pilot project.
We have inspected two lines which are killing hundreds of birds and these lines would make a good test case. Once we have acceptance, raising money will be the next challenge.
- Why have such a specific focus: just this bird with just this project? Actually we are not specifically focused on one species and one project. We are presently working with a dozen clients in the US on numerous raptor electrocution projects (on a wide variety of birds and configurations). Plus we recently developed proposals for bird collision work in Europe and Hawaii. This is a unique pro bono project for our company EDM International, Inc. and is of great personal and professional interest to me.
Fortunately I work in a company which supports such efforts. When Dr. Gombobaatar initially contacted me I knew we could make a huge difference if we can get out ahead of this. Mongolia is going to grow and new lines will be built so changing the designs and retrofitting will save thousands of raptors while providing a more reliable electric grid.
- Are there other ways that could help out the Saker Falcon? Yes, Dr. Gombobaatar at the University of Mongolia has been putting nesting platforms on a numerous poles. Many raptors in the steppe nest on the ground. As such they are vulnerable to ground predators. Placing nesting platforms will help reduce predation, but of course the poles need to be made safe too.
- What is the conservation status of the Saker Falcon? The Saker falcon is listed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red Book as an endangered species (CITES, Red Data Book, MCS).
- The global population was estimated to have declined from 8,500-12,000 pairs in 1990 to 3,600-4,400 pairs in 2003.
- Electrocutions were responsible for 54% of discovered Saker falcon carcasses (n=64) in central Mongolia between 1998 and 2004, Gombobaatar et al. [2004]
- Are there any other bird conservation projects you are working on? Yes, I’m working with the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in Fort Collins to host next years Raptor Research Foundations’ annual conference. The Rocky Mountain Raptor Program, a nonprofit organization that provides raptor rehabilitation and environmental education, and will host the conference. The conference will be highlighted by symposia on Raptor-Human Conflicts, Energy Development, Raptor Diseases, Bird Banding and Research, and Raptors in Education. I am also a co-advisor to Dr. Gombobaatar’s gradate student In Mongolia who is doing his thesis on raptor electrocutions. And I stay active with testing various raptor protection products and hosting workshops on how to retrofit poles.
- How will you update the conservation community on the outcome of this program? We will rely on people like you and Nick [from Burning Hawk Wines] to help get the message out.
Gomboo and I tend to focus on the scientific community. We will continue to write scientific papers but will rely on others to communicate our successes. I’d also like to include the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program in communicating our successes. Cantega has also been donating their skill, time and materials to resolve this issue. From Marty: We are honored to have an opportunity to help protect any bird or animal and greatly appreciate Rick’s commitment to the protection of the Saker Falcon, but typically focus our efforts on providing solutions to our customers and leave that sort of thing up to our distributor, 3M.
- Do you use or plan to use social networking sites for promoting this project? I am open to any suggestions on how to effectively move this forward but as I mentioned in 13, I tend to be focused on the engineering and scientific community. From Marty: We have not in the past, but we will certainly be paying greater attention in the future. I also plan to provide a link to my pals back home in Lac La Biche, Alberta at the Lac La Biche Bird Society, they will be very interested in learning more as well!
Photo of an electrocuted Upland Buzzard courtesy of Rick Harness
We are open to comments, questions, or suggestions below about how to improve this project and other ways to spread conservation efforts in general. Please feel free to tweet this article and share with all your friends!
Sipping for Sakers: Join the Effort to Save Saker Falcons
October 1, 2009
Article in: Bird Conservation
As many of you know, our friends at Burning Hawk Wines are on a mission to pair the enjoyment of fine wine with the protection of birds. This ties tightly with our mission at Birdfreak to promote the efforts of bird conservation from all levels. So, for the month of October, Birdfreak.com has teamed up with Burning Hawk Philanthropic Wines to raise money and awareness to protect the enchanting Saker Falcon from electrocutions in Mongolia.
** Purchase Burning Hawk Wines and 10% of the sale will be donated. **
The Problem: Faulty Power Line Construction
The Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) is a beautiful hunter of the open lands of eastern Europe and Asia. Sadly, this raptor has had a rapid decline in population which has earned it the unfortunate place on the IUCN Red List as Endangered. With an estimated world population of 7,200 to 8,800 this is a bird in major need of conservation attention.
One of the several problems Saker Falcons face are electrocutions on power lines. In a study in central Mongolia from 1998 to 2004 done by Dr. Gombobaatar of the Ornithological Society of Mongolia recorded electrocutions as the highest adult mortality rate. 54% of discovered carcasses were determined to have died from electrocution.
In a study conducted in September 2007 by Richard Harness, Dr. Gombobaatar, and Dr. Reuven Yosef (International Birding & Research Centre) raptor electrocutions were recorded under wood pole lines and under concrete/steel pole lines.
- wood pole lines had 13 total raptor electrocutions of four species including 3 individual Saker Falcons
- concrete/steel pole lines had 42 total raptor electrocutions of nine species including 13 Saker Falcons
The Solution: Power Pole Retrofitting
The single best way to deter these raptor deaths is to retrofit the poles with mitigation methods which cost between $700-$1,000 to install depending on the pole. Your purchase of Burning Hawk Wines will help fund the acquisition and installation of these retrofits.
The Funding: Sipping for Sakers
For the month of October, 10% of every sale of Burning Hawk Wines will go to support this project to reduce Saker Falcon deaths. These wines, ranging from $12.00 to $30.00 a bottle, make excellent holiday gifts and a wonderful addition to your Thanksgiving menu. [We reviewed two Burning Hawk Wines early this year and although we are not wine connoisseurs by any means, we loved them!]
Please help spread the word, purchase excellent wine, and help be part of a project that is working directly to conserve birds. Look for continued coverage on this project throughout October and if you have any questions or comments please leave them below.
Interested in Making a Direct Donation?
If you would like to make a tax-deductible direct donation please make the check out to “Rocky Mountain Raptor Program – Saker Falcon Project” and mail it to:
Rocky Mountain Raptor Program
2519 S. Shields St. #115
Fort Collins, CO 80526
970-484-7756
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Information from the IEEE 2008 Rural Electric Power Conference paper: “Mongolian Distribution Power Lines and Raptor Electrocutions” by Richard Harness, Dr. Sundev Gombobaatar, and Dr. Reuven Yosef
Saker Falcon image from: Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre
