 |
|
|
|
Photo by Shon Reed via Kestrel with box Kestrels killed in Eagle Mountain July 19, 2017, 6:14 amBrian Smith, an Eagle Mountain resident and very active volunteer for the Eagle Mountain Kestrel project, was doing his regular Monday night nesting box check when he found the scene. At first Brian thought that the wind had blown down the box during the weekend's high winds. But once he got closer, he knew what had happened. He found the 5 dead falcons, the destroyed nest box, liter and a bunch of spent shotgun shells and other casings. Brian had checked the box the Monday before, and found 5 unhatched eggs. Kestrel chicks usually hatch every 48 hours, so the chicks that were killed were only days old and the egg would have probably hatched during the weekend. Needless to say, Smith was devastated. This particular box was one that he installed at the beginning of the season. He replaced an older box that was used the previous years, and had been monitoring it ever since. The Utah department of wildlife resources were contacted, and an investigation is underway. They believe that the event happened on the evening of Friday the 6th, because of a cash receipt left at the scene from a local area restaurant. The Utah DWR posted a notice on their website, wildlife.utah.gov, asking for anyone who has information on the event. It reads, "If you have information about this illegal killing or any other wildlife crimes please contact the UTiP hotline at 1-800-662-3337 or email us at turninapoacher@utah.gov." The Eagle Mountain Kestrel project has been working for the last couple of years to increase the Kestrel population in Eagle Mountain. There have been some significant gains made and they are not going to let this setback hinder their progress. Christopher Pengra, the Eagle Mountain City Mayor, went on Facebook after reading the DWR post, asking people to support Hawkwatch International, one of the Organizations helping with the Eagle Mountain Kestrel Project. "Alright people. Very seldom do I loose my composure or get angry, but I'm not even going to try to hold my anger back with this." Pengra continued, "Why must we destroy the beautiful things of this world? Why has someone destroyed what others have given countless hours to protect and support? I cant answer these questions, but I will ask a favor so that we never have to ask these questions again." The project does not want to disclose the location of the box to the public to protect other wildlife that has found a home in the area. There is currently another pair of birds, Swainson's Hawks, nesting in the same tree that the kestrel box was destroyed in. The hawks left before the event happened, and it has been verified that they were not harmed and their nest was undamaged during the event. Swainson's hawks are very sensitive to disruption, and the project does not want to have them abandon the nest and the chicks for any reason. Please stay clear of the area if you do know where this box was located. Shon Reed, the project organizer, said the box will be replaced for next year. "The risk is only associated with an intentional act deliberate against the birds. I believe this was a dumb move against a random target," Reed said. "This loss only deepens our need to help these birds. Our cities are becoming their new homes as development sprawls into their natural habitat. It is up to us to provide new opportunities for their nests. Please reach out, get involved and educate our future generations." If you want to more information on the Eagle Mountain Kestrel project, you can follow it on the website, http://i84005.com/kestrel. The project is still going strong. On Thursday the 16th, I was lucky enough to be part of the banding of one of the project's chicks. Hawkwatch International banded the chick that belongs to the nest that the project has installed a webcam in. That chick is expected to leave the nest in the next week or so. The community news source for Eagle Mountain Utah, Saratoga Springs Utah, Lehi Utah, American Fork Utah, Highland Utah, Alpine Utah, and The Cedar Valley, including Cedar Fort Utah and Fairfield Utah. Copyright 2024 The Crossroads Journal LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
