Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia

Posted by: cohoangler

Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 11:27 AM

The Columbia Rv Tribes are considering the use of falcons on the Columbia River to help protect juvenile salmon on their downstream migration past the dams. The raptors haze the gulls and cormorants away from the dams thus making downstream migration easier on the smolts.

See the link:

https://www.nwcouncil.org/news/2022/06/14/falconry-based-avian-abatement/

And here's a quiz for the birders amongst us: What two birds are featured in the short video?
Posted by: Krijack

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 11:46 AM

I was sitting in my car at Wapato lake in Tacoma, just checking my phone when I heard something. Looked up to a cascade of feathers and a bald eagle hauling away a sea gull. The others did not look to concerned, so I hope it works.
Posted by: FleaFlickr02

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 01:34 PM

As with all these creative, try to play God solutions, the phrase "at what cost?" Comes to mind.

Falcons don't eat fish, do they??? Article made no mention of falcons being less of a threat to the juvenile fish. Hmmmm....

If we want more juveniles to survive, we need to let more adults survive to spawn. Short of that, we're just wasting government money (that's your money and mine) on further compromising the ecosystem.
Posted by: 5 * General Evo

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 02:02 PM

the stupidest thing is when the WDFW goes out and catches a bunch of Pikeminnow, then tags them and releases them, then pays the next person to catch the fish...
Posted by: WDFW X 1 = 0

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 03:21 PM



"And here's a quiz for the birders amongst us: What two birds are featured in the short video? "


Appears to be an Ole Bat and a Lesbian.
Posted by: steely slammer

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 04:29 PM

this will be a good thing for the tribe.. the feds or wash state will give them millions of $$$ to give it a try!!
Posted by: cohoangler

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 04:32 PM

Originally Posted By: FleaFlickr02
As with all these creative, try to play God solutions, the phrase "at what cost?" Comes to mind.

Falcons don't eat fish, do they??? Article made no mention of falcons being less of a threat to the juvenile fish. Hmmmm....


There are lots of commercial falconers in the PNW. They use hawks, falcons and eagles to drive off unwanted birds. They get most of their business at berry farms and vineyards. They use falcons to drive off blackbirds and starlings that eat the fruit. The falcons fly around to haze the birds, and then return to the falconer. They would do the same at the dams. The falcons are not released into the wild, so they wouldn't be eating the salmon smolts (or the blueberries). They just drive off the gulls, cormorants, and terns before returning to the falconer for a reward (piece of raw meat).

It's actually quite creative, and fairly cheap, if it works.

And just so you know, the 'bird wires' that are installed at the tailrace of John Day Dam to keep the gulls and cormorants from eating the smolts cost $18 million dollars to install, and several million each year to maintain. The bird wires at the other dams are a similar cost. Falcons are alot cheaper.......
Posted by: JussieSmolt

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 04:46 PM

2many, post some pictures or something. Is your mind truly occupied by democrats 24/7?
Posted by: FleaFlickr02

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/16/22 06:35 PM

Originally Posted By: cohoangler
Originally Posted By: FleaFlickr02
As with all these creative, try to play God solutions, the phrase "at what cost?" Comes to mind.

Falcons don't eat fish, do they??? Article made no mention of falcons being less of a threat to the juvenile fish. Hmmmm....


There are lots of commercial falconers in the PNW. They use hawks, falcons and eagles to drive off unwanted birds. They get most of their business at berry farms and vineyards. They use falcons to drive off blackbirds and starlings that eat the fruit. The falcons fly around to haze the birds, and then return to the falconer. They would do the same at the dams. The falcons are not released into the wild, so they wouldn't be eating the salmon smolts (or the blueberries). They just drive off the gulls, cormorants, and terns before returning to the falconer for a reward (piece of raw meat).

It's actually quite creative, and fairly cheap, if it works.

And just so you know, the 'bird wires' that are installed at the tailrace of John Day Dam to keep the gulls and cormorants from eating the smolts cost $18 million dollars to install, and several million each year to maintain. The bird wires at the other dams are a similar cost. Falcons are alot cheaper.......


Definitely creative. Didn't know falconers were so common. Interesting.

Could use some falcons to run off the Stellar's jays and crows that terrorize my berry plants....
Posted by: Salmo g.

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/17/22 09:53 AM

Originally Posted By: 5 * General Evo
the stupidest thing is when the WDFW goes out and catches a bunch of Pikeminnow, then tags them and releases them, then pays the next person to catch the fish...


What is it that is stupid about collecting population data on a predator species that the agencies are attempting to control via the pikeminnow bounty program?
Posted by: RUNnGUN

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/17/22 10:31 AM

Creative idea. I always thought WDFW or USFW, or whoever, should release raccoons or coyotes or whatever, on the nesting islands of cormorants on the Columbia, to harass and eat the eggs and chicks. A few years ago some bald eagles did a number on a rookery and they left. Oh wait! When they left those areas they moved on the Astoria Bridge. Now fecal matter is eroding the steel of the bridge just after a new paint job. Smart birds.
Posted by: 20 Gage

Re: Falconry helps juvenile salmon on the Columbia - 06/17/22 11:13 AM

The new falconer program just switched out the birds !

They have now authorized the use of Osprey on the big c.

The wdfw and the falconers believe they are better multitaskers for the money spent, in that they will still haze shorebirds and gulls while hunting and eating pike minnows...

Nice looking Peregrine however.