Falconer Puzzled By Loss Of Bird

The feeders in the yard and the binoculars by the picture window at Jim Hubbard’s house on Clear Lake speak of his fascination with birds.

So do the pointers in the dog kennel near the garage.

So does the empty perch in the enclosure by the house.

Hubbard is a birder, a hunter and a falconer.

With that perspective, he can’t understand why someone would shoot Adam.

Three times the young captive-raised peregrine falcon had been released to fly and hunt on its own, and three times it had returned to the security of its pen.

“We were in the process of hacking,” Hubbard said. “I was readying the bird for release into the wild. Eventually the falcon would learn enough to take care of itself and take off on its own.”

The fourth flight, however, was too soon for the bird to be independent. When Adam didn’t return, Hubbard went searching with radio telemetry equipment.

The signal led him two miles away to a draw off a road near Medical Lake. The signal from the transmitter attached to the falcon was strong, but Hubbard’s heart felt faint when he the saw the tire tracks in the snow.

He could see that the vehicle had parked and that boot prints led down along the brush. He followed them through the quail tracks to Adam’s limp remains.

“Maybe it was a hunter, maybe it was just someone with a gun,” Hubbard said. “But it amazes me that someone would shoot a falcon.”

Eagles, hawks and falcons are federally protected species, said Roger Parker, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service enforcement agent.

Fines start at about $150 for intentionally killing common raptors. But peregrines are still listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

Shooting a peregrine falcon - even one that’s been raised in captivity - can net the culprit a fine ranging into the tens of thousands of dollars, Parker said.

“I’ve noticed that people seem to be more in tune with the law nowadays, and it seems that fewer hawks are shot,” he said. “But some people still think of any bird of prey as a `chicken hawk,’ that should be disposed of.”

Falconers know better.

Adam was a 2-year-old tercel Hubbard had been working with for more than a year. The bird was acquired from a federally licensed breeder for $1,000.

“It was a pure Peals sub-species found in the Aleutians and Queen Charlotte Islands,” he said. “This bird came from pair of falcons raised at an Idaho falcon center used to bring these birds back from near extinction.”

Hubbard had worked with the falcon daily. Adam had flown 45 times with Hubbard present before he began letting it out on its own.

He has photos of the first birds the falcon killed on its own. He also has photos of Adam in classrooms where Hubbard used the bird as an attention-grabbing prop to educate kids about hawks and falcons.

Falconry isn’t a privilege of whim. You must apply for a state license, study, pass a test and find a certified falconer for a sponsor.

You must complete a two-year apprenticeship by raising and releasing a red-tailed hawk or a kestrel to prove proficiency before you can apply for permits to own jewels such as peregrines.

“I know these birds face lots of dangers,” Hubbard said. “I’ve lost a falcon to a golden eagle and one to a transformer where it was electrocuted after it raised its wings and touched two wires at once.

“But it makes me sick to think there are people out there who would just up and shoot one.”

Falconer Jim Hubbard has offered a $500 reward for information leading to the conviction of the person who shot his peregrine falcon on Dec. 9 off Fancher Road southwest of Medical Lake. Call 299-7179.