The Rebound of Raptors

Programs and rehabilitation centers throughout the state are fighting to keep birds of prey safe—and they need your help.

This story was originally published in the October 2024 issue of Wonderful West Virginia. To subscribe, visit wonderfulwv.com.

Written by Stan Bumgardner

photographed by Leiane Gibson

Raptors, or birds of prey, have been mythologized, worshiped, and often feared throughout history. They’re seen in cave art from 10,000 years ago. They appear as hawk-faced Horus, the Ancient Egyptians’ sky god, and as a double-headed eagle in vast-ranging cultures, religions, and states. And, of course, the bald eagle appears on our nation’s Great Seal. Our founders saw in eagles our new nation’s strength, courage, and nobility—all except Benjamin Franklin, who remarked that the bird on the original design of the Great Seal more resembled a turkey, which he felt was a nobler bird anyway. Check the back of the vast majority of quarters minted between 1932 and 1998, or a dollar bill, and you’ll find an eagle with wings spread.

But what is it about these feathered creatures that inspires such bold admiration—and conservation?

Not a Dinosaur

While birds, overall, are fascinating, nothing will stop you in your tracks like seeing a raptor in flight. “Raptor” is a general term for birds of prey that is applied to several unrelated bird families—for instance, a falcon is more closely related to a parrot than to a hawk. Some raptors are massive, like the red-tailed hawk; others are tiny, like the American kestrel. No matter their size, their keen senses, smarts, and speed place them among the world’s great natural hunters. They’ll eat just about anything smaller than them, including snakes, bugs, and sometimes even smaller raptors. Their piercing, hooked beaks and sharp talons outmatch small game like rodents, rabbits, and skunks. In one year, a single family of barn owls can eat up to 3,000 mice.

Of West Virginia’s 21 breeding species of raptors, six are owls—nocturnal and most active at night. These wise old birds are “masters of camouflage,” according to Wendy Perrone, executive director of the Three Rivers Avian Center (TRAC). The center rehabilitates birds of all kinds, including our state’s native owls. As Perrone points out, we don’t see many owls in the wild, because they hunt at night. Even during the day, their feathers blend in perfectly with tree bark. But when you do see one, there’s no mistaking that unique head turn. It’s the only animal on Earth that can turn its head 270 degrees. Many humans have a good day if we can hit 135 degrees, and our max is 180. That’s because owls have up to 3 times as many neck vertebrae as humans.

A Worrisome Change

Even though raptors seem like the superior beings of the sky, their lives aren’t easy. Every day is a game of survival. Sadly, the biggest threat to them is humans.

Hawks and eagles have possibly suffered the most harm at our hands. Hawks have always been a threat to chickens, and some of us grew up mistakenly thinking that broad-wing and red-tailed hawks were called “chicken hawks.” Farmers who killed them to save their flocks put a dent in their populations—but nowhere near as much as a bug killer did.

The chemical DDT, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane, was introduced during World War II to protect Allied soldiers from malaria and typhus. Postwar, it quickly gained popularity as a pesticide, which eventually made its way into streams and contaminated fish, a major raptor food source. The 1962 environmental science book Silent Spring brought the dangers of DDT to international attention by thoroughly detailing the chemical’s harmful effects on humans and wildlife over time.

Even so, it was 10 years before the federal government banned DDT. By this time, some hawks, peregrine falcons, and the bald eagle were on the verge of extinction, and many other species were affected, too. When the bald eagle first became our national symbol, an estimated 100,000 or more soared above what would become the 48 contiguous states. When Silent Spring was published 180 years later, fewer than 500 nesting pairs could be documented.

After the DDT ban, the National Park Service—coordinating with our own Division of Natural Resources, similar agencies nationally, and others—went into action. Existing peregrine falcon nests were moved from other states into the New River Gorge and to other ideal hunting and mating spots. The peregrine population is still quite small, but efforts continue. The bald eagle comeback has been a greater success. West Virginia’s first nest was documented in the South Branch Valley in 1981. Thirty years later, we had 36 pairs of bald eagles, and today, that number is at least 130, likely much higher.

Threats Today

One of the most common threats to raptors today comes from hunting, but not necessarily the hunting of the birds themselves. Many raptors, especially eagles, arrive at centers like TRAC due to lead poisoning, often incurable. Raptors eat the carcasses of animals that have been shot with lead-based ammo, get very sick, and die. To protect fish and the animals that eat them from the toxins, lead-based ammo is prohibited when hunting waterfowl—but it’s legal in upland hunting and shooting sports, and lead sinkers are permitted for fishing. Good non-toxic alternatives can be found for all, but if you do use lead-based ammo, haul your kill out to keep the lead out of the woods.

Some threats are those we don’t often consider. Raptors often arrive at rehabilitation centers when they’ve been hit by cars after being drawn to food, wrappers, and containers that were thrown from vehicles. Another threat is one of our favorite pets. According to Perrone, her center took in a record number of birds last spring due to cat injuries, which are typically lethal.

The damage often happens innocently enough—even when people are just trying to help. Human imprinting occurs when people take in baby birds as pets or to heal injured ones. Just a few days of captivity can keep them from living normal lives in nature. We’ve all seen otherwise healthy but crying baby birds on the ground and wanted to assist. In nature, the best help is frequently no help. Baby birds learn to fly by experimenting, and they end up on the ground a lot.

If you find a wounded bird, rehabilitation centers like TRAC are a great resource. You can also contact your local Division of Natural Resources office, and some local veterinarians serve as intake points.

Help Our Fine Feathered Friends

TRAC offers tips to perpetuate our bird population:

The decline of about 1/5 of all bird species that are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may be attributed to pesticides and herbicides. If you think your property is completely unmanageable without weed killers, try to use less.

Put out fresh water for birds regularly. You can buy, make, or easily adapt something you’re not using into a bird bath or fountain. Perrone notes that birds prefer fresh, not stagnant, water—which means washing the bath out daily. As a bonus, the birds you attract will eat your mosquitoes.

If you prune your trees, wait until at least late August so birds have time to raise their young and migrate.

While these tricks may not necessarily draw raptors right into your backyard—how fun would it be to watch an osprey splashing around in your ornate bird bath?—that doesn’t mean you’ll never catch sight of one. If you want to see some raptors, wait quietly and patiently beside some open pasture land or near a stream. Or try a sure-fire place like Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Monroe County, an old converted fire tower on a key migratory route 3,800 feet above sea level. Go to www.visitwv.com/hanging-rock-raptor-observatory for more information about migration dates. After a day of watching birds of prey at Hanging Rock, you’ll understand why our founders were so inspired by them. Except for that one fellow. In Franklin’s defense, he had a few good ideas, too—and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with a turkey. 

Want to Learn More about Raptors?

Three Rivers Avian Center, founded in 1990, is a nonprofit organization that helps conserve West Virginia’s wild bird population—not just raptors—and educates the public on how to take care of our ecosystem. It does not capture birds randomly, but rather provides emergency care, surgery, hospitalization, and physical therapy to birds that can no longer live in the wild. The center, located near Hinton, offers occasional tours of its 100-acre wildlife sanctuary and gives demonstrations across the state, reaching as many as 23,000 people annually. Learn more at www.tracwv.org.

The West Virginia Raptor Rehabilitation Center in Fairmont is another nonprofit that heals and releases injured and orphaned birds of prey while educating the public on their importance and protection. Find out more about their efforts and see what birds they’re currently working with by following them @WVRRC on Facebook.

Located in the Cheat Lake neighborhood of Morgantown is the Avian Conservation Center of Appalachia, which aims to protect bird species in West Virginia “through research, education, and rehabilitation.” Partnered with the Cheat Lake Animal Hospital—a 24-hour veterinary clinic—the ACCA is licensed to treat ill, injured, and orphaned birds, from the largest raptor to the smallest songbird. Visit the website to learn more about its efforts and events: www.accawv.org.

It costs a lot to raise birds. These organizations gladly accept donations and volunteers, so reach out to find out how you can help West Virginia’s raptor populations thrive.