THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 2, 1996 TAG: 9610010148
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
LENGTH: 87 lines
When Lynn Christian found a dead hawk in an impatiens bed by his house recently, he decided to have it mounted by a taxidermist because it was such a nice specimen.
The hawk had obviously crashed into a window above the flower bed. Although the bird did not have a mark on it, you could still see the smudge on the pane from the collision.
But when Christian called the taxidermist, he got quite a surprise. The taxidermist told Christian that it was illegal to have the hawk in his possession!
``He told me, `Put it back where you found it. You could be fined $5,000,' '' Christian said.
No one can possess any migratory bird, dead or alive, without a government permit, Christian later learned when he called Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Refuge staff asked Christian to wrap the bird in newspaper and keep it in his freezer until a staff member could pick it up.
Christian and his wife Ruth were glad to oblige and later in the week refuge biologist John B. Gallegos stopped by the Christians' home on Lake Lawson.
He unwrapped the frozen bird and identified it as a Cooper's hawk, a medium-sized hawk with a rufous and white breast and blue-gray back. ``It is a beautiful specimen,'' Gallegos said.
The law covering the possession of migratory birds is not only about hawks and owls but also about most song birds, he told the Christians. But hawks in particular are of concern to law enforcement officials, because the majestic birds of prey, especially eagles, are more coveted than song birds.
``There's an illegal market for hawks,'' Gallegos explained. ``People like to mount them for their homes.''
They also like to show off, for example, by hanging a pair of talons from a rear view mirror. Thus, it is illegal not only to possess a migratory bird but also to possess any part of one, he said.
``You can't even possess a feather,'' Gallegos went on.
But that doesn't mean that the Christians' bird and others like it which come to an untimely end won't be put to good use. It will be stored in the refuge's freezer, which they keep specifically for that purpose. Later the hawk will be mounted and displayed in one of the refuge's visitor center exhibits or given to another institution with the proper permits, also to use for educational purposes.
For example, the bird could be given to a university which would mount it for ornithology students to study or to a museum for use in a bird diorama. In fact, most mounted specimens at universities and museums are birds that have collided with something, whether it's a window, an overhead wire or a car.
This time of year, you may see other hawks that have met their demise at the hands of civilization because the big birds are migrating now. They gather in huge numbers at the tip of the Eastern Shore to wait for the right air currents to help transport them across the Bay. Then they continue their southerly migration right through Virginia Beach. The Cooper's hawk was probably one of those, Gallegos said.
The swift bird may have stopped off in the Christians' wooded yard for a meal before continuing its flight. And there its life came to a crashing halt when flying through the woods, it mistook the reflection in the window for more trees ahead.
If you come across a dead hawk or owl in good condition, move it to a safe place and contact the police dispatcher, 427-5000, for an Animal Control truck or call the refuge at 721-2412. That way at least the public can learn from its death.
P.S. ARCHAEOLOGY DAY FOR KIDS, ages 7 to 13, will take place from 1 to 2:15 p.m. Saturday at historic Lynnhaven House. Admission is $2. Call 456-0351.
MACKAY ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE on Knotts Island will open the roads around its impoundments to motorists between sunrise and sunset Tuesday through Oct. 12. Beginning Oct. 15, the refuge will close to the public for the winter to protect wintering waterfowl. To find out more, call 429-3100.
BACK BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE and False Cape State Park to the south will be closed to the general public Saturday through Oct. 12 because the refuge will be conducting its annual deer and feral hog hunt.
Call 721-2412 for information. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know
about Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555.
Enter category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet
address: mbarrow(AT)infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by MARY REID BARROW
John B. Gallegos, a refuge biologist at False Cape State Park, looks
over a dead Cooper's hawk with Ruth and Lynn Christian. The hawk met
its demise when it slammed into the window of the Christians' home
on Lake Lawson. ``It is a beautiful specimen,'' Gallegos said of the
bird, which was unmarked by the crash. The protected bird was frozen
and will be mounted and displayed at a licensed institution. by CNB