Urban Raptors

Recently I saw an Instagram post of a lovely hawk sitting upon a friend’s gate with a question as to the species. Immediately I knew it was an immature Cooper’s Hawk as I had seen one posted by a biologist friend of mine, however, theirs was dead. It’s their job to collect protected species, such as  raptors, and determine their cause of death. This time of year the results often point to the same cause—poison.

No one poisons birds of prey on purpose, but when the weather turns cold sending rats and mice looking for warmer places to hole up for the winter as vegetation dies back they often end up in our sheds, garages, and our homes. As soon as colder temperatures hit this week a small pile of bodies magically appeared next to my kitchen island, Cubie, my house cat alerting me each time she added a new one to the haul. Before noon she had four and that’s after not seeing a mouse or signs thereof for several months. Unhappy that I had removed her collection, she had replaced it by dinner time.

As a farmer whose house was built in the middle of a large hay field, finding an occasional critter in my home is par for the course. At one point, there was a groundhog  under one porch, an opossum under another and a family of skunks under the big porch out back.  We all lived in harmony and that year I experienced few inside invaders. Occasionally, the opossum would scratch at the sliding glass door and I’d toss her a hard-boiled egg. This act of kindness also kept her out of the chickens’ nest boxes.

I’m not the only one experiencing an influx of vermin this time of year and I’m saddened to see how many folks deal with these unwanted visitors with poison. I get it. It’s not as messy or gross to put a little cake or pellets out for something unwanted to nibble on and then go back to their nest and die. No snap traps. No sticky traps. No bodies to dispose of. Easy peasy, right?

Wrong.

Chemical rodenticides work by reducing their blood clotting ability to the point where they slowly die from internal bleeding. It can take as long as two weeks after ingesting a lethal dose for the rodent to die. In that time, what are the chances of them being eating by something like an owl, a hawk, a fox, a snake, a squirrel, a coyote, a weasel, and even domestic cats and dogs? Pretty darn good, especially if they’re not moving as fast from not feeling too well. Those toxins are pervasive meaning they’ll affect whoever eats the poisoned rodent.

Here at the farm I’ve identified five different species of owls who share this plot of ground. Sure, there’s a group of barn cats who have ended up here over the  years who take care of the rodents around the barn, but out in the fields are large populations of rodents who support Barn owls, Barred owls, Great Horned owls, Screech owls, and Saw-whet owls. They’re the big predators for rodents. There’s also Red-tailed hawks, Sharp-shinned hawks, Red-shouldered hawks, Cooper’s hawks and harriers. The Bald Eagles even migrate through the area.

But that’s a farm and this is an urban area you might think to yourself and you’d be entirely correct, but that doesn't mean your neighborhood is completely devoid of wildlife. One morning on my way to market when I pulled off the Old Georgetown exit of 270 and was waiting at the red light there stood two full grown white tail deer casually grazing on the strip of grass between the road and the sidewalk. Another morning a fox strode across the street between the two churches on Wilson Lane.

I know the District is notorious for their rat population so much that there’s a club, RATscallions, which is for dog owners interested in hunting rats with their terriers, dachshunds, and sighthounds.

I get it that the health department and other inspection services demand that businesses demand rodent control, which is often a bait box full of poison, but at your home you have a choice.

There are a variety of ways to deter rodent populations, even if keeping a housecat or a snappy little dog is out of the question. There are numerous options for humane live traps if you don’t want to cause harm. But know that removing a rodent away from it’s home base will often result in its death. There are also plenty of traps that you dispose of the entire trap so you never have to see a dispatched rodent. If you’re not squeamish, the good ol’ Victory Trap is the gold standard. I’m not a fan of sticky traps, but t hey also work well without poison. The best way to deter unwanted rodents is to remove easy access to food.  My dad had a peanut basket where one side was full of shelled peanuts and the other side was for the shells. It was always beside his chair until mom found a stash of peanuts in one of her dresser drawers.

For the sake of our food web, our environment, and especially our lovely owls, please don’t reach for the poison when the rodents show up when it gets cold outside.