Where have the Raptors Gone
South Delta seems to have lost the birds of prey to land development. Where have they gone and why? Most likely answer would be the reduction of farm lands hence the reduction of rodents. If you travel along highway 17 near highway 99 you now can see thousands of birds milling around, drawn in by the smells wafting from the fertilizer production facilities. In and amongst the flocks lurk the raptors. Hundreds of eagles, hawks and owls seem to have made this their home. So what is a raptor: a raptor is a bird of prey. A bird of prey is a meat eater that kills and eats mammals, fish, amphibians, insects, rodents as well as other birds. There are three things that make raptors different from other birds: hooked beaks with sharp edges, feet with sharp claws and really good eyesight. The raptors that live around us are eagles, hawks and owls. Eagles are large bodied raptors with long, broad wings, and fan-shaped tails and have large, strong feet and a powerful beak. Hawks have excellent hearing and eyesight that is 8 times greater than that of a human. Owls are typically nocturnal predators, relying on their excellent vision and hearing to catch food.
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