Return to the wild

[everetkhorton]

It has been my understanding for many years that raptors that have imprinted can not be returned to the wild. This attitude has changed in the past few year with it being said that imprinted Accipiters can be returned to the wild. I would like your view on this subject, pro or con. But have your view based on something.

[tony123abc]

I think a 4 real imprint, as in a full imprint hat bird type stuff should be kept in captivity as it will eventually do something silly that may result in bad information being sent out. But the brancher who some people will also call an imprint is fine in my opinion to let go as they will often go ferel in short order. Also, it has been my experience, due to the way I train them, that my eyess birds tend to not trust anyone other than me as time goes on. I do it on purpose to keep any future problems to a minmum if problems do exist at all. I always release my wild acquired birds before they get too old. Just the way I do it.

[outhawkn]

I dont know aboutaccipiters but some imprinted falcons when released have been known to later breed naturally. So I dont see a problem as long as the imprint isnt one that attacks people..........

[Takasho]

I've never imprinted anything so the following information may mean absolutely nothing BUT I hear it depends on the species. I've heard that smaller birds such as merlins, sharpies, etc. revert to wild rather quickly so letting them go isn't that big of a deal. Of course, that may just be because they're not nearly as dangerous to people even when they are imprinted...

Hopefully Barry will chime in, I think he said he had an imprinted sharpie once that he lost for a few weeks and when he saw it again it was no different than a wild one...

[goshawks00]

Yes Ev a lot ( you know the old saw "there are always exceptions") of imprints will revert back to a natural state if given a chance to... The problem is some imprints, that have a strong human attachment to feeding time, will "attack" humans when they get hungry.
There is a lot going on when imprinting, some of it attaches, if you will, to the hardwiring of a bird and the individual bird may or may not react like others , even from the same nest , imprinted by others.
I have released several imprints when I was done flying them and as far as I 'know' ( key) none have killed anybody yet... That said I get the shivers when I think about the possibilities of an imprint RT that finds it's way into a situation where a lot of people are in close proximity...

If it hasn't reverted back to hunting for it's self... it could spell problems.
Ev what do you have in mind that brings this up?
Barry

[FredFogg]

Ev, I think the imprinted coops I flew for 3 seasons could be turned loose into the wild. Like Barry said, I think if she ever was starving, she would probably attack anything near her to be fed, including humans. But she is such a great hunter, I don't think she would have any problem catching wild game.

On a slightly different note, I had a hag kestrel that I caught sparrows, starlings and doves with. I turned him loose in the spring and that summer after I turned it loose, about a mile away, I got out of my car at an Applebee's to go to lunch with my mom and a male kestrel flew down and smacked a sparrow in the shrubbery right beside the entrance to the restaurant. I know it was Eddie, it was summer, lots of grasshoppers out, I doubt if a nonfalconry kestrel would be smacking sparrows in a parking lot in the middle of summer. He flew up onto a lamp post and sat their plucking, he would lift his head up to look around and I would whistle and he would immediatley start eating. To be honest, I felt like a proud papa right then and there. My mom had to drag me into the restaurant to eat, I could have stood out there and watched him eat the entire sparrow. When we come out, he was gone.

Oh yeah, if you are thinking of cutting that coops loose, send him down this way. I could use something to fly on the starlings this spring, once this gos goes back to its owner. LOL

[everetkhorton]

Yes Ev a lot ( you know the old saw "there are always exceptions") of imprints will revert back to a natural state if given a chance to... The problem is some imprints, that have a strong human attachment to feeding time, will "attack" humans when they get hungry.
There is a lot going on when imprinting, some of it attaches, if you will, to the hardwiring of a bird and the individual bird may or may not react like others , even from the same nest , imprinted by others.
I have released several imprints when I was done flying them and as far as I 'know' ( key) none have killed anybody yet... That said I get the shivers when I think about the possibilities of an imprint RT that finds it's way into a situation where a lot of people are in close proximity...

If it hasn't reverted back to hunting for it's self... it could spell problems.
Ev what do you have in mind that brings this up?
Barry

Barry:
Just was BS'ing with others about COHA and imprinting and there was a mixture of opinions on the idea of returning imprints back to the wild.
Seeing that most of the birds you have handled over the years were imprints and you feel confident in what you have done and are doing, that being said, have you ever thought about writing a "Book on Imprinting" Accipiters?