Protecting a rare black hawk chick<\/p>\n
Bambang Muryanto, Contributor, Yoygakarta<\/p>\n
The news about a pair of black hawks (Ictinaetus malayensis)
\nrearing a chick in a forest on the slope of Mount Merapi in
\nCangkringan, Sleman regency, Yogyakarta, finally reached Yayasan
\nKutilang Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Activists from a bird protection foundation in the city had
\nevery reason to rejoice because the young creature is a new
\nmember of a flock of rare raptors, raising hopes for the
\nconservation of this species, with only dozens of them left on
\nthe southern hill.<\/p>\n
Several bird lovers from Kutilang set out to the location,
\ntrekking three kilometers uphill from Cangkringan, with local
\nvillager Badiman as a guide. As they reached the forest, which is
\npart of Mount Merapi National Park (TNGM), they were surprised
\nand delighted to find easy access to the birds' natural abode.<\/p>\n
The birds were nesting on a branch in the middle of a dadap
\ntree (Erithrina variegata) on the lower slope, visible from a
\ndistance of about 20 meters when approached from the nearest
\nhillside. With no other trees concealing the nest, they could
\nclearly see, using cameras and binoculars, a young black hawk
\nchick about a month old. \"It's very beautiful,\" said Gunawan, a
\nbird-watcher from Muntilan, Central Java.<\/p>\n
However, the ease of access poses a dilemma. On the one hand,
\n\"the exposed nest allows us to observe the behavior of black
\nhawks,\" said Lim Wen Sin, Kutilang's senior bird-watcher. On the
\nother hand, the open view means there is a high risk of the chick
\nbeing snatched by bird hunters to sell.<\/p>\n
Badiman said that in 1999, hawk fledglings nesting near the
\npresent location were stolen by hunters. \"The poachers were not
\nlocal people but came from Klangon, Klaten,\" he said, asserting
\nthat natives of Cangkringan had never grabbed any of the chicks
\nand would even warn those trying to do so. \"But control by locals
\nalone of course is not enough,\" Badiman added.<\/p>\n
In fact, Government Regulation No. 7\/1999 on the conservation
\nof flora and fauna has declared black hawks a protected species.
\nGlobally, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
\nSpecies (CITES) has included the species in Appendix II, meaning
\nthat it is not yet threatened by extinction but will soon cease
\nto exist unless trading in it is strictly regulated.<\/p>\n
In their natural habitat, black hawks are slow to reproduce.
\nOrnithologists believe that a female hawk will lay only one egg
\nevery two years. Hawk chicks usually perish before they can fly.
\nAccording to Kutilang's records, three young hawks were stolen
\nfrom their nests on the southern slopes since 2000, which
\nexplains the small population. A chick can fetch hundreds of
\nthousands of rupiah on the market.<\/p>\n
With such vulnerability, Badiman regretted the absence of
\nforest rangers from the Natural Resources Conservation Center
\n(BKSDA) of Yogyakarta to maintain control. \"We shall be keeping
\nan eye on the area,\" said Kuspriyadi, head of Yogyakarta's BKSDA,
\nadding that his field officers might not yet be aware of the
\nexistence of young hawks in Cangkringan.<\/p>\n
As the bird-watchers observed the nest, the female parent was
\nsoaring in the sky, with a wingspan of one meter to 1.5 meters.
\nIts eyes, eight times as sharp as those of humans, were scanning
\nthe area below in search of prey, particularly rats and
\nsquirrels.<\/p>\n
\"Now is the most dangerous time for the young bird, so
\nsafeguarding it is essential,\" stressed Badiman. The fledgling,
\nwith its brown and black fluff is strong enough for weaning but
\ncannot fly yet, making it vulnerable to poachers.<\/p>\n
\"Jogja Bird Rescue (JBR) should thus redirect its focus here,\"
\nproposed JBR coordinator Lim Wen Sin. JBR is a Kutilang project
\nfor the protection of birds in their habitat, with active public
\nparticipation.<\/p>\n
Originally, JBR planned to conduct surveillance of another
\npair of black hawks building their nest around Turgo hill also
\nlocated within TNGM, from morning until evening, while observing
\ntheir pattern of behavior.<\/p>\n
Ig. Kristanto, director of the Kutilang foundation, said that,
\nas already done before, this hawk chick would be safeguarded
\nuntil it was capable of flying so that hunters would find it hard
\nto catch it.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, hawks live in Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi and
\nKalimantan. They live in forests in low-lying and hilly areas up
\nto an altitude of 1,400 meters. Elsewhere, the birds are found in
\nIndia, Southeast Asia and Southeasten China.<\/p>\n
In its nest, it was noticed that the young hawk mostly
\nremained seated in a hatching position, now and again walking
\naround its fairly big dwelling place while its mother was away.
\nBy instinct, it would discharge droppings outside the clean nest,
\nbecause of the high acidity of its excrement.<\/p>\n
By noon, one of its parents brought a rat clenched in its
\nclaws. In their research, Sidik Purnomo and Dewi Soleha from
\nYayasan Kanopi Indonesia found that during reproduction, the male
\nhawk had to kill three or four rats for its mate and chicks, as
\none of the ecological functions of black hawks is to control the
\npopulation of rodents.<\/p>\n
Sadly, though, the male was reluctant to return to its nest
\n\"because our presence scared it away,\" said Lim Wen Sin, even
\nwhen the female was also perched on a nearby tree. Then they were
\nonly diving low round the nest, frightening flocks of parrots
\n(Psittacula alexandri), which also nested in the area. \"The
\nparrots are terrified as sometimes they become the prey of black
\nhawks,\" added Lim.<\/p>\n
Some time later, as thick fog began to limit the bird-
\nwatchers' view, the hawk pair were still not ready to return
\nhome. \"Now we've got to leave. Pity the chick, starving and
\nwaiting for so long,\" said Lim, packing his equipment.<\/p>\n
The bird lovers descended that noon, but starting the
\nfollowing morning JBR volunteers would be watching over the young
\nhawk until early evening, to make sure that it grows into a new
\nadult hawk and thus preserve the species -- at least on Mount.
\nMerapi.<\/p>\n
The bird has been nominated as a symbol of the national park.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protecting-a-rare-black-hawk-chick-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }