Raptor Program
Raptors, or birds of prey, perch at the top of the food web, and are considered “sentinels” for the health of the ecosystems in which they live. For this reason, the lives of many raptors are intertwined with some of the most important environmental policies in U.S. history, such as the banning of DDT and the Endangered Species Act.
Several raptor species, such as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon, escaped near extinction in some regions in past decades. The decline and subsequent recovery of these and several other raptors now serve as examples of how birds can serve as barometers for ecosystem health, and the value of long-term species monitoring.
BRI’s raptor program will continue to use raptors to monitor ecosystem health and environmental change, as well as focusing on species and issues of the greatest conservation concern.
“Raptors embody a finesse, wisdom, and agility that leave even the most unlikely naturalist yearning to see through their eyes for just one day.”
— Christopher DeSorbo
Program Director
Christopher R. DeSorbo
chris.desorbo@briloon.org
207. 839.7600, ext. 115
Field Coordinator: Rick Gray
Program Goals
- Contribute to the conservation of raptors through the identification of key research needs and implementation of applied, issue-driven research projects.
- Monitor ecological health and environmental change through the long-term monitoring and conservation of raptors.
- Contribute to the body of scientific knowledge on raptor ecology.
Current BRI Projects
- Evaluating spatial and temporal mercury exposure and potential reproductive impacts of mercury on freshwater-feeding bald eagle populations in Maine and other New England states.
- Spatial and temporal contaminant monitoring of coastal bald eagle populations in Maine.
- Monitoring long-distance movements of inland bald eagles using satellite telemetry.
- Monitoring raptor migration in Maine's offshore environment.
- Evaluating long-term changes in Osprey nesting abundance and productivity in coastal Maine.
- Monitoring local and long-distance movements of Maine's coastal bald eagles using satellite telemetry.
- Bald Eagle Conservation Genetics: Investigating the relationships between Alaska, New York and Maine populations.
- Inventory of resident woodland raptors in Acadia National Park, Maine.
- Developing a mercury exposure profile for New England raptors.
- Preliminary health and contaminant assessments of vultures in South Africa.
- Monitoring mercury and other contaminants in Alaksa's bald eagle population.
Recent Reports, Papers and Presentations
- DeSorbo C.R., C.S. Todd, S.E. Mierzykowski, D.C. Evers, and W.
Hanson. 2009. Assessment of mercury in Maine’s interior bald eagle population. USFWS. Spec. Proj. Rep. FY07-MEFO-3-EC. Maine Field Office. Old Town, ME. 42 pp. pdf - Evers, D.C. and DeSorbo, C.R. 2008. Preliminary assessment of Osprey nests in southern Belize: developing future monitoring and sampling programs. Report BRI 2008-07, BioDiversity Research Institute, Gorham, Maine. pdf
- DeSorbo, C. R. and D. C. Evers. 2007. Evaluating exposure of Maine's Bald Eagle population to Mercury: assessing impacts on productivity and spatial exposure patterns. Report BRI 2007-02. BioDiversity ResearchInstitute, Gorham, ME. 36 pp. pdf
- DeSorbo, C. R. 2008. Evaluating mercury exposure in raptor populations in southeastern NH and the Boston vicinity: an integrated research and educational approach. Report submitted to the Fuller Foundation, Hampton, NH (in prep.).
- DeSorbo, C. R., P. Nye, J. J. Loukmas, and D. C. Evers. 2008. Assessing mercury exposure and spatial patterns in adult and nestling bald eagles in New York State, with an emphasis on the Catskill region. Report no. 2007-09 submitted to The Nature Conservancy, New York State. pdf
- DeSorbo, C. R. 2008. Spatial, temporal, and habitat-based patterns of mercury exposure in interior bald eagles in Maine. M.Sc. Thesis. Antioch University, Keene, NH.
- Fallon, J. A., C. R. DeSorbo, S. L. Clubb, C. S. Todd, and H. S. Klandorf. 2007. Pentosidine as a biomarker of age in Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and captive psittacines. 28th Annual Association of Avian Veterinarians Conference & Expo. Providence, RI, August 4-8. pdf
- Shemansky, J., A. McMillan, and C. R. DeSorbo. 2007. Preliminary population genetic analysis of Bald Eagles using microsatellite markers developed for White-tailed Sea Eagles. 27th annual Midwest Ecology and Evolution Conference, Kent, OH, March 9 - 11, 2007 (poster). pdf
- Desorbo, C.R. and Evers, D.C. 2006. Evaluating exposure of Maines Bald Eagle population to Mercury: assessing impacts on productivity and spatial exposure patterns. Report BRI 2006- 02. Biodiversity Research Institute, Gorham, ME. 31 pp. pdf
- DeSorbo, C. R., C. S. Todd, D. C. Evers, S. E. Mierzykowski, W. Hanson W. W. Bowerman C. Romanek R. Taylor. 2006. Evaluating exposure of Maines Bald Eagle population to Mercury: assessing impacts on productivity and spatial exposure patterns. 27th Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Quebec, Canada, Nov. 5 - 9, 2006. (presentation)
- Mierzykowski, S. E., C. S. Todd, C. R. DeSorbo, W. Hanson, and D. C. Evers. 2006. Mercury in Bald Eagle eggs from Maine: past and present. 27th Annual Meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Quebec, Canada, Nov. 5 - 9, 2006. (poster) pdf
- DeSorbo, C. R., C. S. Todd, D. C. Evers, S. E. Mierzykowski, W. Hanson W. W. Bowerman C. Romanek R. Taylor. 2006. Evaluating exposure of Maines Bald Eagle population to Mercury: assessing impacts on productivity and spatial exposure patterns. 8th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, Madison, WI, Aug. 6 - 11, 2006. (poster)
- Mierzykowski, S. E., C. S. Todd, C. R. DeSorbo, W. Hanson, and D. C. Evers. 2006. Mercury in Bald Eagle eggs from Maine: past and present. 8th International Conference on Mercury as a Global Pollutant, Madison, WI, Aug. 6 - 11, 2006. (poster).
- DeSorbo, C. R., C. S. Todd, D. C. Evers, S. E. Mierzykowski, W. Hanson. 2005. Evaluating exposure of Maines Bald Eagle population to Mercury: assessing impacts on productivity and spatial exposure patterns. Raptor Research Foundation, 2005 Annual Meeting, Green Bay, WI, Oct 12-16, 2005. (presentation)
- DeSorbo, C. R., and D. C. Evers. 2005. Mercury Issues in Bird Populations of the Northeast. New Hampshire-Vermont Birders Conference, Lake Morey Resort, Fairlee, VT, Nov 15, 2005. (presentation).
