Raptor Program
Eagle returning to nest-image from remote camera.
Raptors, who often feed at the top of food chains, are therefore optimal "biosentinels" of the ecosystems in which they reside. Our raptor program promotes research, population monitoring, conservation, and education from the local to international scales. Our raptor program is in its infancy - upcoming projects will increasingly target species and topics of the greatest concern to the raptor conservation community.
Program Director
Christopher R. DeSorbo
207. 839.7600, ext. 115
Program Goals
- To promote the conservation of raptor communities through research
- To increase awareness about raptor ecology through educational outreach programs
Current BRI Projects
- Investigating mercury exposure and potential impacts in bald eagle populations in Maine using blood and feather sampling
- Monitoring bald eagles using satellite tracking devices
- Monitoring bald eagles using remote camera
- Establishing mercury exposure baselines in New England raptor populations using data from eggs
- Monitoring contaminants in forest hawks and owls
- Project Osprey - a monitoring program observing osprey nesting distributions and productivity in Maine
- Evaluating mercury exposure in bald eagles in New Hampshire and Massachusetts
- Evaluating mercury exposure in bald eagles in New York State.
- Developing a plot of the biogeography of mercury contamination in New York, using various raptors.
Geographic Focus
- Maine and New England
- Adirondack Region of New York
- Virginia
Recent Reports, Papers and Presentations
- 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. (in review).
- 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).
