AN INSTANCE OF SUCCESSFUL RELOCATIONS OF RAVEN AND RED-TAILED HAWK NESTS

Sabrina Alaniz; Pacific Gas and Electric; sabrina.alaniz@pge.com; Jennifer Litteral

In the spring of 2023, record rainfall and snowmelt levels resulted in the flooding of the historic Tulare Lake Basin. In April of 2023, approximately 178 square miles of agricultural land was inundated. During emergency response, PG&E removed all oil filled electrical equipment that was either under or over the water to eliminate the chance of a spill or leak contaminating the Lake. Fifteen active raven and red-tailed hawk nests were observed on this equipment. Working under PG&E’s USFWS SPUTE Permit, 10 nests were relocated to nest platforms bolted to the same pole from which equipment was removed. Relocations were performed by trained linemen using bucket airboats. For the remainder (five nests), personnel were able to drain the oil from the equipment bearing the nests and leave the nests in place. PG&E biologists made follow up visits to each nest to confirm that adults had returned to the nests and observed live nestlings and fledglings, as well as adult behavior suggesting nest success for all relocated and temporarily disturbed nests. These observations provide insight into the resilience of these two species to disturbance and provide an example of how we can respond to unprecedented weather events while protecting wildlife.

Poster Session